*Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for early copy for review*

Things I loved:
The Characters felt like real people denying their feelings over petty reasoning. Their chapter perspective were easy to differentiate with their unique personalities.
The spice scenes also were very realistic and without the use of cringy pet names.

Things I wanted more of:
Pining! I needed more pining. These two had great sexual chemistry, but little romance. I needed to see them like each other more. This is of course a personal experience being on the asexual spectrum, but I need more than lust in my romance.

Things I wanted less of:
The football games. I know that they were coaches, but football bores me and reading it describe to made those chapters a snooze fest.

TLDR: Good spice lacks romance

Overall: 4.25/5
Spice level: 2.5/5
Tropes: workplace, slow burn, rivals to lovers

The. Freaking. Tension. It was definitely there. Unfortunately Jade and Franny had different perceptions on that tightrope pulled taut between them. One saw rivalry. The other saw undeniable attraction.

Ready to Score is a slow burn, mostly because our characters are hyper focused on who's getting the head coach position of the high school football team.

In the end, they caved and teamed up on the field and in the bedroom. They wound up having a sweet romance between them.

Ready to Score also highlights misogyny among men's sports and the good old boys clubs it protects. Our leading ladies overcome those obstacles with strength and resilience.

I enjoyed this novel for the most part. The main characters were vying for a coaching position on a football team. They realize they would make a good team if they worked together. I enjoyed the BIPOC representation.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing the eARC of Ready to Score!

I’m not the biggest football fan, but I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try a sports romance—and I was pleasantly surprised. The LGBTQIA+ and POC representation really stood out to me and added so much depth to the story.

The FMCS are navigating a male-dominated field and are constantly having to prove they belong there. I wouldn't quite label this as an enemies-to-lovers story—it felt more like a one-sided competition. Jade, in particular, seemed to put up walls to protect herself, especially since others were often quick to label her as the villain when in reality she is a sensitive woman who has trust issues and is misunderstood. However, it was great to see Jade grow throughout the book.

I especially appreciated how Franny showed Jade grace, which was a really refreshing dynamic. Instead of reacting to Jade with hostility or judgment, Franny offered understanding and support, which helped Jade soften some of her defenses. Franny show patience in moments where Jade felt vulnerable.

Overall, I’m excited to read more from Jodie Slaughter and see how both the characters and the author continue to develop!

I just do not love Jade and Lim. I love the premise of this story- two females from minority races are trying to win a coaching spot for the boys football team. It’s got football, bad**s women, and LGBTQ+ representation. Individually, all of the elements are things I love. Unfortunately, my desire to root for the characters and care about what happens to them just fizzled out.

Ultimately, I could not connect with these characters or the events of the book. Many of the scenes felt totally unrealistic and I was particularly turned off by the location of one of the spicy scenes. It would never happen in real life, but I was also so grossed out by the thought! As far as a sex scene goes, despite the locale, it was A+!

That said. These women didn’t feel real to me in the slightest, which was my primary reason for DNF.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC!

Sports, small-town drama, and irresistible chemistry are all expertly woven together in Jodie Slaughter's humorous, spicy sapphic romance, Ready to Score. Devoted assistant football coach Jade Dunn is aiming for her ideal position. Former coach turned art instructor Francesca Lim has her own goals and a fierce rivalry with Jade. Both are seeking to coach the football team and are fighting for what they want. 
Ready to Score is a gripping romance about taking chances, both on and off the field, with incisive dialogue, profound passion, and lots of spice. For those who enjoy humorous, slow-burning love stories, this is a must-read. The banter between these two was hilarious.

Ready to score by Jodie slaughter
Publication: 06/03/2025
4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spicy 🌶️🌶️🌶️

This book was a women named jade trying to get the couching position on a kids football team. Her only obstacles are boy politics and an art teacher Lim who she assumes is trying to take her spot. A chemistry they try too ignore to get where they need to be. I feel Lim is a jokester a tik of tac type of a person. She definitely changed slightly but only because she fell first. She is a sweetheart though and she been through her share of trials as well. Jade is what people will call an “angry black women” but she’s so much more. She build up this wall so she’s not hurt or disappointed she definitely let Lim get under her skin too much. Underneath all that was a sensitive girl just wanted to do what she loved. She grown too as the book went on and I’m glad. The plot was okay it kept me engaged a little but I loved the banter between them way more. I feel like the pacing of this book was great it wasn’t too fast the love was forced or insta loving at all. The only thing I would have like is to see jade come out her shell a little more, she’s so reserved and I would have like for her to be excited for herself a little more. But this was a great book I’ll definitely recommend to reading it.

