Cleat Cute

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Grace Henderson made her first appearance for the US national team when she was 16. At 18 she was playing for Leon in France one of the top women’s soccer (football) teams in the world. Now at 26 she is the face of the US national team, captain of her club team in New Orleans and one of the most famous soccer players in the world. She is also starting to get a little tired of all of

The perfect blend of funny and steamy, Meryl Wilsner's Cleat Cute is about being brave enough to win on and off the field.I absolutely adore their writing style. The book is told in close third person, and some of the author’s thoughts and ways of saying things are downright hilarious–even when the scene itself isn’t meant to be funny. I enjoyed the found family vibes and the team dynamics. It’s one of my favorite parts about reading sports romances. While the friends with benefits is pretty fast, the actual relationship development is pretty slow burn. Despite (still) not knowing anything about soccer, this is a fun, spicy, and lightly angsty sapphic rom com!

Phoebe hurls herself into the plastic chair beside her brother and looks at her phone. It’s a Chicago number. My only problem with this book is that I wish it was longer! We obviously got a lot of Grace and Phoebe interactions throughout the whole story, but I would have loved to read more of them actually together in a relationship. I just didn’t want this story to ever end! Oh my God, I’m so sorry for—I shouldn’t have—I didn’t mean that. When I said to shut up, it was just an expression. I’m—wait, are you really serious? You’re inviting me to camp?”

Meryl Wilsner

While this ended up being just an okay read for me, I know others will enjoy it a lot more. I’m looking forward to whatever Wilsner comes up with next. I just didn't like that aspect. I may be completely off base with this too, but to me it seemed like Grace was experienced and confident and then she would have these interactions with Phoebe that felt like she had never talked to another human before. I would recommend this for any romance reader that likes a bit of sports and teamwork in a story. And passion, because that’s included as well as an hea. Goodreads, "A Look Ahead at This Year's Big Fall Romances" and "Readers' Most Anticipated September Romances" Hi, is this Phoebe Matthews?” The voice is accented—Phoebe doesn’t know enough about the UK—Great Britain? the British Isles? whatever it’s called—to place it exactly.

But don't worry, Pheobe annoyed me, too! Out of nowhere bitching people out for not telling her that they might be eating out and how "some people have to budget" like.. I get it, yes, expectations should be set but also I feel like this could've been discussed in a more tactful way? I don't know. It really rubbed me wrong somehow. And all the dirty talk.. ugh, I know, sapphics deserve dirty talk too but honestly I'm over it when it happens in most romances no matter if it's hetero or m/m or what. So that's a me thing. Over a series of increasingly personal encounters, the two women end up becoming friends. More specifically, friends with very incredibly hot benefits. Meryl Wilsner is a go-to author for sapphic reads." - Culturess, "10 queer romance releases to keep Pride Month going in 2023" Cleat Cute is a fun, sexy read about two women falling in love regardless of what stands in their way." - The Mary Sue 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.When the dollar isn’t smugly returned, Phoebe pumps both hands above her head in victory. She jams her index finger against buttons with only vague outlines of C and 4 left after years of use, and peanut M&Ms plummet to the bottom of the machine. Cleat Cute features a well-developed romance, with plenty of miscommunication causing tension and growth, however, for me, my reaction to it throughout was mixed.

Cleat Cute’s Sapphic Soccer Romance Will Fill the World Cup-Shaped Hole in Your Heart." - Autostraddle

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While I enjoyed the plot and premise of this sapphic sports romance, the writing let me down. The whole story was told in third person and had a crazy amount of internal monologue that was often repetitive and left me wanting more. Because of the writing, I had a hard time connecting with the characters and struggled to immerse myself in their relationship. Despite that, I loved learning about soccer and the found family vibes from the team! While this book may not be for me, I definitely see the potential and think Cleat Cute would work very well for someone who likes third person and internal monologue. Grace Henderson has been a star of the US Women's National Team since she was 16. But when she's side-lined with an injury at just 26, 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 has lost somewhere along the way. The last thing Grace expects is to become friends-with-benefits with this class clown. New adult romance is not a regular genre for me as I don’t appreciate the angst or roller coaster confidence issues. I was pleasantly surprised by the two women and their specific personalities as they kept their professional lives separate from their personal issues. Phoebe kept her joy of playing front and center even while other parts of her life were chaotic. A frothy blend of heart, humor, and steam, this story about accepting love and embracing the unexpected will stay with readers far beyond its happily ever after. A vibrant, intoxicating romance." - Ashley Herring Blake, author of Delilah Green Doesn't Care