Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks) | Cleat Cute: A Novel

Cleat Cute: A Novel

Meryl Wilsner

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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.

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Posts about this title from Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks)

Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks)\ \ Alex (he/him/his)\ \ • Jul 29

Every Book I Read for Pride Month 📚🏳️‍🌈 (12 Books) | June Reading Wrap Up #booktube

Every book I read for Pride Month!

Become a paid member for as low as $5 on Bindery to help support my dream of having my own publishing imprint dedicated to publishing queer and trans books. Receive personalized book recs, access to my private Discord where I run a monthly themed book club, and exclusive content every week. Join me on Bindery: https://geni.us/VTzYba

THE BOOKS Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White: https://geni.us/sGJhm https://andrewjosephwhite.com/content-warnings%3A-hfwu This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone: https://geni.us/iXVaumj Clementine by Tillie Walden: https://geni.us/9ba8oOm Project Nought by Chelsey Furedi: https://geni.us/dTULXkb Heartstopper Vol 1 by Alice Oseman: https://geni.us/eehf4NW Heartstopper Vol 2 by Alice Oseman: https://geni.us/20Jt2Ty Sounds Fake but Okay by Kayla Kaszyca, Sarah Costello: https://geni.us/B9jl A Quick & Easy Guide to Asexuality by Molly Muldoon, Will Hernandez: https://geni.us/7FBBm A Tale of Two Florists by Brenna Bailey: https://geni.us/hnZwOu Self Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore, narrated by Kyla Garcia, Avi Roque: https://geni.us/SZkbgHR Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner; narrated by Dana Varden & Zim Avaltrades: https://geni.us/93o1 Loading...the Machine Child by T.T. Madden: https://geni.us/q6fEo

★ WATCH MORE ★ QLR Vlog: https://youtu.be/-EVBYT462Wg Spinner Wheel Vlog: https://youtu.be/WcHP66O-G\_w 50+ trans book recs: https://youtu.be/fzW6vQqUuWw

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◼ ABOUT ME ◼ Hi, I'm Alex! I'm a trans guy who reads a lot of queer books. On my YouTube channel, I share queer book recommendations, and creative, themed reading vlogs. Thanks for stopping by! If you like queer books as much as I do, subscribe to the channel.

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▶︎ Chapters 00:00 every book i read for pride month 00:32 Hell followed with us 04:27 time war 06:57 clementine 08:08 project nought 11:27 heartstopper re-read 11:49 queer lit readathon 12:19 sounds fake but ok 15:00 BINDERY 17:41 A Tale of Two Florists 22:01 Cleat Cute 24:38 Loading the machine child 26:34 Thanks for watching!

12 books

Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks)\ \ Alex (he/him/his)\ \ • Jul 22

Reading Queer Books Until I Get a Bingo 🌈 | Queer Lit Readathon Round 17 Reading Vlog

Can I get bingo before Pride Month ends? Follow me throughout the last week of Pride Month while I read queer books to get bingo for the Queer Lit Readathon!

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Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks)\ \ Alex (he/him/his)\ \ • Jun 28

(Weekly Newsletter) The Paperback Post | WEEK OF 06/28/2026

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Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks)\ \ Alex (he/him/his)\ \ • Jun 28

The Paperback Post + | Week of 6/28/2026

Weekly newsletter for this week!

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Posts about this book from across Bindery

Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks)\ \ Alex (he/him/his)\ \ • Jul 29

Every book I read for Pride Month!

★ WATCH MORE ★ QLR Vlog: https://youtu.be/-EVBYT462Wg Spinner Wheel Vlog: https://youtu.be/WcHP66O-G\_w 50+ trans book recs: https://youtu.be/fzW6vQqUuWw

Like the music? Find my playlist with the music I've used here: https://share.epidemicsound.com/zznl74/?playlist=8lhng0lg3939l3wa36hu8ahcnm64h6xu

For business inquiries: alex[at]pucksandpaperbacks[dot]com

Current Sub Count as of Upload Time: 3,714

Note: I do not give books star ratings. It's just a personal preference of mine. In all of my videos, I just review the books.

12 books

Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks)\ \ Alex (he/him/his)\ \ • Jul 22

Can I get bingo before Pride Month ends? Follow me throughout the last week of Pride Month while I read queer books to get bingo for the Queer Lit Readathon!

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Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks)\ \ Alex (he/him/his)\ \ • Jun 28

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(Weekly Newsletter) The Paperback Post | WEEK OF 06/28/2026

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Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks)\ \ Alex (he/him/his)\ \ • Jun 28

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The Paperback Post + | Week of 6/28/2026

Weekly newsletter for this week!

