When it comes to fiction, I feel like there are two main types of storytelling. The first is where you're pulled into the story and you feel like you're witnessing everything firsthand as the story unfolds around you. The second is where someone else is telling the story to you, relaying information secondhand as you listen in. For me this book fell very much into that second category. It felt like I was looking in through a window at best, seeing the story happen without being part of it. I didn't really bond with the characters or feel any direct connection to them. Of course I wanted them to be happy and I was rooting for the couple to make it, but I didn't really feel invested in the outcome. While I enjoyed the story, I was a bit bored most of the time, just floating from scene to scene.

Overall, it wasn't a bad story, but I'm not sure this particular method of storytelling was for me. I wanted more from it and was left feeling a bit disappointed with the bit I got.

3.5 Stars Rounded Down

I feel like every review I write for a Cat Sebastian book starts the same: “I saw this on Netgalley/on Libby/on the library shelf, and I KNEW I had to read it because Cat is amazing and I’ve loved every single one of her books.”

So, yeah, I requested this on Netgalley because of course I did - historical queer romance is my absolute favorite, and the author describing this book as “Newsies meets…” (I don’t remember what she said here, but it doesn’t matter) solidified its place on my TBR. (I love the Newsies musical. Did I imagine Nick and Andy tap-dancing at one point? Maaaaaybe.)

So, the book. It’s 1950s NYC. Andy, the bumbling, scatter-brained son of the editor who starts working as a reporter in order to get some experience before taking over the newspaper meets the Brooklyn-born, rough-and-tumble Nick. They’re stuck together because of work, and Nick attempts to keep his distance - he’s a queer man, after all, and he can’t let just anyone into his life (especially with his history) . As the two become friends, though, he has to hide his feelings for Andy, and throws himself into his work, following a story of police corruption that is getting more and more dangerous.

I could write more about the plot, but I don’t want to spoil anything - I’ll just say that I loved the dual-POV, the gentle pining, Andy’s anxiety, the found family, the dumb cat, the historical accuracy, and the delightful ending. I want more of Nick and Andy, and I’m so grateful that I got to read this book!

I received a copy of this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Releasing June 2023.

“We Could Be So Good” stands out among other similar stories thanks to its time period setting, dual narrators that span entire chunks of the book (rather than alternating every chapter), and following the journey of Nick and Andy through building their friendship before it turns into something more. Both characters were lovable and easy to root for as they navigated their relationship, work, families, and lives outside of each other. While there was some heavy historical context, it never fell into doom and gloom. This was a M/M love story that Nick himself would have enjoyed reading. :)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing an advanced copy in exchange for this honest review.

I am a big fan of Cat Sebastian's romances, and this book is no exception. We Could Be So Good was unexpectedly soft & sweet. Even though I knew Nick & Andy would have a happy ending, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop with a few of the plotlines or some kind of intense third act crisis to hit, but it never did. While the book does grapple with the realities of being queer in the 1950s, the crux of the plot is much quieter. It's about finding your family, chosen & not, and of course, the vulnerability of falling in love. What a lovely, tender little book.

Will definitely recommend this one to fellow romance readers! Thank you to NetGalley & Avon for the ARC.

I know of many people raving about the author Cat Sebastian and their novels but I never had a chance to pick one up. It was nothing against reading anything by Cat but I just didn’t have the time. So once I saw this book was up for a digital advanced reader's copy, I wanted to see what it was all about.

I completely support all the love given to Cat since I read this book after a mini reading slump and I am lucky that it made me fall in love with historical fiction. Though the author has pointed out the story as a fabrication of her imagination, her story could easily fit into what was happening for queer people during 1959 and so on.

We Could Be So Good follows Nick Russo, a reporter just trying to earn his way to be a respected reporter, and Andy Fleming, the son of a newspaper mogul of The Chronicle and Nick’s future boss. The two meet when Nick, who has been working in the newspaper business for a while, helps out Andy with a little trouble getting the hang of things. Nick takes Andy under his wing by showing him to be the best for The Chronicle. The two go from simple coworkers to friends and begin to have a bond that is clear that the two care for one another. Soon, the two start to question if their bond is still friendly or if it's turning into more. And if it is turning into something more serious, how will it impact their lives, their jobs, their safety and how they see each other.

This book had a slow start that almost made me wish it would pick up but when it did, I really wanted it to slow down again because of how invested I became with the characters. I could see why so many other readers love a good slow burn because as the two discover their feelings for one another, that was not the end of the story. The two had to figure out how they would live and get through life as two queer men because Nick, knowing of his queerness longer than Andy, had to be very stealthy in not getting caught in queer places or with any man. Back then, getting caught was not just something people could forget, it was something they could get arrested for and ruin someone’s life.

