I love Jodie Slaughter so much! This was so good. Jad was a difficult character but difficult characters make a great story.

This was a good sapphic sports romance (my first)! The perfect balance between football and romance with a delicious rivalry and several spicy scenes. I loved the discussion on race and queerness in the football community. That felt real and authentic. I also loved Franny’s character. I will say there were some consistency issues with the book and the ending dragged a bit, but I’ll chalk that up to this being an ARC. Overall, I’d recommend this. It’s perfect for fans of Meryl Wilsner.

This was well written, but i absolutely could not stand Jade. It felt like she was just plain mean at times for zero reason and I couldn't find any reason to root for her. I also feel like the main couple just didn't have chemistry.

My first book I read through NetGalley. This book is really sweet. Beautiful representation throughout, with a wonder story about a bisexual Black woman fighting for a spot as head coach in southern high school football. I just love both main characters so much. Both come from a very real, gritty perspective of the misogyny within football. They learn from each other and grow both as people and as coaches intertwined with a sweet and charming love story. Would definitely recommend.

Spice level is definitely up there. It’s not a focus of the story, necessarily, but they do have a healthy amount of sex for a couple, and it’s all explicitly written.

2.75 - rounding up for Franny

I have a ton of questions about the choices for this story. Primarily, I don't understand why Jade was such an unpleasant character. I don't entirely understand why this pushed an "enemies" to lovers plot so heavily, but I really don't understand why so much of what Franny did could be considered flirting while so much of what Jade did was downright hateful. In the end, this felt like a love story between Jade and football, not Jade and Franny.

There is WAY more football in this book than I expected there to be considered the 2 main characters aren't players themselves. There's pretty much 2 whole chapters that are just play by plays of a game - so if that's not your jam, be warned of that.

I loved Franny! While it's unfortunate she ended up chasing another woman who treated her poorly (I thought maybe this was intended for her to learn a lesson but... I think Slaughter thought Jade was someone the reader would root for... she wasn't in my case). I loved how much we saw of Franny's family. I loved her struggle with being lonely and seeing her brother's loving marriage. I loved her issues with her mother. I really loved that she had the bowling group with the older queer women. Franny was sweet, sexy, and 10x more mature than it seemed possible considering how awful Jade was to her.

Ultimately, I thought maybe there was a point we'd get Jade realizing she should've been fighting for both Jade and Franny to have a seat at the table. Jade had a one sided competition and it made her such a nasty character that, by the end of the book, I wasn't rooting for her at all. I personally don't understand why this was the take and the "turn" wasn't significant enough to make up for what Jade did, in my opinion.

But I'm super glad other people enjoyed this more than me. I thought the concept of 2 queer women of color fighting to coach a football team in the south was a really interesting idea.

3.75 ⭐️I really liked this book! It was refreshing to have an interracial sapphic couple. I also loved that they were both women who loved football. There were several instances where I laughed out loud at the witty dialogue.

I did notice that in the book, Franny’s niece, Amelia is said to be 10 in the beginning but then we are told she is 6 towards the middle of the book. Another in inconsistency I noticed was with Alonzo’s father. He said his pops had a heart attack the day before the scrimmage but later in the book, he tells Franny about the struggles his family went through when his dad died a few years ago. Maybe he was referring to his grandpa when he said pops? I could be wrong.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was well written and funny. I did find myself having a hard time liking Jade until 70% of the book was complete. She was unnecessarily mean to Franny. I don’t mind them bickering or bantering back and forth, but it seemed at times that Jade was really trying to be hurtful.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for allowing me to read the ARC

First, animosity. Then, a begrudging attraction. Finally, love.