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Sunny's Book Truck\ \ CJ\ \ • Jun 21

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[Hi nerds,\ \ Last night we held our recurring event, Sunny's Salon. This month the prompt was to come prepared to talk about your favorite queer read for Pride month. Below you will find 20ish book recommendations gathered from the Yuma community.\ \ \ \

The Song of Achilles: A thrilling, profoundly moving, and utterly unique retelling of the legend of Achilles and the Trojan War from the bestselling author of Circe.\ \
Homosexual Intifada: A groundbreaking anthology amplifying queer Palestinian voices through art and storytelling that reclaim identity, resist erasure, and challenge stereotypes.\ \
Muñeca: A vivid, surreal Gothic about a queer, Latine, working class witch who sets out to rescue a bespelled heiress and loses control of her powers and her heart in the process.\ \
Cleat Cute: 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.\ \
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe: The award-winning, internationally renowned book that is a “tender, honest exploration of identity” ( Publishers Weekly) and distills lyrical truths about family and friendship through the unlikely connection between two teens.\ \
Dogs of Summer: My Brilliant Friend meets Blue is the Warmest Color in this lyrical debut novel set in a working-class neighborhood of the Canary Islands—a story about two girls coming of age in the early aughts and a friendship that simmers into erotic desire over the course of one hot summer.\ \ \ \ \
I'll Give You the Sun: The radiant, award-winning story of first love, family, loss, and betrayal for fans of John Green, Becky Albertalli, and Adam Silvera.\ \
What Move the Dead: A gripping and atmospheric reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” from Hugo, Locus, & Nebula award-winning author T. Kingfisher.\ \
Cemetery Boys: A trans boy determined to prove his gender to his traditional Latinx family summons a ghost who refuses to leave in Aiden Thomas's paranormal YA debut.\ \
The Black Flamingo: A fierce coming-of-age verse novel about identity and the power of drag, from acclaimed poet and performer Dean Atta. Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, Jason Reynolds, and Kacen Callender.\ \
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth: Featuring an autistic trans protagonist in a historical setting, Andrew Joseph White’s much-anticipated sophomore novel does not back down from exposing the violence of the patriarchy and the harm inflicted on trans youth who are forced into conformity.\ \ \ Open Throat: A lonely, lovable, queer mountain lion narrates this star-making fever dream of a novel.\ \ \ \
Pumpkin: Return to the beloved world of Julie Murphy’s #1 New York Times bestselling Dumplin’— now a popular Netflix feature film starring Jennifer Aniston — in this fabulously joyful, final companion novel about drag, prom, and embracing your inner Queen.\ \
Herculine: A “witty, often-chilling, compulsively readable” ( Vogue) horror debut following a woman who seeks refuge at an all-trans girl commune only to discover that demons haunt her fellow comrades—and she’s their next prey!\ \
Stag Dance: In this collection of one novel and three stories, bestselling author Torrey Peters’s keen eye for the rough edges of community and desire push the limits of trans writing.\ \
D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding: D'Vaughn and Kris have six weeks to plan their dream wedding. Their whole relationship is fake.\ \
Wife Shaped Bodies: Sorrowland meets Manhunt in this literary horror debut in which an isolated newlywed, covered in fungal fruiting bodies, strikes a precarious balance between following her husband's strict rules and pursuing an intense connection with a woman who makes her question everything.\ \
Astrid Parker Doesn't Fall: An interior designer who is never without the perfect plan learns to renovate her love life without one in this new romantic comedy by Ashley Herring Blake, author of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care.\ \ \ \ \
Cackle: A darkly funny, frightening novel about a young woman learning how to take what she wants from a witch who may be too good to be true, from the author of The Return.\ \
Giovanni's Room: James Baldwin’s groundbreaking novel whose frank exploration of sexuality and self-acceptance was decades ahead of its time—named one of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the past 100 years.\ \
Strange Beasts: In this fresh-yet-familiar gothic tale—part historical fantasy, part puzzle-box mystery—the worlds of Dracula and Sherlock Holmes collide in a thrilling exploration of feminine power.\ \
Looking for a Sign: A newly single queer woman moves to New Orleans and sets off on a mission to find her most compatible match by going on a date with someone of each astrological sign in this rom-com from the Lambda Literary Award–nominated author of Queerly Beloved.\ \
Saturn Returning: A smoldering, soul-splitting debut that tracks three friends through the celestial chaos of adulthood, love, and queer identity.\ \
Legends & Lattes: The much-beloved BookTok sensation, Travis Baldree's novel of high fantasy and low stakes.\ \ \ \ Love what we do? Become a paid subscriberfor less than a cup of coffee a month. Your ongoing support helps us plan ahead, fund causes we care about, and create meaningful programming for our community.](https://sunnysbooktruck.binderybooks.com/item/qhqwdGtxh5zmTWfKXN0w/)

