Soccer, Spice & Swoony Romance!

We follow Grace and Phoebe - both soccer superstars who have dreamed of playing professionally since they were little. Now that their dreams have come true things are heating up both on and off the field leading up to the World Cup!

Cleat Cute is full of friendship, teamwork, sportsmanship, love, loss, laughter, heartbreak and everything in between!

Fun read -though the third person narration took me a bit out of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy!

I have a major crush on one of Meryl Wilsner's previous characters (hello Erin from Mistakes Were Made!), so I was really looking forward to finding out what the characters were like in Cleat Cute, their newest book.

Let's start here:
Overall, I found myself not fully connecting to this story. Somehow it felt like I was reading the book through a glass of water, and although it was fine, I just didn't love it how I was expecting to. There were some choices Wilsner made stylistically that removed me from the story - more telling than showing – keeping me from fully engaging with the steam and the characters. I also had some issues with the neurodivergent representation and this part of the story didn’t feel completely resolved by the ending.

And finish on a positive note:
Both Grace and Phoebe have such different tones, helping differentiate between both main characters. Dual points of view and audiobook narrators also helped. Grace is more the type-A, no nonsense, all business type; she's determined and strives for perfection and making others happy. Phoebe is the complete opposite. She's fun, bubbly and full of energy; always the class clown and loves making others laugh. Grace is the one to text in full sentences and only use periods where Phoebe is full on abbreviations and emojis. I enjoyed the fun grumpy/sunshine vibes!

Also:
It took me an embarrassing long time to realize just how much I connect and relate with Grace! But once I got to that point, I found myself nodding along with so much of her home-body, routine and structured runaway thoughts!

Finally:
This is a sporty steamy sapphic wrapped in a gorgeous cotton candy cover!

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read, listen to and review.

When a hip injury sidelines soccer star Grace from the US Women's National Team, spirited newcomer Phoebe takes her place. The two form an unexpected bond that soon blossoms into romance. But with the World Cup approaching, they must find a way to play together both on and off the field amid their clashing perspectives on relationships.

What a wonderful book! Grace and Phoebe are very different people, and it's their physical attraction that draws them together at first. But they're unfailingly kind and respectful to each other, and their complementary strengths make them a solid couple. This audiobook is a smart, steamy, heartwarming, and entertaining romance, and the narration is well done.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This book goes so hard. I cannot begin to describe all the ways this book is healing, delightful, honest, and fun. The ADHD/Autism representation was so true to life! Grace and Phoebe had so much chemistry and the grumpy/sunshine dynamic was such a great time. Perfect for anyone who thought Ted Lasso should've been a lot gayer. I'll read everything Meryl Wilsner writes, full stop.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After I read 'mistakes were made' by Meryl Wilsner I was so excited to have gotten this ARC because I loved that couple and I was hoping for the same chemistry in Cleat Cute. While I am not a sports person- I can still absolutely enjoy a sports romance. I did love the two characters individually. Phoebe has big time Labrador energy and Grace the poor thing was very clearly autistic but what such a confused little sweetheart in her own way. The recipe for the combo of a emotionally unintelligent love interest is that the other has to have a thorough handle on their feelings. If no one in the relationship knows how to talk about their feelings then you end up being in a month long relationship with only one party of the relationship knowing. Which as a side note- isn't cute. It was concerning.

Grace refused to give anyone the benefit of the doubt and throughout the entire book expected the worst or jumped to the worst conclusion. Honestly it was really hard to read and I ended up hating her parts of the book. With literally no evidence to support whatever claim she was assuming she was still really slow to let those assumptions go and it was really difficult to read through.

The writing was good as we can expect from Wilsner, unfortunately there is no way this couple makes it long term.

This is the second book I’ve ready by Meryl and I was so excited to pick this one up. I really enjoyed this one but did not love it as much as Mistakes Were Made. It was a super fun and spicy sapphic romance with some neurodivergent main characters.

