This was my first Meryl Wilsner read and it won’t be my last!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5


Grace and Phoebe are total opposites: Grace is the veteran, grumpy, soccer star team captain, and Phoebe is bubbly, ambitious and fresh to the pro world.

While the miscommunication in this book may be frustrating for some, it made complete sense for these two.

I loved the diversity in this book, especially with the main characters. It wasn’t a main focus, but they were both neurodivergent, Phoebe with ADHD (making her chapters a little chaotic) and Grace most likely on the Autism spectrum.

My hesitation giving this 5⭐️ is just small things that bugged me - the nickname “baby girl” just creeps me out, and all the characters (main and sides) had so many nicknames. This was especially confusing since it’s written in 3rd person POV.

As for the audiobook, I enjoyed one narrator and not so much the other one unfortunately.

What you’ll find in Cleat Cute:
⚽️ Opposites attract
⚽️ Sapphic romance (FF)
⚽️ Soccer - Captain & Rookie
⚽️ Friends with benefits
⚽️ Grumpy sunshine
⚽️ LGBTQ+
⚽️ Neurodiverse MCs
⚽️ No 3rd act breakup
⚽️ Dual POV/3rd person

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for advanced copies to review. All opinions are my own!

I think this book was built up a bit too much for me, so I wasn't as satisfied as I hoped to be. However! Still a fun, quick read. Will be sure to recommend at work.

One thing about me is I love sports gays. I also love New Orleans, so that's two points in Cleat Cute's favor. I know nothing about soccer, but this book made me want to join a rec league. The energy was fun and spicy for the first half of the book. Cleat Cute was well written, and the interpersonal conflict was easy to follow, even for those of us not involved in soccer. I liked the dynamic between Phoebe and Grace, especially earlier in the novel. The more XR scenes were well done. I listened to the audiobook alongside reading the ebook (highly recommend). The dual POV is well done in that Grace and Phoebe's internal monologue is wildly different, clearly defining them as separate narrators. I loved the representation and supportive family and team dynamic in this novel.

While the novel is fun overall, the last half is bogged down with miscommunication and Grace's internal monologue. I also think many of their fights were resolved far too quickly (primarily with sex) for any sake of realism. There were long, pessimistic internal monologues, but when it came to vocalizing those concerns (specifically thinking of the medication/ADHD argument), it was far too quickly resolved. I'm also not a fan of miscommunication as a source of conflict, which rife in the latter half of this novel.

Aside: As someone with ADHD, I took issue with Grace going to TikTok for information on ADHD. While I appreciate her doing additional research, TikTok is the only preliminary source mentioned by name, and the app is rife with misinformation.

I loved reading this book. From the two main characters point of views, to the big life choices they were making, to the whole soccer theme, and the spice - what a great mix! I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley, St Martins Press and Meryl Wilsner for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

You had me at Sapphic Ted Lasso! This book was one that I literally couldn't wait to start reading. There is so much to love about this book but I personally am a sucker for grumpy/sunshine romance novels. I love that the characters are flawed and not completely likeable; for instance, Phoebe is consistently late (which is something that would absolutely drive me insane but rarely something I see in books).

Overall, my issues with this book were based on some of the language/writing choices and the pacing. I personally prefer romance books that focus more on slow burn and these two just got together rather quickly and majority of their relationship felt heavily motivated by sex. I feel like Grace would have been more guarded after everything with her last "relationship" and it would have taken her more time to get involved, especially with another teammate.

3.5 for me rounded up.
Loved their relationship, the spice. The soccer!

But the inner monologue was a lot. Being in third person made it much harder to get through I would be content if I never heard the names Grace or Phoebe again, they are said SOO many times in this.

This book was so cute and I loved every second of it. The difference between the two main characters was a great contrast and kept the relationship interesting. Would recommend this to anyone to read!

Cleat Cute has everything you could possibly want from a lesbian sports romcom. Phoebe and Grace have a brilliant dynamic, great energy, and each of their narrations providing something different to the story, while still being equally enjoyable.

Even though Grace was able to remove parts of her career that weren’t beneficial to her mental health, so she could continue to play soccer, I was very happy the book emphasized that you are absolutely allowed to quit your dreams, if they are not your dream anymore! So many people fall back on the “oh you’ve done too much to get here, you can’t quit now!” but you can! You absolutely can! And it made me so happy to hear that affirmed to Grace by her dad.

Meryl Wilsner with yet another hit, can’t wait to read more of their work.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this title.

Ok on its own this book was a great rivals to reluctant friends to lovers story about 2 female soccer players. I immediately loved phoebe and Graces grumpy/sunshine dynamic. I’m a sucker for a golden retriever character and phoebe embodied it perfectly. The way these 2 challenged each other and really saw the other for who they were was really sweet and endearing. I enjoyed the ADHD and introvert rep in this book. As a golden retriever married to an introvert this really hit home for me 🤣

Now onto the spice 🥵🥵🥵 admittedly it’s not why I wanted to read the book but OH. EMMMMM. GEEEEEE did I love it. It was so well written and placed. It was spicy without taking over the book and the way Grace and Phoebe communicated and checked in with each other was everything. I honestly wish more sapphic books had spice in it. It was wonderful to see that aspect of their relationship really explored and depicted.

