This was a pretty entertaining read once I really got into it. I love the very different personalities of Francesca and Jade, and how they mesh. What is even better is seeing the MCs from each other's POVs. Some of my favorite moments were from seeing both MCs interact with different students on the team and how they handled things. There's a major issue I didn't understand though. I don't know why Jade and Franny were pitted against each other as if they were rivals for the same job. That would have been so unrealistic had that happened given the difference of expertise and experience. I also HATED "the other woman" being referenced constantly. It got on my nerves, I think a simple 'she/her' would have done the job. As far as narration goes, I think the accents were brilliantly done. Would've given this book four stars had it not been so irritating in some aspects.

Ready to Score was okay…I appreciated how it explored the complexities of women navigating male-dominated spaces, especially when layered with the challenges of being visibly queer in certain fields or in conservative states. I LOVED the diversity of the cast of characters.

That said, I struggled with the characters. While I usually enjoy an enemies/rivals-to-lovers dynamic, here it felt more juvenile than tense or fun. Jade’s behavior often veered into mean-spirited sabotage, and Franny forgave it far too quickly for my taste. Jade came across more as an opportunist than a driven achiever, and Franny, though kind, was borderline too nice, only occasionally standing up for herself. As a couple, I just didn’t buy into their chemistry.

Some story elements, like the prologue, felt disconnected from the overall plot, which pulled me out of the experience. Overall, it had strong representation and interesting themes, but the character dynamics kept me from loving it.

At first, I really thought I would hate the book, because I found the characters sooooo stubbornly annoying. It was one of those setups where the characters loathe each other and for no observable reason other than they should (and in this case, because they were both… women of color????).

As the story went on, and we learned more about each of the women, I found myself liking them more, and I liked how their relationship came to be, but I did find it to be a bit rushed and threaded with a decent amount of instalust that I would’ve preferred instead be written as an actual connection that deepened. They tried to play it off as that at the end of the story, but I’m not sure how believable it was. That all being said, the end was cute and I loved the gals’ unwavering support in each other and the players they supported. A solid 3⭐

*Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

While I don't always dislike an enemies to lovers romance, this one was much too tumultuous for my psyche right now. I had to skim a bit to get to the romance portion and it was worth it! Jodie Slaughter writes spicy scenes well and makes the inevitable switch to romance believable.

Ready to Score is an enemies to lovers novel. It follows two teachers - Jade and Francesca, who are both trying to become head football coach of their high school football team.

I liked the overall premise of the book, but it was difficult to find common ground with the characters. They were both quite unlikable. Jade, in particular, came across as extremely cruel towards Francesca, so it was quite disappointing that Francesca continued to overlook this behavior and still ended up having feelings for her.

Ready to Score is a interracial, sapphic romance.

Jade has been an assistant coach for the high school football team for a few years. Francesca, the new teacher, has her eyes set on the Head Coach position Jade is after.

This book is perfect if you love small town romances, kick ass women and a little miscommunication.

I was really excited to get this ARC from NetGalley, but unfortunately I didn't love it. (Even though I had an ARC, my review is coming late, because I tried a number of different times to get into it before giving up. I didn't like this book for a few reasons, at least some of which were "me" reasons as opposed to "the book" reasons. The first was that I simply could not get myself to care about the football part of the plot. That might be because I have never in my life been even one drop interested in football! That being said, I think I would've stuck with it if I had felt more invested in the love story or felt more chemistry. Ultimately, this was a pass for me and I probably wouldn't recommend to a friend, but that doesn't mean it'll feel that way for everyone!

I loved how this book *tackled* so much more than just the relationship between Jade & Franny! The struggle of being a woman in a male dominated field is extremely relatable. Plus the romance in this book was FIRE. Highly recommend!!

Had a hard time getting past the bad behavior of one of the characters and by the time we came to understand where she was coming from I was too frustrated to be salved.

Jade is so close to promotion she can taste it. She's the only female football coach at Greenbelt High School, and she's ready to be the first female head coach as well. Then the new art teacher, Franny Lim, comes into the picture. Franny formerly coached in Texas and is hoping to do so again, getting right in Jade's way. But is Jade's frustration due to the competition, or the instant attraction she feels towards Lim?

I wasn't a huge fan of this one. The two female coaches plot line didn't really pull me in. I think I was just so thrown off by how antagonistic Jade was. She's just so mean it's hard to root for her romance with Franny. And I generally prefer a bit less spice in my romance. This one was hot hot hot, so if you're into football, enemies to lovers, and spicy queer romance, this one's for you.

You know that episode where South Park was allowed to say 'shit', and they did a counter at the bottom of the screen? This book should have that for the word pussy. Cause god damn.

While Frannie is, i feel, super likeable. Jade leaves a little to be desired. Shes just outright cruel. The fact that sweet, sweet Frannie likes her blows my mind. BUT once they get together and work out the trauma they both have experienced they are so sweet. 3.5

WELL this one took me by surprise -I went into Ready to Score a little wary thanks to some mixed reviews, but by the time the final play was called (sportsball reference haha), I was grinning, sweating, and cheering for this fiery sapphic rivals-to-lovers romance. Jodie Slaughter doesn’t hold back on the heat, heart, or hurt. At first glance, Jade Dunn isn’t easy to love. She's blunt, single-minded, and at times downright cruel in the way she walls herself off from everyone, especially Francesca. I’ll admit, there were moments early on when I audibly groaned at her behavior. But slowly—thanks to some good character development and Francesca’s radiant warmth—you start to get her. I do wish Slaughter had dug even deeper into Jade’s trauma earlier in the story to smooth the pacing, but what we did get added much-needed depth to her tough exterior.

