Meryl Wilsner has done it again. Cleat Cute is the perfect book for anyone who not only loves soccer, but sapphic romance as well. I couldn’t put it down and fell in love with Grace and Phoebe. A five star read all around.

I had read and enjoyed Meryl Wilsner's books before so I was looking forward to this latest one of hers. Unfortunately, I didn't feel connected to any of the characters.

Thank you @smoromance @macmillan.audio for a copy of this sapphic romance. I enjoyed the dynamics of this story especially with the women's World Cup earlier this year. I love that Phoebe is the newbie on the team and Grace is her idol that she grew up with. I enjoyed the neurodivergent representation as well. The sex scene are steamy. I did get lost in parts of the audiobook when there was a lot of inner dialogue and forgot whose POV it was coming from.

This book is HOT! Like five chili pepper emoji hot. If you are into steamy sex scenes between two soccer jocks who are super into each other, you will love this book! The romance plot is well paced, though I definitely wanted to shake both Grace and Phoebe as they continued to miscommunicate and try to hide their growing feelings. I enjoyed getting their different points of view. Grace is a young but weary pro soccer player who struggles with living up to her high standards and pleasing everyone. Phoebe has confidence, skills, and high energy, but has difficulty finding balance as she juggles her career, a second job, and her new thing with Grace. There's also neurodivergence rep with both main characters having undiagnosed disorders - Phoebe with ADHD and Grace with autism. These characters shine a light on the different experiences of pro athletes, especially queer athletes. I love that they each have a solid network of friends, family, and allies who support them.

Overall, a fun and spicy story that's sure to delight fans of sports romance!

Story: B-
Prose: C+
Characters: B
World: A
Theme(s): B
Enjoyment: B-

The Good:
Some very funny situations/moments. Obviously, the "big" one is the best, but there are lots of others, like when Grace comes back from brooding at the park to find Phoebe, with her suitcase, back from a trip and unsure what house Grace lives at but knows it's ~nearby~.
Good banter. What's a funny situation without some good banter? Although Phoebe brings the most energy to their back-and-forth moments, Grace often has a tidy, devastating one-liner up her sleeve.
Solid main characters. The contrast between energetic Phoebe who loves soccer and steadfast veteran player Grace who's lost her love for the game somewhere along the way is a great idea, and the resulting dynamic between them is delightful. Although Phoebe's point of view was a bit more fun to read, I found the nuance in Grace's personal struggle more compelling. Grace has a lot of things to figure out about herself and her relationship with soccer while she recuperates, and none of them are easy things to consider.
Fun supporting characters. The supporting characters have great characterization and it's fun when Grace and/or Phoebe spend time with them. I honestly wish we got a wee bit more time with them.
Spice. Very spicy–and more importantly, great spice pacing. Their encounters are spaced out nicely throughout the story.
Prose is readable. Prose is plain, straightforward, and very readable.
New Orleans. Wilsner's descriptions of New Orleans felt authentic.

The Bad:
Prose is mid. Although the one-liners and banter are still fun, Wilsner's prose is largely composed of dull, straightforward statements.
Third person, present tense is… a choice. Combined with some of Wilsner's other prose choices, Cleat Cute often borders on reading like a detailed summary rather than an actual narrative.
Waaay too many internal monologues. Yes: Some of the internal monologues are important to establish and build on their neurodivergence. The key word here being SOME. There are roughly three times too many, and they're all MUCH longer than necessary.
Could be tighter. Cleat Cute is ~103k words and not enough happens to justify that length. I mean, the entire first chapter could be scrapped and turned into a mini-flashback Phoebe has later.


YMMV:
Deals with big emotions. Deals with big emotions without incorporating heavy/scary subjects. I mean, Grace considering the future of her career is as heavy as it gets.
Summary is slightly misleading. So, the summary frames their dynamic as such: Grace has been sidelined due to an injury, newcomer Phoebe takes her spot on the field, Grace is drawn to Phoebe despite this and they start hooking up. (Hot, emotionally complicated.) But it's actually Grace and newcomer Phoebe start fooling around, and then Grace is sidelined and THEN Phoebe takes her place, which is so much more awkward.
ARC Issue. Hopefully corrected for publication, but Amanda is (very confusingly) called Amelia twice in a row.

