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?
Source: Goodreads
Book Review:
Cleat Cute
Series: No
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ 4.5/5
Spice: 3/5
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This was my first Meryl Wilsner read and it won’t be my last!
Grace and Phoebe are total opposites: Grace is the veteran, grumpy, soccer star team captain, and Phoebe is bubbly, ambitious and fresh to the pro world.
While the miscommunication in this book may be frustrating for some, it made complete sense for these two.
I loved the diversity in this book, especially with the main characters. It wasn’t a main focus, but they were both neurodivergent, Phoebe with ADHD (making her chapters a little chaotic) and Grace most likely on the Autism spectrum.
My hesitation giving this 5⭐️ is just small things that bugged me – the nickname “baby girl” just creeps me out, and all the characters (main and sides) had so many nicknames. This was especially confusing since it’s written in 3rd person POV.
As for the audiobook, I enjoyed one narrator and not so much the other one unfortunately.
What you’ll find in Cleat Cute:
⚽️ Opposites attract
⚽️ Sapphic romance (FF)
⚽️ Soccer – Captain & Rookie
⚽️ Friends with benefits
⚽️ Grumpy sunshine
⚽️ LGBTQ+
⚽️ Neurodiverse MCs
⚽️ No 3rd act breakup
⚽️ Dual POV/3rd person
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press Romance and Macmillan Audio for advanced copies to review. All opinions are my own!