I really connected with Phoebe as someone who also has ADHD. I felt like I lived in her head and all the things she struggled with are things I deal with in my real life. I loved Phoebe and her ability to be herself and live with so much joy towards all things in her life. And I loved how she pulled Grace out of her shell. I really did enjoy Grace’s transformation throughout the story and I loved how they each ended up helping each other in different ways.

I really enjoyed all the friendships and different side characters in this story as well. There is nothing better than friends holding each other up and being for someone unconditionally. I also loved all the representation!

I really loved the audio and I thought the narrators did a great job. They really made the story come to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC opportunity!

Cleat cute is a great sunshine/grumpy, friends to lovers romance with solid character development, and spice!

There were a bit too many sports references for me but I still liked the story. Someone who is into sports would likely love the references.

I have come to really look forward to every new book by Meryl Wilsner. I was not sure I'd love this book as I'm not usually one to enjoy a sports-focused romance but I did instantly fall in love with the character of Grace. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a sport-themed sapphic romance, especially a sapphic romance that does not belong in the YA genre, which is, unfortunately, a rarity in the traditionally published world. The tropes keep on troping: friends with benefits, secret dating, grumpy sunshine, vet vs greenhorn, etc. They scored big time with this one!

This was so cute.

A FF romance between the newbie on the team and the veteran soccer player.

I liked Phoebe's character. What a breath of fresh air. She's so fun and quirky.

And then Grace. She felt a lot older than 26. But in a professional sport that could be where you start to slow down and feel your injuries more. She had a hard time trusting phoebe but I'm really glad that didn't end in a 3rd act break up.

I really liked the way the author played the third act. How both women were able to bring strengths out in each other neither really knew they had.

Thank you NetGalley for the ALC

DAMNNNN. I was not prepared at all for this to live up to the hype! Hella cute. Hella spicy 🥵 I’ll be reading this again, no doubt about it.

This story was all about character development and that’s the most amazingly perfect concept. Grace and Phoebe were so damn cute together. The two become teammates right of the bat and the whole story is just watching the two get to know each other. I loved watching the relationship and communication between the two leads develop. The grumpy x sunshine dynamic in a friends to friends with benefits to lovers was truly done so well. This is a new favorite for sure.

Audio 3/5: I liked the audio but honestly would have rather just read a physical copy. Neither of the narrators really blew me away. It’s alright, but not a must listen IMO

This book started off really strong, and while I enjoyed the characters, with their queer and neurodiverse representation, I started to really struggle around the halfway mark with how much "telling not showing" was happening. There was a huge amount of internal monologuing that felt clunky and somewhat awkward, and some of the conversations felt stilted and unrealistic. I truly did love the rep and some of the commentary made on sports stars/ athletes, especially female and queer athletes, so I'd still recommend the read, but parts were a big of a slog to get through.

Meryl Wilsner's writing always hits!! This was great! I love me a sports romance so I ate this story up. The chemistry was off the charts and the romance overall was done so well!

2.5 Stars

As an ex-soccer player I was SO excited for this book. Unfortunately, this was NOT IT.

Forewarning. There are spoilers throughout my review and it is a critical review where I discuss multiple plot and character issues I had. This is not a dig against the author or anyone who liked the book. I personally had a lot of issues with how things were handled, to a point where I think it bordered on problematic representation of neurodivergent characters.

I’ll start with what I liked. It did have great spice scenes that I thought were well done. I don’t think there is enough (popular) sapphic romance out there, so I was happy to see that this one is getting attention as a sapphic sports romance and that there was a good amount of well done spice in the book. I loved the commentary on not needing to come to enjoy sex and intimacy. I thought there were some great secondary characters in the teammates who I would have loved to see more of as well. Overall, it had an entertaining idea for a plot and I liked reading a soccer sports romance AND have it be sapphic. I think this book had a lot of potential and tropes that I like, but wasn't executed well. It had queer rep, it's a sports romance, it has neurospicy MCs (more on this later though, it wasn’t done well), but it felt like it fell flat for me. I would love more books like this, but ones that are well done.