Final thoughts:
Despite some fun banter and some very funny miscommunications, I found I often had to sort of remind/bully myself into reading. A huge part of my disinclination was Wilsner's prose: my last three reads were all RomComs with vibrant, voicey prose, and in comparison, Cleat Cute was noticeably bland. I also found the potential outcomes sort of black and white: either Grace's hip heals in time for the World Cup, or it doesn't. I feel like when we're asking "what's going to happen?" about the end of a book, there needs to be an unknown factor to hold my interest. While Cleat Cute DID have some strong positives–Wilsner does excellent with the spicy moments!–the end product is still a little bland and overlong.

I absolutely adored this book. I have been a huge soccer fan my entire life, and even played up until the age of 12, when I was sadly forced to quit due to health issues. Due to that, I found myself immediately connecting with grace as I was reading the book, and I really resonated with her character. I enjoyed the dual point of view, as you could see into both of the characters heads as you were reading. I loved the romance between grace and phoebe, and I was rooting for them the entire time I was reading.

I love sports romances. I love these characters. I love lesbians. I love Meryl Wilsner and her charm. I love ….

Thank you to St.Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

Ted Lasso, but Sapphic! The main characters are like Roy and Jamie if they became a couple! This was my first f/f romance and my first Meryl Wilsner read, but it will definitely not be my last. Adding soccer to my never ending list of sports romances I love!

Let's continue #sapphicseptember with a soccer saga! If you’re a fan of the sport and/or a fan of the city of New Orleans, I bet you’ll enjoy this book like I did. Grace, the serious captain, has been a US Women’s National Team star for a while, whereas Phoebe is a younger, fresh and fun new addition to the team. These two start as rivals then progress to “teammates with benefits” as the season progresses. With the World Cup approaching and Grace rehabbing from an injury, can these two figure out their relationship - both on and off the field?
Wilsner writes a great combo of realistic characters and situations with a good dose of steamy fun. Queer and neurodiverse characters provide excellent representation, and the writing is enjoyable and cozy - like a hug - in the best way.
Thank you to St Martin's Press for the advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I won an Instagram giveaway for the physical ARC along with a finished copy of the author's previous release Mistakes Were Made aka the MILF book 🤣 I really enjoyed reading and reviewing that last fall and am happy to now have it on my shelves. If you haven’t read it, and you enjoy steamy queer stories - with an age gap - please check that one out, too.

This is an opposites attract, grumpy sunshine sapphic sports romance--all tropes that worked so well together!

Phoebe and Grace were both great MCs, and I'd be hard-pressed to pick a favorite. They had great chemistry, and I loved how Pheobe pushed Grace's buttons. I loved how they both approached their relationships in different ways and (sort of) balanced each other out.

This book is STEAMY and I adored it! Wilsner's sex scenes are always so well-written. Other than "baby girl" as a pet name, everything else worked for me--especially the first scene in the locker room.

There's also some well-handled neurodivergent rep in this book, on the pre-diagnosis side. I enjoyed seeing how the diagnosis came to be, and would have liked to see it explored a little earlier.

Cleat Cute will have you smiling the whole time. It's definitely one I recommend!

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilser
Contemporary sapphic (F-F) sports romance. New adult.
Phoebe Matthews gets her greatest wish and is drafted to play soccer on the U.S. Women’s National Team. She develops a crush on the Captain of the team, Grace Henderson, and the two start a relationship as they manage life, career and outside pressures.
I alternated between an ebook and a audiobook. I preferred the audiobook in this instance for the two narrators that keep the story moving.
🎧 I listened to an audiobook version of this story narrated by Dana Varden and Zim Avaltrades. Each did the chapters from their character POV. The voices are close in tone and rhythm while different enough in pitch that you can hear when the POV changes. Both did a great job portraying a twenty-something female with changing emotions and career concerns.

New adult romance is not a regular genre for me as I don’t appreciate the angst or roller coaster confidence issues. I was pleasantly surprised by the two women and their specific personalities as they kept their professional lives separate from their personal issues. Phoebe kept her joy of playing front and center even while other parts of her life were chaotic.
I would recommend this for any romance reader that likes a bit of sports and teamwork in a story. And passion, because that’s included as well as an hea.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher.

