I loved this book, and I love this author. Her characters are witty, interesting, and keep me wondering what they’re going to do next. This book brought up a lot of nostalgia for me, though my time in locker rooms were never quite so fun.

Somehow Wilsner does it again with another fantastic sapphic read. I am 3/3 for highly enjoying each of her last releases. As a major USWNT/WSL fan I have had this book on my TBR ever since the title was released.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley I received a
ARC of the e-book and ate it up in less than 2 days.
There is a beautiful balance in the writing of Cleat Cute between soccer, snark, neurodivergence, financial problems, family expectations, smut and romance. I found myself highlighting passages over and over again with how deeply they hit me. Not as many steamy scenes as Mistakes Were Made, but they definitely made up for it in the quality of the scene writing.
Wilsner did an amazing job describing each action when soccer was actually being played in the book well enough to engage readers who might not have as heavy of a soccer background.
Giving Cleat Cute a rounded up 4.75. Will definitely be purchasing a copy to add to my personal collection and keeping it close to reread soon. Would definitly recommend adding it to your TBR list. Can't wait to see what Wilsner has in store for us next!!!

4.25 🌟

as the title says ‘cleat cute’ is a cute and somewhat spicy book about two soccer players who fall in love after a dare.

grace is a veteran who’s been playing on the national team for ten years while phoebe, a rookie, has just been invited to camp for the world cup game.

this was a quick and easy read for me. and i loved the soccer aspect of it since i played the sport for years. the beginning and the end of this book were the best parts for me, the middle of it is where i struggled reading it.

while phoebe thinks they’re dating and grace thinks they’re still only friends with benefits i thought it was frustrating how they didn’t talk about it. so, i guess you can say it has the miscommunication trope!

as with most meryl wilsner books there were very hot and sexy scenes between the two characters, but i would have loved to see grace intiate those moments more! i would have also loved to see more of grace and phoebe and their dynamic when they’re playing on the team at the same time.

‘cleat cute’ is a good book that was sometimes hot and sometimes frustrating, but for the most part i had a good time reading this :)

Meryl Wilsner has been having her moment and I am HERE for it! I adore her other two titles and RAN to grab this one, As someone who played soccer growing up, I was drawn to this story. And the title and cover were SO cute! A great read!

Another exceptional book by Meryl Wilsner! Grace and Phoebe are teammates on the women’s National soccer team. They agree to a friends with benefits arrangement since they’re both not looking for a relationship. The plot was well written and engaging (had to finish the same night I started the book!!). Additionally, the steam level was high! Highly recommend if you’re looking for a romantic, fun, quick read!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

Wow, will this be my favorite romance of the year? It's only March, but I wouldn't be surprised. I've read all of Wilsner's books and they keep getting better. Extremely high steam level, literally perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for letting me read this as an arc!

First off I would like to say that I love the idea of the story. Phoebe and Grace are the perfect Grumpy/Sunshine or Golden retriever/black cat duo. I was a soccer player and loved the sport plot line in this book. The neurodivergent representation was also great.

However, in my opinion, the story fell short in the development of their relationship. I feel as though their “chemistry” surface level and developed too fast for it to be realistic. I’m a total sucker for a fast pace romance but they were already in the talking stage at page 40. I would have liked to see their chemistry develop a bit over the period of the book or after the spicy scene when they realized they had great chemistry. It felt almost like they were already together by page 100 even though there were no labels.

I do like their relationship and the plot line after the spicy scene. The spice is well written and very spicy if dirty talk is not your thing I would look for something else. The character were relatable and the sports aspect really appealed to me.