Overall I loved this books premise and the writing I thought was phenomenal. I’m not a huge fan of third person POV. Especially in a dual POV book it felt like some of the story was harder to connect to for me. But in the end that’s a personal preference for me and nothing to do with the content or talent of this author. Will DEFINITELY check out more books by her!!!

I love a good Sapphic romance, but a SOCCER sapphic romance. Sign me up. I fell in love instantly with Phoebe Matthews and her personality. When she finds herself in the big leagues for women's soccer, she is met with her Idol Grace Henderson. These two could not be more different, and the way Grace pushed Phoebe in the beginning was so heartwarming. I loved their dynamic, and this was not a slow burn at all. The spice was spicy and it came on quick. If you're a fan of spice, this one is for you. I did enjoy that the spice was not the entire plot even though they were "teammates with benefits" for a time. There were strong conversations about relationships, ADHD and neurodivergence, and taking your life into your own hands. I loved this book and I highly recommend to all my sapphic and romance lovers out there!

Soccer is my favorite sport, so I couldn't resist reading Meryl Wilsner's latest novel, Cleat Cute. It's a sapphic rom com featuring two pro soccer teammates, a rookie & a veteran, and it’s everything I hoped it would be and more!

Phoebe Matthews has always wanted to play pro soccer. Her life is chaotic in many ways but soccer is her happy place. When she finally gets called up to play for a pro team, Phoebe feels like she is home & immediately fits in as the lively jokester of the team. Grace Henderson has been the star of the team for ten years. She works hard and isn't overly impressed with Phoebe's class clown-style personality, although she can't deny that Phoebe works just as hard as she plays. She also can't deny that she finds herself drawn to Phoebe every time she sees her...

I loved the dynamic and the chemistry between Grace and Phoebe as they try to navigate their growing feelings for one another as well as whether or not it would even be appropriate for them to date as teammates. I also really enjoyed that more in depth topics were covered including the fact that while Phoebe was "out" as queer, Grace had not yet come out publicly. I loved that Phoebe respected Grace's decision and knew that Grace had to decide that for herself. Another big topic that was covered was undiagnosed ADHD, which it turns out, has been impacting much of Phoebe's life. It's not all serious though as there is plenty of banter and lots of sexy, steamy moments to balance out those more serious topics.

I also loved all of the soccer talk, although I don't think you need to be a huge soccer fan to enjoy this book. I'd recommend Cleat Cute to anyone who enjoys grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract romances.

“Oh yeah, you were absolutely one of those formative celebrities, you know? Like, I didn’t know if I wanted to kiss you or be you. (…) Both, it turned out.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Touches on toxic relationships and friendships. Discusses injuries and bullying. Contains explicit sexual content.

“Cleat Cute” follows Phoebe Matthews, a rookie soccer player who’s just been called in to potentially be part of the national team, and who serendipitously (and flirtatiously) becomes friends with benefits with her biggest rival, but also her biggest role model growing up, her team captain, Grace Henderson. But here’s the thing, Grace wants nothing to do with relationships, and least of all with a team member.

Although it went with a slower start, I absolutely loved this read once the pace picked up. Both Grace and Phoebe were such complex characters, packed with raw emotion and that drive that only competitive sport players have—it was truly inspiring (and oh-so spicy).

I would highly highly recommend this read if you’re looking for a sapphic sports romance with some very well-executed enemies with benefits. 10/10, would not change a single thing about this novel.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: September 19, 2023

"Cleat Cute" falls into the category of rookie/veteran sports romance, and it doesn't dive too deep into the sports aspect. If you're familiar with Meryl Wilsner's work, you can definitely anticipate some steamy moments. As someone who's a fan of women's soccer, I've encountered this storyline in other books as well.

This book was fun and flirty and full of all things soccer. Grace is the star of the US Women's Soccer Team. She's been one for years....long enough for Phoebe to have a picture of Grace on her bedroom wall. Phoebe has always thought Grace was an amazing player and cute to boot. Now Phoebe has the chance to prove herself and land a spot on the World Cup team. The only problem is that she and Grace have serious chemistry while also trying to remain professional teammates.

I enjoyed Phoebe and Grace. Grace reminded me so much of Roy Kent. She's getting older and is the grump to Phoebe's sunshine. I liked that these were two women with real aspirational goals that both were willing to work hard for. It was refreshing to see two working women in a book where they were unapologetic about it and matter of fact about how much work they were willing to do to achieve their dreams. They both oozed confidence and yet balanced one another out. Phoebe is young, energetic and all over the place. Grace is more reserved and level-headed. They complemented one another well.