I knew going into this book that I would love it as I love Meryl Wilsner's writing. But GOSH, Cleat Cute was so freaking good. Phoebe and Grace were such good characters that were passionate about two things, soccer and each other. This book filled the sapphic whole I had in my heart. This book was so fun and I loved every minute of Grace and Phoebe's story. I loved the grumpy x sunshine in this book, it fit their characters so well. I loved reading about their growth as individuals but also as a couple. Grace and Phoebe learned a lot about themselves and their passions. I appreciated that there were mentions of undiagnosed ADHD and autism in adults, and discussions of the struggles of being diagnosed as adults. I loved the friendships we saw throughout the book, between Grace and Phoebe and the friendships they had with their teammates. I also appreciated the lack of third act breakup, while there were conflicts throughout the book, there wasn't a breakup. It showed how they valued communication in their relationship no matter how hard or uncomfortable it might have been. I really love Meryl Wilsner's writing and their characters. They do such a good job writing characters with great depth to them, while also showing how emotions and seriousness are not bad traits to have in characters. I loved this book so much and will not stop recommending it to anyone that's close to me.

Cleat Cute 5/5⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Here’s a fun fact about me: I played soccer all four years of high school! I’m also queer. Therefore, I can only assume this book was made for me. I am THE target audience! ⚽️

Also, this was my first Meryl Wilsner book, and it was beyond incredible. Grace and Phoebe are utterly perfection. Their relationship is so passionate and will suck you in from the very beginning. I cannot get over it!

This book has:
-grumpy x sunshine
-teammate with benefits
-neurodivergent rep

If you’re looking for a sapphic, sports romance you need to read this book! 10/10 recommend! 🤍

Grace Henderson has been the star of the US Women’s National Team for ten years. When she is hurt and has to take a break from playing Phoebe Matthews takes her spot.

The World Cup is coming and Grace has to get better so she can play. She finds an unlikely friend in Phoebe.

I had a fun time reading and getting to know the characters in the book. The soccer bits weren't very accurate though and the internal monologue wasn't the most smooth either.

This was my first Meryl Wilsner novel, and they absolutely CRUSHED it!

I love seeing soccer more frequently in the sports romance genre. I also love seeing more diverse representation of not just gender, sexuality, or race but intersectional representation as well, and I feel like Cleat Cute does an excellent job of celebrating these characters and allowing them to be unapologetically themselves.

I played soccer for a long time, and I can see a lot of the people I love in the characters of this book, so Cleat Cute made me smile from start to finish (and blush quite a few times as well).

People, I got an ebook ARC of Cleat Cute back in March and COULD NOT put it down; I've also spent the last 6 months recommending it to anyone who asked for a sapphic romance, sports romance, or enemies-to-lovers romance.

From Phoebe's perspective, Grace has been living her dream as a professional soccer player, but in reality, Grace is under immense pressure from most people in her life, herself included.

From Grace's perspective, Phoebe is liked by everyone, but her disorganization and inability to be anywhere on time drive Grace up the wall. Little does Grace know that Phoebe is facing her own struggles.

Together, Phoebe and Grace help each other grow into their best selves and truly live their best lives– and help with other things as well.

Thank you, Netgalley and St. Martins Griffin, for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not usually one to read about sports, but this just made sense.

The star-struck rookie had no idea that she would be able to ever meet her idol, let alone play on the same team as her!

This book was spicier than I was anticipating! Good spicy, though. My biggest hang up in this book is the miscommunication. Especially since most of the book does a good job curbing any miscommunication.
There is a lot of internal monologue- but honestly, I feel like it is an accurate portrayal of someone with ADHD…even we get tired of our own internal voice!

Read, if you like:
⚽️Sapphic romance
⚽️GrumpyxSunshine
⚽️ADHD rep
⚽️Soccer
⚽️Teammates to Bedmates

This book is about soccer, and it leans heavily on it. Even though I am not a soccer fan I loved the premise of this story and it will you draw you into that world without being lost in all the soccer lingo. This was my first sapphic novel and thought it was fun, witty, hot and had a lot of heart. I also loved the ADHD representation in one of the characters. As a person with ADHD, the internal monologue is spot on for someone with the diagnosis. Phoebe’s character reflects the everyday struggles and coping mechanisms someone has with undiagnosed ADHD.