WHEW. This grumpy/sunshine romance isn't being marketed as having strong ADHD / autism rep (as far as I am aware), but as someone with AuDHD, IT SHOULD BE! Matthews (or Phoebe, depending on the moment haha) is textbook early-adulthood-female-ADHD diagnosis and I love the honest portrayal of her struggle to come to terms with that, AND the fact that it doesn't resolve magically - even at the end of the novel she is still grappling with it. I resonated with Grace throughout the entire novel, especially with what I am going to claim as autism rep (even though the only *direct* mention of autism is re: autism Tiktok, but hey, isn't that how we're all figuring ourselves out these days? Lol.). Her personality is consistently perceived as grumpy, rude, or standoffish, but she's none of those things in reality - she just values direct communication and is genuinely baffled by coded language, double entendres, and the like. The romance is classic Wilsner steamy, and the sports setting just made it even more delicious. WELL DONE, Meryl Wilsner. Your writing continues to flourish in my estimation! (Mistakes Were Made was 4⭐️ for me and Cleat Cute obviously topped that.) Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

BEHOLD! A sports romance that has a completely swoon worthy romance AND is full of relevant sporty details AND is queer. It's also set in Louisiana and made me feel like I may die if I don't have a chance to try real King Cake and beignets. Cleat Cute was my most anticipated release this year and it did not disappoint. We've got rivals to lovers between the rookie (who has been crushing since she was a teenager) and the veteran (who of course is immediately annoyed with her), grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract, and the best use of "good girl" that I've read in a long time. The steam in this one is kindle melting and I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy that I can highlight and tab up and revisit again and again.

This has got to be my favorite book cover of all time. Just look at it. Stunning. The details. Perfection. I could not get enough of all the soccer details. This is like sapphic Kulti from that perspective and I wish all sports romances would take notes. I loved all the time spent with all the members of the team while they bonded over grueling practice drills and travel matches and silly traditions.

Phoebe is a rookie who is a literal golden retriever personified. She's just made the professional team in Louisiana where her childhood idol is the captain, when she gets a call to head to a training camp for the National Team. Phoebe is always late, she never stops talking, and she thinks there is nothing better than playing soccer. Grace is a member of the National Team, and constantly feels the weight of the responsibility of captaining her home team. She could not be more different from Phoebe and is instantly turned off by Phoebe's chaotic energy. But then Phoebe beats Grace at a drill she currently holds an undefeated title for and Grace begins to begrudgingly respect her and realize perhaps her initial assessment was wrong.

The chemistry between these two was off the charts. Wilsner wrote a few scorchingly hot passages between the two of them that seemed to indicate that Phoebe very much wanted to be bossed around by Grace. I genuinely thought this dynamic would play out between them in the bedroom too but was surprised to find it completely swapped when the two hook up for the first time. I absolutely understand why Wilsner made that call and see how it ultimately fits into their characters and the relationship between them, but don't tease a girl and then not follow through.

I also loved the million tiny ways Grace and Phoebe cared for one another. I don't want to spoil any here, but each and every one made me swoon.

Ultimately, this was fantastic and I highly recommend. Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press for both surprising and delighting me with this very early copy,. Cleat Cute comes out in September!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy via Netgalley.

Oh how I love a queer sports romance!! Especially when it’s grumpy sunshine and set in one of my favorite cities. Cleat Cute was very fun to read, it reminded me so much of Everything For You by Chloe Liese. The plot of this book felt super casual to me, like they’re just playing soccer and catching vibes? But I’m not mad about it lol.

Phoebe and Grace were such a cute couple and I really relate to them both, Phoebe because she has ADHD, and Grace for her anxiety issues. Meryl did a great job writing them both, the characters felt very dynamic as individuals. That said, I think their relationship felt a bit lacking at times. I found myself wanting more from them, but all I got were sprinkles of serious moments throughout the book.

Overall I enjoyed this book and do recommend it, I just wanted there to be a bit more oomph between Phoebe and Grace, as well as the plot overall. Happy to report the spice was there as well. 🥵😏

This book is incredible, I loved the characters and the writing was strong a clear. I could hardly put the book down and at the same time never wanted it to end because it was such a hopeful, sweet world Wilsner created.

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

CW: undiagnosed ADHD, financial struggles, toxic relationship (past)

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-f/f contemporary romance
-sports romance
-childhood crush
-grumpy/sunshine
-friends with benefits
-neurodiverse rep
-praise kink

This was a fun read about two soccer players, neither looking for a relationship and falling into it. I am trash for someone meeting their childhood crush as an adult and falling into a relationship with them and Phoebe had the right amount of hero-worship and just crush on Grace from the get go.

