Cleat Cute is the sapphic soccer romance I didn't even realize I needed so deeply. As a queer romance reader and women's soccer fan, this was a perfect read for a World Cup year. The grumpy-sunshine, veteran-rookie dynamics between Grace and Phoebe were a delight to read. I also really appreciated the unexpected neurodivergent representation.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest review*

I’ve always been a huge fan of soccer and I thought – what better way to celebrate the Women’s World Cup starting this July than to read a “meet cute” book featuring soccer? Also, the title is appropriately titled Cleat Cute, which, you know, I love me some puns.

So like the total oblivious person that I am – I went into this book not realizing it was adult and not YA. Nothing wrong with that at all, I was just the idiot who was not expecting the level of spiciness this book was going to offer. If that is what you’re looking for – you’ve picked up the right book! This is an adult, romance book that follows our two main POV characters – Grace and Phoebe. Grace is the veteran soccer player and Phoebe is the newbie with big dreams of making it into the US Women’s National Team. The book is written in third person and, for the most part, switches between Grace’s and Phoebe’s POV.

The best way I can describe Grace and Phoebe is very simple – Phoebe is your lovable golden retriever and Grace is the grumpy black cat that loves her. I’ve always enjoyed this trope and this book is no different. I really enjoyed their back and forth and watching their relationship unfold throughout the book. And speaking of tropes, there are a few sprinkled throughout the book but the one I wanted to mention was the miscommunication trope. Now, I normally despise this trope because I feel like I’m always screaming at the book or tv show but the way Meryl handled it was just *chef’s kiss*. The miscommunication was cute and funny and no one’s feelings were hurt and it wasn’t this big, over dramatic thing. It was tasteful and I was here for it. Grace and Phoebe’s chemistry was off the charts and the spiciness level is four out of five ghost peppers. The side characters didn’t detract from the story and it was nice to see friends actually being supportive of one another. Obviously, this book has great LGBTQ+ representation.

The overall story was cute and I didn’t find myself getting bored. I enjoyed exploring the setting through Phoebe’s eyes. New Orleans has always held a special place in my heart and it was fun to visit those places in the book that I’d also been to. I really enjoyed getting a peak into the lives of professional women soccer players. The hard work they put into and the little they get paid when they’re first starting out compared to their male counterparts is just asinine to me. The book did a really good job of tackling mental health issues in a nuanced way.

Overall this was a cute, sapphic romance read. From time to time it’s nice to have a palate cleanser where my mind isn’t trying to figure out who the murderer is – à la red strings attached to a cork board connecting plot points and people. I would recommend this book to anyone who, as my friend loves to call them, wants a beach read – as long as you don’t mind being a little hot and bothered at the beach. ;)

*Check out my podcast, Badass Literature Society, available wherever you listen to podcasts soon for an episode over this book!*

It’s no secret that I adore sports romance novels. I see one, I have to read it! This is the first time I’ve experienced a sapphic, soccer romance. I know next to nothing about soccer, but that didn’t matter in Cleat Cute. It isn’t necessary to know the ins and outs of the sport. You get the perfect number of glimpses of that part of the world, but Grace and Phoebe tugged at my heart from the first pages.

Oh, one other thing? The New Orleans rep?! Holy smokes. Wilsner is either a native to the area or she was a transplant who has lived here for years. The accuracy. One thing I do disagree with her on, is the king cake. Randazzo’s is my absolute favorite, but only on the Northshore. Duong Phong has some amazing King Cakes. But, there was a little French bakery in Madisonville that had old school, traditional King Cakes to die for. Try one if you ever have the opportunity.

On to the story!

Phoebe Matthews is in her rookie year, drafted to the New Orleans Krewe. Before the season starts, she’s called in to be on the national team, meeting her Captain for the first time. Where Phoebe is loud, energetic, and a bit all over the place, Grace is quiet, reserved, and entirely focused on soccer.

I related to both Grace and Phoebe. I teeter towards intent focus, with little bursts of energy here and there. I felt Grace’s struggles socially and the weight of the world that was rest on her shoulders. Phoebe knew she needed to fight hard for her place on the national team and on the Krewe. There was something about her determination.

Now, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve read anything with particularly spicy scenes, but this had some of the best romance scenes that I have read in a sapphic romance over the past year. There were times I was laying in bed reading and had to set the book down because my partner was rattling on about the day and I just needed to focus. Five out of Five for these two women. *fans self*

The only reason I gave this one a 4.5 star rating is I forgot about the rest of the cast of characters. I’m just as interested in the secondary characters as I am the main characters. But I just felt as though they weren’t pushing the story along. They were just there. Which is my only complaint and it’s hardly something to complain about.

This was my first book by Meryl Wilsner! I love a good sports romance and this was perfect. It’s centered on an experienced soccer player Grace and a new rookie Phoebe.