What our community is reading for Pride

🌈🌈🌈

22 books

Sapph-Lit\ \ Nina\ \ • May 4

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[Hello Bindery Babes!! WOW what a whirlwind the launch week for Saturn Returning was. Now that I'm on two feet again and looking ahead at the rest of the year for Sapph-Lit, we need to pick a book to read in July.\ \ Since June's book pick & the last book y'all decided on, SUNBURN by Chloe Michelle Howarth, is giving more gut wrenching lit fic (which is also very Saturn Returning coded) I wanted to switch the vibe up with this month's longlist. Let's pick up a ROMANCE NOVEL!!!\ \ The last romance novel we read as a book club I believe was Make The Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake in DECEMBER 2024. That's the same month I made an offer on Saturn Returning, so it's been A WHILE!\ \ Here are all the titles I'm looking at on my shelves and TBR below. Which are standing out to you and which do you think absolutely need to be in our poll on Discord? Let me know in the comments!\ \ As always, thank you so much for your support Bindery Babes!! xx Nina\ \

Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend by Emma Alban\ \
Bloom Town by Ally North\ \
Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory\ \
Ladies in Hating by Alexandra Vasti\ \
Lady Like by Mackenzi Lee\ \
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid\ \
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston\ \
The Ride of Her Life by Jennifer Dugan\ \
Anderson in Bloom by Jennifer Dugan\ \
Like a Power Play by Elle Sprinkle\ \
Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner\ \ \ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://sapphlit.binderybooks.com/item/EZhySuPK8E2BS6sIPjfk/)

Sapph-Lit JULY 2026 fiction book poll!

Which sapphic romance novel should we read in July?

11 books

Wanderland Reads\ \ Sayer\ \ • Mar 20

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Disabled sapphic people exist. You know this, I know this, but sometimes it feels like the greater book community does not, in fact, know this. We love, date, build relationships, and navigate intimacy in ways that deserve space on the page.\ \ Romance as a genre has not always made room for our stories.\ \ Many books still center on able-bodied characters. And while there is nothing wrong with that, when disability does appear, it often shows up as something to fix, overcome, or use as emotional motivation for another character. Disabled characters become symbols instead of people.\ \ I'd love to see the focus shift to something different.\ \ Stories where disabled sapphic main characters hold agency, desire, complexity, and full lives. Stories where disability shapes the relationship without reducing the character to it.\ \ Moving beyond harmful tropes\ \ A few patterns show up again and again in romance.\ \ The cure narrative treats disability as a temporary obstacle. By the end of the story, the character improves or is “fixed,” often through love. The way I wish love could cure my chronic illness or disability.\ \ The inspiration narrative turns disabled characters into lessons for others. Our role centers on teaching resilience rather than living a full life.\ \ The caregiver dynamic creates an imbalance. One partner exists to provide care, while the other becomes dependent in ways that remove autonomy.\ \ Desexualization appears often. Y'all disabled people FUCK. Disabled characters rarely receive the same level of desire, attraction, or explicit intimacy as able-bodied characters.\ \ These patterns limit storytelling. They flatten characters and reinforce harmful assumptions about disability and worth.\ \ Stronger stories move in a different direction.\ \ They allow disabled characters to want things. To make decisions. To be messy. To experience joy, frustration, attraction, and connection without being reduced to a single trait.\ \ Disability and autonomy\ \ Autonomy should sit at the center of disabled sapphic romance.\ \ Seeing characters navigate questions around independence, support, and control over their own lives. These questions can shape how relationships develop.\ \ A partner may offer help. The key question involves how that help gets negotiated.\ \ Does the disabled character maintain control over decisions?\ \ Do they set boundaries around what support looks like?\ \ Does the relationship respect their independence rather than override it?\ \ Good romance pays attention to these dynamics.\ \ Support does not mean taking over. Care does not mean removing agency. The relationship works because both people respect each other’s boundaries and needs.\ \ For readers, this often leads to more grounded and intentional relationship development.\ \ Disability and intimacy\ \ Romance often relies on narrow ideas about intimacy. Fast pacing. Physical attraction that follows predictable patterns. Assumptions about what bodies should do and how.\ \ Disabled sapphic romance can and should challenge those assumptions.\ \ Intimacy becomes more intentional. Characters communicate clearly about needs, comfort, and limits, and tbh this isn't any different than how it should be with able-bodied characters either. Physical connection may look different from mainstream portrayals.\ \ Some stories focus on slower pacing. Others show adaptive approaches to physical intimacy. Many highlight emotional connection as central rather than secondary.\ \ These shifts do not reduce the romance. They deepen it.\ \ Desire remains present. Attraction remains central. The difference lies in how characters express and negotiate that connection.\ \ The role of communication\ \ Communication carries more weight in these stories.\ \ Characters talk about access needs. They discuss boundaries. They name what works and what does not.\ \ This creates a different type of romantic tension. Instead of relying on miscommunication or avoidance, these stories often build connection through honesty.\ \ Vulnerability becomes part of the relationship from the beginning.\ \ Readers get to watch two people learn how to understand each other in real time. That process often leads to a stronger emotional payoff.\ \ Intersectionality matters\ \ Disability does not exist in isolation.\ \ Race, class, gender identity, and culture shape how disability gets experienced. Access to care, community support, and safety vary widely depending on those factors.\ \ A disabled sapphic character who is also a person of color will navigate different challenges than a white disabled character. A working-class character will face different barriers than someone with financial stability.\ \ Stories that acknowledge these layers feel more grounded.\ \ They show how systems intersect. They also show how community, culture, and identity shape relationships in complex ways.\ \ What meaningful representation looks like\ \ Readers often ask how to identify strong representation.\ \ Look for characters with full inner lives. They have goals, fears, desires, and flaws that extend beyond their disability.\ \ Look for relationships built on mutual respect. Both partners hold agency. Both contribute to the relationship in meaningful ways.\ \ Look for stories where disability exists as part of the character’s life, not the entire story.\ \ Look for joy. Disabled characters deserve happiness, pleasure, and connection without the narrative framing those experiences as rare or surprising.\ \ When possible, look for authors with lived experience. That perspective often leads to more nuanced and grounded storytelling.\ \ Where to find these stories\ \ Disabled sapphic protagonists appear across genres.\ \ Contemporary romance often explores chronic illness, mental health, and day-to-day access needs.\ \ Fantasy and science fiction create space to imagine different bodies, different abilities, and different systems of care.\ \ Historical fiction can explore how disability was understood and navigated in earlier periods.\ \ Speculative fiction often pushes these questions even further, asking how societies might function if access and care looked different from the start.\ \ An invitation to read with intention\ \ Disabled sapphic romance expands how we understand love.\ \ It shows relationships built through communication, respect, and adaptation. It challenges narrow ideas about desirability and intimacy. It reminds readers that care and autonomy can exist together.\ \ These stories deserve attention.\ \ If you have read a disabled sapphic romance that stayed with you, share it. If you want to see more of these stories, talk about them. Recommend them. Support the authors writing them.\ \ What you read and what you share shapes what gets visibility.\ \ And these stories deserve to be seen.\ \ Here are a list of a handful of sapphic stories that I have read and enjoyed, and some on my TBR!\ \ The Unbroken by C.L. Clark\ \ Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant\ \ The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco\ \ Thirsty by Jas Hammonds\ \ Treasure by Rebekah Weatherspoon\ \ Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner\ \ Nine of Swords, Reversed by Xan West\ \ Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi\ \ Join for free or login

