Jodie Slaughter’s *Ready to Score* is a delightful and sizzling romance set against the backdrop of a charming small southern town. The story follows Jade Dunn, an ambitious assistant coach who’s determined to break through the layers of old-fashioned small-town politics to secure a coveted head coach position. When she joins a monthly poker game to network, she never expects to find Francesca Lim, an infuriatingly attractive art teacher who seems to be eyeing her career spot. The sparks between the two women fly as they clash, both professionally and personally, but they can’t help the undeniable chemistry that brews beneath their rivalry.

What makes *Ready to Score* so enjoyable is the strength and depth of its main characters. Jade and Francesca are both fiercely driven yet vulnerable, making their interactions captivating and relatable. Their dynamic is a perfect mix of tension, banter, and romance, and readers will find themselves rooting for them to navigate their personal and professional challenges. Slaughter’s portrayal of the small-town setting adds a quaint, almost nostalgic charm to the story, making it feel like an escape into a community where everyone knows everyone else’s business. The blend of passionate romance with real-world ambition creates a story that’s both heartwarming and exciting, making *Ready to Score* a must-read for fans of contemporary romance.

I was excited to check this one out—I love a good enemies-to-lovers romance, especially when both main characters are compelling or there’s a satisfying redemption arc. Unfortunately, that didn’t quite happen here. I never really warmed up to Jade, and I struggled to understand what Franny saw in her beyond surface-level attraction.

That said, I did enjoy the small-town setting and the charming supporting cast.

Overall, this was a decent read, but it didn’t fully win me over.

#ReadytoScore #NetGalley

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

AGHHHHHH OMG!!!!
This book was so much better than I expected. The tension, the strong female leads, the banter, and on and onnn.

This was a cute and quick read to pick up in between longer/heavier reads. I really enjoyed Lim's character and how straightforward she was. Even when Jade was being beyond stubborn, the fact that Lim stayed so constant and open about her emotions really helped the plot move forward and not feel like your typical "miscommunication trope."
The one thing I will say, is that I felt like it was advertised as enemies to lovers, but it was clear from the start that they were both attracted to each other so it felt a little contrived how mean Jade was to Lim. Later, on we do get the reasoning behind this, but I still would've loved to see a LOT less of that.
ALSO, side note but the concussion/cooking scene was too sweet.

Overall, a solid 4 start read. I read the full book in one sitting and truly did enjoy it for the most part!

I think this is a sweet romance that I really wanted to love, but ended up not being for me. I love Jodie Slaughter, especially Bet On It so I was so excited to see more of those characters. However the main points of this book were teaching and sports and both fell flat for me. I am not a sports person and it felt like the sports took over at points. Obviously that doesn't make this book bad because you should be able to infer that from the title and cover, but it made it hard for me to get into it. As a teacher the school stuff fell between too realistic that I felt like I was at work and having a bad time, or so unrealistic that I was frustrated and taken out of the story. Again, I love Slaughter and I think the writing style and character development are strong so I'm going to rate it objectively, but I don't have too many specifics because I was really struggling to pick this book up.

I enjoyed reading this book, it was a quick and fun read. However, one of my main gripes with the book is how their romantic relationship developed. They had obvious sexual attraction and chemistry but I did not see the romantic aspect develop in the same way, to the point where it was surprising to see Franny demand a relationship. It almost felt like they should just be getting together because they’re the two gay, football coaches, so obviously they’ll be together. I just wish I got to see more of the romanticism develop rather than Jade’s stubbornness and bad attitude drag on for so long.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! The plot was engaging and full of twists that kept me hooked until the very end. The characters were well-developed and relatable, and I found myself really connecting with their journeys. The pacing was just right, balancing action with moments of reflection. However, there were a few areas where I felt certain storylines could have been explored a bit more deeply. Despite that, the book offered a memorable experience, and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a thought-provoking read!

I love Jodie Slaughter so much! This was so good. Jad was a difficult character but difficult characters make a great story.

This was a good sapphic sports romance (my first)! The perfect balance between football and romance with a delicious rivalry and several spicy scenes. I loved the discussion on race and queerness in the football community. That felt real and authentic. I also loved Franny’s character. I will say there were some consistency issues with the book and the ending dragged a bit, but I’ll chalk that up to this being an ARC. Overall, I’d recommend this. It’s perfect for fans of Meryl Wilsner.

