I was anxious to dive into CLEAT CUTE after not loving MISTAKES WERE MADE - but I really wanted to give this author another shot. I REALLY enjoyed CLEAT CUTE - it’s steamy, fun, and perfect for fans of sports romances. The reason why this one wasn’t quite a five star is the inner monologue of the main characters got to be a bit much and lots of telling, not showing. However, this book is sexy, with endearing characters and I think this book will be a hit with sports romance lovers.

*4.5 stars

So, I hate sports. Like seriously not even a little bit interested in them. But Meryl Wilsner writing a sports romance is enough for me to put aside my reservations and pick up the book. And, of course, it was amazing. The spice level is definitely more on the Mistakes Were Made side of the scale than the Something to Talk About side, not that i’m complaining. I’m not even mad that the miscommunication trope showed up.

Mark your calendars for September 19 because Cleat Cute is a must read!

i am a woso advocate who loved mistakes were made, so reading this was a no-brainer, and i’m so so grateful that I received an ARC! i almost wish there was more soccer in this, seeing grace and phoebe in action was truly something and made me realize how much I love sports in books! the romance and the yearning of it was so so fulfilling (and the SPICE? wow!) the only thing that brought my rating down was how grace and phoebe were as individuals — lots of assumptions from both of them about others sexualities, mental health, etc. and I didn’t really leave those scenes feeling positive. overall, i liked this book, but i was wanting more from it.

This one was just ok for me. I'm never a big fan of miscommunication and the internal monologues got to be too much.

This was a really fun sapphic romance that was surprisingly steamy! I loved the chemistry and opposites attract set up of Phoebe (a literal flirty golden retriever) and Grace (the reluctant grouch but secret softy). Their vibes were immaculate and together they had amazing scenes and banter that had me grinning ear to ear.

What lost me a bit was each of their backstories. I didn’t feel emotionally invested in either one and it didn’t feel like either was very solidly laid out. Phoebe’s diagnosis comes far too late and doesn’t seem to be really explored much. As for Grace, her struggles with her identity and soccer and all that comes with it at times felt solid but overall left me a bit confused. Does she really love soccer? If she’s made it her defining trait her whole life and that’s how she wants it, I don’t really understand how she feels so bad about her family supporting her soccer dreams so much. It just felt a bit convoluted and like the author was trying too hard to give each character their own character growth / personal drama, but it just didn’t tie up well.

Overall this was super breezy and fun, I’m excited to see more queer sports romances being released.

Rating: 3.5/5, rating up to 4.

i recently got into WoSo and was so happy when i saw meryl wilsner had this coming out. this book was sooo good i loved the grumpy x sunshine trope but it was also great to see how three dimensional these charters are with such real inner issues.

I sadly didn’t finish this book. Although I have enjoyed other books by Meryl Wilsner this one fell short for me. The plot and characters were good though.

This book was just okay for me. I loved the LGBTQ+ representation however the story fell a little flat for me. It seemed like a lot of miscommunication and sex and not a whole lot of story.

A super cute sports romance that all romance lovers should read. Wilsner teaches a master class on characterization through Grace and Phoebe. They’re flawed but so lovable that you cannot help but root for them and love them. The book has an amazing balance between fluffy and cute while also touching on deeper topics.

I’m such a sucker for all of Merly Wilsner, and this book was so adorable and everything feels and I need to get myself a hard copy stat. She does such a great job of interweaving characters into real life feelings, and nothing ever feels too unrealistic, I can’t wait to see what she has next and all the sapphic love to come :)

Loved this book! It was such a cute Sapphic rom-com!
The story was wonderful and im a sucker for a grumpy/sunshine trope.

Loved that it was a soccer romance too!

Thank you Griffin and Netgalley for this ARC copy

This book was a solid four stars for me. I really liked the chemistry between the main two characters, and the unique complexities of each of them (thank you for flawed female characters and compelling ADHD and maybe autism rep). Here I am once again reviewing a sports romance where one or both of the MCs are emotionally immature but I am you know what? It checks out. It works because of course everyone would think that Grace should have it together with her age and experience but she's been playing professionally since she was 16, was burned in an early relationship and has no actual life experience with relationships. So while miscommunication does not always work for me, in this case it was actually comically plausible and was a great device to keep the tension going. I'll also flag that the "rivals-to-lovers" trop is usually a stretch but I think in this case it is a very low-key rivalry, even if it is mostly one-sided.

