Jade Dunn and Francesca Lim teach at the same school, and their rivalry deepens when the head football coach announces he’s retiring at the end of the next season, and both women compete for a new spot as a Coach for the Greenbelt High School Football team.

Jodi did something with this one! WLW, Rivals to lovers, sports romance… Sign me up! I’ve never been much of a sports girl, and I don’t know much about football at all, but it was so fun to read. There were references about positions and plays and all that. I had no idea what any of that meant, but if you’re a sports doll, you’ll probably really enjoy it.

I wasn’t sure how I would feel about some of the characters after their first introductions in the book, but they grew on me. I’m not competitive at all, so Jade and Francesca’s behavior was a little extra, but after getting into the “why” it all made sense. I love how both of them had great relationships with their families and strong support from their community. Jade’s family structure was non-traditional, and I haven’t come across it in a book before so that was cool too.

Also, the whole “Lesbians go on one date and never stop” bit… Jodi ate that up in here. Once they were on… it was ON and the girls were inseparable. I loved It!

I enjoyed the female rep in the football space. Quick. Easy read. Jade and Franny both shined as coaches. Jade was a bit cringe at times making it hard to really connect.

There was a lot about this book I really liked! The representation of women, queer women of color, in football in the south, was refreshing.

There’s a cute side cast of characters, but I do wish we got to see more of them or better understand the different relationship dynamics. It felt like there were so many popping up, that it was hard to remember who was who and all the different pieces.

I struggled to connect with on of the FMCs. She spent most of the book sabotaging the other woman who was trying to coach, because she didn’t feel there was room for both of them, despite what the people in charge said. While this may be what happens sometimes in the real world, it’s not a character I can really root for.

I also didn’t really understand the epilogue - I’m not sure if it was a call back to a previous book or something else, but it felt a little random and out of place to me.

For those of you looking for a steamy rivals-to-lovers workplace sports romance, this one is for you!

In this small-town, Jade has worked her way up to be a respected high school football coach, and she’s up for head coach soon. Her only issue? Francesca, the art teacher she can’t stand, has also taken an interest in coaching. Is there room for two women on this Southern small town’s coaching staff? Jade doesn’t think so.

Francesca just wants to coach the sport she loves, and finds herself in a rivalry she never asked for.

The club scene is 🔥, and I loved Jade’s growth throughout the novel.

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

This book follows Jade as she tries to become a small town football coach, while her coworker/love interest vies for the same spot.

This book was a good beach read, mostly because I didn’t have to pay much attention. I admittedly do not care at all about football. I sped through those portions. Jade and Francesca were an interesting couple. I feel like their development was a bit rushed. It went very quickly from hate to ‘now we’re in love’. Mostly I feel like Francesca got over some of the honestly really mean stuff Jade did way too fast. It’s one of those couples that had some interesting moments, but that I don’t see lasting beyond this book.

This book is good for sports fans and short reads.

3.5 but only for the spice.
This was a lot more sports than romance in my opinion. I enjoy the back and forth between Jade and Fran when they were at odds, but that tend to drag on too long. Then the switch from enemies to lovers seemed abrupt. It was just an ok story. Not something I would read again.

DNFed (and I rarely don't finish a book). The prose was lackluster, but it's really the dialogue that deterred me. It came off unnatural, even cringey, as a way of elaborating the rivalry that just seems so out of place. For these two grown women, who are in role model positions to high schoolers, to (badly) bad talk each other not far from the earshot of students was too much. I've read so many sports romances before, but this one starts off stressing the sport too much, while neglecting any establishing characteristics about the characters or why they really love the game (why they're vying so hard for this coaching position). A disappointment, in short.

“I can’t f****** believe I’m about to lose my dream because I decided to play Harriet the Spy for a day.”

A cute, sapphic, rivals to lovers, with a healthy dose of high school football.

What I liked:

I liked Franny & Jade as characters, and they had such great tension in the beginning.

The author puts a lot of the actual football coaching in the plot, which I loved.

What didn’t work for me:

I wanted more relationship development between Franny & Jade. I feel like we went from rivals and barely speaking, to a couple of hookups, to lovers without much conversation.

Sweet new adult sapphic romance. Gives the reader a lot to cheer for; both on and off the field! Our readers will especially enjoy the diverse character representation.

(2.75/5)

Unfortunately this book just did not hit and there's no one more disappointed than me, a Blasian lesbian!!

Ready to Score had all the potential of a rivals to lovers sports romance. We follow Jade Dunn, math teacher and aspiring head coach to her southern high school football team, and Franny Lim, art teacher who just wants a seat at the coaching table.

The plot falls apart because it's a one sided rivalry that is ultimately pointless. Jade acts in a way that I cannot imagine any 32 year-old woman ever acting for absolutely no reason (it's made very clear to her by multiple people that no one is threatening her chances of accomplishing her goals). I do not understand why Franny would give her the time of day.

The sports aspect of the book fell flat as well. I did not feel connected to the team or their success. The epilogue felt especially dull in this regard and did not add anything to the romance (isn't this a romance book?).