There are a lot of issues I had with it that need to be acknowledged though, especially with the neurodivergent “rep”, but I’ll get to that shortly. The first thing that bothered me was the way this was written with 3rd person POV. It was VERY internal monologuey to the point that it dragged on. There was so much telling us instead of showing us and it was just a poor choice in my opinion to do this book in 3rd person with this much internal monologueing. Especially given all the monologues were because of miscommunication. I think this would have been done better in 1st person as it just sounded awkward and got repetitive in 3rd. It also felt a little elementary in the development. There was a LOT of spice, which was good, but things just kind of started happening out of the blue. I think it needed some more continuous plot development or things that actually made sense.

I also had this on audiobook, so that might have contributed to disliking the 3rd person as much as I did. The narrators were fine, but the 3rd person was so obvious here with the internal monologues and there was a lot of “she thought” “she liked” and it became really repetitive and honestly annoying to read this way. Also, there was one moment that I nearly DNFd the audio. I have misophonia and the sound of people chewing is like nails on a chalkboard to me. There is a scene where Phoebe is eating while talking and the narrator mimics it, which is great on the acting side but AWFUL for anyone who has issues with these mouth noises. I had to stop the book and skip ahead when I went back to it. I don't recommend the audio in general due to the written POV, but especially not for a misophonic like me.

The part that I had the biggest issue with was the FMCs themselves. They had so much potential to be great characters, but ended up being so poorly developed and not represented well. Also, the amount of miscommunication that was threaded through the entire book (like it was the MAJOR plot point) made these characters quickly become annoying to me, instead of endearing.

The miscommunication takes up the entire book, which is frustrating because these characters talk a lot and attempt to communicate, but they don’t understand the other and it leads to the entire book being about miscommunication of their relationship. A lot of this is due to both of them being neurodivergent HOWEVER this isn’t named until nearly the end of the book and honestly, the representation was handled very, very poorly. I personally find it to be very lazy writing to make the driver of miscommunication to be because of someone’s symptoms of their disorder, and while they were not named as that being the case, it was very clearly coded this way and was very frustrating as someone who fits into one of these groups.

It's clear from the start that Grace is on the spectrum and Phoebe has ADHD, but they're not named until almost the end. The characters were pretty text book representations of the disorders, which felt inauthentic and bordering on majorly stereotyping both of them. It got to a point that I was getting annoyed that the characters only personality traits were signs of their respective disorders. They also both felt pretty immature and they both lacked self-confidence in ways that made them make assumptions and not communicate. And again, we as readers saw this in their constant internal monologues instead of in them clearly explaining their feelings to each other.

Then, at the two-thirds mark the book REALLY took a dive in both plot and character development. I already was having issues with how it was written and how they were being represented as they were clearly coded as ADHD and ASD but it was NEVER talked about. At this two-thirds mark, they finally have a conversation where they discuss their relationship and it somehow gets miscommunicated even though they talked about being exclusive. How did it get miscommunicated you ask? Because Grace misunderstands Phoebe and thinks she is still wanting to be FWB while Phoebe thinks they girlfriends and this is all, once again, coded to seem like Grace misunderstands due to traits of her disorder (THAT STILL ISN’T NAMED). This was extremely frustrating that they were using traits of ASD to cause conflict without ever naming it or explaining it as things that could happen. This is SO FRUSTRATING for neurodivergent rep! These characters already were basically stereotypical ADHD/ASD signs, but now using it as a driver for the huge plot conflict had me enraged. It is so irresponsible to true representation to use someones disorder as your MAIN conflict. Quite honestly, its harmful to write them this way.

So then, when they do FINALLY name the disorders it is done SO BADLY. Grace just randomly starts talking to Phoebe about her medications not working without them every having talked about her being diagnosed or being on meds in the first place.Grace just makes and assumption and starts talking and then Phoebe gets angry (apparently never having been diagnosed with ADHD). She argues that she absolutely doesn’t have ADHD because she’s not a teen boy or hyperactive, but then turns around and says she doesn’t know enough about ADHD to argue. I get she’s defensive, but it annoyed me that within the same breath she contradicts herself. THEN to get Phoebe to understand her disorder, Grace turns to TIKTOK for research. I cannot. While I understand there can be some great resources on TikTok and there are clinicians who cite their sources on there, this should NOT be where you go for help with getting diagnosed. I appreciated that Grace took it a step farther to actually get a doctor’s appointment set up but please. Don’t use TikTok for diagnoses. This is also the ONLY time Grace (potentially) being on the spectrum is mentionied. Grace finds Autism TikTok and realizes she might be on the spectrum too. Then there is no other mention of her disorder at all, when again THEY USED HER TRAITS TO MAKE THE MISCOMMUNICATION DRAMA. Good God. It was infuriating how poorly this was handled.

