sapphic soccer books

Someone I follow on GoodReads entered a GR Giveaway for a sapphic soccer book coming out later this year -- which is different from the sapphic soccer book I saw on a recent Autostraddle list of "81 Queer and Feminist Books Coming Your Way Summer 2023." They're both World Cup books, and it occurred to me that this timing is maybe because the World Cup is this summer.

So I started looking for other sapphic soccer books -- and there aren't a lot, but I did find some sapphic/lesbian book review lists, which generated a bunch more (many of them ebooks). I haven't read any of them, so can't personally vouch for quality.

Blockquotes are official blurbs.

Asterisks indicate World Cup themed books.

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First, books that have 2 active soccer players in relationship with each other:

Defensive Mindset by Wendy Temple (April 2017, epub, Ylva Publishing) -- seen via The Lesbian Review

Star footballer and successful businesswoman Jessie Grainger has her life set, and doesn’t need anything getting in the way. That includes rebellious rival player Fran Docherty, a burnt-out barmaid with a past as messed up as her attitude. So when the clashing pair find themselves on the same Edinburgh women’s football team, how will they survive each other, let alone play to win?

Top of Her Game by M. Ullrich (October 1, 2019, epub, Bold Strokes Books) -- seen via Lez Review Books

Kenzie Shaw is the most sought-after rookie in women’s major league soccer, but her life changes forever when she’s drafted in her home state of New Jersey. After all, it’s not every day you get a chance to play alongside your idol and the woman you’ve crushed on for years.

Sutton Flores has soccer in her blood. Her father raised her to play, her brothers pushed her even harder, and her coaches shaped her into a superstar athlete. Despite her success, Sutton never lost sight of what matters most—her family, friends, and the woman she’s dating—even if most of her relationships fizzle out as quickly as they start.

Kenzie and Sutton’s chemistry as teammates quickly escalates to undeniable attraction off the field, but when allegations of sexual harassment rock the team and their relationship, they must decide if they’re willing to sacrifice their dreams for love. Are they destined to last, or are they players in a game set to lose?

One Small Step by M.A. Binfield (December 1, 2019, Bold Strokes Books) -- seen via Lez Review Books

Where love is concerned, the smallest steps are often the hardest to take—especially when you’ve guarded your heart as carefully as Iris Miller has. Still bruised from a relationship that crashed and burned, and all the meaningless hookups that followed, Iris has given up on love and buttoned her feelings up tight.

But when Cameron Hansen joins Iris’s law firm and her soccer team, and even starts hanging out in her favorite bookstore, everything gets turned upside down. Beautiful, open, and forward, Cam is impossible to ignore, and Iris is surprised to find herself intrigued. Cam’s straight, happily engaged, and simply looking for a friend—or so it seems.

London’s bitterly cold winter makes winning their soccer championship almost as difficult as keeping their feelings in check, being honest with each other, and trying not to fall in love. Iris and Cam are about to discover the meaning of taking chances and following your heart, even if it means getting hurt.

Endgame by Zoe Reed (April 25, 2020, Independently published through Amazon)

Audrey Caplan knew what she wanted. It was simple, really: get the spot as captain of her college soccer team, and focus on school. That was it, and with her aptitude for structure and discipline, it'd be easy to ignore distractions. At least it would've been if Morgan Bailey hadn't shown up. If there was one thing Audrey's bulletproof restraint wasn't prepared for, it was an annoying, adorable show-off with a heart of gold.

Under the Lights by Kate Christie (Book 6 in the Girls of Summer Series; July 2021) -- seen via Lez Review Books

6th book in a series that follows the same couple -- starting with when they meet as high schoolers at a soccer tournament in Southern California, moving through the NWSL and the World Cup and beyond.

