A review by immovabletype
Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner

Did not finish book. Stopped at 37%.

While I quite liked both protagonists, there was so, so much telling instead of showing - a lot of feels dumps - and that made it really difficult to invest in their relationship. The narrative is also very tightly focused on these two characters, specifically when they are together, like it's completely uninterested in exploring outside of those moments, but unfortunately that just makes those moments feel shallow and lacking context. Like I said, I liked the protagonists, and spending some time with them apart could've given more depth to the time they were together. I was also super interested in the soccer stuff, and the author clearly knows their stuff or did their research well, but I wanted even more, and the characters' world felt more like a hazy backdrop for their relationship rather than a lived in, bona fide setting.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review!