I really enjoyed this book! This story was full of hope, tenderness, and joy. The relationship between Gene & Luis was just so incredible – the understanding, the journey from estranged friends to lovers, the affection. I just loved them so much.
I also really liked KT’s writing style! It was so engaging and fun, and it really drew me into the story!

There was a lot of baseball in this story and, as someone who is not a baseball girlie, bits of it went over my head and really lost me. This didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the story that much, but it was a lot of information for someone not familiar with the sport.

I definitely recommend picking this one up when it releases on April 9! Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press for the eARC of this book!

2SLGBTQIA+ Steamy Romance that finds an openly trans minor league ball-player who finds himself falling for his former teammate and current rival after the man's traded to his team.

5/5 stars: Hoffman's debut 2SLGBTQIA+ Steamy Romance is a great rivals to lovers sports romance that features the first openly trans player in professional baseball who's equilibrium thrown out of whack when his former teammate and current rival gets traded to his minor league team. Hoffman's writing and character work is stellar; the characters are well-rounded, complex and yet remain incredibly likable. Gene's love of baseball, underdogs and their sunny optimism is heartwarming. And Gene and Luis' personal and romantic relationship developments are well written and full of heart. I also love all the side characters, particularly Vince and Coach Baker. And can I just say Luis' dog, Dodger's adorable. Oh and the OPS scenes are deliciously steamy. And for those who love playlists, check out Luis' Running Playlist and don't miss out on Gene's yummy sounding bagel recipe which is also included. While there are plenty of sweet and humorous moments, Hoffman deftly tackles some heavier topics, so take care and check the CWs. I look forward to reading more from this author, highly recommend!


I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dial Press Trade Paperback in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

I picked this one up after starting to see a lot of buzz about this book on Bookstagram, and I am glad I did! The Prospects is a really beautiful story about love and acceptance and doing the thing you love with people you love.

Gene is the first transgender baseball player in the minor leagues and he was born to be on a baseball field. When his college teammate gets traded to Gene’s team, Gene realizes that the connection between him and Luis Estrada is as strong as it ever was. As the minor league Beaverton Beavers make a shot at the playoffs, we get to see the team evolve and both Gene and Luis grow together.

I really loved this story but wanted a little more from it. It’s written in third person present tense which honestly felt a little awkward….almost like listening to a baseball game being announced instead of a novel. The book is also heavy on the baseball - there were definitely details that I couldn’t really appreciate as a casual fan. The development of the romantic relationship between Gene and Luis is superb! It is soft and tender and so so lovely. I also loved the side characters and the levity they brought to the story. This story is overall extremely hopeful.

Content flags include references to trans and homophobia experienced by Gene


I voluntarily read a gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is a romance for lovers of baseball, which happily I am. In addition to a very soft and sweet romance between Gene (the first openly trans and gay player in this fictional world) and Luis, to players in the minors, there are very detailed descriptions of the game. If you love baseball (and romance, obviously) or are interested in learning more about it in a very romantic way, you should definitely read this!

This is easily a new favorite queer romance, for me. I'm not big into sports, but this book has enough heart to ALMOST make me feel like I could be into baseball. Both Gene and Louis are such well fleshed and lovable characters, and I adored their banter. I also loved the relationships between the team mates. Gene is such an excellent main character. He's funny and smart and confident, and I'd love to know someone like him in the real world. Overall, this was such a great read and I very much appreciate having the opportunity to read it!

4/5

I’m gonna be straight up, I know absolutely nothing about baseball and it’s probably one of the sports that interests me the least.
*HOWEVER*
I. Ate. This. Up.
An MM friends to rivals, to rivals to friends, to friends to lovers? Please, I read this in two sittings 😭

The main character, Gene, is the first openly transgender baseball player in the minor leagues, and through him we get glimpses into the sport itself, prejudices still held against the transgender community, and some not-so-talked-about-things that are usually kept under wraps.

