Definitely recommend for the WoSo crowd. Standard romance otherwise. Found the "lost bet kiss" catalyst near the start a little silly.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the ARC for my honest review. Though I love the idea of a sapphic Bend it Like Beckham, this book was not for me. I didn't like either MMC and they read young to me. It was definitely lacking swoon for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy of this title.

I really loved this messy, queer love story.

Meryl Wilsner never misses and Cleat Cute was no different!

The perfect mix of romantic comedy and spice, I could not stop reading until the very last page. And even then I wanted more.

Thank you NetGalley for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

It really pains me to say that Meryl Wilsner’s Cleat Cute was not the romance novel for me. I really enjoyed their first two novels, Something to Talk About and Mistakes were made, so I was hopeful about Cleat Cute. Unfortunately, it didn’t deliver.

To start with the positives: I really enjoyed Phoebe and Grace as characters, particularly the ADHD and autism representation, which I felt very seen by. Phoebe in particular shone brightly in this novel and was the main reason I finished it. Also - the sex scenes were scorching hot and easily a favourite part of the novel.

That’s about where my positives end. For a novel advertised as a sports romance, there was shockingly little sports in this, which disappointed me. Additionally, this novel suffered from a lack of description and poor pacing. Huge swathes of time would pass in single sentences, making it difficult to keep track of where we were in the narrative. There was an abundance of telling versus showing in the form of POV characters listing off events that had happened instead of showing us, even in cases where showing would have been beneficial to the narrative.

This novel also hinges heavily upon miscommunication. If this trope bothers you, I don’t think this is the novel for you. I have more of a tolerance for miscommunication as a trope than some folks; after all, it’s very true that humans in general suck at communication and issues are not often resolved in one conversation (if the conversation even happens). My issue here is that it still needs to make sense and/or be interesting from a reader’s perspective, and in Cleat Cute’s case, it personally did not hit that mark for me. The combination of poor pacing and too many subplots given too little time mixed with miscommunication just made this a confusing and frustrating reading experience for me - even if I did completely resonate with the main miscommunication plotline as a fellow neurodivergent person who has found myself in a similiar situation.

All in all, this one was a miss for me and I can’t recommend it. If you REALLY like sports romances or are seeking books with neurodivergent main characters, this may still be worth checking out for you. I’ll still be on the lookout for Wilsner’s next book since I really enjoy their other writing and not every book is going to be for everyone.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.

If I’m being honest, I requested this book because the cover pulled me in! This book was beautiful. Meryl did a fabulous job intertwining both soccer and the developing relationship between Grace + Pheobe without one over-powering the other. The ride-or-die vibe of the team made my heart burst and I really appreciated the way ADHD and autism were represented here. There was a lot of internal dialogue and miscommunication between Grace and Phoebe, but there was purpose and Meryl made it WORK! My favorite part was the transformation and inner journies of both Phoebe and Grace from beginning to end.

I’ve been wanting to read one of Meryl’s other book, Mistakes Were Made, and now I’m convinced I’ll love anything they write!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Griffin for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love reading about women in sports. It is so rare to have a sports romance that has a female player and it is even more rare for them to be sapphic. I love that this book also shows that sapphic novels can be sexy with strong women. This author may become a go to sapphic author for me. I felt so much for the characters. I was swooning and kicking my feet the whole time.

I really liked this story but I lacked a connection with one of the main characters, Grace. I feel I would have enjoyed the book better if it was from one POV.

Such an enjoyable read!! I really liked this book and was so happy I was given the opportunity to read it here at netgalley. Made me laugh out loud multiple times. One of my favorite books in 2023.

Cleat Cute is everything you could ever want from a soccer romance. Tension at practice? Yes. Sex in the locker room? Yes. Actually acknowledging that games happen and sports are played? Somehow also yes.

