Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

This book was a pretty middle of the road romcom for me. I loved the premise, but I really struggled with the author’s use of the miscommunication trope throughout the book. Both main characters struggle with communication with each other throughout the book, and it felt repetitive at times. Despite this miscommunication, I did find myself rooting for our main characters and their banter. I felt like the pacing was a bit off, it was a little slow at the beginning and then a little abrupt at the end, and I wish we got more depth from the great cast of side characters.

I just didn't vibe with this book. It was just annoying me the whole time. It wasn't in first person so it was a little bit difficult to get into. I feel like if we had 2 povs, things would be better. The characters never actually talked things out. Whenever a problem occurs, it's like the solution always involves sex.

Thank you for allowing me to read this title early!! I really enjoyed the soccer, forced proximity romance!

Phoebe was really fun to read. I feel like “the talker” isn’t a common character. I enjoyed tapping into her brain. I would have liked a little more from Grace when we were in her head though.

Overall, I loved it! The steamy parts were fantastic!

This was my second novel by Meryl Wilsner and not my last.

Cleat Cute follows Phoebe Matthews who is starting her first season as a professional soccer player. Phoebe didn't take the usual route when it came to playing professional soccer. She went to college instead of pursuing soccer right out of high school. Phoebe had been preparing to leave home because she was drafted for the American Women’s Soccer Association, when she gets a call from Amanda Greene, inviting her to come to the training camp with the national team. Once there, Phoebe works to impress everyone in order to make the U.S Women’s National Team for a chance to play in the World Cup, and that includes captain, Grace Henderson. On a whim, the two end up becoming teammates with benefits, but this evolves overtime. When Grace ends up with an injury, Phoebe ends up taking her spot on the team leading to some tension in their relationship.

As the World Cup approaches and as Grace is working on healing from her injury, the two end up with varying perspectives on their relationship as well as vying for the same spot on the team for the World Cup.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and found myself finishing the book in less than 2 days. The novel was romantic, steamy, funny, and an overall great sapphic novel. I highly recommend picking this up when it comes out in September.

A massive thank you to Meryl Wilsner, St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.75 ⭐️

I have to say, I loved this book. I was reading it on my breaks at work which proves I’m really interested to know what happens. Was it perfect? Not necessarily. I would say there wasn’t a whole ton of conflict other than the original characters not really talking at first, along with a bit of miscommunication but I think that more of technicality, because I loved seeing the characters interact and do their own thing and go to soccer practice and I didn’t need a whole lot of plot in the background.

I think this book is perfect for people wanting a sapphic, sports romance, just along for the ride as well as the steam factor. Definitely held up in that department.

I have read the author’s other 2 books, and I would put it in the middle of the two, definitely worth the read though!

Reading the blurb for this book made me so excited and I really wanted to love it, which is part of why it felt like a bit of a let down to me. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of things I really enjoyed here: the cast was diverse in their sexuality, gender identity, race, and neurodiversity and it was all written in a really authentic way that didn't really feel like an "oh, yeah, and I need to fill this type of representation" type of diverse; the main couple had a ton of chemistry and, while I'm not usually one for spice, those scenes didn't make me feel overly awkward like they usually do, and I liked how it included them constantly checking in with each other and making sure they were both on-board with whatever happened; going off of that, I also enjoyed the addition of the concept that the spicy scenes didn't have to be about the ending, the journey there was just as important, which is a concept I feel like doesn't get brought up in books a lot; and for the most part, I really enjoyed the plot, there were just a few details that made it fall a bit short for me.

The things that didn't quite hit the mark mostly fell in the plot and the characters. There were characters that I enjoyed reading, and the voices of the two MC's felt very authentic to me, however, many times it felt like the characters (side characters included) were very wishy-washy with their characterization. In one chapter someone would do one thing and then two chapters later they would do something else that would completely contradict their past characterization. As for the plot, I really enjoyed the premise, however, many of the things that are hinted at in the blurb don't happen until at least halfway through the book, and some of it doesn't even happen until the last couple of chapters. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it delved a little deeper into these sections of the story rather than focusing on the lead-up to the actual plot, as referenced in the blurb. There were also a few too many conflicts for my taste, at a certain point some of it just felt unnecessary and like it was only there to prolong the ending.

Overall, Cleat Cute wasn't exactly a bad book, and I would still recommend you read if it you think it looks interesting, it just wasn't the book for me.

If you are looking for a secret FWBs-to-lovers romance with a side helping of soccer and a diverse cast of characters, Cleat Cute is the book for you!

This book is about two soccer players. I found that I couldn't get as into this book as I could Meryl's previous books. The main characters, but especially Grace got on my nerves so bad. I guess that's just typical girls in their 20s though.

4.25 stars

Did I happen to read two sapphic soccer romances in a month? Yes. I think sport romances may be in my wheelhouse, because this book was so great.