This is the story of Phoebe and Grace. Phoebe is the new up and coming soccer player who was recently drafted by the New Orleans Krewe after graduating from college. Grace is a soccer veteran and captain for the Krewe and Phoebe’s idol growing up. Both get invited to a soccer camp held by the Women’s National Soccer Team where they meet and share a “sort of kiss” after Grace lost a bet. After that they can’t stop thinking about each other. However, navigating being teammates for the Krewe, as well as figuring each other out due to their personal quirks and miscommunications makes this book very entertaining. The sex scenes are quite graphic but very hot.

In this book you will find in this book you will find grumpy/sunshine and rivals to loves trope, ADHD rep, potential autism rep, LGBTQ+ topics and characters. Overall, a very well rounded and inclusive novel that I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4 Stars!

It's a lesbian soccer romance novel, what's not to love?! I absolutely adored this book. I've found that it takes me a minute to get into Meryl Wilsner's books, but once I'm in, I don't want to put them down! Once I hit about 20% I had to physically move the book to the other room or else I wouldn't be able to stop myself from reading.

At the heart of it, Cleat Cute is a soccer romance about 2 women who play on the same team (😉) and don't want a relationship, for their different reasons. The alternating POV really helps us get into their heads and understand them and their motivations for everything, from soccer to family to love. Set in New Orleans, we get to fall in love with a city as Phoebe does, and Grace reignites hers.

Phoebe is a rookie who just wants her chance, ideally she'd love to make it to the World Cup, but that's a little ambitious for someone in her first year of professional soccer, but when she gets the call to go to training, she cannot help her excitement. Once there, she starts training with her idol, Grace, who is the Captain of the Krewe, the team she'll be joining at the end of the month. This is better than anything she ever could've dreamed.

Grace has been playing professional soccer for a decade, and even though she's only 26, she's a veteran in the sport. She trains hard and works hard and soccer is her whole life. So when she sustains an injury, everything changes for her as she tries to figure out what the future may hold for her, both in her sport, but also in the feelings she's definitely not developing for a teammate.

I absolutely loved the growth we see of both Grace & Phoebe. I definitely have a soft spot for Phoebe, but seeing how Grace comes into herself is really one of the best parts of the this book.

I screamed and cried (not too much) and smiled a hell of a lot, and this book just truly made me feel happy. There was so much chemistry and just getting to see them both on the field and off, it was truly an amazing story to follow.

I definitely recommend this to anyone interested in sapphic romances, and also anyone who loves sports romances! This is such a cute, steamy contemporary romance that I think anyone can enjoy!

You're in for a treat! Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner has off the charts chemistry between a warm-hearted chaotic rookie & the reserved veteran captain on a women's soccer team. Sexy, engrossing, & accessible for soccer newbies too. Loved it!

4.5 <3

this was like a sapphic version of everything for you by chloe liese and i loved it so much. meryl wilsner is such a great author and they're easily climbing their way to being one of my auto-buy authors :')

Grace Henderson has been a star of the US Women’s National Team for ten years, even though she’s only 26. But when she’s sidelined with an injury, a bold new upstart, Phoebe Matthews, takes her spot. 22-year-old Phoebe is everything Grace isn’t—a gregarious jokester who plays with a joy that Grace lost somewhere along the way. The last thing Grace expects is to become teammates with benefits with this class clown she sees as her rival.

Phoebe Matthews is too focused on her first season as a professional soccer player to think about seducing her longtime idol. But when Grace ends up making the first move, they can’t keep their hands off of each other.

As the World Cup approaches and Grace works her way back from injury, a miscommunication leaves the women with hilariously different perspectives on their relationship. But they’re on the same page on the field, realizing they can play together instead of vying for the same position. With every tackle the tension between them grows, and both players soon have to decide what's more important—being together or making the roster.

The perfect blend of funny and steamy, Meryl Wilsner’s Cleat Cute is about being brave enough to win on and off the field.