Phoebe Matthews is a young phenom new to the (coded) USWNT. Grace Henderson is the still-incredible veteran player. I'm not sure if this is truly a 'rivals-to-lovers' story... 100% it wasn't going to be Grace cut to get Phoebe her spot. She's only 26! However, it's a "we're platonic but we're going to have friendly sex OH WAIT FEELINGS." book. I love the focus on elements of neurodivergence (ADHD and Autism) without it being so much on the diagnosis.

It's sweet. It's spicy. I love how the miscommunication doesn't feel as YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY BEING DUMB HERE as it can in many books.

I kind of want to go read it again.

Thanks to St. Martin’s press for this ARC! Cleat Cute is an adorable, SPICY story of teammates Phoebe and Grace who navigate their own personal hangups as they gravitate toward each other. They make such a cute couple!

This dual-POV romance is full of fun for soccer fans, but even if you’re not it’s a really nuanced story that emphasizes the diversity and passion of these athletes that have magnetic chemistry. While the miscommunication trope does play into this tale, it’s a really fun steamy read.

I couldn’t put this down, any free time I had was spent reading this! I really enjoy it. The characters were relatable, the relationship was fun, I liked how it developed. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was how it felt like the story dragged a bit. The pacing was just a little slow for my taste but it’s not bad at all. It’s a really good book if you are looking for a queer romance that is fun, cute, and sporty. The dual POV was nice, I liked that we knew what both characters were thinking.

Unfortunately SMP still has not spoken up about any of the demands set by the SMP boycott. I will be withholding my full review until that has changed

This book was everything I wanted and then some. I'm such a huge fan of Wilsner's books - this is the second I've read and I can't wait to pick up another. Wilsner's writing style just makes me feel comfortable, it makes my insides feel happy. I truly can't express how much I loved listening to the audiobook and reading along with the ebook. It was magical and exactly what I needed.

4.25 stars!

I really enjoyed this book and the two main characters. With women’s soccer on the world stage this year I could see these characters fitting right in. I also loved all the little NOLA aspects. The ending happened so fast it left me wanting to know more about the future of these two.

Just finished this one! Thoughts coming later! But I can already tell you that I loved it!!

Acabei de terminar esse livro, mas preciso de um tempo pra digerir! Porém, eu já posso dizer que eu amei esse livro!

Normally I don’t like sports romances and was hesitant about this book. I genuinely enjoyed it and would love to leave a public detailed review however I am currently supporting the boycott against St. Martin’s Press until they respond to influencer’s concerns about safety, inequality, systemic issues at hand and also meet the demands of the boycott. I am looking forward to leaving an updated review for this book once the demands are met ❤️

This book was sooo incredibly fun! I know “Mistakes were Made” has mixed reviews but I ate that romance up and Cleat Cute was no different. I’m not a big sports person but you really don’t have to be to enjoy a sports romance, as long as the chemistry between the characters work then the sports is just another aspect of the story. This romance was so sexy and just a great story all around. I recommend if you love this author and lots of sexy times!

i'm super late to giving feedback on this one but i really enjoyed this book! i love soccer and i'm a sucker for a sports romance so i was super excited going into this one

phoebe has golden retriever adhd energy and i loved her dynamic with grace. i especially loved how both girls are neurodivergent with phoebe having adhd and grace being on the autism spectrum - it scratched my brain so good

phoebe and grace clash a lot in terms of their personalities and goals and ideas of a relationship but they also work so well together. it was nice seeing them work through these differences and figure out what worked for them both.

i think my only issue with this book is something that other people have already touched on, which is the pacing of the romance. the first half was great with the build up to their relationship and the sexual tension between them. however, i feel that the first sex scene came too early and the climax (no pun intended) of their relationship was so early in the book that it made the second half kind of fall flat.

I am currently supporting the boycott against St. Martin’s Press until they respond to influencer’s concerns about safety, inequality, systemic issues at hand and also meet the demands of the boycott. I am looking forward to leaving an updated review for this book once the demands are met ❤️