Book one: Training Ground
* Book two: Game Time
* Book three: Outside the Lines
* Book four: The Road to Canada
* Book five: Girls of Summer

Hotshot by Clare Lydon (April 13, 2023, published through Amazon)

After US soccer sensation Sloane Patterson moves to the UK to play for the Salchester Rovers, her life starts to unravel. "Retired footballer Ella Carmichael has found her dream job. She has been hired as the Salchester Rovers club performance and lifestyle coach." Sloane falls for Ella. [Ella is a retired "Retired footballer Ella Carmichael has found her dream job. She has been hired as the Salchester Rovers club performance and lifestyle coach. "]

Sloane Patterson is the ultimate hotshot: a US soccer sensation whose arrival in the UK causes quite the stir. She’s got the game, the fame, the looks, the fiancée. But looks can be deceiving.

When Sloane’s life starts to unravel, Salchester Rovers’ new hire, Ella Carmichael, helps her pick up the pieces. But as the lines between their professional and personal lives blur, tensions surface. Now, Sloane’s goal of helping the team win the league and FA Cup has a significant addition: win Ella’s heart.

* Onside Play by Liz Rain (July 2023, epub, Ylva Publishing) -- this is the one from Autostraddle

In this lesbian romance, two rival players from the U.S. and Australia who are ex-girlfriends from college meet again at the World Cup. Will they rekindle their romance and will their relationship survive the tournament, depending on which team wins?

* Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner (September 19, 2023 by St. Martin's Griffin) -- This is one someone entered a giveaway for.

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. 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 friends with benefits with this class clown she sees as her rival.

Phoebe Matthews has always admired Grace’s skill and was star struck to be training alongside her idol. But she quickly finds herself looking at Grace as more than a mere teammate. After one daring kiss, she’s hooked. Grace is everything she has been waiting to find.

As the World Cup approaches, and Grace works her way back from injury, the women decide to find a way they can play together instead of vying for the same position. Except, when they are off the field, Grace is worried she’s catching feelings while Phoebe thinks they are dating. As the tension between them grows, will both players realize they care more about their relationship than making the roster?

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And books where at most one member of the relationship is an active soccer player:

The Set Piece by Catherine Lane (July 4, 2015 by Ylva Publishing) -- seen via The Lesbian Review

"A lesbian’s plan to pose as the fake wife for a famous gay ASL [American Soccer League] player goes awry when she falls for his pretty assistant in this lesbian sports romance."

* The Princess Deception by Nell Stark (May 1, 2018, Bold Strokes Books) -- seen via The Lesbian Review

In this contemporary take on Shakespeare's Twelfith Night, Crown Prince of Belgium Sebastian's twin sister Viola disguises herself as him for Reasons while they're getting ready to launch Belgium’s campaign to host the FIFA World Cup.

Retired (due to injury) pro soccer player cum sports journalist Missy Duke is covering the World Cup bid and figures out that it's Viola in disguise but feigns ignorance. But then sparks develop between Duke and Viola-as-Sebastian...

Game Changers by Jane Cuthbertson (2019, epub, Launch Point Press) -- seen via The Lesbian Review

An older woman (Rachel Johnston, age 52) and a younger soccer player (Jaye Stokes) fall for each other.

The Lesbian Review writes, "Because this book is like a love letter to the game, each match felt thrilling. I think it was because I was watching the matches through Rachel’s enthusiastic eyes. Perhaps Cuthbertson wrote these scenes understanding not every reader knows the ins and outs of professional soccer, and she toned down the technical jargon so that the matches would be exciting for everyone."

Content note: Rachel struggles with depression.

Never Mine by Bryce Oakley (May 14, 2021, independently published) -- seen via The Lesbian Review

An injured soccer star (Sage Carson) and an event coordinator (Willa Bellamy) reconnect at their 15-year high school reunuion and decide to stage a fake relationship for reasons but fall for each other for real.

The Game Changer by Finley Chuva (November 1, 2022, Pink Ampersand/Smashwords) -- seen via The Lesbian Review

The Game Changer is a friends-to-lovers sapphic romance featuring an autistic sports gay, a nerdy bi disaster, and an unapologetically queer supporting cast. It is the first book in the Denver Defiant series.

*Note: This is an #ownvoices work by an autistic author.