3⭐️3🌶️
This is a sapphic soccer romance with a good amount of spice. I have this 3 stars because it was just very “ok” to me. I didn’t love it, didn’t hate it, just meh.
So why only 3 stars? Honestly aside from the romance, nothing else happens in this book. There’s no plot. Nothing that kept me interested in reading or had me hooked. I considered DNFing a few times because I was just bored. I liked the couple and their romance but there was nothing else going on and so I found myself not caring about the book.
It’s cute but not great

This is such a delightful read! As someone who enjoys playing soccer, this was even more up my alley. The romance is fun and steamy, making this a great lighthearted read overall. There was more miscommunication and stream-of-consciousness dialogue than I would have liked, but I still definitely enjoyed this one. I would recommend this to readers that have enjoyed the likes of Behind the Scenes and Love at First Set.

Another fun (and spicy) romance from Meryl Wilsner! As a huge fan of women's soccer and Meryl's other books I couldn't wait to read this book and it absolutely lived up to my expectations.

Short, sporty and sweet rom com! As a soccer fan, I loved the soccer-world building and character development of both of our leading ladies.

After reading Everything For You by Chloe Liese there was a gay soccer romance shaped hole in my heart, which I was hoping this book would fix! In some ways, it did live up to that expectation. There are a lot of things to love about this book and its characters. Some great neurodivergent representation and I loved the communication. The slow burn from friends to lovers was nice and the story itself was really cozy. My biggest qualm minus the lack of soccer is that I felt like it dragged when it didn’t need to. It did take a long time to feel invested in the relationship for that reason.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book to review. I absolutely LOVED Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner and was so excited to learn about Cleat Cute. A sapphic and sporty romance by one of my favorite authors, SIGN ME UP!!

I loved this book. It is an incredibly hot romance between two professional soccer players. Phoebe is the new rookie to the team and looking to make a name for herself. Grace is the seasoned veteran and star of the U.S. National Soccer Team. Wilsner does a great job of exploring the changing dynamics between both women and their relationships to each other and to the sport that they both love. It also tackles the issue of aging out of sports and injuries and what to do when you can't do what you love in a really nuanced way. Think the book version of "Nothing New" by Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers.

If you're a romance fan or a sports fan (or both like me!!), you'll enjoy this one!

Goodreads says this is rivals to lovers but they were never really rivals.
The steamy scenes were very good.
I give it 3.5 stars it kind of got annoying with the internal monologue instead of them just talking to each other.

Thank you Griffin Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own!

This is the story of two amazing soccer players. Grace Henderson has been a star on the US national soccer team for 10 years. However, when Grace gets injured new up and coming star Phoebe Mathews threatens to take her place. all the while they are secretly friends with benefits or just trying to be casual. Phoebe could not be more different than Grace, all the pep, bit crazy, and energy possible. As they become closer will they be able to keep it casual or will more develop? How will this work being on the same team?

I thought this one was a unique story idea that I had never seen a book about. However, it fell short mostly at the end. It kind of felt like it just ended with no real resolution. I personally felt like the sex kind of took over the plot which is not for me, so bare that in mind. I skipped those parts which were multiple scenes. I also felt like there were a few times that I was confused if the characters were forced together instead of having actual chemistry. I guess I just wish there were more cute scenes instead of spice.

Content: multiple explicit scenes, swearing

Read if you enjoy
LGBTQ+ rep
Dual POV
Professional soccer
Romance
Teammates to more
ADHD rep.

Do I think a lot of their problems could have been solved if they just talked to each other? Yes. But did I also enjoy this book, also yes. I think I liked that the things that would normally be third act breakups were exposed and discussed by the two main characters and not brought out in a public shaming way. This was very cute.

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be. Great queer rep in a supportive environment. Both FMCs were easy to root for and I loved their stories. Also, love a queer sports romance and there is no better sapphic setting than a soccer pitch. This book really made me happy, I am a Meryl Wilsner stan.

This is the third romance I’ve read now by Meryl Wilsner, and I feel their romances are always a fun time, even if they’re not necessarily ones that leave too much of a lasting impression overall. However, they’re perfect for when I just need an audiobook or a quick read to get me out of a slump, and Cleat Cute is no exception!

