DNF. The pacing was all over the place and the relationship immature and weird. The individual characters were not fleshed out and I wasn’t invested in anything.

I so enjoyed this book. Why are there not more queer soccer romances for adults?! I was so charmed by both characters and loved their relationship. Despite the instant attraction, their connection felt well-developed and steadily developed. I thought the end felt a bit rushed by the rest of the book made it well worth it. It was a loveable, sexy, engaging sapphic love story.

Love a good WLW book! Meryl hits it out of the park every time! (Or should I say scores every time?) The book world needs more queer romances and Meryl is one of my favorite go tos!

Thank you Netgalley, Meryl Wilsner and Griffen for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

While I am not a soccer fan and was not excited for that part of the story, I am a huge Meryl Wilsner fan. Because of this book, I was intrigued to learn more about the Women's World Cup. I loved the characters and their struggles. Most importantly, I enjoyed how they worked through their problems. I was frustrated at their lack of communication and immaturity at times, but that is par for the course of a romance story. I can't wait for the next Wilsner book!

So I’ve seen a lot of stuff pitching this as lesbian Ted Lasso, and alas, it simply is not. The side characters are charming enough, but they lack the brilliance of the Ted Lasso ensemble and aren’t given much attention throughout the book. Grace and Phoebe are very much the primary focus, and almost every scene revolves around them. And yeah, it is a romance, but those of you who follow my reviews will know that I firmly believe that the best romances have excellent side characters and spend time developing other relationships – not to mention, other aspects of the characters. This book is trying to touch on some of those things, but the proportions weren’t quite right for me.
For instance, one plot element is Phoebe and Grace exploring their potential neurodivergence. I didn’t realize that would be a plot point going in, and I was excited when it was, but it wasn’t explored as much as it could have been. Grace in particular is really reduced to a throwaway line about maybe looking more into autism at some point, and I really wish that could have been fleshed out more. It would have actually been a great element of the romance story, because these two characters clashed quite a lot in ways that to me as a reader seemed directly linked to being neurodivergent and having different support needs. I think exploring the relationship through that lens would have both made the story more interesting and given me more confidence in the relationship, because honestly I had a hard time believing that this would be a long-term thing. They seemed more sexually than romantically attracted to me. None of this is to say it was bad. It was a fun little romantic read without too much angst. Just maybe nothing special, and certainly no Ted Lasso.

Rating: 3/5
Steam: 4/5

Thank you to SMP, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Cleat Cute was a highly anticipated novel for me, and despite having it for months, it took me a really long time to finish it. It felt like there were two main plot points: how much they had sex and each FMC’s internal monologue.

Which, you know, fair, but there was so much potential to dive deeper into many areas, including individual growth, their actual relationship and communication. Instead, we spent a lot of time “rinse, wash, repeat” with the same dialogue/scenes.

Things I love: queer joy and how unapologetic they were. NOLA setting and all the foodie things. The intimacy was written really well and did a great job addressing that sex isn’t just a reciprocal give and take.

Things I didn’t love: the overall discussion or just glazed-over representation we had of ADHD and autism. So many side characters with legal names and nicknames that I was getting confused. I’m not a soccer girlie, so the sheer amount of dialogue about all the different teams/games got confusing.

Overall, I’m kinda meh about this book. I am noticing in all of Wilsner’s books that she really leans into the show-not-tell. Cleat Cute had some really good moments but also lacked in many areas that could have made it shine.

Type: Rom-Com
⭐️5
🌶️ 4
Age range: 18+
Content Warnings:

Quotes:

- “The only way you’re going to beat me is if I die, so have fun kissing my corpse.”
- “Gotta catch the eye of the girls, the gays, and the theys somehow.”
- if all you want to be is Grace, that’s enough.”

Review:
I'm not really a soccer type of person but this book made me want to learn all about the sports and its players. I identified so much with Phoebe and Grace in several ways and just could not get enough of their story. I would 100% put this at the top of my list of Favorite Rom-Com books.

Tropes & Vibes:
- LGBTQ+
- Love
- Friends with benefits

Oh, I really enjoyed Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner. My reading timing was perfectly paired with the actual World Cup, and I so loved the chemistry between Grace and Phoebe. I am a sucker for a sports romance, and it was fun to see it with LGBTQ+ characters.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

I will read anything Meryl Wilsner writes! Not only was this book wonderful and hilarious, but I love her attention to character.

A sapphic sports romance was exactly what I wanted. I loved the slight celebrity trope, the buildup of meeting your idol, and I loved watching their relationship go from convenience to more.

I highly recommend if you’ve ever wanted a sapphic sports rom com!

Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publishers. This is going to be one of my favorite books of the year and I’m not going to be able to explain why. I really related to phoebe on levels too personal to going into detail about. But aside from that, I liked grace and seeing her finally allow herself to open up to her teammates and friends and phoebe. I loved the flirting and banter. I will be recommending this forever.

Cleat Cute lived up to its title! It was super cute. It was also cringey in that real-life "omg, does she like me or not?" way. And I loved it! I'm a big women's soccer fan, so the incorporation of real player names and real life roster issues made the book even more engaging. Big props on that aspect! Looking forward to more from Meryl.