What I loved:
🌟Phoebe’s joy for the sport and how that inspired Grace to remember what she loved about playing
🌟 I loved the soccer aspect and the teammates relationships with each other
🌟 how Queer positive this was
🌟the spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️

What frustrated me:
They just needed to say what they were thinking! Lol by the end it just made me grumpy!!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!!

Love this book. Such a fun and entertaining sports plot, which I love. And the romance is perfect. This author
‘S humor and chemistry skill is outstanding.

Steamy soccer romcom from Meryl Wilsner and I'm here for it! Grace an established player captain/star, Phoebe is wildly ADHD newby to the team. The book follows friendship, love, mental health and so much more. Highly recommend for all who love a cute sappic novel.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I definitely enjoyed this the romance was cute and I had a great time. I don't know if I'd call this quite rivals to lovers there isn't a lot of rivals in this book. It's very character-driven, which I loved, and if you know anything about me, I LOVE a good soccer sapphic romance. The ADHD rep was really amazing to see. And Of course, Wilsner delivered amazing spice!

Thank you NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Meryl Wilsner is a sapphic romance pro, with Cleat Cute being their latest iteration. Phoebe is a soccer rookie on the team with Grace, her childhood hero. The two quickly become inseparable, while miscommunications ensue. It is clear that their chemistry is very strong, but that does not prevent them from having several arguments stemming from poor communication. While I did enjoy reading about Phoebe and Grace, the amount of soccer interspersed throughout every page of this book did wear me down due to my own lack of knowledge and emotional investment in the sport.

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
This was a really good sapphic romance. I really enjoyed reading about the relationship these two shared, from enemies to acquaintances, to friends, to lovers and everything that occurred in between.
This book surrounded both Grace and Phoebe’s love for soccer and how they made it where they were. But I feel like the romance really covered the soccer stuff. There was a lot of soccer talk at the beginning and as the book continued on, the soccer quickly became replaced with romance with the occasional “oh yeah this is supposed to be about soccer comment” here and there.
Either way I really enjoyed reading this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an eARC of this book.

As a massive women's soccer fan I've been anticipating this book for months and had friends and colleagues sending me social media posts about it from the moment it was announced. In theory, this book was right up my alley, but the miscommunication trope isn't necessarily one I jump at the chance to reread. Overall the book was a solid three stars for me, losing two due to the slow burn and Wilsner taking a few liberties for the sake of storytelling when it came to the structure of the soccer world. HOWEVER, this book is HOT and anyone who loves pining and queer romance will adore this read.

I loved this book so much. It was the perfect example of extrovert x introvert or even the golden retriever and black cat dynamic. Phoebe and Grace were so cute.

Starting as friends with benefits and both wanting more after and unsure how to approach their feelings since they agreed they both didn’t want a relationship. Even the minor miscommunication was written well, which usually I’m not a fan of that trope.

The setting along with the teammates and side characters were nicely done. I loved the casual mentions of trans characters.

Grace and Phoebe were relatable and good as individuals and as a couple/friends with benefits.

Grace and her many pillows (twenty-five on her three pieces of furniture in her living room) and I absolutely love her for it. How she still reads the paper and prefers doing sudoku on paper rather than her phone. And how blunt and to the point she is, not being good with small talk was all written so nicely.

Phoebe and her not watching a TikTok if there’s a part two, felt that. Always having to be doing something and saying what was on her mind even when it comes out in a rush. How she jumped from topic to topic and how much she is there for her family. Working a second job to help with her brother’s top surgery. She really had golden retriever energy.

Having said all that, the neurodivergent characters were written so nicely. Showing how Phoebe’s life was especially affected by her ADHD and even how Grace might be on the autism spectrum.

I will say I wasn’t expecting this book to be as spicy as it was. I’ve been so used to reading YA and it was such a pleasant surprise. The sex scenes (which there are quite a few) were written so good. I loved how they checked in with each other and made sure to communicate clearly.

Overall, the characters were written well, complex and interesting; lovable. I liked the setting and how the soccer scenes weren’t drawn out in too much detail but told in an easy to understand way. All the gay panic and low-key idiots in love vibes were perfection.

Also, I’d like to point out how pretty the cover is, it’s so cute. Oh, and Lilly (the cat), who was conditioned to treats when Grace got home. He was adorable.

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner was indeed cute! I'm not much into sports but I like the sapphic friends-to-lovers story line. Soccer isn't the main focus as it has plenty of inner dialog, neurodivergent characters and representation, and of course, it gets a bit spicy too! This is the first book I have read by Ms. Wilsner but I will definitely be seeking out more STAT!

Meryl Wilsner does it again! And this time they got me to care about sports!

This book has a really sweet progression of the two main characters relationship and their banter was a joy to read.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this fun little book!

