3.5/5 stars! Cleat Cute was an adorable sports romance centering around Phoebe and Grace, two soccer athletes. I'm a little conflicted on how to rate this one, as I was constantly rooting for both characters and found this book very entertaining; but I did find myself frustrated with their actions and lack of communication. I think certain elements of this book were just not my taste, such as the constant TikTok references, but still had a very good time with it and would recommend to someone looking for a cute sapphic sports romance!

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner

Setting:
USA, World Cup

Characters:
Grace Henderson
Phoebe Matthews

Tropes:
Sapphic
Sports Romance
Teammates to Lovers
Rivals to Lovers
Sports Romance

Goodreads:
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟

Spice:
🌶 🌶 🌶

Review:
This was such a lovely novel. If you ever wanted a Sapphic Bend it Like Beckham romance, here it is. The writing was superb, well developed characters, fast moving plot, and fantastic spice. A great time and a great read.

Content Warnings:
Physical injury

Ted Lasso meets Check! Please in this sapphic romcom.

Phoebe is a young rookie whom anyone who is chronically online can relate to, while Grace is more reserved (honestly giving the best Roy Kent x Jaime Tartt energy out there). I was hooked from the first chapter, with a young woman who has a hard time expressing just how much love she has in her heart.

The discussion of soccer wasn't confusing and was explained in such a way that it added to the world-building without taking away from the chaos that is a romance novel.

Overall, super cute, and I wish there was more! Meryl Wilsner is definitely someone to look out for and to watch as they continues to write and inspire.

Thank you Netgalley for an E arc. I would rate this book a solid three stars, It was a fun read that had me engaged from the beginning. I thought the concept of professional women soccer was both exciting and interesting and will be for many readers who played soccer growing up. Myself included. My only problem with the book is I felt as though the plot was lost somewhere in the middle, after the middle of the book, I felt like problems were coming up for problems sake and I had forgotten what the original plot of the novel was. Other than that, I enjoyed my read and would recommend it to fans of sapphic stories and fans of sports novels.

Just about the cutest, sweetest, spiciest soccer romance ever. I'm far from a soccer expert, but I've had season tickets to our local women's team, the OL Reign, for 2 years now and have been learning a lot. It was awesome to see some hypothetical behind-the-scenes of what it's like to be a pro player, from basic strategy and what it's like to really focus on the game, to how team chemistry develops, from the experience of moving to a new city, to the joy of fulfilling a life-long dream. I loved switching back and forth between Phoebe and Grace’s perspectives because they each had such different perspectives of the world and their relationship. While they are both neurodivergent (and undiagnosed at first), Phoebe’s ADHD and Grace’s autism mean they don’t necessarily understand what the other is saying or meaning all the time, even when they are both doing their best to be honest with one another.

I love that as they get to know one another, they learn what things are important to each it other and make an effort to respect and protect those things. Phoebe knows Grace really values her privacy, so she never pushes her to come out or to tell people about them (even though it’s obvious to anyone truly paying attention. And when Grace wants to show Phoebe how much she likes her and how much she has grown and opened up since meeting her, she decides to come out. Not just for Phoebe but for herself, too, to free herself from the rules and chains of expectation she’d always placed upon herself. Part of the fun of this book is it's not just about Grace and Phoebe's romance, but also about their individual growth.

Also, Grace downloads TIKTOK for her, and does all the legwork of figuring out how to go to the doctor and making her an appointment. As someone whose own ADHD diagnosis was prompted by TikTok, but waited over a year and had some serious struggles before finally see a doctor about it, I would have really felt the love in those actions. 😍 Every word Phoebe said about how she didn’t have the bandwidth to deal with ADHD rang true to me (as did her perpetual lateness).

And I totally love that inevitable conversation Phoebe and Grace have, when Grace tells Phoebe she likes her and wants to officially date her, and Phoebe tells her she’s pretty sure they’ve been dating for the last month, lol. I was waiting for that conversation ever since it became clear they were not on the same page, and it was everything I hoped it would be!

This one is pretty spicy, perhaps a little too frequently for my personal preference, but the spicy scenes feel like part of Phoebe and Grace’s story and not just an excuse to have more spice. They had a strong physical connection to one another from the start, and that’s part of how their relationship deepened as they learned to trust one another, both physically and emotionally.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing me access to an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The up and coming rookie paired with a veteran has a fun vibe throughout Cleat Cute. Wilsner writes about ADHD and autism in a sensitive and respectful way. The book was a fun read.