Now, I’m no stranger to sports romances, and honestly quite like them every once in a while. There’s just something about the competitive setting that seems to add an extra layer of tension to the romance, especially when utilized well. I feel like Cleat Cute does generally do this, and a lot of the romantic and plot tension does come from the intricacies of the sport and inter-team dynamics. However, there were moments where I wish it had been used a little more somehow, though the specifics of the plot do make it harder to do so. I think the timing of the romance within the season just meant that the tension from this setting wasn’t always entirely there, as while the performance of our characters was important to an extent, it was still pre-season or early on in the season, so the games themselves weren’t necessarily intense or specifically about winning. It did make for an interesting perspective though, how for individual players it isn’t just about winning, but about their individual performance within a game.

Overall though, I did like the general chemistry between Grace and Phoebe, even if I struggled with their relationship for parts near the end. However, I do like how Wilsner used their neurodivergencies throughout the story, in a way that felt real and would genuinely contribute to the misunderstandings they often had. As someone with ADHD myself, while I didn’t entirely feel seen by Phoebe’s character, I did enjoy her character and seeing someone with some of my same habits/thoughts in a romance book like this!

I’ll definitely be reading Wilsner’s next book whenever it comes out, as their books continue to bring me joy!

Review will go live on my blog and goodreads after the boycott!

The best romance i ever read. It was sexy and smart and epic and...it was majestic. The sex scenes were brilliant.

This was cute! It did feel a little YA to me because of the characters and dialogue, but the steam was def not YA 🥵 cause this author sure does know how to perfect the steammmmm honeyyyy.

Lots of black cat energy from Grace and golden retriever energy from Phoebe. Phoebe was annoying as hell, but needed Grace to shut her up 🤭

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

thank you netgalley for the arc!!!

this book was one of the best lesbian romcoms i’ve read in a while!! i loved grace and i called Why I was so relatable to her so that’s something but also their relationship was fun and their banter was realistic in a way that some books just don’t get!
i also do agree that this is like ted lasso. i love ted lasso.
It’s giving Roy and Jamie but make it lesbians.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to finish this book, but honestly I think it was a matter of personal taste more than any objective flaws with the book. I wasn't invested in the romance and found myself getting irritated with Phoebe's character, which prevented me from getting absorbed in the story.

Really enjoyed this steamy LGBTQ+ rom com. Enjoyed the characters story arch and relationships with each other and other character. The banter between the characters feels fresh and realistic.

ARC generously provided by publisher and NetGalley in exchange for fair and honest review.

I love women’s soccer first and foremost. I have season tickets to my city’s team and I follow the league super closely. So this premise? Yeah. 100%. A soccer star gets injured and she strikes up a (reluctant at first) friends with benefits situation with the young rookie who takes her spot in the interim.

And yet this didn’t completely work for me the way I really wanted it to. I should have flown through this book and instead, I found it almost a chore to pick it back up and continue reading. I wasn’t super invested in this budding relationship, especially because the two women are on completely opposite pages. This is to the point where one is worried she’s starting to develop true feelings while the other firmly believes the two are in a Real Relationship. And every time when they should have been, you know, communicating, they instead had sex. Which, sure. But also… not the greatest romance if the characters themselves don’t know what’s really going on between them until quite literally the last few pages.

I don’t want to come down too strongly against this book because there were definitely things in there that I liked, but the further away from it I get, the more I only remember what kept me from loving it.

This is 100% a case of personal taste, but I didn’t enjoy this book in the way I had hoped to. The sex scenes were a bit too detailed for me and I wish I’d been more invested in the romance. I’m so happy to see other’s loving it so much, though! Sapphic romcoms deserve more attention!!

The cover of this one immediately captured me! The book itself was enjoyable. Phoebe is adorable, funny and everything I aspire to be! Grace is so hard on herself and she honestly broke my heart. Ultimately, this book was very warm and felt so familiar in the best. The world of soccer is one that I know well. I wish there was a tad less internal monologuing but that is definitely overshadowed but the well written absolutely SCORCHING HOT spice!

I really enjoying the authors debut, but was not a fan of her second book, Mistakes Were Made. I do love Wilsners writing style and her ability to make me root for her couples.

The description and set up really caught my attention and I loved how the story unfolded. Phoebe and Grace juxtapose each other but still have such incredible chemistry. I adored this story and getting to read a sapphic sports romance.