Such is the trajectory of Jade and Francesca’s relationship in this book. The author builds upon each of these stages quite well by giving examples of each of these stages. She adds a further dimension to the characters beyond their roles as love interests. You see Francesca and Jade through their interaction with their respective parents, siblings, and friends.( bowling league- Francesca and friends -Jade’s close knit group of female friends)

My only issue is how book ends. Unnecessary scene at Minnie’s and could have ended earlier with Landry’s announcement. If the author is.going to use Minnie’s then need prior scenes there to be more memorable.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, St. Martin’s Press St. Martin’s Griffin via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First, thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Jodie Slaughter for the opportunity to review the eBook ARC.

I haven't read Slaughter's previous books in this world she created, but I the side characters were the main characters in the first two books. This didn't interfere with my enjoyment of this one, but I am sure if you read them before this book, it'd be more fun.

I liked the overall character dynamic between Jade and Francesca, although sometimes their interactions as enemies were a bit immature for my taste. Their chemistry was hit or miss for me, and the very spicy sex scenes were quite eye-opening. I did like the theme of women of color fighting and succeeding in a male-dominated profession of high school football coaching though!

Jodie Slaughter delivers a sizzling romance in Ready to Score, blending sports, passion, and emotional depth. The story of a fiercely ambitious athlete and a driven sports reporter navigating their undeniable chemistry is both heartwarming and steamy. Slaughter’s writing shines with witty banter, well-rounded characters, and a perfect balance of romance and personal growth. A delightful read for fans of slow-burn tension and unapologetic love stories.

High school teacher Jade has worked as assistant coach for the school football team for many years. When her mentor and long time head coach announces his retirement and his intention to name his successor, her dream to lead the team is tantalizingly within reach. Jade feels beyond ready to take the role, but soon learns she has competition.

Francesca, the newish art teacher, eager to put down roots and with experience coaching, sets her on sights on the head coach position. Now its no holds barred as the two rivals aggressively face off with increasing fervor that slowly builds up to an electric passion and deep connection.

Set in the same delightful location as her previous books Bet on It and Play to Win, Greenbelt South Carolina, this ridiculously romantic and utterly sexy enemies to lovers novel features the compelling cut-throat world of competitive football.

Told from a dual point of view and set in a small town, this novel will appeal to fans of sports romances that center diverse characters and LGBTQIA+ communities.

There were two halves to this book. The half where the one of the main characters was insufferable and the half where the writing got sloppy. I am not one to shy away from crudeness, but something just rubbed me the wrong way reading "nut" during a sex scene. Also, some of the football references were incorrect... there is no way a team could play 32 games in a season, ESPECIALLY a JV team. I think a little more time needs to go into this one before it is released en masse.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jodie Slaughter, and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a lovely sapphic, football, enemies to lovers, spicy romance! Jodie Slaughter does a great job at bringing the reader into the world of her characters. I love that the story focuses on two strong, passionate, unapologetic (and stubborn) queer women of colour falling in love. I especially loved how Jade, a bi Black woman, born and raised in Greenbelt South Carolina spoke on how she's needed to work extra hard to even be in the position of in the running for a promotion to head Coach for the high school football team. I really appreciated how Jade spoke on her intersections of identity and how that has impacted her life and the way that she approaches vulnerability. Similarly, Franny who is a Korean America lesbian from Texas also has a chance to speak on her own experiences navigating the football world. What I thought was so well done is that though these characters share *similar* points of oppression due to their queerness, race, and gender, we also acknowledged the way anti-blackness and misogynoir permeates Jade's experience specifically. There was a lot of care taken with these characters and their identities which I really appreciated.

Enemies to lovers is one of my all time favourite tropes, and this book did not disappoint. Though Jade needed to get out of her own way and stop being so damn stubborn, I appreciated that her orneriness led to crackling tension between her and Franny. The spice was spicy!

Though this book is technically #3 in world of Greenbelt, I believe it can be read as a standalone. I read the first book, Bet on It, but missed the second, Play to Win. I found I wasn't missing any crucial information while reading this book despite the gap from missing the second book from this world. I'm looking forward to going back and catching up on book #2 soon!

If you're a seasonal reader like me, this book is filled with hot summer atmosphere. I definitely recommend reading it during the hottest month of the year. There's a lot of sweat! lol. Or during football season if that's your thing.