This book was not for me. I found the characters annoying and the steam factor was lacking. I really enjoyed mistakes were made but this book didn’t reach that bar.

I loved this book! Such a good rom com, the characters are relatable. Would highly recommended! Could not put this book down.

When I read the description of this book, I thought it sounded exactly like something I would love. However, I think I just don’t connect with this author and I’m not sure why. This is the second book I’ve tried and not been able to get through. I didn’t enjoy the characters and I felt like I didn’t really understand their relationship or their draw to each other, but, hey, maybe I didn’t get far enough. I felt like the pacing was way off and moved really slowly. I do feel like the steamy scenes were done well.

I love the idea that this is just Bend it Like Bendham aged up a little and leaning fully into the sapphic-ness of it all. This was a lovely soccer centric Grumpy / Sunshine romance between teammates Grace and Phoebe. A little steam, a little bit of sports, and a lot of golden retriever energy from Phoebe… this is my favorite Wilsner book thus far. My only complaint is that they could have made an excellent photographic cover for this instead of resorting to a cutesy illustrative cover, which while very nice, made me think it was a YA at first.

Imagine your childhood celebrity crush’s hands in your hair, braiding it. Meanwhile, trying to ignore the sexual tension that has been bothering you both since she did something with her mouth on your neck that wasn’t quite a kiss or a hickey but far more thrilling… well Phoebe Matthews knows all about it.

Grace Henderson has been a major league soccer player since she was a teenager. She’s a world renowned player, a prodigy and role-model for countless young girls that dream of playing soccer for real one day just like her. One of those teenage girls was Phoebe Matthews. Now all grown up, Phoebe just graduated college and has been drafted by not just any major league team, but the same as her childhood idol. To make matters more extreme, she’s been recruited to train with women’s national team that Grace happens to apart of as well. Phoebe wants to make a good impression to prove she’s worthy of her spot on the team in New Orleans, but also earn a spot one day with the national team. Grace’s impression of Phoebe is overwhelming loud, late, comical, carefree, yet hardworking, driven, and tall with the most gorgeous red hair she can’t quit looking at… this could be a problem for her. After losing a bet for a kiss, Grace finds herself becoming quickly intimate with the rookie on her team. Although the benefits are fantastic, the friendship that grows is rocky but rewarding. Little feelings easily turn into bigger feelings the more time they spend together. But unchecked feelings and miscommunication stirs trouble between them on and off the field. Injuries, manipulation, recklessness, and the pressure of the game could all spell the end of whatever they share before it ever officially begins. Grace and Phoebe’s hearts and careers are on the line. Neither wants to lose, so they must both play to win.

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner is a fabulously sappy and steamy, sapphic romcom! The dual perspective perfectly ingratiated me to both characters. Honestly, there’s always somethings so satisfying about experiencing how two characters view each other as they fall in love with each other. Another lovably quality of this book is the sprinkling of neurodivergence amidst the significantly queer and predominantly female cast of characters. Wilsner celebrates the intersection of these identities

I enjoyed this soccer-themed FF romance, set in New Orleans. It was true to Meryl Wilsner's style - fun banter, lots of steam, and LONG for a romance. I like her books and writing, I just wish they were a little shorter, as I lose steam as I go (pun intended). It was perfect for getting in the mood for the World Cup though!

Solid choice for anyone looking for an extra spicy sapphic romance between athletes.
While I was able to read this quickly, I didn’t feel like the plot ever really took off. Outside of some minor character development for each MC and the romantic plot, very little happened.
On a more personal bias note, I felt like a lot of conflicts in the story were just examples of how to massively overstep in a relationship.

Plot - 3
Writing and Editing - 4
Character Development - 3
Personal Bias - 2
Final Score - 3

Thank you Meryl Wilsner, St. Martin’s Griffen, and NetGalley for my digital ARC. My opinions are my own

Another score by Meryl Wilsner with Cleat Cute! She has written a sweet, sexy, spicy friends with benefits to lovers sapphic romance novel that is truly a must read. The added use of poc, neurodivergent and other secondary characters is absolutely phenomenal. This novel leaves the reader wanting more because of these secondary characters.

Phoebe and Grace are both US National soccer team players, though they are originally vying for the same position after an injury takes Phoebe out. Through a FWB relationship they aim for different roster spots however they may have to decide if romantic love is more important than a position on the field.

Read Cleat Cute to find out what Phoebe and Grace decide. It's well worth the read!

After DNFing Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner earlier this year, I admit I was hesitant to pick up Cleat Cute, but I'm so glad I did. The cover is cute and caught my attention right off the bat.

I enjoyed the romance between Grace and Phoebe. It seemed to develop in a gradual, realistic way. I love the secret relationship trope, and it really worked with this story. And Wilsner really knows how to write spicy scenes! (Though I do admit using c*nt is a peeve of mine).

The ending felt a bit off, almost as though the author was rushing to add extra depth to the characters. It felt kind of yucky that Grace felt the need to publicly come out for Phoebe. But I also haven't been in that kind of a situation, so maybe that's a common wlw gesture?

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I do feel like the spicy scenes could have been dialed back a little. I really enjoyed the scenes where Grace and Phoebe were getting to know each other more as teammates, friends, and (eventual) girlfriends.