Also, Phoebe’s family was pretty terrible to her and we never really saw resolution there. Her parents were immature and everyone treated her like trash. Not cool.

Overall, I think the book had great spice and had a lot of potential, but the neurodivergent rep was so poorly done and the miscommunication was overwhelming. I hope others can enjoy this, but I really wish the author did a better job with the rep because this was so disappointing to see it handled this way.

Grace Henderson has already been in the big leagues for 10 years when Phoebe Matthews bounds onto the scene with her earnestness and golden retriever energy. Grace’s life has been dedicated to soccer—she’s been playing at the national level since she was 16—but she is now suffering from a hip injury that she has been hiding from the coaching staff and her fellow players. New teammate Phoebe is good, really good. Phoebe’s an excellent addition to the New Orleans team that they both play for, but if Grace’s injury is discovered, is it possible that Phoebe could take her spot on the U.S. Women’s National Team at the World Cup?

I adored this opposites-attract, grumpy-sunshine, friends-with-benefits, sports, Sapphic, secret romance.

I loved the portrayal of neurodivergent characters in the story. Wilsner organically weaves details, aspects, and nuances of the characters’ ADHD and ASD into the story, and these different ways that Phoebe and Grace view their experiences lead to believable miscommunication.

Wilsner captures class differences and money struggles, questions of identity after dedicating so much of your life to one thing, taking care of oneself and making the right choices for oneself, what it means to be a team, and aspects of a relationship where one person is out and the other’s orientation has been kept quiet. I liked the supportive friendships and seeing how different family dynamics impact both main characters.

Overall, the book feels authentic, and while there were moments when my heart hurt for both main characters, most of my time with this book was spent grinning.

The casting for the audiobook is excellent. It’s dual narration. Dana Varden and Zim Avaltrades capture Grace’s more measured approach and Phoebe’s ADHD energy perfectly. It’s easy to distinguish which point-of-view is being portrayed in each chapter.

I highly recommend picking this one up.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

This book was so cute (yea I know what I did there).

Phoebe and Grace are just two neurodivergent women trying to play a game they love while trying not to catch feelings for a teammate. And fun things ensue.

Other than the story, I really liked the neurodivergent rep. While a specific diagnosis isn’t discussed until late in the story, it is clear that both women think about things differently. And I really appreciated it.

I also liked how there were two narrators, one for each woman. The narrators did great jobs showing how different the women acted.

Another excellent title from Meryl Wilsner. The right balance of humor, spice, and sweetness. An approachable way to read about sports/athletes without needing an in depth understanding of the game.

dnf at 61%, 1.5 at best

honestly, my first mistake was trying to read a book revolving around soccer… i assumed it was going to be like most sports romances where the sport is talked about maybe once or twice, a game here or there but my god was i wrong lol. readers do not need to be involved in every single practice. every chapter does not need to revolve around them being soccer players.

i wanted to love this one because i have been dying to find a sapphic romance to gush over but this was a total miss for me.

this book is literally repetitive internal monologue, soccer, miscommunication and sex (which this is arguably the only likable thing about this book).

there is no actual rivalry whatsoever unless you count grace just having impenetrable walls of trust issues as rivalry? they almost immediately become FWB with each other, which when the main characters are actually rivals and hate each other can be extremely hot but this was not the case here unfortunately.

i really dont think that this was a good representation of neurodivergent people at all.. both girls are supposed to be ND however grace just comes off as a total stuck up im too famous for you to breathe near me bitch and phoebe more of a i dont respect other peoples time and i can do whatever i want and you cant be mad at me for it. ive seen others say that grace eventually tries to diagnose phoebe herself at some point and that is just not it.

