Two teachers competing for one spot- that of head coach of a small town football team. “Not wanting to risk losing out on a dream job, Jade and Francesca can’t afford to give in to the iron hot attraction that simmers beneath their biting interactions, so they try desperately to ignore it. Too bad their hearts don’t seem to be as on board with the game plan.”

As this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, I’m left with the “what the Jesus Christ was that?” audio playing in my head, over and over.

Jade and Francesca are both vying for the same position- Head Coach. High school football in the South brings a lot of drama. I’m here for it.

But the book falls apart completely almost immediately- Francesca, in a bid to get a rise out of Jade, tells Jade- verbatim- “I’m coming for your job.” Then proceeds to gaslight and vilify the shit out of Jade and for the rest of the book. Francesca accuses Jade of trying to unfairly put her out of the running and not supporting women. The horrific offenses Jade commits- a harmless prank where she tricks Francesca into thinking she had a bingo when she didn’t (no seriously, that’s all) and having the head coach check Francesca’s references. Francesca has never coached in South Carolina- she has only been a teacher at their current school. She hasn’t coached in at least two years. That’s all!

So the entire romance arc (which was a big part of the story given that this is a contemporary romance!) was a bust. Francesca had so much audacity and was just so much unnecessary drama. I expected conflict, yes, but Francesca was so off base that it was absurd.

I loved the football stuff- seeing Jade as a coach, Francesca and Jade learning to work together professionally, and seeing the team grow. I have mixed feelings over one of the conflicts in the football coach arc. Overall, I wish that the romance in this wasn’t so toxic. It had so much potential.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had a good time with this rivals to lovers romance! Watching Jade and Franscesca vie for their place in the school was so fun. I really enjoyed the conversations about being a queer woman of color trying to navigate small town politics. Jade is a complex character. As much as I understood where her defensiveness came from it was hard watching her be so antagonistic to Franny when she hadn't done anything to deserve it. The sex scenes were super hot though. If you're looking for a steamy, sapphic rivals to lovers story this could be the one for you!

This book was cute but definitely had some spice! I really enjoyed the slow-burn tension and emotional depth between Jade and Francesca—two ambitious, hopeful coaches navigating small-town politics, past heartbreak, and the high stakes of high school football. Their chemistry was undeniable, and the romance was both swoony and steamy.

Beyond the romance, Ready to Score also tackled some tough family dynamics and personal challenges with heart and honesty. A great blend of heat, humor, and heartfelt moments.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I DNFed this at 25% of the way through and I'm so disappointed! I wanted to love this, but I felt like the story was really disjointed. So many things just weren't clicking for me-- why was the coach even considering giving the art teacher a chance at coaching?, why do they hate each other so strongly?, why does the art teacher get to continue going to poker night?, why do they so clearly hate each other (to the point of playing mean tricks on one another) while also picturing one another kissing so often?

The representation in this is awesome (a multi-ethnic queer couple featuring a bisexual woman and a lesbian!!), but i just could not get into the story at all.

I'm sad to say this story didn't work for me, and I was looking forward to Jade's story after her appearance in Play to Win. I knew she was prickly, but she really stayed in her own way! I loved Franny's character though, and am glad she finally stood up for herself before she and Jade had another intimate moment. I'm from Houston, and am very familiar with the "good ol boy" mentality that runs Texas sports. I could see why Jade had her guard up, and being in a small town, being bisexual and a Black woman, she has the odds against her in the pursuit of being head coach. I wanted her to realize Franny could be an ally earlier vs. taking so long to get out of her own head so close to the end of the story. I also loved Franny's bowling league! I wouldn't mind reading about all of their exploits because they definitely had STORIES!
Overall, I will continue to read Jodie Slaughter's work because I do enjoy her writing and characters. She captures the essence of being in a small Southern town, and I look forward to what she writes next!

Thank you SMP for the eARC in exchange for a review.

This was cute and enjoyable! If you’re looking for a sapphic, rivals to lovers romance I think you would enjoy this one. Theres a lot of banter and chemistry between Jade and Franny. They both showed some growth throughout the story which was nice. I absolutely adored the bowling league characters. It took me a little while to get into but overall the narrator made this one a good quick read! Thank you to the publisher for the ALC and ARC copy to read and review!

Thanks to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for this advance copy.

This was a cute and sexy story of two women who have been circling each other at work but who come together as they spend the summer vying for a high school football coaching position. This is sort of enemies to lovers, but what I really liked about this was how the competition for the job was used as a set up but not a huge driver for the characters being together. They are competitive but that doesn't overwhelm the romance or them getting to know each other.

I love a good sports romance and this was fun.

If you’re not a sports girly, do you know what can make football (🏈) so much better? LESBIANS. This was giving Friday Night Lights vibes, but make it sapphic, and I LOVED IT. There’s also bipoc rep, which was so cool to see in a sports romance. It was also spicy as hell! The bathroom scene at the club is going to live rent free in my mind. 🥵

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the gifted arc.