I loved Gene from the start, his optimism and “can’t keep me down” attitude. And then we’re introduced to Luis, who compliments him so well as they eventually open up to each other and make that journey to being friends🥹

While reading The Prospects, you’ll find: third person, single POV, slow burn, friends to rivals to friends to lovers (that’s a mouthful), POC, mental health and LGBTQ+ rep!

I finished 'The Prospects' a while ago and I'm still a little awestruck by it - and thus, find it hard to put into words how much I love it. If you asked me to compile a list of my favorite tropes and elements of stories I'd tell you this: found family, neurodivergent rep, trans rep and queer sports - and so, if you've read this, youll know their is little surprise in me loving this story as much as I did because this little book compiles all of this and MORE. Reminding me, really, why I love reading so much.

This story is funny, heartwarming, tender, real and shows you a fierce love both familial and romantic. My favorite part of sports romances is always the team dynamics and this was one of my favourite elements here as well! (And a little rivals to lovers when you need it most). But this story was so so sweet, I love trans joy. Theres helping each other through panic attacks, emotional support dog, diner outings and hard conversations and competing for something you're still not sure you can get.

As a trans person, most of our stories are always tinged with sadness, but this one brings joy from beginning to end - reminding you, that yes, trans people deserve joy and trans people will fight for their joy in whatever way they can. The main character even takes t-shots on page!! hello!!

I love this story, I'm so excited to pick up a physical copy and shout about this in more clarity later on.

This was a hug of a book- I really enjoyed the chemistry and banter between Luis and Gene. The unconditional love Luis had for Gene was so beautifully written- he is new book boyfriend material, that’s for damn sure! This was a wonderful debut novel, and I’m looking forward to reading more from KT in the future!

This was such a great queer enemies to lovers sports romance debut featuring a trans man playing professional ball in the minor leagues and the rival teammate he ends up falling for. I really loved the diverse cast of characters and the focus on the challenges of being queer and out playing professional sports plus the good disability/mental health rep (Gene has ADHD and Luis has an Anxiety disorder).

This was excellent on audio narrated by Shaan Desani with an author's note read by KT Hoffman included at the end. Highly recommended for fans of authors like T. J. Alexander, Markus Harwood-Jones or Anita Kelly. Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and @prhaudio for a complimentary digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Steam level: open door

Okay I was not prepared for how tender and hopeful this book was going to be 😭 I think this book surprised me, most of all, with the way it showed trans experience, queer love, and optimism among marginalized communities to its readers.

It might just feel dense and slow at times, but I loved the pining and romance. And if I cried in one emotional scene, because one line reminded me of Ed and Stede from OFMD, well... there's nothing I can do about that 😂

This is all I will say for now! Will be posting a full review on my tour stop (Bookstagram + Blog) with Colored Pages Book Tours!

Exact rating: 4 ⭐️

CW: panic attacks, anxiety, transphobia, homophobia, misogyny, sexual content

I heard so many things about this book and I’m so happy I requested via Random House NetGalley as an ARC. This was such a fun read!! Definitely recommending to everyone I see on the street.

Without giving too much away I have a few likes and dislikes:

Likes:
Oh almost everything! Unique plot and really admirable and amazing characters. Surprisingly, I think I've only ever seen and read one baseball romance in my life so this was a fresh take. I enjoyed that it was more friends to lovers than enemy to lovers. I also liked the humor in this book!

Dislikes:
No Dual POV - I’ve been very spoiled lately with dual/multiple POVs and I always think they add to the story. I did feel a little cheated without Luis’ POV.
Third person - I personally just have a harder time settling into books with this perspective.
I saw mixed reviews of how people felt about the baseball content, but I wanted a bit more! I also think the ending felt a bit rushed to me.
All in all no major call outs! But this takes it to 4 stars for me instead of 5. Could easily see how this would be a 5 star read for many folks!

Very excited for this author and this book to finally come out!