I could not put this down!! One of my least favorite tropes is miscommunication and any time Grace and Phoebe weren’t on the same page, it was resolved relatively quickly. The spice was spicy and the cute was CA-YUTE!!!

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this e-arc.
This was a cute little sapphic rom-com. I really enjoyed it personally. The characters were very likable even though at some points it was cringey.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
🌶🌶
This was a super cute sapphic, teammates to lovers, soccer romcom, and I loved it! As a former soccer player myself, it was easy to get excited about this one. Both FMCs love soccer, and that loves feels like another character throughout the story. There is lots of lgbtqia+ rep and really good disability rep (ADHD, Autism), which I was pleasantly surprised by. But, what I really loved is how this story tackles the expectations we place on ourself based on what we think other expect of us. It shows the importance of communicating not only with your partner, but also with family, friends, colleagues and bosses. It shows how clearly communicating can be a huge factor in our levels of happiness and contentment. I really loved to see how setting boundaries was praised, and how boundaries were respected amongst the characters. This story does all this within the context a super cute sports romcom, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book and offer my honest review.

Meryl Wilsner is THE steamy queer writer. Just a cute, sweet, delicious and delightful read!! If you’re looking for a queer rom/com that is like super super steamy then definitely recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I adored this book featuring two women's league soccer players: veteran Grace "Hendy" Henderson and newly drafted Phoebe "Phenom" "Matthews" Matthews. Phoebe has looked up to Grace ever since she started playing soccer. The dynamic between Phoebe and Grace was so electric, sweet, and sexy! Wilsner does not shy away from physical descriptions of Phoebe and Grace's growing situationship. 2SLGBTQIA+ community members might have a hard time with the conflict in this novel, but Wilsner handles it gracefully, as Grace's long-time teammates and best friends suggest she think about her choice of a grand profession of love. I found the ending perfectly sweet! Wilsner packs socioeconomic class disparities, trans joy (in the form of teammates and family members), coming out stories, and soccer action into this novel.

This was the second book for this author that I read, and I loved it just as much as the first one. It has wonderful representation and is charming.

As someone who cared about soccer for one weekend and never before or since, I will say first that you definitely do not need to care about soccer to care about this book. Soccer is of course the backdrop, and it's important to both of the main characters, but none of it is so detailed that it loses readers who aren't soccer fans. As a theater person rather than a sports-of-any-sort person, I could still relate to a lot of this book. In fact, I would say this book is more about neurodivergence than it is about soccer, which is a big win for me personally.

I loved the characters a lot. Their banter made me laugh, and I smiled a lot through most of their interactions, whether it was in a this-is-funny way or a I'm-so-happy-for-these-characters-connecting kind of way. I definitely felt like I could understand why they liked each other, which is the most important thing for me in romance. I loved how seriously they took each other, pretty much from the beginning. I would not have been mad if some of the side characters got more page-time as well because they were all lovely, but I get that it's not their story, so.

I will say that most of the conflict seemed to stem from miscommunication, which can be frustrating and isn't usually my favorite, but it was so understandably in-character that I actually didn't really mind it here. It never felt contrived, and it was resolved quickly enough that it didn't make me wonder how they would ever be able to make a relationship work moving forward. I also have to say, the way the final misunderstanding was resolved was fantastic and it actually made me cackle.

This was definitely my favorite romance I've read in a while, and while I'm not actually a huge romance reader, this was definitely one to remind me why I like coming back to this genre.

I ate this up. Sat down and read it in an afternoon, and had the absolute best time. Did I cry a lot because I get super emotional about women's sports? Yes. Probably more than the average person reading this book will cry, but it's a thing. Don't watch the Olympics with me. At this current moment, being very excited for the USWNT at the World Cup, and then reading THIS? I'm lucky I didn't drown.

As an extrovert and a Capricorn, I identified with both of our leads - Grace and Matthews. Yes, her name is Phoebe, but there's this whole thing about how Matthews seems to capture her in a different way. Grace is the veteran player, a star since she was a teen, private, closed off, serious, afraid of betrayal, and afraid of being hurt. To the point that she has avoided romantic relationships and basically hidden her sexuality, and lucked into a lot of the friendships she does have. Matthews is the rookie - the wild, falling apart flirt who could make friends with inanimate objects. She grew up idolizing Grace, as well as crushing on her, but neither expected the immediate chemistry between them. The banter is SO GOOD, and I found myself smiling at my screen quite often.