This was well written, but i absolutely could not stand Jade. It felt like she was just plain mean at times for zero reason and I couldn't find any reason to root for her. I also feel like the main couple just didn't have chemistry.

My first book I read through NetGalley. This book is really sweet. Beautiful representation throughout, with a wonder story about a bisexual Black woman fighting for a spot as head coach in southern high school football. I just love both main characters so much. Both come from a very real, gritty perspective of the misogyny within football. They learn from each other and grow both as people and as coaches intertwined with a sweet and charming love story. Would definitely recommend.

Spice level is definitely up there. It’s not a focus of the story, necessarily, but they do have a healthy amount of sex for a couple, and it’s all explicitly written.

2.75 - rounding up for Franny

I have a ton of questions about the choices for this story. Primarily, I don't understand why Jade was such an unpleasant character. I don't entirely understand why this pushed an "enemies" to lovers plot so heavily, but I really don't understand why so much of what Franny did could be considered flirting while so much of what Jade did was downright hateful. In the end, this felt like a love story between Jade and football, not Jade and Franny.

There is WAY more football in this book than I expected there to be considered the 2 main characters aren't players themselves. There's pretty much 2 whole chapters that are just play by plays of a game - so if that's not your jam, be warned of that.

I loved Franny! While it's unfortunate she ended up chasing another woman who treated her poorly (I thought maybe this was intended for her to learn a lesson but... I think Slaughter thought Jade was someone the reader would root for... she wasn't in my case). I loved how much we saw of Franny's family. I loved her struggle with being lonely and seeing her brother's loving marriage. I loved her issues with her mother. I really loved that she had the bowling group with the older queer women. Franny was sweet, sexy, and 10x more mature than it seemed possible considering how awful Jade was to her.

Ultimately, I thought maybe there was a point we'd get Jade realizing she should've been fighting for both Jade and Franny to have a seat at the table. Jade had a one sided competition and it made her such a nasty character that, by the end of the book, I wasn't rooting for her at all. I personally don't understand why this was the take and the "turn" wasn't significant enough to make up for what Jade did, in my opinion.

But I'm super glad other people enjoyed this more than me. I thought the concept of 2 queer women of color fighting to coach a football team in the south was a really interesting idea.

3.75 ⭐️I really liked this book! It was refreshing to have an interracial sapphic couple. I also loved that they were both women who loved football. There were several instances where I laughed out loud at the witty dialogue.

I did notice that in the book, Franny’s niece, Amelia is said to be 10 in the beginning but then we are told she is 6 towards the middle of the book. Another in inconsistency I noticed was with Alonzo’s father. He said his pops had a heart attack the day before the scrimmage but later in the book, he tells Franny about the struggles his family went through when his dad died a few years ago. Maybe he was referring to his grandpa when he said pops? I could be wrong.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was well written and funny. I did find myself having a hard time liking Jade until 70% of the book was complete. She was unnecessarily mean to Franny. I don’t mind them bickering or bantering back and forth, but it seemed at times that Jade was really trying to be hurtful.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for allowing me to read the ARC

First, animosity. Then, a begrudging attraction. Finally, love.

Such is the trajectory of Jade and Francesca’s relationship in this book. The author builds upon each of these stages quite well by giving examples of each of these stages. She adds a further dimension to the characters beyond their roles as love interests. You see Francesca and Jade through their interaction with their respective parents, siblings, and friends.( bowling league- Francesca and friends -Jade’s close knit group of female friends)

My only issue is how book ends. Unnecessary scene at Minnie’s and could have ended earlier with Landry’s announcement. If the author is.going to use Minnie’s then need prior scenes there to be more memorable.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, St. Martin’s Press St. Martin’s Griffin via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First, thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Jodie Slaughter for the opportunity to review the eBook ARC.

I haven't read Slaughter's previous books in this world she created, but I the side characters were the main characters in the first two books. This didn't interfere with my enjoyment of this one, but I am sure if you read them before this book, it'd be more fun.

I liked the overall character dynamic between Jade and Francesca, although sometimes their interactions as enemies were a bit immature for my taste. Their chemistry was hit or miss for me, and the very spicy sex scenes were quite eye-opening. I did like the theme of women of color fighting and succeeding in a male-dominated profession of high school football coaching though!

