Two Left Feet

A Novel

By: Kallie Emblidge

Narrated by: Joe Jameson, Kallie Emblidge

A Premier League football star must defend his roster spot—and his heart—when a threateningly talented and handsome midfielder joins his team in this utterly charming debut romance, a profound love letter to the world’s most popular sport.

Oliver Harris is football royalty in London. Ordinarily the star of the Camden Roses is calm, cool, and collected, keeping his club relevant with his prowess in the midfield and his mighty left foot. But this season, the threats abound: There’s Camden’s management to contend with—complete with a prickly new Dutch coach, eager for better results—and a midseason injury, which sidelines him when his team needs him most. When a recruit is called up to fill in, Oliver fears he’ll be replaced. If he can mentor this younger talent, then they might just have a chance at winning, together.

After a string of lackluster performances in his native Spain, Leonardo Davies-Villanueva is looking for one last shot with the club he always dreamed of, where he once played in the youth academy. Oliver immediately finds confident, eager Leo irritating. He can barely go through the motions, let alone coach him, without outright hostility. When he comes to admire Leo’s skill and warms to his humor and energy, though, he begins to see Leo as a friend—and then, to his mounting horror, as something more.

Leo craves Oliver’s attention and partnership; Oliver can’t afford to fall in love with his teammate. He’s always kept a tight lid on his sexuality in a league that’s never had a player come out. As the season heats up, a lot more than football hangs in the balance. Can Oliver—and Leo—win when it counts most?

“An exuberant heart-squeeze of a book . . . Two Left Feet is the kind of joyful, hopeful story the romance genre was made for.”—Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of What Happens in Amsterdam

Critic reviews

“An exuberant heart-squeeze of a book . . . Kallie Emblidge writes with tremendous wit and empathy. Every character feels three-dimensional, the setting wholly immersive—both on and off the field. Two Left Feet is the kind of joyous, hopeful story the romance genre was made for.”—Rachel Lynn Solomon, New York Times bestselling author of What Happens in Amsterdam

“A fantastic, sharp, and witty debut . . . Two Left Feet is not one to miss!”—Hannah Bonam-Young, New York Times bestselling author of People Watching

Loved every minute!

Finished this book in two days, the audio equivalent of a page turner. Fell in love with the characters immediately; they felt so real, lovable but with flaws. I am neither queer nor a football fan, but I still felt swept up by the romance and the ups and downs of the game. The chosen narrator was fantastic too, with all the right intonations and accents for the different characters. I never felt pulled out of the story. Highly recommend!!

Two perfect hearts

I loved the characters in this story. They worked through their emotional issues and very real feelings of inadequacy and jealousy that were keeping them apart. Oliver and Leo were so cute and their journey was full of emotion but overall felt joyful. It had vibes of heated rivalry and had the same hopeful feeling. The author did a wonderful job creating a world where athletes face real decisions but with the balance of things could be better in fiction. This is just true feel good story.

Connectability with the characters

The book was a great read. It kept me immersed and wanting more. I couldn't stop listening to this book.