**Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This review is my opinion**

AWWWW!!!

As someone who is bisexual, I love it when find a great LGBT romance. I wish there had been more FF romances when I was starting to question my sexuality in middle school. Now, there is so much representation in books, which is just wonderful. "Cleat Cute" was an easy, cute read that left me feeling good inside. Of course, the rivals-to-lovers thing was what kept me going. I don't know why, but something about going from people who are against each other to becoming lovers... **squeee!!!**

The best queer romance I’ve read this year! Cleat Cute was absolutely kick-your-feet cute! Phoebe and Grace are your neurodivergent queer girls next door that we’d all love to grab coffee and beignets with! For those who enjoyed Kiss Her Once For Me, this is your next queer couple to root for! There’s friends with benefits, lots of banter, and a slight miscommunication trope… but not the kind that derails the entire story. Such a fun time and can’t wait to read more from Meryl Wilsner!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

First things first, more books should take place in New Orleans. Great scenery, great food, great people—I will definitely advocate for this. But second point? Wow did this book take me by surprise! I thought I knew what to expect from Meryl Wilsner; steamy steamy sapphic storytelling, and a fast paced plot, but I was NOT prepared for how much I loved Phoebe Matthews and Grace Henderson. They may be two of my favorite characters that I’ve read this year and I felt like I intimately knew them while reading Cleat Cute. This is (surprisingly) the second book I’ve read this month with neurodiverse characters and I love how their diversity was revealed as a part of themselves instead of something to overcome.

Phoebe Matthews is a ray of sunshine. She’s the confident but goofy girl that just sets her eyes on something and doesn’t just meet her goals but exceeds them while making it look effortless. I could visualize her smile and her athleticism in the field and I felt that I loved soccer because she loves soccer. Phoebe is new to playing for the New Orleans Krewe and she has also been called up to practice with the National Women’s Soccer League which just happens to be in a World Cup year. It’s through both that she meets Grace Henderson, Team Captain who began playing professionally at age sixteen and is known for her consistency, teamwork, and midfielding. This is a case of opposites attract, and yet Grace snd Phoebe could not be more suited for each other.

Is this book just as hot a Mistakes Were Made? Yes, however I think this is Wilsner writing at their best which means that spiciness is just one aspect of the book. The character development was so well done and the storytelling effortlessly flipped between dual POVs. The more Phoebe eased herself into Grace’s rigid lifestyle, the more I loved reading Grace’s perspective and seeing inside her head. This is such an inclusive book and as I mentioned neurodiversity is a revelation that frees the characters to just be themselves, but maybe with the tiniest bit of help by being diagnosed. And when characters can be themselves then that’s when love can enter. So what initially begins as a friends-with-benefits situation, begins to develop into something neither Grace nor Phoebe ever expected.

I couldn’t talk about this book without also mentioning soccer. It’s the third character in the relationship and this is the first time in a long time that I’ve felt like a sport was integral to the love story. To be honest I am somewhat indifferent to the sport, but seeing it through Matthews eyes as she’s betting everyone she can beat them in a drill, or through Henderson as she manages expectations from having a leadership role on the team made me really excited to discover why they loved the sport. The teammates were hilarious and a support system that I would liken to fans of Ted Lasso. I could find no fault with Cleat Cute and am excited to see what love stories Wilsner writes in the future. I received an advanced copy from the publisher but it did not sway my opinions.

Stop this was such a cute book, I loved every second of it!! I LOVED the main characters!!! One of the best books of the year I would say.

