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aspiringcowboy 's review for:
Cleat Cute
by Meryl Wilsner
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
deeply, deeply disappointing. i was so hoping to enjoy this since i've been desperate for some soccer media featuring lgbt characters so it sucks that i hated this as much as i did, but i just have so many issues and i honestly don't even know how to approach all of them, so i guess i'll just start:
- the most glaring issue is the writing. it's very amateur and stilted; the character voices are juvenile and a lot of the conversations regarding identity don't feel natural at all. the descriptions are lacking, the setting is underused. i get that the main focus is the romance but the fact that the soccer is so boring is disappointing
- i kept forgetting that the main characters are supposed to be fully grown adults because they act like teenagers. i don't know if it was just because the author was trying to keep things "lighthearted" or what but they were incredibly annoying and childish. the book hinges on miscommunication, which i despise, and it just happens over and over again because neither of them want to actually talk about their feelings. it was really annoying how so much of it tried to be justified by diagnosing the characters as ADHD and autistic because then it just felt like playing into stereotypes. YES, a lot of their characterizations could reasonably be classified as symptoms, but when the entire character hinges on those symptoms, it feels like a caricature
- overall, the identity rep was just... not fun to read. it feels too clinical in parts and in others just not like how people would talk about themselves at all. this book definitely suffers from not only "therapy speak" but from tumblr speak; i did find myself wondering if wilsner has ever actually interacted with gay communities outside of the internet multiple times because of the way they write a lot of the dialogue. the most egregious aspect for me is the passage where phoebe laments about how "saying queer is a slur is terf rhetoric" and then goes on a tangent about how 'important' it is for trans people to be represented and that "it's a word that represents trans inclusion" (and the trans characters in this book feel, like everyone else, stereotypes, so that's fun). but this absolutely devastated me to read. i absolutely hate this idea that's sprung up on the internet recently that any discussion of the very real and VERY harmful history of "queer" as a slur is somehow terf rhetoric. i am trans. it's a word that was exclusively used against me throughout middle school and high school. it's a word i STILL hear irl used as a slur. to have people say that approaching it as a slur is somehow "terf rhetoric" makes me feel so isolated and alone and like i'm being trans wrong. i understand people who use it and i believe it's their right to reclaim it if they want but i cannot identify with it and i never will so the concept that it's supposed to 'include' me in a community when it's being used when i feel nothing but exclusion when people solely use it to refer to the lgbt community really makes me feel like i'm somehow wrong, and it's a horrible feeling. it is a slur. that is undeniable. just because some people choose to use it does not mean it represents everyone.
- the miscommunication is so uncomfortable and honestly i just can't buy that these people care about each other, much less finally sort their shit out and get into a relationship because of it. maybe that's solely a me issue, i get it's a big trope in romance, but it feels so poorly written to have the characters be in-a-relationship-but-not-because-they-don't-talk for like. the entire book. the issue doesn't get cleared up until the LAST chapter. it is painful to read.
this had so much potential in the beginning, but as it went on, more and more issues arose and honestly i'm just glad it's over now
- the most glaring issue is the writing. it's very amateur and stilted; the character voices are juvenile and a lot of the conversations regarding identity don't feel natural at all. the descriptions are lacking, the setting is underused. i get that the main focus is the romance but the fact that the soccer is so boring is disappointing
- i kept forgetting that the main characters are supposed to be fully grown adults because they act like teenagers. i don't know if it was just because the author was trying to keep things "lighthearted" or what but they were incredibly annoying and childish. the book hinges on miscommunication, which i despise, and it just happens over and over again because neither of them want to actually talk about their feelings. it was really annoying how so much of it tried to be justified by diagnosing the characters as ADHD and autistic because then it just felt like playing into stereotypes. YES, a lot of their characterizations could reasonably be classified as symptoms, but when the entire character hinges on those symptoms, it feels like a caricature
- overall, the identity rep was just... not fun to read. it feels too clinical in parts and in others just not like how people would talk about themselves at all. this book definitely suffers from not only "therapy speak" but from tumblr speak; i did find myself wondering if wilsner has ever actually interacted with gay communities outside of the internet multiple times because of the way they write a lot of the dialogue. the most egregious aspect for me is the passage where phoebe laments about how "saying queer is a slur is terf rhetoric" and then goes on a tangent about how 'important' it is for trans people to be represented and that "it's a word that represents trans inclusion" (and the trans characters in this book feel, like everyone else, stereotypes, so that's fun). but this absolutely devastated me to read. i absolutely hate this idea that's sprung up on the internet recently that any discussion of the very real and VERY harmful history of "queer" as a slur is somehow terf rhetoric. i am trans. it's a word that was exclusively used against me throughout middle school and high school. it's a word i STILL hear irl used as a slur. to have people say that approaching it as a slur is somehow "terf rhetoric" makes me feel so isolated and alone and like i'm being trans wrong. i understand people who use it and i believe it's their right to reclaim it if they want but i cannot identify with it and i never will so the concept that it's supposed to 'include' me in a community when it's being used when i feel nothing but exclusion when people solely use it to refer to the lgbt community really makes me feel like i'm somehow wrong, and it's a horrible feeling. it is a slur. that is undeniable. just because some people choose to use it does not mean it represents everyone.
- the miscommunication is so uncomfortable and honestly i just can't buy that these people care about each other, much less finally sort their shit out and get into a relationship because of it. maybe that's solely a me issue, i get it's a big trope in romance, but it feels so poorly written to have the characters be in-a-relationship-but-not-because-they-don't-talk for like. the entire book. the issue doesn't get cleared up until the LAST chapter. it is painful to read.
this had so much potential in the beginning, but as it went on, more and more issues arose and honestly i'm just glad it's over now
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content