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.

What a delightful quick romance. You know how sometimes you are in the mood for a story about a couple of cute girls falling in love with each other and nothing else will do? Wilsner decided to give us a book for those times nothing else will do.

This was a blast, with memorable characters, cute dialogue, and a fun setting. Maybe it’s all a little too rushed, but I thoroughly enjoyed the love story and getting to know everyone.

I will say that I wish Wilsner had taken the time to explain more of the soccer terms for non-soccer fans. I spent a long time wondering what “caps” meant before eventually googling it, and though I could have gotten the gist from context, I’d’ve missed the specificity and what made it SO important. (It’s not a hat OR the lid of a bottle!)

This was my first Wilsner and I look forward to reading her back catalogue, but not until I’m ready to part with Phoebe and Grace.

What a fun story! This was my second read by Meryl Wilsner and Cleat Cute is by far my favorite! At times this felt like a sapphic, saucier version of Kulti, but to be fair, Kulti and Cleat Cute are the only two soccer romances I've ever read so take my comparison with a grain of salt.

When Phoebe gets the opportunity to play with the New Orleans Krewe she's thrilled this means Grace Henderson will be her teammate. Grace is Phoebe's soccer idol and she's nursed a crush on the player for years. Of course, Grace and Phoebe are polar opposites but they somehow form a friendship and eventually, a bit of a FWB situation.

I thought this was a lot of fun. It felt a bit like a love letter to New Orleans and the character development was great. At times it was a bit slow for me, but I'm not a sports girl so this was to be expected.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

I loved these characters so much, they were well fleshed out and I loved the layers to them. It was definitely sweet and cute and made me blush but it also felt a bit too "insta lovey".

Meryl Wilsner does it again with a steamy, sapphic love story with a happily ever after!

I really enjoyed Cleat Cute and I loved reading about the complexities of our main characters, Phoebe and Grace. Both characters were really well developed and fleshed out. I think everyone needs a Phoebe Matthews in their life! She really is such a fun character.

Some of my favorite things about this book:

-Both Phoebe and Grace have so many layers to them. I could never quite figure out what these characters were going to do or say next.
-I love that Grace and Phoebe really start to care for each other as the book progresses. Grace trying to help Phoebe get an ADHD diagnosis was so sweet!
-Grace learning to put herself and her wellbeing first was such a joy to read about. I can definitely relate to this.

Some things I think could’ve been done better:

-The chemistry between Phoebe and Grace wasn’t quite there for me. It seemed to spark too fast and then it fizzled out. I started comparing their relationship/friends with benefits situation to Erin and Cassie from Mistakes Were Made, which isn’t fair, because these characters are their own. But it just felt like their attraction was based on little to nothing.
-The word “cûnt” was used a bit too much.
-Some of the soccer terms weren’t explained well enough for me to understand what exactly I should be picturing in my head.

Overall, this is a solid 4 star read! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was SOOOO good. Opposites attract + friends with benefits catching feelings = this beautiful piece of fiction. Grace and Phoebe are utterly adorable and there were so many times I wanted to reach in and shake them with how clueless they were, but I still loved seeing them navigate a relationship neither had any previous experience with and only knew their attraction was immediate.
A lot of the book was also about them figuring out their own things. As someone with ADHD and Autism I connected so heavily with both characters and related to a lot of the issues both of them. I haven't read too much with characters like this so it was nice to see. And it was handled in a way that didn't feel like demeaning or belittling.
The rest of the supporting cast were hilarious, I loved all of them (except Kelsey) and getting to see their support for their favorite ladies just fed my serotonin.
Overall a really great read, I cannot recommend this enough.

So the Women's World Cup is hosted here in Australia this year and my wife and I are seriously pumped. We've bought tickets to games and we're also travelling across the country to watch a match with the kiddos. It's going to be a good year. You know what's also adding to my love of all things soccer in 2023?! Sapphic books with soccer storylines. I am ridiculously excited to read alllllll of the sapphic books featuring soccer and in the last month I've been provided two ARCs with soccer storylines. I am a happy Nat.

Back to Cleat Cute and the title is perfect - this book is cute. Seriously cute. Grace and Phoebe's romance unfolds slowly and I loved getting to know both characters and their back stories. Personally, I would've loved more soccer but in saying that I understand why Wilsner focussed more on the character development as it makes for a riveting read.

If, like me, you love a good sports romance and girls in uniform (sport uniform counts, right?!) then definitely pick this one up.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this novel. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Phoebe Matthews is in the middle of her life dream. She's just been drafted in the first round to play women's professional soccer for the New Orleans Krewe and she's received a call up from the National Team to join them for a training camp. When she meets her idol Grace Henderson at the National Team camp her life is complete. When Grace starts hanging out with the exuberant rookie she finds herself drawn to Phoebe in a way that has never happened before but her reserved personality and history with others befriending her for their own benefit holds her back from giving in to Phoebe too much.
This was a great follow up from Wilsner and all that I would expect from them at this point. I would say this was a strong 4.5 stars for me, there were a couple things that I would have liked to see that I felt were missed but they weren't huge and I really enjoyed these two MCs who live in such a unique world. I loved the New Orleans setting and have written down a couple places I need to stop by on my next visit and the King Cake battle is real. I loved Phoebe's easygoing personality and her love of life is so catching. Grace is reserved and quiet, she takes some time to warm up and is Phoebe's opposite in so many ways. Their friends are great and I loved their path to love. Both of them have great families that support them and meet them each where they are, I especially loved Grace's dad. The epilogue was a bit too short for my taste and there is a pretty humorous misunderstanding that I think could have been used a bit more than it was but other than that I really like this book. Now I'm off to bake my wannabe Dong Phuong King Cake for the win!