What I love about this book was how it happens during a time where it might've seemed impossible to be out and proud but with the right people around you and being safe within yourself (loving yourself as well) life still could be beautiful.

I never felt confused or lost with this story because though I have read books where it is considered queer historical fiction, it would not feel believable enough to exist during this time. I could tell by Cat’s writing that her main goal was to keep the readers in the time period from the cheap cost of baseball tickets to how little things did not cost as much as what we are used to today.

Oh I also would like to mention how this book was nothing of what I could expect. From thinking of what possibly could happen to clearly being wrong (thank you Cat for humbling me into knowing that I cannot predict every ending) because Cat must be recognized for her witty writing and for never letting her readers KNOW what will happen. She easily gifts us with what could happen but there is a reason why she's the author and we are the reader.

My own downsides of this book was the pacing as it did take me a moment to get used to but it could be due to how I favor faster pace books.

I want to thank NetGalley for free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Incredibly tender, gentle, and touching m/m friends-to-lovers romance set in mid-century New York City. I really appreciated that WE COULD BE SO GOOD was low conflict even at its most fraught moments, which was exactly what my sensitive soul needed. At the same time, Cat Sebastian manages to milk deep emotion from the subtle moments of life: someone making his boyfriend's mother soup recipe; an unexpected character awkwardly acknowledging another's sexuality without judgement. By the end of the novel, I was left with a sense of hope of how the world could be—and the ways in which humans create their own hidden societies to reflect these hopes.

For these reasons and more Cat Sebastian has become an autoread for me when it comes to romance.

This book THIS BOOK, pulled me out of my 1 month reading slump and I will be forever grateful to Cat Sebastian for that.

This is a mid century MM romance between Nick a reporter and Andy the son of the owner of the paper. It’s a slow burn starting with a tentative friendship to a passionate, sweet romance. I loved how low angst it was and how there really wasn’t that much of a plot. Seriously I’m loving books that are more vibes and less plot. The book is filled with mornings drinking coffee, going to the grocery store and watching TV. And it’s just perfect in every way.

You can always count on Sebastian for social issues being discussed organically in her romances and this story is no different. Nick is writing a story about NYC police corruption and his own brother is a cop. I also love the criticism of Robert Moses. As usual I’m looking forward to seeing what Sebastian writes next!

Thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my second read by Cat Sebastian and it didn’t disappoint. A queer historical (?!) romance set in 1950’s New York told from alternating points of view by characters Nick and Andy that will pull you in with its gritty, humorous and sometimes heartbreaking look at the lives of a gay reporter and bisexual newspaper publisher.

I loved it. I thought it was sweet and warm and just so very, very lovely. Cat Sebastian did a great job of not only writing a romance, but writing a story about family and expectations as well.

I had previously read (and loved) both Kit Webb and Marian Hayes, and with this, it's official - I will read whatever Cat Sebastian writes. I think my only complaint here is that I inhaled this in less than a day and now it's over.

But, starting at the beginning. Nick Russo is a journalist on the Chronicle's city desk who maintains a gruff facade and keeps people at arm's length. After all, it's the 1950s, and if anyone were to learn that Nick's gay, he'd lose everything. Enter Andy Fleming, the son of the Chronicle's owner, who is basically a gentle duckling struggling to take care of himself in a world that has never quite taken care of him enough. Nick and Andy quickly become best friends, then roommates, then...

Sebastian has built a rich and well-researched version of 1950s NYC as a backdrop against which the characters' relationships shine--Nick and Andy, of course, but also a cast of compelling and loveable side characters (Emily!!). There's also a cat who is not very good at being a cat, who is sure to delight fans of Rob's penchant for wayward pets.

The blend of friends-to-lovers and idiots-to-lovers certainly lends itself to a bit of miscommunication, but instead of the frustrating "just talk already!" type of miscommunication, it's the kind where you understand why the characters' individual fears and doubts hold them back and you just want to hug them both and make them soup. (Because yes, homemade soup is indeed a cure all, as Nick would have you know.)

Readers should go in aware that it is the 1950s and homophobia - with the all the risks of violence and societal/familial rejection it entails - is a very real fear driving characters' choices throughout. However, it's not a story about bringing that violence and isolation to a head; it's about found family, queer joy, and the ways we can look out for each other in a world that can be rough to go alone.


Content warnings: homophobia, threats from police, bullying and mild physical injury (off page), parental death (past/referenced)

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cat Sebastian is an auto-read for me. This time out, it’s a romance set in a newsroom in 1950s New York.

