Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - Cleat Cute

Phoebe gets recruited by the soccer team on which her idol and long-time crush from afar, Grace is captain. After a bad first impression, they quickly end up starting a friends-with-benefits relationship that turns into something more.
I really enjoyed this sapphic rom-com. I think part of the reason is I'm a mix of the Pheobe and Grace. ADHD, introvert, neurospicy. So, their unique and neurospicy relationship was highly relatable. I'm glad those types of characters are finally being written.
From the little I know about soccer; the writer did their research! There was some technical talk of the game and it sounded correct, at least to my untrained ear.
Overall an excellent romance with a good mix of humor and emotional elements. As well as a diverse cast of lovable characters! I'd love to see a sequel with another character from the cast as an MC.

Extra ratings: Fluff- 2/5 Heartfelt- 4/5 Helpful-NA Horror- NA Inspiration- NA Love- 5/5 Mystery-NA Predictability- 4.5/5 Spice- 3.5/5 Suspense- NA Tear 0.5/5 Thrill- NA Humor- 3.5/5

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annahamburger's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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shaipanda's review against another edition

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funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Omgggg I absolutely fucking devoured this book and loved ittt. I will say if the miscommunication trope annoys you this might not be the book for you cause it has a lott of it that got kinda infuriating at times but that was literally my only complaint
I loved the characters, loved the character development, loved the story just ugh omg they were so cuteee

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wilybooklover's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

Now that's how you do miscommunication. Grace and Phoebe don't just wilfully misunderstand each other after overhearing two sentences of a conversation without context or straight-up refuse to talk to each other. They just genuinely keep getting their wires crossed and always in a way that makes sense with their personalities and the fact that they're both neurodivergent, but undiagnosed. Speaking of: I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult and really enjoyed the ADHD rep in this book. I particularly felt as though the portrayal of Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria was just spot on and very true-to-life. I can't speak on the autism portrayal, but I certainly related to Grace's anxious, introverted nature.

I just loved how Grace and Phoebe were so kind and caring to each other, even when they were trying to keep things casual. They fight and disagree but always take care not to be intentionally hurtful. They make space for one another in their lives, support and advocate for each other. And the hair braiding scenes were so sexy! The sports aspect was utilised very well; it's a strong element of the book and important to the characters, but remains as backdrop rather than taking over the plot and requiring the reader to look up details.

It did drag a little in the middle and feel a bit rushed at the end. I always feel a bit shortchanged when the couple reconciles/clears the air in the final chapter without any time to let it settle and let us see them happily together before the epilogue. One more chapter — them out as a couple amongst their teammates or meeting Grace's family, perhaps — would have gone a long way. And I'm just not a fan of the baby girl nickname, even coming from a woman. But these are minor complaints!

Love the cover as well. The thighs on Grace!!

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readers_sea's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Grace and Phoebe were such a treat!

This one was such an easy listen, that I didn't even realize how fast I was getting through it.

Both characters had their personalities that were quite different from each other. Grace was very serious and took her career in soccer as if it were her life and Phoebe was new to the professional world of soccer! Grace was the team captain, while Phoebe was the rookie from a small town that no one had heard of.

At first, it didn't seem like they would fit. They were completely different from each other in all aspects. From how they presented themselves to their humor, it shouldn't have worked but for them it did.

This book truly had me laughing and rooting for them! They didn't quite understand each other at first but quickly discovered that they enjoyed the other's company. Overall, such a fun book that also touches on sensitive and serious topics. There were some topics that I wish we had a bit more closure and answers on, but I still enjoyed it.

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dogoodwithbooks's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

When Phoebe Matthews gets the opportunity to try out for the U.S. Women’s World Cup Team after getting drafted in the first round of the AWSA, she feels that her hard work is finally paying off. Meanwhile, U.S. soccer legend Grace Henderson is burnt out over her decade-long career and is grudgingly placed on the sidelines after getting injured. As Phoebe is placed as Grace’s replacement, the two try to work together in order for both of them to make the World Cup and if their relationship can be something more.