In all, pick up this book if you love complex sapphics with big dreams of breaking up the ol' boys club and falling in love (and banging) while they do it!

The background of the story starts with the high school budget politics that pits the football coach against the art teacher. The author’s writing is easy to read and well done. Sadly it is the story I had trouble relating to. I was not a fan of the main characters and found it hard to feel the chemistry that turned the rivals into lovers. I did learn a lot about high school football and know the author spent quality time in her due diligence.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Jodie Slaughter’s Ready to Score is a funny, fiery sapphic romance that perfectly blends sports, small-town drama, and irresistible chemistry. Jade Dunn, a determined assistant football coach, has her sights set on a dream job. Francesca Lim, a former coach turned art teacher, has her own ambitions - and a heated rivalry with Jade.

Their snarky banter and undeniable attraction make it impossible to ignore each other, despite their best efforts to stay professional. With sharp dialogue, emotional depth, and plenty of spice, Ready to Score is a captivating romance about taking risks, on and off the field. A must-read for fans of witty, slow-burn love stories.

Ready to Score by Jodie Slaughter is a steamy, slow-burn romance with plenty of tension, ambition, and witty banter, set against the backdrop of small-town Southern football culture. Slaughter’s signature blend of humor and heart is on full display here, but while the premise is promising and the chemistry undeniable, the character flaws occasionally overshadow the romance, making it hard to fully root for the couple.

Jade Dunn is a refreshing and fierce protagonist who has worked hard to break into the male-dominated world of high school football coaching. Her ambition is admirable, but her single-minded determination often manifests as defensiveness and prickliness, which sometimes makes her feel more combative than complex. Her frustrations with systemic inequality are valid and relatable, but the way she shuts people out—including Francesca—can feel repetitive. However, when Jade’s softer side peeks through, it adds much-needed nuance to her character.

Francesca Lim, on the other hand, is charming and emotionally layered, grappling with the fallout from a past relationship that derailed her coaching dreams. Her journey back to reclaiming her purpose is compelling, and her passion for coaching football, despite her current role as an art teacher, creates a fascinating contrast to Jade’s approach. Francesca’s warmth makes her a strong foil to Jade’s hard edges, but her tendency to overthink situations sometimes muddies her motivations.

The dynamic between Jade and Francesca is packed with simmering tension and sharp-tongued exchanges that make their slow-burn romance entertaining. Their poker game encounters and school-related run-ins are charged with attraction, and Slaughter does an excellent job of writing physical chemistry that feels authentic rather than forced. However, their constant push-pull—while realistic given their circumstances—feels slightly overdrawn at times, delaying emotional growth for the sake of prolonging the angst.

Where the novel excels is in its depiction of the sports world and small-town culture. Slaughter captures the high-stakes nature of Southern football with a deft hand, from the political maneuvering behind coaching promotions to the community’s obsession with the game. This setting creates an additional layer of pressure on both Jade and Francesca as they navigate their professional aspirations and personal vulnerabilities.

However, some side characters, particularly the "good ol' boys" who run the local football scene, come across as flat archetypes rather than fully fleshed-out antagonists. Their presence serves as an important commentary on systemic biases, but they don’t feel as nuanced as the central characters. Additionally, while the pacing is generally steady, the middle sections can feel bogged down by internal monologues that rehash familiar conflicts without moving the plot forward.

Despite these flaws, Ready to Score succeeds in exploring themes of ambition, resilience, and the struggle for self-acceptance. The story underscores how hard it is to let someone in when you’ve spent years guarding yourself against disappointment and failure. When Jade and Francesca finally confront their feelings head-on, the payoff is satisfying, though a bit rushed after such a prolonged build-up.

For readers who love slow-burn romances set in competitive spaces, this novel offers plenty to enjoy. Though not without its missteps, Ready to Score delivers a compelling look at how love and ambition can coexist—if you’re willing to play your cards right.