4.75⭐️ (but for the sake of goodreads, I’m going to round up and give this “all the fingers” 🤛)

I had a bit of a roller-coaster experience reading this book. At the beginning, something held me back from completely connecting with both of the main characters, and I was actually really put-off by the rudeness of one of the supposed love interests towards the other. Then getting into the middle of the book, I found myself most enjoying seeing these characters in their element as football coach and have to say the coaching scenes were my favorites. By the end, I was a little more on board with the relationship, but because of my issues at the beginning not sure I'd 100% recommend to other readers. I'm not sure there are too many romance novels featuring female football coaches, so if that's something specific you're looking for then I do think it's great that this book exists. But I'm not sure I'll pick up another book by this author unless I hear other positive reviews first :)

60/100 or 3.0 stars

I think the best part about the story is the sexual content, so if you like your spice, this is a good choice! The story outside of the romance was a little lackluster and not that interesting. Overall, it is a solid sports romance, as there is some good dialogue and narration on the sport of football, so if you like football, this is a good romance pick!

The characters felt a little generic and not memorable in terms of a romance, but I did like this story, I just didn't love it. I would recommend!

ready to score puts a fun spin on the sports romance genre by focusing on coaches instead of athletes, and i honestly loved that twist. it's such a popular subgenre, but this felt fresh and different.

one thing i especially appreciated was how the book explored the challenges faced by visible minorities in a space typically dominated by white men. this is a super important topic, and i'm glad it was integrated into a romance novel!

the writing overall worked for me, but i have to say: the phrase “the other woman” was used so many times! like, it wasn’t a huge issue at first, but once i noticed it... i really noticed it. that said, it led to this one perfect moment where they stopped using that phrase and started calling each other by name or saying “my girl” instead ... huge slay!!

jade did start off a little insufferable, not gonna lie. she had this whole “there’s only room for one of us” energy that grated on me at first, but watching her grow out of that mindset was really satisfying. and francesca?? perfect. no notes. i would read a whole spin-off about her just vibing and being amazing.

overall, this was an enjoyable read for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of Ready to Score in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, I was unable to read the book before the archive date. I look forward to finding it in my local bookstore or library.

2.5 stars. This had a really good base. Two people with the same passion going after the same job. I was hoping to see them go deeper into their personal life and the issues they’ve had to overcome. I wish getting to the final goal wasn’t so predictable. Yes they had their obstacles getting to where they wanted to be in their lives, and yes there was tension between them but I knew exactly what would happen! I really wanted something different from this-something that I can’t get from books I’ve read before. Loved the WAY it was written and the audiobook was enjoyable too. I absolutely needed something different or more material to fully engage. Thank you to Jodie Slaughter and St. Martin’s Press/St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, full transparency? I almost gave up early on this one because of football. Listen, I am not a sports girlie. So when the story opened with a locker room vibe and American pigskin drama, I was like, “Oh no, not this.” BUT I stuck with it (& thank goddess I did!) because once we got past the sportsball setup? Whew. The sapphic tension was SO good it should be illegal. Jodie Slaughter did not come to play when it came to the heat, the pining, the smoldering? Top. Notch. Queer. Romance.

The chemistry between these two felt super earned: complex, vulnerable, and sexy as hell. There were real emotional stakes, solid character development, and honestly? I caught myself smiling like a total dork more than once. It gave me everything I didn’t know I needed from a sapphic sports romance.

Also, please write more stories where women take up space, own their power, and still get a lil soft with each other in private. Yes, please!

This had a lot of really fun elements and sexy scenes! I didn't find the enemies to lovers arc particularly compelling (mostly because the enemies side seemed forced) but really enjoyed it once they got together!

Maybe I need to be more selective with the romance I request, or maybe I needed to give this book more of a chance, but i DNFed at 15% (and I'm not a DNFer, typically).

I've noticed there's a trend in romance where either the MC (if first person) or narrator (if third person) essentially monologues about the character and their feelings, past, and motivations. It's ALL tell, no show, and drives me kinda crazy, to the point I have to put the book down. And it's not just this one--I've encountered it in other ARC reads as well. If I like the characters enough, sometimes I can push through, but nothing in this book grabbed me.

So, this one is a no from me. I did listen to the audio arc and the narrator was... fine. Not my fave, but that may also have been due to the source material.

Seriously, though, we need more queer romances and it kills me to not finish/enjoy one!

I absolutely love romance books!! Especially sports romances set in small towns! This books was so good and sweet! This is one I’ll definitely buy for my shelf!!

I enjoy sports romances so I was really looking forward to reading this book! But I have to admit I really struggled with this one. I didn’t like the way Lim burst into the coaching scene all cheeky with Jade, and I also didn't like the way Jade treated Lim. I get rivals to lovers and it was part of Jade’s character arc, but the way she spoke to Lim after the accident with the head coach? I couldn’t root for them.

Ready to Score is a rivals-to-lovers sapphic romance about two women vying for the same high school football coaching job and it’s absolutely packed with heart. This book felt like a warm hug from start to finish. It’s one of those rare stories where you end up loving every single character, no matter how small their role.

Reading it felt like curling up on the couch with a cozy, feel-good rom-com. Jade and Franny were such a great pair. I loved how their personalities complemented each other so naturally. Honestly, this is the perfect beach read: charming, uplifting, and just so full of joy.

I didn't have reading a book about high school football coaches falling in love on my bingo card this year, but here we are. For a story so sweet, their were shockingly spicy scenes.