Cleat Cute

A Novel

By: Meryl Wilsner

Narrated by: Dana Varden, Zim Avaltrades

A sapphic rivals to lovers rom com for fans of Ted Lasso and A League of Their Own, where two soccer teammates are at odds before falling in love as their team gears up for the World Cup.

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. 22-year-old 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 teammates with benefits with this class clown she sees as her rival.

Phoebe Matthews is too focused on her first season as a professional soccer player to think about seducing her longtime idol. But when Grace ends up making the first move, they can’t keep their hands off of each other.

As the World Cup approaches and Grace works her way back from injury, a miscommunication leaves the women with hilariously different perspectives on their relationship. But they’re on the same page on the field, realizing they can play together instead of vying for the same position. With every tackle the tension between them grows, and both players soon have to decide what's more important—being together or making the roster.

The perfect blend of funny and steamy, Meryl Wilsner’s Cleat Cute is about being brave enough to win on and off the field.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2023 Meryl Wilsner (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

Bookish, "15 Swoonworthy Queer Romances for Your TBR"

Buzzfeed, "25 New and Upcoming LGBTQ Romance Novels You’ve Got to Read"

"Zim Avaltrades narrates from the perspective of 26-year-old soccer veteran Grace Henderson, and Dana Varden portrays 22-year-old rookie Phoebe Matthews. Henderson and Matthews find themselves playing for the same team, in more ways than one.... Avaltrades's portrayal of Phoebe matches the same boisterous quality used by her co-narrator, whose energetic delivery fits Phoebe's extroverted temperament." (AudioFile)

"Wilsner breaks new ground with a sporty twist on the meet-cute trope...Fans of the popular Apple TV show Ted Lasso and the classic sporty romance film Bend It Like Beckham will cheer for this sexy sapphic romcom that fills a gap in the heretofore male-dominated sports-romance genre."—Booklist

"Wilsner makes this sports romance a winner."—Publishers Weekly

"[A] delightfully steamy sapphic romance...class differences are deftly handled throughout, the city setting is vibrant, and there are several secondary characters who shine; most importantly, the romantic journey at the center is fun and entertaining."—Kirkus

Not my favorite

Overall, not my favorite of Wilsner’s. I wish I’d listened to a sample before purchasing, because I feel like the performance was part of my problem here. The voices just did not do it for me, and I found myself annoyed more often than not.

Characters were hard to root for

It was fine. The characters were both annoying for different reasons. Hard to finish and hard to root for them to fall in love.

Nailed it, Meryl

The neurodivergent representation in this book was an absolute delight. Meryl Wilsner does such a good job writing characters the reader can see themselves in. And the balance of story and spice in this one was a treat. Not to mention how well she captured the world of women’s sports.

Athletic girls love story

Cute story likely common within many athletic girls sports teams. The fear of love affecting the trajectory of one’s personal goals is universal.

Surprisingly good!

I thought this would be a fluffy little thing but it was surprisingly good. And kinda spicy which was also a nice surprise. My favorite part though is probably the autistic and adhd representation. I feel like I learned a little something about myself.