all the soccer stuff flew over my head bc im not a sports person but i really loved the team dynamic. also the way that the miscommunication plays out in this book is so funny to see from either sides perspective. i really enjoued phoebe and graces relationship especially how grace let herself open up to phoebe after having a bad experience. i loved meryl wilsners mistakes were made and i love cleat cute just as much.

This book was great just as I expected from Meryl Wilsner. It was VERY spicy in the best way and the relationship between the two main characters was cute. The characters are very relatable in an awkward way. The only thing I didn’t really love was the monologues of the characters inner most thoughts. It could have been dialed back a little. It didn’t ruin the book for me, but I think it may have been better without some of them. Overall this book was amazing just as all of Meryl Wilsner’s books have been so far.

If there’s one thing I’m sure of, i’d that WLW books hold a very special place in my heart and i’ll always make room for it. Although U’ve heard great things about Meryl Wilsner’s previous books: Mistakes Were Made, Cleat Cute is the first work i’ve read of hers. Her writing style really stood out for me and make it a very simple read i can DEVOUR though.
Highly recommend.

I absolutely adored this book! I feel like Meryl Wilsner only gets better and better with each book! It was a sweet romance with a happy ending and two very likable but still flawed characters. It was so entertaining and enjoyable to see the characters grow both separately and together and to get to watch their journey. It made the end even more satisfying. Absolutely would recommend to anyone!

This was a fun easy read. I I loved the cute story. Great amount of steam and overall enjoyable read. The writing was easy to follow and make me connect to the characters. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for an ARC of this book.

I love Meryl Wilsner writing!! OMG this was a perfect balance of humor, plot, romance, and spice! I love a fun sports romance like this! Such a great story!

Grace Henderson has been a stalwart on the U.S. Women's soccer team for years. When she is injured, in comes young Phoebe Matthews to take her spot. The two women's personalities couldn't be more different. Phoebe is playful and personality personified, while Grace is more subdued and introspective. After a lost bet results in a lip lock both women have a hard time forgetting, the two begin a friends with benefits arrangement that grows into something more.

This was a cute read. I found both characters to be likable and I enjoyed their banter and as a fan of women's soccer, I enjoyed that aspect of the book. I found the lack of communication and the internal monologues a bit off putting, but overall, a good read that I recommend.

An ARC was received from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC!
Do you know what I love? When a adhd golden retriever adopts her Autistic black cat; because there is no greater couple, prove me wrong.
Phoebe and Grace are so cute and so talented and just a little infuriating. Grace trusts no one, is strict in her routine and goals…and Phoebe is so happy and free and driven too but in a way that really throws Grace off center. Their chemistry is undeniable and I really really was doubtful someone could pull off “one thinks they’re dating and the other is oblivious” but AHHHH it was hilarious and well done. I definitely think this is the perfect lesbian sport romance 🥺

“…so what is this supposed to be? She has no idea, but she is letting herself have it. It feels too good not to.”

Wilsner has wooed me once again with CLEAT CUTE, a tender, sexy sapphic romance between two soccer lesbians. Grace is the star veteran, stoic, private, and rule-following; she’s perfectly balanced by the Phoebe, the ambitious rookie whose chaotic, bubbly charm sneaks through all of Grace’s defenses. While this story takes place in the context of high-stakes women’s soccer on a national and global scale, the focus of the novel is on Grace and Phoebe’s interiority and development and their powerful, simmering connection. This novel makes use of the miscommunication trope in a way that’s frustrating and delightful; when the two finally get on the same page by the end of the novel, I was smiling and satisfied. This works so well in part because of Grace and Phoebe’s emerging awareness of their neurodiversity (autism and ADHD, respectively). I loved how this was represented, for them as individuals learning more about how they tick and for the two as a couple figuring out how to love each other well. Wilsner has an incredible knack for incorporating delicious external power dynamics into relationships that feel internally balanced and equal, and CLEAT CUTE is no different: Phoebe has looked up to Grace for years and has a poster of her on her childhood bedroom year, they’re in some ways competing for roster spots, Grace is her captain - and yet Phoebe undoubtedly pursues Grace and steers their dynamic. There’s so many small elements that I adored: the hair braiding, the shared love of soccer, the joy in playing the game together, the lovable trans and enby side characters, the sheer amount of queer energy across the teams, and more. Whole-heartedly recommend this one! Thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC; this book is out 9/19.