Cleat Cute is a sapphic sports romance centered on the fictional New Orleans women's soccer team. Phoebe is the new player, fresh out of college, and has big dreams of going to the world cup. Grace is the captain of the Nola team and the veteran who's spot is threatened by Phoebe. Grace (grumpy) initially doesn't like Phoebe (sunshine), but quickly caves to Phoebe's charm and flirtation. They soon become secret friends with benefits, but of course someone ends up catching feelings 😌
I really like the authors voice, especially Phoebe's chapters. The first 25% had me giggling and kicking my feet, and the rest is still very cute but also VERY steamy. I was worried for the way the miscommunication trope would play out, but was happily surprised about how it was written. There's mental health rep, and also tons of NOLA recs (I need a local to confirm these recs, please)!
I read this during the world cup (rip 2023 US WNT) and really enjoyed it!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When experienced and austere soccer star Grace Henderson gets an injury, she’s threatened to be replaced on the team by Phoebe, who appears to be her opposite. She’s fun, easygoing, and seemingly more reliant on talent than hard work. But as they begin to train for the World Cup together, their relationship develops into something that neither of them planned for.

This was such a fun, sweet read! It’s everything I wanted from a sapphic romcom: humor, angst, and great chemistry. It has a huge cast of really fun side characters. In the beginning it felt like a lot trying to learn everyone’s names, but as I learned more about each of them I truly enjoyed what each of them brought to the story. Representation of neurodivergence and queerness in this book is so beautiful and comforting that it made me want to read more from Wilsner because we all need more of that in our lives.

Grace and Phoebe’s romance felt funny, sincere, and grounded. I found myself smiling throughout so many of their scenes. Normally the miscommunication trope in romcoms can be frustrating, but in this case it was endearing. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet, satisfying sapphic romance!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review :)

3.75⭐️

This was a fun sporty sapphic read! I loved reading about both Phoebe and Grace’s relationship and their love for soccer. Their relationship progresses form teammates to somewhat forced friends to friends with benefits to eventually girlfriends, and that build up was so good. I loved seeing their relationship develop, although I was annoyed at the miscommunication about their relationship, especially as it went on for so long. The individual character development was also well done. I loved seeing Phoebe go from rookie to star player and Grace finding joy and happiness again. This all takes place on and around the soccer field and we do get to see these girls play.

Overall, this was a good sapphic romcom that I do recommend when it comes out!

Read if you like…
•wlw
•opposites attract
•soccer
•🌶️🌶️

An opposites attract, sapphic, spicy, soccer romance! The romance between Grace and Phoebe was very cute to read about, I really enjoyed how it progressed, but it did drag for me a bit in some parts. Overall a good read!

Filled with banter and steaminess, Cleat Cute is a fun sports romance. Phoebe Matthews is about to live her dream: starting her professional soccer career on the same team as her idol Grace Henderson. Grace, though, has been hiding an injury, but as sparks fly between these two, they begin to find what path they really want to be on. This is advertised as a rivals to lovers, but I have to disagree on that—Phoebe is infatuated with Grace from the start; there’s some disdain from Grace towards Phoebe, but not for long and if anything, it’s a grump/sunshine dynamic. Phoebe is a ball of energy, she flies off the page! And Grace is so dynamic; underneath her routines, she’s so vulnerable and is just trying to figure herself out. I felt she was really relatable. I do have some mixed feelings for this book. I loved the grump/sunshine dynamic of these two, and I loved their dates and banter. They just did not communicate. There were a lot of great steamy parts too that were sexy but at the same time so many times those moments were to deflect from a conversation that would’ve cleared things up so much faster. And I loved there was the mental health rep, but that plot point felt unfinished and glazes over. I know too it’s a soccer romance but there was also maybe a little too much soccer; I wanted to know these characters more and I wanted them to get to know each other more too. Even so, this book is a fun read with characters that are likeable and entertaining.

🦇 Cleat Cute Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐

❝ Calling Phoebe loud and obnoxious and gay ignores all her layers and contradictions. That's Grace's issue with fame—people take you at face value. Nobody bothers to look for the person beneath the brand. ❞

❓ #QOTD What's your favorite sport (to watch or play)? ❓

🦇 Phoebe Matthews is ready to take her first season as a professional soccer player by storm. She even gets to play alongside her idol, Grace Henderson; the veteran star of the US Women's National Team. Since they met, there's been a spark of chemistry between them, and Phoebe can't help but flirt with and seduce the woman she's had a poster of since childhood. Though they're on the same page on the pitch, a little miscommunication outside of the game leaves them both mentally spiraling. Are they brave enough to make a move both on and off the field?