Adorable! This is a sapphic romance with the friends with benefits and grumpy/sunshine tropes. All of this is set against the backdrop of a women’s national soccer team!!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!

I’ll admit, I read this a while back. But the pure vibes that this book emitted stayed with me for months.
I found the humor to be well done, which is a rare find in a book. The romance between Grace and Phoebe was well developed and more than just a physical relationship. It’s nice to see sapphic romances that are as well fledged out.
For me, the standout character was Grace. Grace is relatable for any ambitious, over-achiever who thrives off of a validation and being the best.
A truly heartwarming, at times spicy, and cute read.

Cleat Cute tells the story of Grace, a US soccer star with success spanning over a decade, and Phoebe, an up-and-coming soccer player drafted onto Grace’s team. Total opposites, Grace and Phoebe find themselves falling despite the fact that neither of them want a relationship. They help each other overcome personal obstacles, while falling in love despite their original plan.

This book was so cute! I love love love a grumpy/sunshine trope, and this book did not disappoint in that respect at all! Grace and Phoebe were both funny and their own way, and the book in general made me laugh! Their chemistry was off the charts, and seeing them finally get together was so satisfying! Overall, this book was a win for me, and I’m so glad I requested it!

Thank you to Griffin and NetGalley for the ARC, which in no way impacted my review.

I am sadly dnf'ing this ('did not finish') and about 40%. It's a shame because I LOVE Mistakes Were Made and really enjoyed Something to Talk About by this author, but this one not so much. I always am looking for queer sports romance books because I hate reading sports romances that feature straight characters because they end up so bland in my opinion, so I was excited that Wilsner was releasing one, but this isn't hitting like I want it to.

I IMMEDIATELY downloaded this when I saw it was available on Netgalley. I remembered reading Mistakes Were Made and that was all I could think about. Unfortunately it was also the downfall for this for me. I spent a lot of time comparing the two and it made me not enjoy it as much. But I still did like it.

First things first, because this was my favorite part….. The romance. It was so much fun. I will say it was just them “having fun” over and over. I wanted more on that front. I guess I wanted more plot. Even if they were just talking more about soccer. But I loved seeing them together and I legit cheered out-loud when they both realized they liked each other and were accepting of what and who they were and who they were with. I really think that was the best part. Not when they were getting together, but when they were finally accepting that they liked each other.

The plot was what made me rate this what I did. I just wanted more. A more in-depth exploration of some of the things that were going on would have made this. I know this was catering to those that say they’re not reading the sports romance for the sports, but I am and I think that’s why I had issues? Like yeah she mentioned some of the positions, and the hierarchy of who could be in what position if this person doesn’t perform, but it wasn’t the main focus. I’m assuming it was because it wasn’t what Grace really wanted, but at the same time, I think it should have had some more explanation or some more competition between them. I mean like they were supposed to be competing for a spot on the field.

I also liked the representation of the ADHD. I am someone that was newly diagnosed, so when I saw Phoebe’s behaviors I knew exactly what she had. I also really related to the way she was hesitant to accept the fact that she had it. I was the same way. I was like I’ve survived all these years and no one ever said anything, why is it a problem now? I don’t need anything…. And then when my world changed, it made all the difference. I was happy to see she changed her mind and listened in the end. The autism rep I can’t speak for, but I did feel and see from other own voices (authentic voices) reviewers that it was done respectfully.


This was fun, but I could have done with more. There were some things I loved and others I thought could have used more. And other things it was my own fault because I knew I was just comparing it to a previous work from Meryl. It seems that they’re a hit or miss for me, but fortunately this was right in the middle.

this was an entertaining and heartwarming romance novel. All of the characters were good, and the friendships were my favorite part as the romance aspect fell a little bit flat for me but the smut was amazing. this book was very hard to put down, and i enjoyed every minute of it.

i was lucky enough to get an arc of mistakes were made, so i was so freaking excited when i got approved for an arc of cleat cute!! i’m pretty new to sports romances but i thought this one was the absolute cutest! i’m such a huge fan of meryl’s writing and her characters and their love story was so nice to read about. i loved it so much.