I absolutely LOVE Phoebe & Grace together. Phoebe, constantly late and enthusiastic about everything, meets Grace, soccer star & Phoebe's idol, at the USWNT soccer camp before the professional season starts. Chemistry is sparked from their competitiveness, and the two meet up again as Phoebe joins the professional team Grace is captain for in New Orleans. As Grace helps Phoebe discover her new city, the two get closer and closer... 👀

Alright, I will officially read anything Meryl Wilsner writes. I devoured Cleat Cute by the pool in a single day, and it is the perfect steamy romance read! Is competitive teammates to lovers a trope? If not, it should be, and then I'll proceed to read every book in that category.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

MERYL WILSNER DOESN'T MISS, BABY. This is another slam dunk (I don't know the appropriate soccer term) of a sapphic romance novel. Grace and Phoebe are heroines you cannot help but to love, with all of their faults and features, and only the most stone-hearted of readers wouldn't immediately root for their relationship to work. Love that Wilsner is playing with 'age gap' in such a different way from MISTAKES WERE MADE. Wilsner also shines with regard to secondary characters--everyone from Grace's teammates to Phoebe's brother is so fleshed out and lovable and funny. New Orleans is a beautiful setting for this story (and dear GOD the descriptions of food were delicious and effective). As always, the spice is on point. What a book!!!

This was incredibly fun! I enjoyed the national women's soccer league and New Orleans as the setting - it was fun to learn about both.

Phoebe and Grace were both well-fleshed out characters and I understood the miscommunication difficulties they had. Although I understand the need for comps, I think the comp to Ted Lasso and Roy Kent hurt my ability to get fully immersed in this book because I kept comparing the two.

I enjoy Meryl's writing and will continue to check out what they write.

This book was super cute and fun! It was the first book I’ve read by Wilsner but I really enjoyed her writing style and can definitely see myself reading more of her books.
The characters were super lovable and the romance was just the right amount of banter and sweet moments. There were a few moments of miscommunication where I did just want to shake their shoulders and tell them to talk to each other, but it all worked out so perfectly that I can see past it.
Overall, a 4.5 star read that I would definitely recommend!!

This was the perfect girl on girl romance I needed. I loved it even more because it involved my favorite sport.

StoryGraph review in link. Thank you for the book!!!!

I read this book just in time for the world cup. I really enjoyed it and I liked all of the characters.

Meryl Wilsner can do no wrong! I loved everything about this sporty sapphic romance. The characters are a delight, the chemistry is palpable, and the action moves forward without unnecessary or cringey tension. I appreciate that Wilsner gives us the least possible amount of conflict to bring us to the book's conclusion--I hate to be too tied up in knots; when I am, it's too hard to get past that to the HEA. But here, as ever, Wilsner keeps us invested without inflicting too much turmoil on their characters. A truly perfect romance, strongly recommend!

This cover is very deceiving! This is a very steamy open door F/F romance between two soccer players - Phoebe and Grace. This was a great summer read since it is soccer season. I may not be a soccer fan but this was still a great read. Loved the hidden friends with benefits relationship, the LGBTQ+ rep, their unique relationships with their family as well as soccer, and the side characters!

Recommended to anyone looking for their next steamy read.

I liked this book quite a lot! It is Pride month, so I have been reading quite a lot of Queer romances, and this one is definitely in the Top 3! The soccer scene was set beautifully, and the characters were quite lovable! One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was the conversation surrounding ADHD and autism. As someone who suffers from ADHD, I think that was spoken about in a way that doesn't just slam on the diagnosis. I realllyyyyy appreciated that!

This book was a solid 4 stars for me...the spicy scenes were well written, but unfortunately they happened a little too frequently for me! It felt like their whole relationship was build around physically connecting.

Thank you for the ARC! All opinions expressed are my own :)

As the queer kid who grew up in Bend It Like Beckham and She’s The Man this was everything I wanted from a sapphic romance. It had a loveable collection of secondary characters and romance that consistently made me smile on every page.
While I was a little hesitant at the beginning about the handling of (what I read as clear) ADHD and Autism I ended up really loving how it was spoken about.

This was a fun and different read from the books I normally read. I enjoyed it a lot. Phoebe and Grace are perfect for each other. I would say the only thing I disliked about the book was how much the inner monologues and third person but I will say. After I finally completed the book because of the ADHD and the potential of Autism. The amount of monologues made a lot more sense for me.

Let’s get into it! Phoebe has always looked up the Grace even though Grace is only about 4 years older. Phoebe is the light and fun in everyone’s life. Always flirting, motivating and encouraging others.

Grace did not have the normal childhood from starting professional soccer at such a young age plus being taken advantage of by someone she cared about.

When they first meet each other, it’s basically love at first sight. The first bet caught all my attention and woke me up! I started reading his book at night but I was definitely interested to see how that all played out.

The cute nicknames they called each other was so sweet and I enjoyed how Phoebe got Grace to take her on “dates” without making it obvious. The heat was turned up too! The spicy scenes was great and touched upon how some times sex is thrown in when people don’t want to have the difficult conversations. I felt like that was very relatable.

Thank you to NetGalley EARC! As always, my review is my opinion and thoughts.

Grace and Phoebe are professional soccer players in a fiery and secret same sex relationship. This book made me realize how little I know about soccer but it was still a fun read. Great LGBTQ+ representation throughout the entire novel, and not just with the main characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ohhh man this was so cute! I loved the way the author wrote Phoebe SO MUCH, she was so fun and honest and like a loveable puppy. Grace's character also developed in a way that I really enjoyed to watch, as she came to terms with showing the world her true self and opening up to Phoebe. If you are a fan of sports romances (think Kulti) or happy romances in general then you would probably love this! Although it was primarily a positive romance there were some conflicts of course throughout the story both in the backstories of Grace and Phoebe and in their relationship, and not to worry folks, this story was also VERY steamy. I can deffo recommend!