💜 The few factors that drove me to finish reading this book were the focus on fame, personal identity, and neurodiversity; NOT the relationship between Grace and Phoebe. The story touches on Grace's preference not to reveal too much about who she is outside of soccer, in an effort to protect her privacy, until soccer becomes her entire identity; both to the outside world, and herself. From the beginning, it's also obvious that both MCs are neurodivergent. Phoebe is diagnosed with ADHD by the epilogue, and though Grace isn't diagnosed with autism, it's mentioned as a possibility. Though their neurodiversity is obvious from the first two chapters, the topic isn't discussed in any way that MATTERS to the story. There's so much going on under the surface of these characters that would have made the story BEAUTIFULLY important if they were the focus, rather than a subtle plot point that's slipped into the end of the book.

🦇 I almost DNF this book many, many times; it takes a one-star read for me to give up on a book, rather than give it the benefit of the doubt. Though I did finish it, I dragged my feet every step of the way. The most obvious issue with this novel is the POV. A third-person objective point of view is cold and distant. It leaves readers disconnected from the characters and the story. Though it's not confirmed by the end of the story, it's possible Grace has autism, in which case, this POV makes sense for her. For Phoebe, however—passionate, energetic, a thousand thoughts a second Phoebe—we're cut off from what she's really feeling. Beyond that, this POV is choppy, ESPECIALLY for a story that primarily involves women. Unfortunately, the objective POV means the entire story is TELL; we're not shown through actions or imagery or any form of creative writing. The tension between them doesn't last long enough to keep readers enthralled, either; once the smut is introduced, that's apparently all that matters.

⚽ Every other sentence starts with a name to avoid referring to too many "she's" within a single thought. The writing also lacks descriptive language, even though the story is set in vibrant New Orleans. For all the scenes focused on food, we never smell, taste, or experience a moment with the characters. Even during gameplay, there's no sweat, heat, or the sound of screaming fans in our ears. The readers are kept at arm's length at all times. Perhaps worse: the smut reads like fanfiction—a first-time writer's fanfiction. Instead of steamy, the word choice makes it awkward and offputting. "Baby girl?" Really?

🦇 Recommended for fans of workplace romances, Ted Lasso, or A League of Their Own. You're going to get serious "Ted Lasso but make it sapphic" vibes from this, I promise; Phoebe and Grace are very much Jamie and Roy. If you're in your sporty romance era, give this a try!

✨ The Vibes ✨
⚽ WLW Romance
⚽ Neurodiversity / ADHD and Autism Rep
⚽ Sports Romance
⚽ Secret Dating
⚽ Workplace Romance
⚽ Miscommunication

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #CleatCute #NetGalley #MerylWilsner

Cleat cute

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️.5

Opposites attract + sapphic + neurodivergent rep + sports+ queer side characters + not third act breakup

I loved these two so much. Not going to lie the way Grace treated Phoebe in the beginning rubbed me the wrong way but as their dynamic shifts her character grows a lot. Both women are white, cis and lesbian discussed on page. Phoebe has ADHD which is undiagnosed and pointed out by Grace which causes a minor conflict between the two. While researching ADHD to better support phoebe, grace has a self realization of potentially being autistic and decides to look into that in the future. The actually ADHD diagnosis and process of phoebe getting on meds isn’t talked about on page, it’s mentioned in the epilogue that started medication. While i would’ve like it to expand further on this it wasn’t necessary for the development of the story. The miscommunication between them is pretty frustrating but not unrealistic. I appreciated how the conflicts they had were handled maturely even if they needed to work on communication more. They had great chemistry and I loved that this wasn’t a slow burn. I loved the queer and bipoc rep with side characters, and the community/family they built with their teammates.

