Cleat Cute

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The undiagnosed ADHD is discussed more and I think that that was better representation but even that wasn't stellar for me. It was like the conflict needed to be there and we were going to make it happen no matter how out of place it seemed.

I get it, yes, expectations should be set but also I feel like this could've been discussed in a more tactful way? m. at night after getting off the flight with her fully packed suitcase and forces Grace to talk about it. And I get that this was a moment of ADHD impulsivity but it was wild to me that there's never an apology. Like actually upset that Phoebe wasn't flirting with her anymore and was showing someone else attention.This is Wilsner's third adult romance novel and it is another of theirs that I will be recommending until the cows come home. The autistic cat girlfriend/ADHD golden retriever girlfriend dynamic was so much fun to read and like their last book, Mistakes Were Made, there is no third act break-up in Cleat Cute! The “baby girl” vibe we got starting early on is never hot though 😭 I just don’t like it and it was said way too often too quickly. But it turns into a situation where anytime there could have been drama or angst or an opportunity for a conversation, one of them is horny and they have sex. The joy you take in playing soccer is infectious, and reminded me that I used to feel like that, too.

Sadly, that overarching style of storytelling was detrimental to the point of losing an entire star, possibly more. It's always good to see those depicted and having some consequence in the story, not just depicted as an inconsequential personality trait; those who struggle with these sort of things know just how much it can affect your life, so I appreciate when neurodiversities aren't played down in a story. One character has ADHD and the other is likely somewhere on the spectrum (introverted, overly structured, struggles with social cues, etc).Phoebe Matthews has always admired Grace’s skill and was star struck to be training alongside her idol. The last thing Grace expects is to become friends with benefits with this class clown she sees as her rival.

Because of the writing, I had a hard time connecting with the characters and struggled to immerse myself in their relationship. Phoebe Matthews has always admired Grace’s skill and was starstruck to be training alongside her idol. The sportsball stuff aside - I am a lesbian who doesn't care for sports but this one made me want to go watch a game just for the lesbians of it all. Phoebe is everything Grace isn’t – a gregarious jokester who plays with a joy that Grace has lost somewhere along the way. The misunderstandings were a not altogether annoying plot device as they were caused by their respective neurodivergencies, so no complaints there.

I get that these sort of thought patterns could be due to their conditions, but for my part, the author took it too far. I did like this book, especially that it has a lot of intimacy scenes, but for me it was definitely lacking emotion. There’s still conflict, but it’s so nice to not have that definitive “oh god something has to go terribly wrong in the next few chapters” feeling hanging over your head as you approach the 75% mark. I can't put my finger on exactly what was missing, but this was not the epic soccer romance I was expecting. Also there were a good amount of problems that needed to be fixed but the book just ended without acknowledging them or fixing them.