Content warnings: toxic relationship, injury, panic attack

Our first review of a repeat author! Last summer, I reviewed Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner, and now we’re back with another work by the queen of sapphic novels. In her newest romance novel (thanks again to Netgalley!), Wilsner manages to make even the most bookish of queer nerds interested in – gasp – a sports book. Two members of a professional soccer team – one the captain, established in her career but not out to her fans, and the other an excitable new recruit, sort out their feelings for each other and the game.
Interestingly, there is some vague mental health representation in this book, alluding to autism and ADHD. It is not nearly as clear or celebratory as, for example, the works of Helen Hoang – there is a level of outrage at being “accused” of having a diagnosis that doesn’t jive with the destigmatized world I thought we had reached on these things. It was only a minor plot point, but worth mentioning.
When I reviewed her last book, I applauded Wilsner for writing characters who were already out of the closet and had love lives complicated by other, more interesting drama. In Cleat Cute, Wilsner veers dangerously close to losing that praise. One of the main characters is out to her family but not her fans and considers this when making relationship decisions. Usually, I hate reading coming out of the closet narratives, because they don’t match my experience (shout out to my super inclusive family) and seem to make the entire queer experience about coming out. This is not that other people don’t have more fraught coming outs, just that it isn’t the singular experience that defines queer identities. Many of us have a lot of living and loving to do after the coming out process is well over. Wilsner gets a bit of a pass, however, for complicating the issue by questioning how a minor celebrity may feel about coming out to her fans.
I had assumed this was an easy choice in 2023 – lots of young people identify as queer and support their queer favs, and the stigma and hate against queer people had abated. Why wouldn’t a celebrity come out to her public? However, in the time between reading this book and actually sitting down to write the review, things have changed. At the time of this writing, there have been 533 bills anti-trans bills introduced into legislation in 2023, in 49 states (thank god for Delaware). So far, 54 have passed and 382 are still active (stats from https://translegislation.com/). These bills range from banning transgender athletes from playing for the teams they identify with, to policing bathroom access, to limiting what teachers can say and how much dignity they can provide their trans students, to removing access to life-saving medical care. It is quickly becoming very scary to be out as queer in this country.

This is my first Meryl Wilsner book. I went in blind just going off the description. I thought no harm in trying. I honestly struggled to read this and I fought to finish it.

Grace and Phoebe are the grump/sunshine. I'll start with I typically love this troupe. In this story Phoebe was too much sunshine and it honestly turned me off big time. She was scattered brain which was from her ADHD, but still it was way too much. She was focused on 3 things: soccer, Grace, and sex. I don't mind sex un books at all. I love reading spice, but I feel like it was used as a distraction when it was not needed.

There was a lot of miscommunication as well which I struggled with. With all that miscommunication I feel like sex was used in that equation of "just have sex and don't think about it."

I did love all the LGBTQ+ representations. That is a positive I wish there was more in depth of.

Cleat Cute is a fast-paced, super enjoyable read!! Wilsner always writes amazing chemistry and they certainly didn't disappoint this time!

This book was so fun. The characters were flawed but so lovable and the romance was so believable. There was great chemistry between the main characters. I also loved the found family aspect with the teammates.

Cleat Cute is a grumpy and sunshine / rookie and veteran / friends with benefits soccer romance. I am such a big USWNT fan as soon as this book was announced I knew I had to pick it up! I don’t know if it’s because I don’t typically read romance but I wanted it to be longer! There were multiple events I wanted to see that were completely skipped over and some important social conversations that I felt could have been explored more. I was particularly disappointed with how Grace’s autism is never stated plainly in the text or engaged with in a meaningful way. It felt as if it was only there for marketing buzz words. And with the story relying so heavily on miscommunication I would have loved at least one conversation acknowledging how their neurodivergency has affected how Phoebe and Grace are able to communicate with one another and can lead to those frequent misunderstanding.