If you liked Everything for you by Chloe Liese then you will LOVE this. seriously Grace gives some major Gavin vibes while Phoebe and Oliver have the biggest golden retriever energy around.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Cleat Cute follows Pheobe "Phenom" Matthews, one of the newest rookies on the Krewe, and Grace Henderson, a US Women's National Team veteran star. When an injury takes Grace out of play, all she can think about is her unfortunate past with another player.Grace would've never imagined even a friendship with Pheobe, let alone falling for her, but these two just can't seem to stay away from one another.

This book delivered some steamy romance, grumpy vs sunshine banter, and representation for both LGBT+ and neurodivergent folks. It was thoroughly enjoyable, and a relatively easy read for someone who knows absolutely nothing about sports. The miscommunications were also minor between our two MC's and there wasn't a horrible breakup that some of these stories feature.

What I didn't enjoy was all of the inner monologue throughout. I felt that it slowed the story down and didn't add enough to justify it being there. I think if this story were written in first person (still dual POV) it wouldn't have been as overwhelming.

Overall, this was a fun read and I recommend it to anyone looking for a FF sports romance!

Rating: 5 stars rounded down to 4.5 stars.

First off, thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy for my honest review.

I am not one for sports, but when I saw another book by Meryl, I had to read it! And they did NOT disappoint. The soccer aspect plays a minor role in the story (so im a little happy not needing to know any soccer lingo or terms).

Meryl has a way with words when it comes to Sapphic romantic scenes. I did feel this one was more "tell" instead of "show" with the overuse of internal monologuing, but it impacted the story in a positive way, giving us an inside look into both MCs.

Phoebe and Grace are both relatable characters, which had me hooked reading this in 4 days. Their communication was lacking at some points, but when it comes to friends with benefits, is it really THAT necessary?

Overall, I would recommend anyone read this who enjoys a cute rivals to lovers story.

Okay Meryl, im ready for your next one!

Cleat Cute is a saphic romance between two professional soccer players. This was a spicy and fun read - loved the characters and grumpy/sunshine romance dynamic. I know very little about soccer but I still really enjoyed this romance. A perfect beach read!

This author has gained another reader. I will automatically purchase the books. This was an enemy to lovers tropes and she did an amazing job at bringing everything together.

Thank you for letting me read this arc!!

To be honest I struggled a bit to get into the book. It’s written in third point of view.
I did love the development of their relationship and a SOCCER ROMANCE!!
This is my first Meryl book—it started off a bit slow building and I found some of the conversations to be something that wouldn’t happen in real life. The spice scenes are amazing and I was not expecting it!

•sapphic
•sports romance

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of Cleat Cute. Wow, I'm now a big fan of Meryl Wilsner! Their writing style is easy to read and flows quickly. Cleat Cute follows the story of a rookie soccer player getting a callback to play with a national team with some of her new club team players. She falls hard for her club captain and they figure out a way to make it work but now without some hiccups along the way. I enjoyed the tenacity/goofiness of the rookie and could feel the loneliness of the captain. Overall, great read and will be looking for more to come from them!

Awww rivals to lovers one of my favorite tropes and Meryl Wilsner did a great job bringing it to life plus what girl doesn't want to read about some cute soccer players. When the ladies finally work past their miscommunication it was nothing but hot!

Thanks so much to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book lived up to it's title; it was super cute. I'm not a huge fan of soccer or sports in general, but for this book that didn't matter. I loved the storyline overall and the characters. Phoebe was my favorite but I also grew to love Grace as well, especially as she learned more about herself. I highly recommend this book!

Absolutely adored this book. The story was amazing, the neurodivergent representation was on point and I loved every single minute of it!
This was my first time reading a Meryl Wilsner book and I purchased the rest of the books before having even finished this one.
Loved the character development and the way that they learned about each other and grew together.
Will 100% recommend this book to everyone!