all in all at the end of the day there doesnt seem to be an actual plot to this book, its more bad fan fiction than anything?

this was my first meryl wilsner book and most likely my last 🫣

I'm probably biased (but still honest) after reading Meryl Milsner's last release "Mistakes Were Made" because I still think about the quality of that book all the time. I also just realized that Wilsner's debut was "Something to Talk About" which I have on my shelves and just moved up in the priority list. Anyways - its safe to say I'm predisposed to LOVE a new book by Meryl Wilsner and this was no exception. A queer sports romance that does not shy away from the spice?? Put me on the roster, coach! With a ton of heart this book is able to tackle professional relationships vs. romantic ones, reckoning with one's purpose in life, mental health issues we may or may not be aware of, the good of showing up for the people in your life when you might have a greater capacity than they do for a task, and some really great spicy scenes including one in a locker room. Anyone else as a young sprout obsessed with movies such as Bend it Like Beckham? or even She's the Man? Ohhhh my friends you will devour this novel. I started reading the eARC then switched to the audiobook once my request was approved and I can firmly say there is no bad way to read this book - though I'm partial to the audiobook since we get two distinct narrators for each main character - Dana Varden & Zim Avaltrades- and they are both fabulous with their characterization. Overall? I loved this book and Meryl Wilsner is really creating a lovely space for herself (and her readers!) in the romance genre right now!

Cleat Cute is out next week on Sept. 19th so now is the time to RUN and secure a copy whether it is a preorder or a library hold. Maybe pick up "Mistakes Were Made" while you wait...

OBSESSED!!! I think this is my favorite book of the year??? I am not a crier. I don't cry when I read. But this book made me bawl like a little girl. There is undiagnosed ADHD rep, there is anxiety rep, the girls both have complicated relationships with their families, and oh yeah... soccer gays.

I don't think this is a direct Ted Lasso inspired book. I don't think that Phoebe really fits into any character that is in Ted Lasso, but this book stands on its own.

I just... I have no words. This was perfection.

Trigger Warnings: cursing, drinking, sex, coming out

Representation: Grace: Lesbian, Autistic; Phoebe: Lesbian, ADHD; side characters: Nonbinary, bisexual, pansexual

Cleat Cute is a sapphic rivals to lovers rom com where two soccer teammates are at odds before falling in love as their team gears up for the World Cup.

Grace Henderson has been a star of the US Women’s National Team for ten years, even though she’s only 26. But when she’s sidelined with an injury, a bold new upstart, Phoebe Matthews, takes her spot. Phoebe is everything Grace isn’t—a gregarious jokester who plays with a joy that Grace lost somewhere along the way. The last thing Grace expects is to become friends with benefits with this class clown she sees as her rival.

Phoebe Matthews has always admired Grace’s skill and was star struck to be training alongside her idol. But she quickly finds herself looking at Grace as more than a mere teammate. After one daring kiss, she’s hooked. Grace is everything she has been waiting to find.

As the World Cup approaches, and Grace works her way back from injury, the women decide to find a way they can play together instead of vying for the same position. Except, when they are off the field, Grace is worried she’s catching feelings while Phoebe thinks they are dating. As the tension between them grows, will both players realize they care more about their relationship than making the roster?

Is there such a thing as a perfect book!!?!? I absolutely adored everything about this book! I honestly don’t have any criticism! And the fact that this book published after the 2023 World Cup is just *chef’s kiss*!! The timing of publishing this right after the very tournament that occurs in the end of the book is perfect. I loved getting the chance to continue celebrating women’s soccer despite the tournament coming to an end.

This author has become an auto read for me! They have an amazing style and write stories for messy adult queers. The realistic discussion of sex and c*ming is so refreshing! I love seeing these two queer women be imperfect and have sex and play soccer and all the things! They are incredibly realistic and human. The author has such a skill for making relatable characters and making these characters the ones we all need to see represented. This book is an absolute must for everyone and especially anyone looking for themselves and their loved ones in a story outside their everyday routine.