There was alot to enjoy in this book, but there was some stuff lacking in this too and cuz of that I left it feeling really indifferent about the book as a whole.

First - I really loved the plot line and the representation of queer women in football settings. I imagine that how the struggles were depicted for these two is probably very real issues that women in this male dominated field have to deal with. I liked the different take on the high school football plot line.

I liked the overall writing style. It felt very flowy and was super easy to read. The characters felt relatable and the sexual tension between the MCs was thick so when they finally got together I was rooting for them.

I also loved that there was no unnecessary relationship conflicts between the two of them.

Now - I wasn’t super fond of the chemistry / MCs in a romantic relationship. While I do feel like there was sexual tension, I feel like there was no romantic chemistry between them. They were over the top, stupid mean to each other at the beginning of the novel and they just felt like work acquaintances that wanted to bang for most of the novel.

The only other issue I had was I felt the novel could have been about 50-60 pages shorter. It felt there was a lot of filler that was unnecessary for the plot and just made certain aspects of the book drag.

overall, I didn’t have it but didn’t love it either. It was fine. I liked the basis of the plot, but i think the characters will not be something to remember.

I did not publicly review this book because I did not finish it. I had a terrible time rooting for the Jade. She was actually mean at times. To each their own, and maybe she makes up for her actions. I just didn't care enough to see it.

This is a new to me author and I’m so happy to be able to read it! I learned so much about football lol. Either the author did a ton of research or is passionate about football because it shines through.

We get a rivals to lovers sapphic romance with a fun supporting cast. I feel like Jade had bigger character growth through recognizing her true feelings and owning up to faults. Franny did have growth as well and they were able to come together through openness, forgiveness and palpable chemistry.

I was given a copy and all opinions are my own.

First off; turns out I do not care about high school football, and in the United States they care A LOT about high school football. I knew this, but I don’t think I reeeeally knew this. I have read books revolving around sports before and it wasn’t an issue as usually it’s a driver of the plot but not ultimately too important; for some various reasons this book was different. I think your enjoyment may be impacted by your interest in high school sports teams. This was also an interesting cultural aspect to consider, because there were a lot of elements that I simply couldn’t relate to and I never cared about the stakes all that much.

This one is hard for me to review. There was good and there was bad (for me).

Good: The writing itself was good. The characters felt like real people with their own motivations. There was a great exploration of the challenges faced by visible minorities fighting for space in a field typically dominated by white men. Overall, there were a lot of positive elements to this novel.

Bad: PROBABLY SPOILERS TO FOLLOW:I didn’t like the main protagonists that much (big problem) and I absolutely didn’t like them as a couple (major problem for a romance novel). I didn’t see the chemistry between them, regardless of how much the author told me that it was there. They were unnecessarily cruel to each other and not in a fun way; romances can absolutely start out antagonistically except this one did it in a way that I simply didn’t like and then failed to pull off the transition. I have a lot of little things I could mention, but overall, I simply didn’t like the characters and that essentially ruined the story for me. There were also plot points that didn’t make sense. For example, one of the characters is rich(ish) and privately funding the school, yet complains that they can’t get funding for their program? Simply doesn’t make sense, and those details were also pointless and didn’t go anywhere.
I said it before and ill say it again; I don’t understand this world of high school football and the novel didn’t do a good job of explaining it. At one point there is a major plot point where one of the coaches goes to an opposing team’s game and that’s…… apparently not allowed? I can’t understand why considering they are open to the public and the stands are packed with people, but I assume that’s a thing. There were a lot of little details like this throughout the book, and often regarding major plot points.

Anyways, despite the fact that I didn’t connect with this novel I can objectively see that I think there are other people that would. Its not a bad novel so I’m not giving it a bad rating.

My Rating: “C”
GoodReads: 3-stars

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This honest review was left voluntarily.

Engaging love story that followed the typical formula for a romcom. I liked both leads and the writing was very good. The plot did seem to slow down in some areas but the HEA made up for it.