Francesca Lim is an absolute star. An art teacher with Texas football in her blood, she’s the kind of sapphic lead who radiates emotional intelligence and quiet strength. Her patience with Jade never comes off as passive — instead, it feels earned, layered with her own scars and hopes. Their dynamic is electric: flirty, snarky, loaded with tension, and oh yes — steamy as hell. We’re talking full-on strap scenes with feeling behind the fire. Slaughter brings the spice, but she never forgets the heart.

Also worth noting: no third-act breakup! I repeat — no soul-wrenching, miscommunication-fueled separation just when things get good. Slaughter makes us earn the HEA by drawing out the build-up, and it’s so much more satisfying for it.

This is the sapphic sports romance for those who care about character arcs and chemistry over actual sports rules (same, babe). You’ll find found family, emotional redemption, and a gorgeous reminder that vulnerability isn’t weakness — it’s how we win.

Quick, spicy, full of sass and heart — Ready to Score lives up to its name. Highly recommend the audiobook for a fun, fiery listen.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. I had high hopes for this one but it sadly fell flat. I could not get engrossed in the book or its characters.

I snagged READY TO SCORE on NetGalley because I've enjoyed Jodie Slaughter's previous novels. I was extra excited by the prospect of a sports (coaching!) + sapphic romance.

Unfortunately this one felt sort of all over the place. I was immediately taken out of the story by two continuity errors: First Amelia is six then a few pages later, 10 years old. It also says that Jade bought the team new helmets with the lottery money but then says the coach schmoozes the mayor for new helmets every year (so why did she have to earmark money for them, instead of budgeting for her smart board)? There's an inconsistency regarding cleats as well. These are all small things, but they're jarring to me as a reader.

The couple, too, go from legitimate enemies to lust only, to in love? It was all super fast after such animosity. I don't know, I kept trying to wrap my head around this sort of treatment (MEAN comments) being a kink for some, but it's so hard for me to wrap my head around wanting someone who humiliates you in front of a big gathering of the team's supporters. Especially when you're brand new to the team, basically auditioning to become an assistant coach.

Ultimately, there were a bunch of little pieces that I liked, but this one did not come together for me.

Being from South Carolina, where this is set, I loved a story about a queer Black woman attempting to break into the good ol boys club of coaching high school football. The romance aspect of the story though fell a bit flat for me. It started as a rivals to lovers. But the rivalry was only one-sided and quickly fell apart. It felt like once the tension resolved, there wasn’t much plot left. Just some spicy scenes and a conclusion. I loved the characters though!

Thank you to @Netgalley and @stmartinspress for the chance to review this ARC.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary romance 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A heartfelt romance with a different take on sports romance

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
“Sports” romance- high school football coach
Enemies to lovers
Small town
Found family
Sapphic romance
Dual POV
Witty banter
Locker room spice

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Diverse characters
Great character growth

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
The romance felt a little rushed
Jade was too harsh sometimes

Two teachers competing for one spot- that of head coach of a small town football team. “Not wanting to risk losing out on a dream job, Jade and Francesca can’t afford to give in to the iron hot attraction that simmers beneath their biting interactions, so they try desperately to ignore it. Too bad their hearts don’t seem to be as on board with the game plan.”

As this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, I’m left with the “what the Jesus Christ was that?” audio playing in my head, over and over.

Jade and Francesca are both vying for the same position- Head Coach. High school football in the South brings a lot of drama. I’m here for it.

But the book falls apart completely almost immediately- Francesca, in a bid to get a rise out of Jade, tells Jade- verbatim- “I’m coming for your job.” Then proceeds to gaslight and vilify the shit out of Jade and for the rest of the book. Francesca accuses Jade of trying to unfairly put her out of the running and not supporting women. The horrific offenses Jade commits- a harmless prank where she tricks Francesca into thinking she had a bingo when she didn’t (no seriously, that’s all) and having the head coach check Francesca’s references. Francesca has never coached in South Carolina- she has only been a teacher at their current school. She hasn’t coached in at least two years. That’s all!

So the entire romance arc (which was a big part of the story given that this is a contemporary romance!) was a bust. Francesca had so much audacity and was just so much unnecessary drama. I expected conflict, yes, but Francesca was so off base that it was absurd.

I loved the football stuff- seeing Jade as a coach, Francesca and Jade learning to work together professionally, and seeing the team grow. I have mixed feelings over one of the conflicts in the football coach arc. Overall, I wish that the romance in this wasn’t so toxic. It had so much potential.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had a good time with this rivals to lovers romance! Watching Jade and Franscesca vie for their place in the school was so fun. I really enjoyed the conversations about being a queer woman of color trying to navigate small town politics. Jade is a complex character. As much as I understood where her defensiveness came from it was hard watching her be so antagonistic to Franny when she hadn't done anything to deserve it. The sex scenes were super hot though. If you're looking for a steamy, sapphic rivals to lovers story this could be the one for you!

This book was cute but definitely had some spice! I really enjoyed the slow-burn tension and emotional depth between Jade and Francesca—two ambitious, hopeful coaches navigating small-town politics, past heartbreak, and the high stakes of high school football. Their chemistry was undeniable, and the romance was both swoony and steamy.

Beyond the romance, Ready to Score also tackled some tough family dynamics and personal challenges with heart and honesty. A great blend of heat, humor, and heartfelt moments.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I DNFed this at 25% of the way through and I'm so disappointed! I wanted to love this, but I felt like the story was really disjointed. So many things just weren't clicking for me-- why was the coach even considering giving the art teacher a chance at coaching?, why do they hate each other so strongly?, why does the art teacher get to continue going to poker night?, why do they so clearly hate each other (to the point of playing mean tricks on one another) while also picturing one another kissing so often?

The representation in this is awesome (a multi-ethnic queer couple featuring a bisexual woman and a lesbian!!), but i just could not get into the story at all.