Cleat Cute

I'm three for three on Meryl Wilsner books, enjoying each one more than the last. As soon as I saw Cleat Cute on NetGalley, I knew I had to request it. I mean, I already know I have a book requesting problem as witnessed by my 42% feedback ratio but I have great intentions! Really. I do. My eyes are just bigger than my stomach when it comes to books. Okay, that doesn't really work here but you know what I mean...

So, I'm getting over a cold or flu type thing (still COVID free! *knocks on wood*) and fatigue is still kicking my butt. Perfect opportunity for sprawling out on the couch and propping the ereader up on a pillow for a few hours. And that's what I did for two full evenings reading Cleat Cute.

There aren't many books that have me glancing at the page count and dreading the end as it approaches because I'm loving the characters and want to spend so much more time with them that I'm going to be able to. This was definitely one of them. I loved both Phoebe and Grace and I loved them together. And the morning after finishing the book, I miss them.

I'm not gonna lie, there were a couple points in the book where I grimaced or scratched my head because there was an action or misunderstanding that just didn't seem to fit or was out of the blue or illogical to me. There was some information that was repeated a bit too much for my taste. It wasn't perfect. But I loved it.

Here's something that reading Wilsner's books has made me think about: specific words when related to romance novels, sex, and my reactions to them. I've always been averse to the use of what could be considered more crass language when it comes to a romance novel. Erotica has it's own rules and I'm prepared for that. But reading words like "cunt" or "tits" in a sex scene in a vanilla romance novel throws me. They're not words I associate with romance. But after three Wilsner books, I've come to realize that I'm the one with the problem. I used to have the same reaction to the word queer but now embrace it. So I'm working on doing the same thing with cunt and tits and pussy (I've always had a tough time with that last one). Thank you Ms. Wilsner for helping to open my mind a bit.

I do want to mention that there were some passages that I had to highlight because they just struck me, either because I thought they were beautiful or because the were hilarious. Cleat Cute will definitely be a re-read/funk reading list book.

Also, I'm not a big soccer fan so I didn't understand some of the terminology but I got the gist and it definitely didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book.

At least a 4.5 rounded up. Maybe 4.75? It's not perfect but damn close for me. It's not out until September but put it on your TBR list now please.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for giving me a copy of this great romance.

**Update for the audiobook version!**
I read Cleat Cute via an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley and loved it. When I saw that the audiobook was listed on NetGalley, I debated for a few minutes. Not long, but I did think it through. Should I be greedy and request the audiobook? Should I be happy with the ebook and not take a copy possibly away from someone who hasn't already fallen in love with Phoebe and Grace? Probably. But in the end, obviously, I decided I wanted to see how it translates to audio for myself. And when it comes to books, I am really greedy. Don't judge me! If you're reading reviews, you probably are too. So there.

Anyway, I still loved the story. And I mostly loved the audio. I totally loved the voice actor who did the chapters from Phoebe's POV. She had the perfect speed and tone and I also preferred her voicing of Grace. The voice actor who did Grace's chapters was fine, I guess. Her tone and speed were slower and more mellow which was a great distinction between the two personalities involved. What I didn't enjoy was some of her pacing. Extra long pauses for apparently no reason, for example. Maybe she was really working those comma pauses or had some other reason for them but it didn't work for me.

Initially, I loved the idea of two narrators for the individual POVs but by halfway through, I was wishing there had only been the one. Again, still loved the story so whether a reader chooses eyeball or ear reading, they should be good to go. For my next read, I'll definitely go with eyeballs. Or maybe text-to-speech since I'm one of those people whose brain comes up with voices that are translated from the computerized one. Yep, I'm a lucky woman!

Thank you so much to the publisher for spoiling me with a second version of this lovely book. Now I've got to wait for the next Wilsner book...

Cleat Cute is officially my first sports center book( I think). It was a fun read; I found my personality most matched Grace's character. And Phoebe's character was lovable. Especially since she was so open and down to earth. I liked the ending but felt my rating slipped from 4 stars to 3.75 because of how the discussion of ADHD came out of nowhere around the 80% mark. Yes, I could see it and tell her character had it but it wasn't a big deal in my eyes for it to be a critical aspect of the story. The star of this book was Grace as he character changed the most as being with Phoebe held ease her out of shell more.

Grace is annoying.
I wouldn't have had the patience.

Predictable, but in a cute way. A good page-turner if you’re needing a quick read that will make your heart warm. The character progression and evolution alone is worth the read.