Nick is a reporter who often works on dangerous stories, such as police corruption in a time when his being queer could easily be used to destroy his career and his entire life. The newspaper owner’s son, Andy, shows up and is a bit flighty, but Nick figures the boss is just getting Andy familiar with the company before he takes over. That’s mostly true, but Andy truly does want to learn, but he’d much rather work in the newsroom than be the boss.

This one reminds me a bit of some of the romantic comedy films of the 1950s, though it treats their situation seriously. The characters are just shy of being the hard-boiled journalist and the ditzy blonde, but that evokes the era and it’s not overdone. I do like that the POV switches sometimes so you see what both are thinking, so you know whether or not they’re on the same page or just being idiots.

There’s a dose of real history in the plot, but that’s not the focus. It’s about Nick and Andy, their co-workers, friends, and family members who forge their own community despite the cultural norms of the time. Granted, a lot of this is due to wealth, but this isn’t glossed over, it’s just a fact.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I came across this book randomly and I was not expecting it to be THAT good but omg!! I am so glad that I decided to read this book after all. Thank you NetGalley for providing me this ebook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I liked this book, particularly the relationship between the two main protagonists. Their personalities were both well-established and their romance not cloyingly sweet or unrealistic. However, the plot is kind of bland. There is little danger or conflict aside from the interpersonal kind. That’s not a bad thing, particularly in a romance novel, but some key aspects to the narrative (e.g., an investigation into police mishandling evidence) are not really explored and would have helped flesh out the time-period and newspaper environment.

Cat Sebastian consistently writes clever, humorous and relatively low-angst gay romance, and "We Could Be So Good" is no exception.

This book broke me into a million pieces and put me back together again. A priority purchase for most libraries with romance readers

Cat Sebastian is an auto-buy author for me. We Could Be So Good continues this trend. Nick Russo is a city reporter who has been making strides professionally. He is caged in personally by his past and relationships with his family. Andy Fleming is the slightly (okay, perhaps more than slightly) spacey heir to The Chronicle who stands to takeover a paper he isn’t sure he wants. These two quickly become friends after Nick helps Andy escape from a minor file cabinet mishap. Andy good-naturedly stumbles through lots in life, but I loved watching him begin to fight for what he wants in life from personally to professionally. Nick uses his size and a gruff exterior to keep people at an arms length, but he shows how he cares through actions - cooking, keeping track of Andy’s keys, feeding a stray cat. We absolutely recommend this one!

I am a big fan of author Cat Sebastian, and her new book is an original and thoroughly engaging story of two men working in 1950's New York City journalism. They are good friends, but Nick has secret feelings for Andy that he knows are not reciprocated. Except maybe he comes to realize he might be wrong about that. This romance is a slow burn with plenty of mixed signals, but the journey is so worth taking. Highly recommended.

This book had a really slow start and to be honest there wasn’t anything that jumped out at me that made me want to invest more in the story. Nevertheless I got through the first half and I started to feel a little more connected to the characters.

In the end I wanted more story. I feel like a lot transpired and we didn’t get to see the romantic portion of the relationship really grow. The end felt incomplete and as the reader I wanted to explore their relationship in society since the time period was crucial to the story.

It was cute and easy to read but just wasn’t the story for me.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I could not put this book down! Nick and Andy’s story was so touching and genuine. I thought both protagonists felt so unique and real, and their story was so refreshing. The historical context was also very well-established! You can tell the author did their research. Overall, I couldn’t recommend this book enough. Nick and Andy will be occupying my mind and heart for the foreseeable future.

We Could Be So Good
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


This book… I almost have no words. I am madly in love with this book. 💙

I don’t read a lot of historical romance these days, and I don’t read a lot of MM romance either (not due to lack of interest/support but in an over-abundance of caution to avoid authors who fetishize LGBTQ+ lives and experiences). I am so glad I requested this ARC, though, and that I got approved bc, I would have missed out on this.

The book is a dual POV- switching between Nick and Andy as they try to navigate their relationship in a time when being openly gay was illegal. They both have a lot of growing to do on their own as well, and it all comes together in a well-written, sometimes funny, sometimes thought-provoking way.


What I loved about this one:
✔️ Friends-to-lovers
✔️ Found family
✔️ Grumpy/sunshine
✔️ HEA/HFN that didn’t gloss over the reality of the time period
✔️ Nick & Andy were a team: it’s not that the book was drama/angst-free, but the drama didn’t come from them hurting one another

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon/Harper Voyager, and Cat Sebastian for a chance to read this funny, moving, and all-around lovely story.

Read dates: 04/03/2023- 04/05/2023
Goodreads review: posted 04/05/2023
Instagram review: posted 04/06/2023