Grace has finally met someone who isn't put off by her surliness, maybe even likes it, and Grace found someone who thinks she's worth the time and energy to help her be more organized and on time. I think it's important that the potential neurodivergence of both characters is a later plot point - both autism and ADHD are often undiagnosed in adolescent girls, and I love that this lovingly highlights the chance to help yourself as an adult.

And oh, the spice. As a pan person married to a man, I literally asked myself why because damn, I wanted to be doing what they're doing. The psychological exploration of pleasure with a partner is also fantastic here - the concept of taking care of each other, of relaxing and letting go, of enjoying the pleasure in the moment instead of chasing the "achievement" of orgasm - it really explores some of women's sexual hang ups but making it sexy instead of introspective.

Can I also mention that we get to read about female (as well as some non-binary team members) performing at the height of their sport, the dedication, hard work, struggles, and strategy that they go through is incredible. It focuses on some of the real problems and successes. The fact that most PROFESSIONAL female athletes also need to work second and third jobs to survive, then go on to represent our country, taking names and kicking butt? That should make you mad.

This won't though. It's spicy and adorable.

The start of the FIFA Women's World Cup felt like the perfect time to start this ARC.

I adored every page of this book. It has equal parts plot and "plot." Phoebe has you rooting for her from the start, in both her athletic and her romantic endeavors. This story also does a nice job of touching on issues such as socioeconomic background, mental health, neurodiverse persons, and being queer.

Both Grace and Phoebe experience a lot of growth throughout the story, and what I didn't expect was for both of them to be neuro-diverse (or at least written so). Grace was especially relatable to me as someone who was a "gifted child" and is only in adulthood realizing there's more to life than your job and that you are allowed to set healthy boundaries for your own happiness.

I LOVED this book. I love sports romances in general, but this one was even better than most I’ve read lately.

Phoebe Matthews has been working to get onto the Women’s World Cup team since she was a kid and getting signed to the New Orleans Krewe is the first big step to getting there. What’s even more exciting? Her idol, Grace Henderson, is the captain of the Krewe. As often happens in romance novels, they inevitably succumb to their mutual attraction despite their opposite personalities and many, many outside pressures.

Wilsner did a great job of writing these two very distinct personalities. I loved both these girls so much. Another thing I loved? She absolutely knocked it out of the park with the neurodivergent representation. It was subtle and well done throughout.

Overall, definitely one to keep on your radars and I’ll be recommending it far and wide. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A fun, cute romance read. I liked the main characters and all of the soccer elements. Perfect book as the Women's World Cup is starting

Grumpy sunshine, meeting your idols, sapphic, friends with benefits, neurodivergent characters. If you love sports romance with two wildly opposite characters who are lusting over each other, pick this one up.

Meryl Wilsner writes a playful romance about one soccer legend and a just-out-of-college rookie whose entire lives revolve around soccer. That is until a secret friends with benefits shows them some things are more important than their spot on the team. It's all about the little trials and triumphs. Not only is Phoebe completely new to the city and a professional soccer team, but with the low wage from the team, she's making do working two jobs as well as trying to earn her spot on the national women's team. On the other side, Grace finds herself benched and forced to face the reality that she's not happy with how the people in her life view her as just a soccer player.

Told from two perspectives, this romance is full of funny team camaraderie, touring New Orleans during Mardi Gras, and burning hot spicy scenes. There's a slight discussion about ADHD and Autism that I thought could've been better wound throughout the entire story. However, Phoebe's energetic nature and Grace's introspective trials made for a cute sports romance on the surface with a deeper meaning to think about after.

[3.5 stars] So excited to have received an ARC of Wilsner's highly-anticipated new sapphic romance! I've read both their previous books and loved 'Mistakes Were Made', so could not wait to get into this. I enjoyed the strong personalities of the two main characters and appreciated how the (many) spicy scenes between them were written.

Though as someone who doesn't watch sports, much of the football (soccer) jargon went over my head - someone who is more into the sport may appreciate those parts more. In the team settings, it felt like there were too many infrequent side characters, making it hard to keep track of who each one was and anything about their personalities, which sometimes made scenes with side character interactions confusing. And I wish the neurodivergence aspect was discussed much earlier in the story since it felt like it was added as more of an afterthought and could have potentially added so much to previous scenes.

Despite a few issues, this was an enjoyable read with thoughtfully-written characters, and plenty of spicier scenes, which I'm sure Wilsner fans will definitely expect and appreciate.

This was my first Meryl Wilsner book and it was a solid 4 star read. I enjoyed the characters and that we got a balance of their personal lives and their team lives. There was a good amount of spice without taking away from plot development and it was overall an enjoyable read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good queer romance or enjoyed Ted Lasso!