#netgalley #StMartinspress #readytoscore #booklover #arcreviewer #jodieslaughter #bookish

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book overall. I went back and forth about how I felt about Jade’s character and how she behaved towards Franny. I convinced myself there was an underlying reason for her behavior towards Franny. That when people are confused about their feelings or unsure how to act around certain people, they behave poorly. My biggest gripe was just how fast Franny forgave Jade and how quickly they seemed to have fallen in love.
I consider myself someone who falls in love pretty easily, but the way Jade treated Franny was just mean. I think people can have redeeming qualities that make them attractive, but Jade displayed behaviors that I feel like should have taken some time for Franny to trust her.
The spicy scenes were also enjoyable. They were a bit out of my comfort zone, but they were different from most of the other sapphic novels I’ve read, which I enjoyed.
Lastly, one thing I really disliked was Franny referring to Jade as “my girl”. I’m not sure if it was the context in which it was used or the fact they’re both teachers, most likely a combination of these things, but I just didn’t like it.
I was nervous the sports aspect of it was going to be too heavy and make the book less enjoyable, but I thought it was enough that the story would be enjoyable for women who like sports, but not so much for those who don’t. I picked this book up because I was looking for a sapphic book by a new to me author and would read another by this author again.

What a cute sapphic sports romance!

Jade and Francesca navigate both going after the same coach position for the high school football team. Jade has instant beef and does not believe there’s enough room at the top for two female coaches.

I enjoyed the dual POV and the queer, BIPOC representation. I feel like it could have been 80 pages shorter. The ending dragged out a bit after they got together. I was mostly there for all the sapphic tension 🌈✨

I had high hopes for this enemies-to-lovers romance, and while the small-town setting and supporting characters were charming, the central relationship didn't quite resonate with me. Jade's character didn't fully engage me, and I struggled to see the depth of Franny's attraction. While a decent read overall, it didn't entirely deliver on the satisfying redemption arc or compelling character dynamics I hoped for.

I ended up DNFing this book about a quarter of the way in - I just did not like either of the main characters and could not see myself rooting for them or for them to be together.

Didn’t care too much for the story, it was too much sports talk for me. No realistic enough for me honestly. The enemies to lovers story was not my fav

Thank you NetGalley and Jodie Slaughter for the ARC! It read a little weird. Like the main characters who I’m supposed to be rooting for, one of them is an absolute nightmare. I’m honestly surprised that we were supposed to give into the lackluster redemption arc but it wasn’t it. Also the epilogue left the story on a weird note that had little to do with the story. Honestly was hoping to love it, but didn’t. The only thing the book got right was the smug. The club scene is chef’s kiss.

This book had me hooked from the first page—small-town football politics, fierce ambition, and an enemies-to-lovers romance with *serious* sparks? Yes, please. Jade is laser-focused on becoming a head coach, and nothing—not even the infuriatingly gorgeous Francesca—can stand in her way. But when their rivalry turns into something much more complicated, the tension between them is impossible to ignore.

I loved how both Jade and Francesca are so fiercely passionate—not just about football but about carving out the lives they want. Their banter is sharp, their chemistry is off the charts, and their personal struggles add so much depth to their story. Watching them fight their feelings (and sometimes each other) made every moment feel electric.

By the end, I was completely invested in their journey—not just as a romance but as two women fighting for their dreams in a world that isn’t always welcoming. With humor, heart, and just the right amount of spice, *Ready to Score* is a must-read for anyone who loves a high-stakes, high-heat sapphic love story.

Ready to Score was actually a really fun read. I loved the incorporation of football with the story line. It genuinely made it that I was invested in the team’s progression just as much as I was in Jade and Franny’s story. The development of the characters and even the side characters was smooth and wonderful to see. The touch of spice throughout the book was well placed and not too much. Definitely recommend this as a nice palate cleanser.

I didn’t like the main characters much (which is a big problem), and I did not like them as a couple (a major problem in a romance novel). The author insisted they had chemistry, but I never felt it. Their interactions weren’t playful or engaging—they were plain mean to each other. Enemies-to-lovers can be done well, but this book completely fumbled the transition, making their eventual romance feel forced and unconvincing.
Beyond that, so many plot points didn’t make sense. One of the characters is supposedly a successful entrepreneur funding an entire community program, yet they spend a good portion of the book complaining about the lack of resources. That contradiction was never explained, and it didn’t even become relevant.

The characters weren’t likeable, nor were they characters that you love to hate.

Ready to Score is a perfect romantic beach or vacation rivals to lovers read. The vocabulary and structure isn’t taxing, The love scenes are realistically detailed and emotionally involving. Supporting characters are interesting and well described. Best though is that despite knowing where this is headed, you don’t know exactly where it will take that turn or how smooth or bumpy the course will be. Perfectly scored!!

It took me a little bit to get into this book but by the end I found it a very enjoyable read. Classic enemies to lovers story line although I felt like that enemy line dragged out a bit too long. Overall it was a pleasant read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC 😊

I would like to start out by saying this book was not what I expected in the best way. It’s a small town, almost enemies-to-lovers book with a handful of spice thrown in there. I was absolutely rooting for the FMCs from the very beginning and love how they fell into step so quickly once they finally got together. This is also a good one to read if you want a football romcom!

Hehehe this was so much fun, it was a palette cleanser for me while also blowing me completely out of the water. i ADORED this story and couple and absolutely needed this in my life.