Cleat Cute

Author: Meryl Wilsner

ISBN: 9781250873309

Tags: Lesbian, Romance

* USA TODAY BESTSELLER *

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.

*Soon to be a TV show, produced by Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird.*

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 2023 October Indie Next Pick!

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

"This steamy opposites-attract romance from Wilsner is recommended for all collections." - Library Journal

"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

"[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

"This upcoming romance by Meryl Wilsner is everything I’ve ever wanted in a love story...Do not miss this book!" - Book Riot, "Books About Women’s Soccer to Read During the FIFA Women’s World Cup"

"Wilsner is one of the hottest contemporary f/f romance writers right now, and the anticipation for their latest scorcher is at a fever pitch... USWNT fans who shipped Kristie Mewis and Sam Kerr long before those two made it official: this one’s for you." - Electric Literature, "The Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Books for Fall 2023"

"Cleat Cute is a fun, sexy read about two women falling in love regardless of what stands in their way." - The Mary Sue

"Meryl Wilsner is a go-to author for sapphic reads." - Culturess, "10 queer romance releases to keep Pride Month going in 2023"

"For anyone in need of more sapphic soccer content post-World Cup, Meryl Wilsner's latest romantic venture, Cleat Cute, is sure to fulfill your craving." - PopSugar, "Best New Romance Novels That'll Make You Swoon"

"Wilsner is such a fun author to follow, because their debut was the slowest of the slow burns, and then bam, their followup was the spiciest of the spicy (within trad pub contemporary romance), and so Cleat Cute really could’ve gone either way… and gives a great compromise by making you think it’s gonna be the former and then. Whew. You will know it when you see it, and you will like it." - Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, "September 2023 Queer Romances"

"Cleat Cute’s Sapphic Soccer Romance Will Fill the World Cup-Shaped Hole in Your Heart." - Autostraddle