I thought Cleat Cute for the most part was okay. This is my first time reading Wilsner’s work and her writing style was good. Along with having an interesting plot, Wilsner’s writing does keep you engaged in the characters, even if you’re not a huge soccer fan. Phoebe and Grace were good MCs and I liked how Wilsner used a third-person dual POV to explore their character development with their own moments for growth.

Personally, as a #ActuallyAutistic book reviewer, I really appreciate the neurodivergent representation in Cleat Cute and it was one of the reasons why I was interested in reading this book. In the book, Phoebe is diagnosed with ADHD and Grace is believed to be Autistic (never really confirmed in the book). I thought that Wilsner did a good job with accurately portraying Grace and Phoebe, and I feel that this book can resonate with neurodivergent readers.

Though I don’t know if I would read this book again, Cleat Cute is a good choice for readers who are looking for a queer sports rom-com with neurodivergent leads.

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bookishmillennial's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

disclaimer if you’ve read other reviews by me and are noticing a pattern: You’re correct that I don’t really give starred reviews because I don’t like leaving them. Most often, I will only leave them if I vehemently despised a book.I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all.

Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not, regardless if I add stars or not.Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial

Premise:
-contemporary fictional romcom set in New Orleans, Louisiana (but begins in Indiana)
-dual third-person limited perspectives of main characters
-22-year-old Phoebe Matthews is about to join the New Orleans women's soccer team & it's her first season as a professional soccer player!
-26-year-old US Women's National Team legend Grace Henderson loses a bet during a drills session and has to kiss Phoebe (a penalty thought of by her teammate and secret ex, Kelsey)
-Phoebe struggles with time management, while Grace navigates panic attacks and tries to hide her hip injury and brushes it off as "her body getting older"
-tropes: friends-with-benefits, miscommunication, workplace romance, forced proximity, grumpy x sunshine
-steam: 3.5/5 - Meryl just *knows* how to write delectable steamy scenes
-cw: mental health struggles, ableism, injury, bullying, toxic relationship, panic attacks, classism

Thoughts:
I am absolutely in my sports romance era and this hit the spot!!! Meryl Wilsner strikes AGAIN! They can do no wrong, I said what I said!

Meryl wrote Grace's character and arc so perfectly. I know SO MANY people like Grace, who do not prioritize themselves, and constantly brush off their pain or deem their situations as easy to work around, when all it's doing is inadvertently causing them harm. The worst part is that they don't even recognize that they're not being kind to themselves? It's sad and it's exhausting to watch someone treat themselves this way.

I loved that Grace had to re-examine what prioritizing her emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing meant. So many millennials experience occupational existential angst, because many of us tied our self-worth to our career trajectories, and once the curtain dropped, we were left with having to re-learn who we were WITHOUT that job/career/degree. Grace has to rediscover what she actually enjoys about her job, and then how to enforce boundaries around that. GO OFF BABYYY!

Another piece of this book that was handled with so much care was Phoebe's journey with her undiagnosed neurodivergence! From the very beginning, Meryl gives us subtle hints and glimpses, and I think it worked really well! I also just adored the general spunkiness and initiative that Phoebe had with exploring a brand new city. Sure, she was perceived by her teammates as a wide-eyed ingenue, but her curiosity and enthusiasm was genuine and refreshing to see. She wasn't too cool for anything, and since she hadn't traveled much before, she was framing living somewhere new as an opportunity to explore and learn.

Overall, this has become another favorite by Meryl for me and I simply adore the way they flesh out characters' motivations, backstories, and fears. And omgoodness do they know how to write swoon-worthy romance!!!

Quotations that stood out to me:

But being a public figure is hard enough. A celebrity. A role model. She gives so much of herself to her fans, and gives all of herself to her teams. Her identity is hers alone.

She hopes Grace will show tomorrow. She can’t get enough of her. That smooth skin and those angry eyes—or not angry, exactly, but alert. Wary. That’s what Grace Henderson is: wary. Phoebe loves winning people over. That’s why she enjoys being around Grace so much. Phoebe likes to succeed, but it’s always more fun with a challenge.