“Cleat Cute” should be called “Cleat Sexy”. I know we all know of a few woman’s sports teams that are a bit incestuous. This novel displayed that and filled my imagination like I was really among one of those teams.

As someone who played soccer/ football in their youth and isn’t a soccer newb. The soccer portions were written by someone who clearly understands soccer at a higher level and knows game and player tactics.

In addition, I loved that there were trans characters and even trans athletes on Phoebe and Grace's team.

The teammates to friends with benefits to lovers in this book was *chefs kiss*. The heat between Grace and Phoebe was palpable. I loved seeing a femme/ femme romance with sex scenes that got the same respect and intensity as an m/f or m/m novel. NOLA was a fun backdrop for the romance and truly was a great side character in this book.

(Spoilers) As for the characters, I read both Grace and Phoebe as neurodivergent and got too excited when my suspicions were finally confirmed.

I would highly recommend this book for all queer romance and sport romance readers and lovers!

You’re gonna love Grace and Phoebe and their perfectly perfect relationship story.

An absolutely adorable and fantastic story with two endearing and relatable main characters! The supporting cast was also funny and entertaining.

I loved this book and devoured it in less than 48 hours - miscommunication issues were resolved with little to no fanfare and I relate deeply to neurodivergent MCs.

Perfect for fans of Mariana Zapata's Kulti.

oh my G-d i LOVED this book. one of my favorite reads of the year so far. i'm so glad i had the chance to read it. i don't usually care about sports at all but this made me actually want to give a damn about soccer. the characters were super well fleshed out and had amazing development and they really meshed well together. also i just need to say that they are such an autism x adhd couple. the sex scenes were brilliant and so hot. i really liked the way things were resolved although i felt like the ending was very sudden and i wish it was a little longer. overall, i would highly recommend it to anybody looking for an amazing romance with lots of spice although i definitely don't recommend it if you don't like the miscommunication trope (it was so stressful at times)
4.5 stars
taylor swift lyric: you should think about the consequence of your magnetic field being a little too strong

ARC was provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So, this hurts me to write (almost as much as it hurt me to read this book) but I have to ask - what happened, Meryl Wilsner?

I went into this book optimistic; I have enjoyed both of Wilsner's previous works, especially Mistakes Were Made, which is in the very top ranks of my favorite romance novels. I don't like soccer (or sports in general) very much, but I thought that I could still enjoy this because of the signature charm Wilsner brings to all their novels. But this... just wasn't it. There was no plot. There was no conflict - or, I should say, there was no conflict that didn't arise from the characters miscommunicating. There are some vague hints of what the story might have been - a difficult manager, a sports injury, one character coming to terms with her ADHD - but these never shape up into any kind of overarching story. I finished this book less than an hour ago and I'm already struggling to remember how those 300+ pages were filled with straight-up nothing. In a story with no plot and no conflict, the characters will have to carry the narrative, and that's a difficult thing to do.

I thought Wilsner could do charming characters. Previous to this, their characters have been pretty good. Grace and Phoebe were disastrous, and the background characters were flat, boring, or pulling mysterious disappearing acts in the middle of the book. (Why didn't we see Gabby get together with that girl she likes? Why were we just INFORMED of that? Why did she and Phoebe, her supposed friend, have only a couple of scenes?) Phoebe is good enough, at times, and her relationship with her brother is nice, but Grace is a travesty. When she isn't being antagonistic, she's just bland. Later on in the story, she offhandedly mentions in her narration that she "can't trust Phoebe" and I was taken aback because there had been no lead-up to that loss of trust. Grace just didn't act real. She agonizes over being "just" a soccer player, dreads her family and is rude to her sister because of a single miscommunication she could have cleared up AT ANY TIME, has no sense of humor, isn't charming, and constantly acts either 20 years older than she is (she's 26, and at one point says that her body is "nearing its expiration date) or like a spoiled teenager. My favorite part of the entire novel was the part where Phoebe and her coworker Dallas discuss their theories about DB Cooper - which is not a good sign in a romance novel that has to have two leads, not just one.

The characters were shallow. The writing didn't help this. Informed qualities are shoved down the reader's throat at every opportunity (some examples: "Grace is trying to ignore these feelings." "Grace hates small talk." "She'd always loved being the center of attention.") The writing throughout was such a staggering drop in quality from Wilsner's usual work that I almost couldn't believe what I was reading. The prose was competent, but it was also dry and not entertaining. I did not laugh once throughout reading this. It was a miserable slog with characters I at best didn't care about and at worst outright hated. And, most damningly of all, the characters simply did not have any chemistry. Granted, it's difficult to have chemistry when you don't have any personality, and even more so when you don't have any plot to live in. The setting of this book was so empty that I felt as though I were staring into a pure void, anchored only by the enormous monologues of the characters. Seriously, the monologues were incredible. I guess you have to make up the length somewhere.

I don't want to give up on one of my favorite romance authors, but this book has left me feeling almost betrayed; if Wilsner intends to write more novels like this one, I'll have to jump ship.