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Verdict: A cute, clean, low-stakes college romance about a girl who can’t talk to pretty girls and the soccer star who pursues her anyway. Series fans enjoy returning to the friend group; readers looking for tension or heat find very little to hold on to.
Best for: Readers who want a sweet, PG sapphic campus story, especially if they liked Say Yes to the Cheerleader.
Heat level: Kisses only
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.3/5 — a 3.79 Goodreads average across 105 ratings, 4.4 stars across 82 Amazon ratings, and 2.93 on StoryGraph from 14 reviews)
Tropes: College romance, shy heroine, athlete pursues, meddling friends, sports injury, series companion.
Say Yes to the Soccer Player is Abby Crofton’s 2016 contemporary lesbian romance, the second book in her Say Yes series. Jenny Jeffries, Haley’s rival from the first book, narrates her first year at college and her romance with Beth Kirkland, the university’s star forward.
It holds a 3.79 average across 105 Goodreads ratings, with 63% of them four or five stars, 4.4 stars across 82 Amazon ratings, and a lower 2.93 on StoryGraph from 14 reviews.
What Is Say Yes to the Soccer Player About?
Jenny loves dorm life, parties and freedom, but standing next to an attractive woman makes her brain shut down, so she is still single. When Beth brings her on-field drive to winning Jenny’s attention, Jenny turns to her friends for help.
The advice comes from her best friend Kate, now dating Jenny’s one-time enemy Haley, and from another friend hunting for the right guy in a sea of lesbians. Then forces outside their control threaten the relationship before it properly begins.
What Works in This Romance
- Charm: Readers call it cute, charming and feel-good, with funny dialogue.
- A softer Jenny: Several readers enjoyed seeing a kinder side of a character who was mean in book one.
- Beth: One reviewer says no one could dislike Beth, whose tenacity is endearing.
- The friend group: Fans loved seeing Haley, Kate and Marie again.
Book Synopsis
A first-year student who freezes around pretty girls is pursued by the star of the women’s soccer team.
With plenty of advice from friends, Jenny has to decide whether she has finally found the relationship she has been looking for.
My Review
This is gentle, sweet and easy to read. Readers who relate to Jenny’s nerves enjoy her inner monologue, and a couple of reviewers liked it more than the first book because of its ending.
The main criticism is that almost nothing is at stake. One two-star reviewer says Jenny overcomes her shyness within a few chapters and the rest is the awkward start of a relationship, with little conflict. Others found the friends nosy and intrusive — crashing a date, trying to take a phone — and still found Jenny hard to like. One reader wanted to know more about Beth’s injury and recovery.
My honest note: Pick it up for comfort, not for sports drama.
| Element | In Say Yes to the Soccer Player |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Jenny Jeffries, a first-year student, & Beth Kirkland, star forward of the university soccer team |
| Core tropes | College romance, shy heroine, athlete pursues, meddling friends |
| Setting | A university campus |
| Heat level | Kisses only |
| Length | 225 pages (Kindle listing) |
| Series | Say Yes #2 |
| Content notes | Sports injury |
How Spicy Is Say Yes to the Soccer Player?
Not at all. Readers describe a PG story with kissing and nothing more.
StoryGraph has no content warnings submitted for this book.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you want a light, sweet campus romance with a soccer backdrop. It is on our sapphic sports romance list.
You may want to skip it if: you need conflict, heat or much time on the pitch.
In short: Sweet, simple, PG.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
On Goodreads the split is 28% five stars, 35% four, 24% three, 9% two and 1% one. Opinions divide on how it compares with book one: some liked it more, others preferred Say Yes to the Cheerleader. Several readers want a third book for Marie.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): The cuteness first. Second, the friend group. Third, Beth. Fourth, the funny dialogue.
What readers argue about and complain about: Lack of conflict, above everything. Second, intrusive friends. Third, Jenny’s likability.
The comparison worth making first: Say Yes to the Cheerleader, the first book in the series, which introduces the friend group.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to read Say Yes to the Cheerleader first?
It helps. This is book two of the Say Yes series; Jenny was a minor character and Haley’s nemesis in book one, and Haley, Kate and Marie all return.
Is Say Yes to the Soccer Player spicy?
No. Readers describe it as PG — there is kissing, but that is it.
Is it a college romance?
Yes. Jenny is in her first year at university, and Beth is the star forward on the women’s soccer team.
Is there much angst?
Very little. Readers call it easy-going and low-angst; the main complication involves an injury to Beth.
Is Say Yes to the Soccer Player on Kindle Unlimited?
Not at the time of writing — the Kindle edition was listed at $4.99.
If You Loved Say Yes to the Soccer Player, Read These Next
Go back to Say Yes to the Cheerleader, or browse our sapphic sports romance list, contemporary lesbian romance reviews or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
Say Yes to the Soccer Player sets out to be a sweet college romance, and it is. What holds it back is how little tension it has. For fans of clean, cosy reads. Check Say Yes to the Soccer Player on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Say Yes to the Soccer Player ranks as a fair light read — cute, slight.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★☆☆ 3.3/5
- ✓ 3.79 average across 105 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 63% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 4.4 stars across 82 Amazon ratings
- ✓ 2.93 on StoryGraph from 14 reviews
Romance ★★★☆☆ 3.2/5
- ✓ Sweet
- ✓ Athlete pursues
- ✓ Little conflict
- ✓ Gets together early
Characters ★★★☆☆ 3.3/5
- ✓ Endearing Beth
- ✓ Softer Jenny
- ✓ Intrusive friends
- ✓ Returning cast
Writing ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5
- ✓ Funny dialogue
- ✓ Flows well
- ✓ Inner monologue
- ✓ Indistinct voices for one
Emotional Impact ★★★☆☆ 2.8/5
- ✓ Feel-good
- ✓ Low angst
- ✓ Injury subplot
- ✓ Indifferent for some
Heat Level ★☆☆☆☆ 1/5
- ✓ PG
- ✓ Kisses only
- ✓ Closed door
- ✓ Clean read
Ending ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5
- ✓ Decent ending
- ✓ Preferred to book one by some
- ✓ Injury loose end
- ✓ Series continues
Re-read Value ★★★☆☆ 3/5
- ✓ $4.99 Kindle price
- ✓ Not on Kindle Unlimited
- ✓ Short
- ✓ Series companion
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