Jodie Slaughter delivers a sizzling romance in Ready to Score, blending sports, passion, and emotional depth. The story of a fiercely ambitious athlete and a driven sports reporter navigating their undeniable chemistry is both heartwarming and steamy. Slaughter’s writing shines with witty banter, well-rounded characters, and a perfect balance of romance and personal growth. A delightful read for fans of slow-burn tension and unapologetic love stories.

High school teacher Jade has worked as assistant coach for the school football team for many years. When her mentor and long time head coach announces his retirement and his intention to name his successor, her dream to lead the team is tantalizingly within reach. Jade feels beyond ready to take the role, but soon learns she has competition.

Francesca, the newish art teacher, eager to put down roots and with experience coaching, sets her on sights on the head coach position. Now its no holds barred as the two rivals aggressively face off with increasing fervor that slowly builds up to an electric passion and deep connection.

Set in the same delightful location as her previous books Bet on It and Play to Win, Greenbelt South Carolina, this ridiculously romantic and utterly sexy enemies to lovers novel features the compelling cut-throat world of competitive football.

Told from a dual point of view and set in a small town, this novel will appeal to fans of sports romances that center diverse characters and LGBTQIA+ communities.

There were two halves to this book. The half where the one of the main characters was insufferable and the half where the writing got sloppy. I am not one to shy away from crudeness, but something just rubbed me the wrong way reading "nut" during a sex scene. Also, some of the football references were incorrect... there is no way a team could play 32 games in a season, ESPECIALLY a JV team. I think a little more time needs to go into this one before it is released en masse.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jodie Slaughter, and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a lovely sapphic, football, enemies to lovers, spicy romance! Jodie Slaughter does a great job at bringing the reader into the world of her characters. I love that the story focuses on two strong, passionate, unapologetic (and stubborn) queer women of colour falling in love. I especially loved how Jade, a bi Black woman, born and raised in Greenbelt South Carolina spoke on how she's needed to work extra hard to even be in the position of in the running for a promotion to head Coach for the high school football team. I really appreciated how Jade spoke on her intersections of identity and how that has impacted her life and the way that she approaches vulnerability. Similarly, Franny who is a Korean America lesbian from Texas also has a chance to speak on her own experiences navigating the football world. What I thought was so well done is that though these characters share *similar* points of oppression due to their queerness, race, and gender, we also acknowledged the way anti-blackness and misogynoir permeates Jade's experience specifically. There was a lot of care taken with these characters and their identities which I really appreciated.

Enemies to lovers is one of my all time favourite tropes, and this book did not disappoint. Though Jade needed to get out of her own way and stop being so damn stubborn, I appreciated that her orneriness led to crackling tension between her and Franny. The spice was spicy!

Though this book is technically #3 in world of Greenbelt, I believe it can be read as a standalone. I read the first book, Bet on It, but missed the second, Play to Win. I found I wasn't missing any crucial information while reading this book despite the gap from missing the second book from this world. I'm looking forward to going back and catching up on book #2 soon!

If you're a seasonal reader like me, this book is filled with hot summer atmosphere. I definitely recommend reading it during the hottest month of the year. There's a lot of sweat! lol. Or during football season if that's your thing.

In all, pick up this book if you love complex sapphics with big dreams of breaking up the ol' boys club and falling in love (and banging) while they do it!

The background of the story starts with the high school budget politics that pits the football coach against the art teacher. The author’s writing is easy to read and well done. Sadly it is the story I had trouble relating to. I was not a fan of the main characters and found it hard to feel the chemistry that turned the rivals into lovers. I did learn a lot about high school football and know the author spent quality time in her due diligence.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Jodie Slaughter’s Ready to Score is a funny, fiery sapphic romance that perfectly blends sports, small-town drama, and irresistible chemistry. Jade Dunn, a determined assistant football coach, has her sights set on a dream job. Francesca Lim, a former coach turned art teacher, has her own ambitions - and a heated rivalry with Jade.

Their snarky banter and undeniable attraction make it impossible to ignore each other, despite their best efforts to stay professional. With sharp dialogue, emotional depth, and plenty of spice, Ready to Score is a captivating romance about taking risks, on and off the field. A must-read for fans of witty, slow-burn love stories.