I think the one saving grace of this story was Franny Lim who deserves everything good in the world.

rep: bi Black fmc | lesbian Korean fmc

DNF at 17%. I really liked Jodie Slaughter’s prior book, but I found this one very hard to get into. All the football talk was not for me, and I didn’t care for either of the protagonists.

📖 Title: Ready to Score-can be read as a standalone

✍🏾 Author: Jodie Slaughter-I've read Bet on It - 5*, and Play to Win - 4*

📅Publication date: 6/3/25| Read 5/14/25

📃 Format: e-book 320 pgs.

Genre:
*LGBTQIA+
*Multicultural Interests
*Women's Fic/Adult Fic
*Contemporary Romance
*Sports Romance

Tropes:
*small town
*enemies to lovers
*sapphic romance
*interracial relationship
*found family
*forced proximity
*rivals
*workplace romance

👆🏾POV: dual

⚠️TW: racism, misogyny

🌎 Setting: Greenbelt, SC

Summary: When Jade learns the head football coach is retiring, she wants the job. Franny is an art teacher who came to Greenbelt for love and stayed after it ended. She loves football too and was an asst. coach in Texas. Both vie for the head coaching job, but they can't help their attraction in this enemies-to-lovers drama.


👩🏾 Heroine: Jade Dunn-32, AA, bisexual, asst. football coach @ Greenbelt High School

👩🏻 Heroine: Francesca "Franny" Lim-30, Asian, Greenbelt high school art teacher, was an O-line coach in Texas

🎭 Other Characters:

* Coach Landry-current coach, retiring after this season, and Jade's mentor
*Miriam, Aja, and Olivia -Jade's BFFs
*Gene + Joyce Dunn-Jade's parents
*Will + Yao +Amelia-Franny's brother, sister-in-law- and niece, live near her in Columbia SC
*Caroline Bailey-Franny's ex-girlfriend

🤔 My Thoughts: I loved that two women into football were the heroines. Even though Jade treated Franny badly, I understood her drive to make her dreams come true. Franny knew Jade liked her, but she had some work to do to break down her walls. I loved the interactions Jade and Franny had with the players, showing their compassion.

Rating: 5/5 ✨
Spice level 5/5 🌶️

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin, and Jodie Slaughter for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

This wasn’t what I was expecting. There is way more football talk then I expected and I really, really did not like Jade. However, I loved Franny. I wasn’t a fan of how immature and petty Jade was all the time (like during the bingo night thing). It’s super unfortunate that Franny remained attracted to Jade after everything.

I’m just not sure if this was necessary.

b>3.75🏈 </b>
<i>Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review!</i>

<b><i>Black X Korean Sapphics SAVE USSS!!!</b></i>

May we thank <b>Jodie Slaughter</b> for providing us this ♡.

While this was labeled and marketed as a <i>’Rivals to Lovers’</i>. There wasn’t a ‘rivalry’ at all really, it was just one sided bull being that Franny never did or said anything ill in retribution to Jade’s actions.

We were told why Jade hated Franny but it’s still like.. why? She was way too petty for it to be something like that and in the beginning I can understand why Jade could be upset at not being granted a smart board. But if she was putting funds into the school, why couldn’t she buy one herself? That shouldn’t have been an ignition to her hate for Franny I don’t think.

The rivals to lovers trope would’ve made sense if it was reciprocated with real reason; the rivalry should’ve began in the field and not beforehand as Franny doesn’t really dislike Jade like Jade does her in such an over the top way and this being a story with a majority of football involved, it would’ve been better to see that rivalry and love twist and grow then just reading play by plays.

Franny is actually funny AF, like I love her. Every time she’s sad or her eyes water I be wanting to jump in this book and tear the mf who causes it, up! Like come on Jade this is your wife you hurting!

I couldn’t lie sometimes her and Jade relationship feelt like some type of Stockholm’s syndrome in the early stages😬. Like I get the harsh reality— as a black woman myself— what Jade faced and could face, but gosh she’s just constantly mean and childish for little reasons that it’s just annoying— especially how she made gambling night into something it shouldn’t have been when she supposedly loves those kids! And Franny was just drooling <i><b>REGARDLESS</i></b> like I know the body and face is tea but is it that so?!?!?

But Jade falling in her own hole made me feel a lot better since she was finally able to reflect a bit on her shit and we got more understandable depth to her along with her accountability. Made me start my road to loving her too.

Just wished when Jade spoke of such one time, Franny didn’t say “I liked playing along” because while she did find it hot sometimes, she legit teared up over it.

<i>Perhaps her terrible ex did a bigger number on her than we all thought?</i>

And I get it, Franny understood her reasons of fear and lashing out, and yes you can love someone and understand them, but you can still feel that hurt and allow that accountability be had from the person you love.

Now, there is some inconsistencies. For example, one minute Amelia is 10 then the next she’s 6. And then one minute Alonzo dad suffered a stroke and the next he’s been dead for some years and the recount of what happened at the club. <b>Hopefully</b> that’s all fixed by release!

