The Book:
Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner
Published: September 19, 2023 by Griffin
Date read: September 7, 2023
The Characters:
Grace and Phoebe
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The Plot (from Goodreads):
Grace Henderson has been a star of the US Women’s National Team for ten years, even though she’s only 26. But when she’s sidelined with an injury, 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 lost somewhere along the way. The last thing Grace expects is to become friends with benefits with this class clown she sees as her rival.
Phoebe Matthews has always admired Grace’s skill and was star struck to be training alongside her idol. But she quickly finds herself looking at Grace as more than a mere teammate. After one daring kiss, she’s hooked. Grace is everything she has been waiting to find.
As the World Cup approaches, and Grace works her way back from injury, the women decide to find a way they can play together instead of vying for the same position. Except, when they are off the field, Grace is worried she’s catching feelings while Phoebe thinks they are dating. As the tension between them grows, will both players realize they care more about their relationship than making the roster?
My Review:
Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Cleat Cute was so adorable. Meryl Wilsner is a gem!
This is an opposites attract, grumpy sunshine sapphic sports romance–all tropes that worked so well together!
Phoebe and Grace were both great MCs, and I’d be hard-pressed to pick a favorite. They had great chemistry, and I loved how Pheobe pushed Grace’s buttons. I loved how they both approached their relationships in different ways and (sort of) balanced each other out.
This book is STEAMY and I adored it! Wilsner’s sex scenes are always so well-written. Other than “baby girl” as a pet name, everything else worked for me–especially the first scene in the locker room.
There’s also some well-handled neurodivergent rep in this book, on the pre-diagnosis side. I enjoyed seeing how the diagnosis came to be, and would have liked to see it explored a little earlier.
Cleat Cute will have you smiling the whole time. It’s definitely one I recommend!
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For more WLW books, check out this list.
For more sports romances, check out this list.