I loved how this book leaned into the friends part of the friends with benefits. Grace was super confused about what was going on, How Phoebe saw Grace taking care of everyone else, and insisted on taking care of Grace. Letting Grace remember all the things she loved about soccer and her life. This book very much could have set them up as rivals, and instead let them be friends, be there for each other, and fall for each other.

Steam: 3.75

This book was soo good! Meryl Wilsner has definitely become a go-to sapphic romance author for me. The way Pheobe and Grace brilliantly complimented each other was *chef's kiss*. The cover itself is a masterpiece. I gave this a 4-star rating because of the soccer parts. I am not a big sports romance fan so those parts of the book lost me a bit. I cant wait to read other books by this author!

Meryl looked me right in my face and told me I had ADHD with this book and much like beloved little Phoebe I WILL be refusing to process that for a while! Grace and Phoebe's chemistry in this book is electric and Meryl KNOWS how to write a steamy sex scene and for that we are all grateful. And we love complete well meaning dummies who have no idea they have been dating for weeks. But beyond the romance of it all I also found myself falling in love with the game. I was just as bummed that Grace wasn't on the field with her team as she was. I wanted to turn my TV on and see Phoebe hit her first goal in the big leagues. Every single expectation I had for this sporty sexy rom com was met and I am thrilled about it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC and allowing me to read!

I have been a big fan of Meryl Wilsner for a while now and this book did not disappoint! I really enjoyed the sports aspects of this book!
Both characters Phoebe and Grace are developed very well throughout the book. Grace is a vet player on the USWNT and a captain on the New Orleans team. Phoebe is a rookie who was called up the national team and drafted to New Orleans.
Grace originally takes a more stand off-ish approach but very quickly folds in my mind. Another thing that I find kind of odd is how okay the national team is with Phoebe being late. I don’t really find it realistic at such a high level of sports. One thing that is kinda of weird to me is how great they are at communicating during sex but outside of that it’s almost nonexistent.
Anyway, I really did enjoy reading this book and hope that Wilsner continues to write more sports based books!

This was definitely one of the better sapphic romance books I have read in a long time. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. The spice was *chef's kiss*. My only critique with the book was that I wanted more. As someone who struggles with ADHD, I would have loved to see Phoebe's process of coming to terms with it and getting diagnosed more. I also just wanted more of Phoebe and Grace after they officially started dating. When I turned the page and saw epilogue, I had to go back and make sure I didn't miss anything. Obviously, it is hard to include everything in a book because you can't make it too long, but I would have just liked it to be deeper in a few ways. That all being said, I still think this was an amazingly fun book. I will absolutely be recommending it to everyone I know.

This is another fantastic book from Meryl Wilsner. If you liked "Mistakes Were Made"you're sure to like this one too. The story follows two professional soccer players, each working towards their goals with their local team, and trying to make the World Cup Roster. They connect and hook up pretty quickly (the book definitely has some spice) and it's fun to watch their personalities play off of each other throughout the story. I also loved so many of their other teammates, and reading about their experiences in New Orleans (where most of the book takes place). I highly recommend this as an easy, fun read.

well, i shouldn't be surprised i loved this book! the grumpy x sunshine vibes were amazing!! grace & phoebe are both amazing characters with so much depth! the autism & adhd rep were 10/10! these two has the funniest banter & miscommunication. it was super enjoyable perfect for sports romance girlies!! i cannot wait to read more by meryl wilsner just phenomenal. 💕🥰

Cleat Cute is a rookie/veteran sports romance, not too heavy on the sports. If you have read a Meryl Wilsner story, you can expect it to be sexy. I love women’s soccer and have read this storyline in other books. I enjoyed this book and thought it was a cute read. I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Once I got over the amount of times the word cunt was in this book, I had a really good time with it. I loved how the two mcs were so wildly different that having the povs of each was easy to get into and they both felt realistic. I am so glad I already have my pre-order in for this one.