I have a new favorite sapphic romcom! I devoured this book - I absolutely love it! Phoebe - rookie to the team - and Grace - veteran and captain - are the cutest ❤️I love the way their relationship develops and the way they grow as individuals. Theirs is a beautiful love story about finding what you love, being out publicly, and learning to adapt to and grow in unknown situations. I found myself identifying personality-wise with Phoebe and dating-history-wise with Grace. Finding bits of myself in the characters definitely endeared their story to me more, and gave me the hope I need to pursue my own dreams. Again, I absolutely love and adore this book - I will definitely be getting a physical copy when it comes out to add to my collection. We need more sapphic sports romances in this world!

If you're looking for a delightful, spicy, romance novel, "Cleat Cute" by Meryl Wilsner is definitely worth checking out. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good love story.

One of the things I loved about "Cleat Cute" was the perfect balance of spice and cuteness between the two main characters, Grace and Phoebe. The chemistry between them was undeniable, and their playful banter and flirtation kept me hooked throughout the entire book.

The story follows Grace, a star athlete who is sidelined with an injury and replaced by the charming and talented Phoebe. Despite initially seeing each other as rivals, Grace and Phoebe soon become friends with benefits, and their relationship quickly blossoms into something more.

As the World Cup approaches, the women must decide if they can play together on the same team or continue to compete for the same position. Meanwhile, their off-field relationship becomes more complicated as Grace struggles with her growing feelings for Phoebe.

Overall, "Cleat Cute" is a heartwarming and engaging romance novel that will leave you smiling. I give it 4.5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good (and spicy) love story.

I have read all of Meryl Wilsner's books at this point, and I'm starting to notice some patterns.

1) There's always a lot of internal angst. Lots of internal dialogue, one dimensional characters, very little plot outside of the relationship between the leads.
2) A lot of smut. Your mileage will vary here, but this one didn't work for me personally.
3) A reluctance to focus on the most interesting scenes. The big stand out here is that Grace films a commercial and we skip the whole thing! That could have been like a fifth of the book, something super fun and an opportunity to build out the world and Grace's relationships with other people, but we skip it in favour of more internal dialogue.

I feel badly speaking negatively, because this is not a bad book, and I had a good time reading it, but after three books I can't ignore the patterns. And they're such easy fixes.
Specifically speaking about this book, though, I thought that the soccer angle was really fun. I liked the dynamic of the team (though I wish there was more of it), the New Orleans setting was dynamic and the conflicts were interesting.
Of course I'll pick up the next Wilsner, but this one wasn't for me.

As a gay woman and a huge soccer fan I was thrilled to see this book coming out. I am a big Meryl fan and for me they did it again. I love a dual POV and a good grumpy sunshine! Big fan of the neurodivergent representation as well. So much of Phoebe and Grace’s inner monologue speaks to how they process life differently than others and it hits home in such a relatable way. Also love that the side characters and teammates feel so genuine to some of the real friendships on the National and league teams too. Thankful to be given the ARC and can’t wait to buy it for my shelves when it is officially out.

Cleat Cute is a LGBQT+ romcom about two women who meet at a soccer training camp and fall into a teammates with benefits situationship. I really enjoyed this book and it was exactly the kind of book I needed. I absolutely loved how confident and hilarious Phoebe was and her passion for soccer was absolutely adorable! My personality is a mix of both Grace and Phoebe so I related to both characters. I also loved that even though I don't watch soccer, I still understood everything that was going on and I wasn't left confused. The author explained the sport so well, I felt like I followed it my entire life.

I didn't see the rivals to lovers as much as I just saw relunctant friendship to lovers on Grace's side. Phoebe was just happy to be there which, again, is absolutely adorable. Phoebe was definitely a favorite for me, personally.

If you enjoy fun spicy romcoms, this is definitely the book for you!

This book was so stinkin cute!!! Huge fan of rivals to lovers in my sports romances, especially when they’re teammates. I loved how different Phoebe and Graces personalities were but how they were still able to open up to one another and accept each other for who they were. They just seemed like such real individuals because of their flaws which I love to see in a book. It was such a quick and easy read that had so much heart! Meryl Wilsner has done it again. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for letting me receive an ARC of this adorable romance.