Other than all that, the writing was really good and smooth and the little stories of all our characters added engaging width to this written world!

I don’t really know shit about football so I was just cheering every time something sounded good when it came to the tennis ball hitting the net or something like that😀. So If you’re a heavy football fan, you will definitely get a kick out of this!

I wish we could’ve seen more of the domestic things that Fran and Jade had done, would’ve added more to their newfound relationship and allowed us readers to see that vulnerability and intimacy and actually feel the weight of the first ‘I love you’.

Even the parent meet through FaceTime should’ve been written about I would’ve loved that added connection of their romantic lives.

Especially with what they said to each other afterwards being so damn cute!

<b>**Spoiler**</b>
They jinxed themselves by saying they’d win the first game, I promise you they did!
<b>**</b>

<u><b>Departing Thoughts</u></b>

-I so didn’t expect them to be so freaked out so that was an unexpected yet highly welcomed treat! Especially with Jade lying about being a little bottom when she be slutting Franny out!

-<b><i>“The sooner we go, the sooner we can come back and watch some gay shit on TV.” “Fine. But only because I love gay shit on TV so much.”</b></i>

<i>Literally so real and me asf!!</i>

-Would I be crazy if I said Jade lowkey highkey got a mommy kink👀??

-The kids relationship with Franny is too cuteee!

-Those kids are so lucky to be having married lesbian coaches that are also BIPOC, like what a dream!

dnf. unfortunately, the writing style just did not work for me and i personally cannot take high school football that seriously, so this was overall a big miss for me. i do give this points for being a sapphic sports romance though, the world needs more of those.

4/5 stars: This is the third stand-alone entry in Slaughter's interconnected Bet On It series which is a BIPOC FF Steamy Romance set in South Carolina that follows an assistant high school football coach who finds her dreams of becoming head coach blocked by the infuriatingly art teacher who's determined to reignite her own coaching career despite their red hot attraction. As the two clash over poker, game play and just about everything else they'll realize they won't be losing out on their dreams if they can just work together to get the life – and love – they deserve. Written in dual POV with plenty of heart and down-home southern humor, Slaughter's writing and character work are excellent; the characters are well-rounded, complex and yet remain very likable. Jade and Franny (Francesca) are great and I love seeing the two of them come back together and earn their HEA. Additionally, I loved catching up with the character's from Bet on It and Play to Win. This rivals-to-lovers sports romance is top notch with plenty of swoony banter with OPS scenes that are incredibly steamy. While this is a stand-alone, you'll for sure want to read Jade's friend's HEAs by picking up this series from the beginning with Bet On It.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

This is a 3.75

The book was cute but Jade was so unlikable for the first half of the book which made it hard to get through. My goal in life is to always be on the side of the black woman but this book tested me and I failed. She was so mean! Thirty-two is too old to be mean because of your past. I will also say the relationship had a few too many sapphic cliches in it like the toxic immediate codependency where they can't leave each other's side. That being said, there were quite a few positives. Franny was my dream woman and I love reading about women that are my type. Also reading an interracial relationship that did not involve a white person was a treat for me. The second half of the book was much easier to read than the first.

“Ready to Score” is a cute, quick enemies to lovers novel. If you’re looking for a spicy, sapphic romance—this is it!

Jade is a hard-working, no-nonsense teacher with her sights set on the head football coach position. After years of defensive coaching she’s ready to lead—until a gorgeous, free-spirited, art teacher joins the coaching staff for the summer.

Francesca Lim, raised in a Texas-football town, worked hard to become a coach, and is ready to step on the field at Greenbelt. Sparks fly and tensions rise between her and Jade. Will the coaching team accept two women? Can they navigate the competition—and chemistry— budding between them?

Slaughter addresses the inequalities and discriminations faced by women and queer folx head-on. She even goes so far as to touch on the pressures Jade faces as a successful Black woman. Many women will identify with the challenges Jade and Francesca are up against.

I did find the main characters hard to like in the beginning, but they did grow on me. The plot and side characters were compelling—and the spice? Whew! Certainly worth the wait.

This is a cute, quick weekend read. Don’t let the football backdrop deter you. This one’s a perfect palate cleanser to pull you out of a reading slump. I am excited to check out some of Jodie’s other novels.

This story was not at all what I hoped it would be. It follows Jade and Franny, two ambitious women who but heads as they vie to be coaches on Greenbelt High's football team.

Jade and Franny's relationship, at times, felt forced, and the transition from enemies to lovers lacked a deeper emotional connection that I was expecting.

That said, I did enjoy the themes of ambition and the power struggles that thrive in old-boy networks and conservative towns, especially for POC. The pacing was a bit slow at times and too fast at others, and I felt that some parts of the story were disjointed and left a lot of things unexplored.

Overall, it was a quick, easy read that I would give 3.5 stars. Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC.

3⭐
1🌶️

Some parts of this were really well done, and then a part would be disjointed and throw it off.

I do think Jade's animosity needed toned down or she needed a better come to jesus moment because she just changed her mind about Franny so suddenly.

Loved the small town football team vibes. That was enjoyable.