Grace tries to come off so prickly—like, that nickname is probably supposed to be rude and patronizing, but how could Grace Henderson giving her a nickname be anything but amazing? And Grace is paying attention. She cares enough to figure this out.

Phoebe has always had a lot of game. Not in the soccer sense—or not just in soccer sense—but in the flirting sense. It’s one of her favorite hobbies. It’s fun to figure out how to flirt with different people. Phoebe can woo someone with compliments or by laughing at their jokes or even by pretending to be a damsel in distress.

“For someone who claims they’re not a local, you’re pretty uppity about your NOLA restaurant opinions.”

Grace is jealous and doesn’t want to admit it or maybe doesn’t even know and Phoebe absolutely wants to make fun of her for it.

Matthews kisses like she flirts, like she plays, like she seems to live: as though she has never experienced a moment of self-doubt.

Phoebe just doesn’t want to fuck things up with her. She doesn’t wanna fuck things up with anyone on the team, but especially not the captain, and especially not the captain she had excellent sex with a week ago.

He isn’t wrong, but she wishes he saw her as more than a soccer player. Maybe she can spend her time off the field figuring out how to see herself as more than a soccer player.

Grace takes care of everyone. She checks in with everyone, every practice. And she certainly doesn’t have to do this for Phoebe. She does a lot for Phoebe she doesn’t have to do—shows her around the city, buys her meals even when they haven’t bet on them, tells her the wrong time for a workout so Phoebe won’t be late. It makes Phoebe want to take care of Grace, too.

Grace always acts like she’s ancient instead of simply admitting people get injured sometimes. It’s like she’s decided that and refuses to change her mind, no matter what Phoebe or Dawn or anyone else says.

It just makes me mad that you act like you being hurt doesn’t matter. You matter.

But for the first time in a long time, Phoebe wants to try.

“It’s not bad to feel things with your whole heart or do things you want to do.

It’s very hard to stay mad at someone while they quite literally yell at you about how much they love the things you hate about yourself.

She’s still herself—particular and introverted—but something’s different. Like she used to have an exoskeleton but she grew out of it, and now there’s nothing to protect her.

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rickireadss's review against another edition

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2.5

thank you to netgalley the earc!

wow, what a let down. this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023 and i was so pumped to recieve an ARC - but this just fell so flat for me. warning: there are spoilers in this review, so read it at your own risk. you have been warned.

first, there was WAY too much inner monologue. i wish i knew the inner monologue vs. actions & dialogue breakdown because i just KNOW the inner monologue is way higher.

second, while there was disability rep in this (one fmc with autism, one fmc with ADHD), the way it was handled was just icky to me almost. the way grace just *assumed* phoebe a) had ADHD, b) had a diagnosis, and c) took medicine for it rubbed me VERY VERY wrong. like i had the chills because it felt so wrong. AND THEN, the fact that grace didn't even come around to her diagnosis of autism until the verrrrry end of the book felt like it was just kinda tossed in. like both of their characters felt ADHD- and autistic-coded, but the way it wasn't officially said on page/acknowledged until the end - i just didn't like that.

third, the miscommunication made me want to throw the book SEVERAL times. i am not an absolute hater of the miscommunication trope, but this book overdid it way too much. LIKE JUST TALK DAMN IT, you are f*cking adults.

fourth and final, i could not feel ANY chemistry between phoebe and grace besides the fact that they wanted in each other's pants. like zero, zilch, NADA romantic chemistry, and i just didn't believe they were actually gonna stay or end up together.

honestly, it is a bummer that this one didn't hit like i wanted it to, because i LOVE meryl's other books and their writing style + this one was a SOCCER ROMANCE?!?!!? that's my favorite sport to read romances on ESPECIALLY when it's sapphic. so yeah, i don't recommend, but it may work for you.

⚠️: mental illness, ableism, bullying, alcohol, toxic relationship, panic attacks/disorders, injury/injury detail

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