Clear Cute is a spicy story of two pro soccer players (a vet and a rookie) who become involved with one another. The story is sweet and the characters develop well. Plus you can’t go wrong with queer soccer players.
Possible Spoiler: I loved the way this story dealt with themes of mental and physical health including ADHD and possible ASD. As a person who is literally about to get testers for both I love this was handled.

The writing itself was a little lacking for me in places and slightly repetitive but it didn’t take away from the story too much overall. I’d give it 3.5 out of 5 but will round up to 4 for goodreads.

I have to say that I was a little disappointed in this one. After LOVING this author’s previous book I was expecting to also love this one and it just fell flat for me.

In the beginning I was invested and liked the moments between the two main characters, but as the story progresses I just felt like too many things were going on and several of the subplots were not well fleshed out.

I still enjoyed enough moments that I would recommend this to romance fans and I will continue to check out this author’s future work. But this will not likely be one I highly recommend.

This was a lot of fun, but with characters who each had their own personal disadvantages to overcome before being able to see what was right in front of them. Not as much of a fav as Mistakes Were Made, but definitely an enjoyable romance.

This is the Sapphic sports romance of my dreams.

I don't know if Meryl Wilsner was a soccer player or follows women's soccer closely, but it's very clear to someone who follows it casually they understand not just the sport itself but the dynamic of the USWNST in a way that makes Cleat Cute so real in a beautiful way. That being said, you don't have to be a soccer fan to understand what's happening in those scenes; every step or play is explained enough to not bog down fans while making it clear for casual readers.

The main characters, Phoebe and Grace, as well as all of their teammates felt like real people I would have in my friends' group if I happened to be friends with professional athletes. The dialogue was organic and the relationships true to the demographic, which was so refreshing. There was a particular conversation between Phoebe and Grace towards the end that reminded me of a conversation my wife and I had when we first started dating, actually, which was unbelievable to see in published fiction.

The only hang up I could come across was the frequent mention of TikTok, and that's just a personal preference - it definitely makes sense in the context of now when it's published, but down the line may make it feel dated.

This was an easy, weirdly emotional five stars for me, and I hope everyone reads it. Even if you don't go for sports romance, or Sapphic romance, read it for the fun setting, the quick dialogue, the realistic sex scenes.. It's just a really good book.

I read Mistakes Were Made last year and absolutely loved it so I knew I was going to love this one too. I don’t read a whole lot of sports romance *unless* it’s queer. This one did not disappoint!! Who doesn’t love lesbian soccer players who are rivals turned lovers?? Phoebe was probably one of the most relatable characters I’ve read about in a while… I was sitting there being like “damn she’s just like me” and then 50 pages later she gets an ADHD diagnosis lol. But I really loved Phoebe and Grace’s relationship and their dynamic. They had a lot of chemistry on and off the field. I liked that this was pretty light on the sports and heavy on the romance because let’s be honest, I don’t understand sports. The one thing I didn’t love was the use of the miscommunication trope towards the latter half of the book. Im not a huge fan of that trope anyways unless it’s done well and this felt pretty unnecessary, but that’s a small complaint. There was also one line where a character is described as having “terracotta skin” and I’m not really sure if that’s meant to show she has brown skin, but I think that it should just say she has brown skin. Overall, such a fun and spicy read. Can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy!!!

**thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review*

I really enjoyed this book. The important topics on ADHD, trans rights, the national anthem in American sports and learning how to advocate for yourself were handled so well. There’s just something about women playing sports that I just love!

I have just finished the new Cleat Cute from Meryl Wilsner. (Thanks NetGalley for the ARC), where I barely put it down and tried to finish it within the day, but when you see that you're only at 80% at 12am on a 'school night', sometimes, you have to accept the temporary defeat.

You can't go wrong with this setting, right? Women professional soccer backdrop without any perhaps, problematic age-gap situation... is everybody's dream scenario.
I don't know how I have only just 'picked up' watching women's professional soccer. I mean, sure, Abby Wambach surely did it for me back in the day, but wow, women's soccer is SO HOT right now and Cleat Cute is on point, I wish it would actually be a many-many book series and not just a one off.

I don't want to put any spoilers here because that's no fun, but here are my few observations (mostly related to the book):

1. I should not be reading this while I am in a group meeting with video on during 'working hours' - my smirk is a dead giveaway that I'm DEFINITELY not listening/paying attention to 'work'. (Note to self, work on poker face in general, not just for work)

2. My excitement for this book was well warranted. Mistakes were Made was so good, I randomly re-read it over and over as my solid go-to when I just need to sit down and read something but don't want to worry about being 'in the mood' for a new book, and like which one on the TBR?

3. Meryl Wilsner really can 'change things up', she's no one trick pony. The cadence for this storyline is completely different than Mistakes were Made or Something to Talk about. I look forward to read more of her books in the future (What is it going to be next? I am excited to find out)

4. Is there a trope category for 'I didn't know I am in a committed relationship with someone'? Too bad the real life version of 'are we? aren't we?' is not as amusing as when we read it in books.