Disabled Sapphic Protagonists in Romance

8 books

Won't Calm Down\ \ Maya Gabrielle\ \ • Mar 16

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Poll:\ \ Book Pick!\ \ Hello! I'm so late, I know, I am STRESSED. It's been a struggle lately but I yearn for our book club and want to hear from you! Here's a brief description of the 3 options, vote for which you'd most like to read and/or discuss :) One is a newer release, and two are in honor of the NWSL season!!\ \ Rooting Interest by Cat Disabato\ \ Women's basketball player and a sports journalist caught in a "will they/won't they" that has had people infatuated. \ \ Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner\ \ NOT sapphic Heated Rivalry. A young player gets called up to national camp, where she meets one of her idol's. She later gets signed to the same team as her idol, who plays the same position as her, and isntead of feeling the pressure and competition of both wanting to start in that position, she... falls head over heels. AMAZING adhd and autism rep, and a rare miscommunication trope that made me giggle instead of scream. \ \ Hotshot by Clare Lydon\ \ Sport psychologist and the new start player, straight from the NWSL and new to the UK. A really fun at UK women's soccer, with NWSL as an entry point.

VOTE!! Queer Sports Romance Book Club March pick

3 books

Won't Calm Down\ \ Maya Gabrielle\ \ • Jan 14

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Soccer + Basketball Sapphic Romance

speed running some of my top ⚽️ 🏀 recs to keep yall satiated and prepare for the heated rivalry withdrawal #sportsromance #queerbooktok #soccerromance #basketballromance #sapphic

9 books

Tubby & Coo's Traveling Book Shop\ \ Sentient Queer Bookstore 📚🌈\ \ • Dec 19 2025

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Books to Read if You Love Heated Rivalry

(And they're all sports romances that are actually gay!)

17 books

Fat Forward Books\ \ Samantha Puc\ \ • Jun 19 2025

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Interview: Meryl Wilsner Wrote 'My Best Friend's Honeymoon' to Write Dirty Talk

5 books