This is definitely an open-book romance that is well-written. I had fun losing myself in the world of women's soccer. I would say if you are looking for a fun, sapphic romance this would be a great one to pick up!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan audio for an ARC of this book. The opinions here are my own.

Everything about this book was fine it just felt like the enemies-to-lovers aspect was dancing on the bully-romance line in the first third a little too much for me personally which made it feel like a slog to get through at times. Overall a cute book with a cute romance!

Everything about this book was fine it just felt like the enemies-to-lovers aspect was dancing on the bully-romance line in the first third a little too much for me personally which made it feel like a slog to get through at times. Overall a cute book where lesbians say i love you after a month and then instantly talk about marriage.

[ Rounded Up 2.5 stars ] I was really looking forward to reading this story, but sadly it ended up disappointing.

I liked that "Cleat Cute" starred two polar opposites who are professional athletes that strike up a very spicy friends-with-benefits relationship. I liked how passionate Grace and Phoebe were about soccer (football) and their dedication to the sport. The stakes were rather high with Grace being injured and it being Phoebe’s first season as a professional athlete, all within a World Cup year.

I could be wrong but the impression I got from the synopsis differed from what happened. This wasn’t quite a rivals-to-lovers because it was never clearly stated why Phoebe was drafted, just assumed (before Grace’s injury being known) it was to replace Grace. I didn’t like Phoebe sometimes and had some issues with the development of the main characters’ relationship.

I connected more with Grace and liked how her character evolved throughout the story. Grace’s life has always been about soccer. Now at 26, she’s been playing at the level as a star athlete for over a decade. When Grace gets benched, she’s forced to take a step back and really examine her life up to now, and think about who and what she is without soccer since everyone only associated her with soccer. Phoebe’s presence (at times) alleviated some of the difficulty in answering those retrospective questions because, with Phoebe, Grace could be a person rather than a famous soccer player.

Although "Cleat Cute" is told from alternating points of view, it seemed more like Grace’s story than Grace-and-Phoebe’s story. Phoebe’s growth/goals were very minimal, barely developed, or came second to Grace’s. At least as it seemed to me.

While Phoebe does help Grace a lot in coming out of her shell and finding happiness within herself and for her life going forward, I don’t think Phoebe got enough page time to shine in this book. Her journey felt like the bare bones of a story: wanting to do well during her first year as a professional soccer player, making it onto the national and World Cup teams, and being better at relationships. Yet, I wanted more from Phoebe’s journey, which, overall, I think partially impacted connecting with her fully. Perhaps she was meant to be an agent of change rather than an actual main character…? Phoebe had a lot to offer, so I wish her character had been fleshed out more/differently.

There were more off-putting moments than great moments between Phoebe and Grace. They both acknowledged that they didn’t want a relationship but committed to an exclusive friends-with-benefits relationship. Both respectfully tried their best to make what was heating up between them work, but miscommunication and assumptions didn’t help either of them as they tried to get to know each other better. Too much teasing and not enough being honest with each other. Some vital conversations that needed to be fully discussed were too brief and replaced with make-up sex, which they were both complicit in. And it kind of felt like Grace got most of the blame during any conflicts she and Phoebe had.

Overall, I wish I had enjoyed "Cleat Cute," but it fell flat for me.

Thanks again St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the eARC to read in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

This one was everything. Funny, flirty, and everything a younger soccer obsessed me would have wanted. Plus. I’m a sucker for the grumpy sunshine trope- it just works okay!

Grace is an all business soccer captain who meets her match when newcomer, Phoebe, joins her team. I absolutely loved how Phoebe broke down graces walls while respecting her boundaries and communicating. It’s genuinely so refreshing to see. Not only that, but I was grinning at my kindle throughout the entire read. Loved it.

I'm a huge fan of this book. There aren't actually that many similarities but they give me SalKulti vibes. Grace and Phoebe are such a cute grumpyxsunshine ship. Phoebe being relentless in becoming Graces friend was adorable. She was worming her way into Graces heart. Grace was adorable and all she wanted to do was protect Phoebe even when she didn't know she wanted to. The funniest part to me was their miscommunication at the end. I just loved it so much.

I received an arc through netgalley.

It took me a few chapters to really get into this book, but once I did I was hooked and didn't want to put it down. I will say that I struggle with third person a lot. I was also a little worried because I'm not into sports and this is a soccer romance, but I ended up liking the soccer aspect and I will pick up more sports romances now. I really liked Grace right off the bat. Phoebe took me a while but I ended up getting attached to her as well. Watching these two teammates fall for each other was really sweet. Their internal monologue was really great to have. This book gets steamy, and there are comments made almost right off of the bat. I loved it! I go into books without really looking into what they are about, so I didn't know there was spice, and it was a pleasant surprise. Overall I will be recommending this book to people I know.