Gene Ionescu, the first trans pro baseball player, loves his life, his job and his team. What he doesn't need is for his old teammate and rival, Luis Estrada, to be transferred to his team and mess up everything he's worked for. But life doesn't always go according to plan, and Luis' presence in his life might just end up being better than he ever hoped for.

Gene is such a contradiction. He's unapologetic and loves who he is so completely but also feels like he's not worth loving or being loved. That fear and insecurity just feels so real and visceral that it made him that much more lovable to me. He talks a lot about the difference between hoping and wanting, and when this eternal optimist finally let himself want something, it showed just how far he'd grown as a person.

A lot of that growth is thanks to the anxiety-ridden baseball player and Gene's friend-to-enemy-to-friend again, Luis. Gene's feelings for Luis are complicated, but once they reconnect and the walls start to come down, it's clear that their old feelings never really went away. These two have a lot of similar experiences and they're not afraid to be vulnerable with each other. That's what makes them so special and endearing and I loved getting to experience all their feelings with them.

This book may be about Gene and Luis, but it's also very much about baseball. While I may not love it in the same way Gene does, I grew to understand and respect it for what it means to him. The support of his team, the name on his uniform, the atmosphere of the stadium, the wins and the losses, all make up a huge part of him and it left its mark on me too. 

Gene's friendships were also an important part of this story. From the fights and disagreements to the relentless support and love that never wavers, Vince, Baker, Ernie and everyone else on the team are the kind of people you want in your life. They're there to share in the lows and to celebrate the highs no matter what.

This debut sports romance is an ode to queer love, family and baseball, and is so deeply hopeful and optimistic that you can't help but fall for this world and its characters. Gene and Luis are so pure and wonderful together, and I hope they get all the things they want in life. It's also got a ton of amazing representation from queer POC in sports, mental health rep and so much more. I loved every second of this story and can't wait to see what this author writes next!

Thoughts and Themes: I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be as invested in this book because sport stories are a hit or miss with me. This one also had a lot of baseball in it for the first 40% of the book but I really enjoyed that building up of the story. I like that the book spent all this time building up the characters for you as this made it, so you felt bad as things happen to them.

Something that I really enjoyed in this book was the anxiety representation through Luis and how real so many of those moments felt. Something else that I really liked throughout this book was Gene's response to Luis being anxious and the small things he does to try and alleviate that.

There were so many moments in this book that I was squealing and rooting for our characters. I really loved the hope that was spread throughout this book. I like that it was just interlaced with love and hope and aspirations for the future. I liked that even if Gene had a hard time hoping or wanting things that when he allowed himself to want things, he got them. I just found both Gene and Luis relatable and didn't want to put this book down even as I finished it. This book got several hugs from me because it put a lot of my feelings into words.

Characters: In this story you are introduced to the main characters, Gene and Luis, along with several other members of the baseball team. I really enjoyed getting to see all the characters interact with each other and develop those relationships.

I really enjoyed getting to see Gene and Luis's relationship develop throughout the course of the book. I like that their relationship starts with them not even wanting to be in the same space and this makes it, so I wanted to know why. I wanted to know why there was so much tension between the two of them and where this was going.

Another set of characters that I really enjoyed were Gene and Vince, I really enjoyed getting to see their relationship grow and change throughout the book as well. I like how Vince and his husband take care of Gene and how Gene does view them as family. I like how this relationship changes because of things happening in both of their lives and how they learn to navigate those changes.

Writing Style: This book is written in third person, and it follows Gene throughout the story. It's been a while since I've read a book in third person, and I had to keep reminding myself that there was an outside narrator because it felt like I was there with our characters. I liked that we were following Gene throughout the story because we only saw what was happening for him. I liked that this didn't jump around from person to person, but we still got a glimpse of other's feelings.

First off, I have been wanting to read this book for a while and eagerly awaiting its release. I was thrilled when I got ARC access. I am a huge MM, sports romance fan, and also from Oregon like the author, so I was excited to read a “local” book.
"The Prospects" felt like slipping into a warm blanket on a rainy Oregon day. The sense of hope and genuine authenticity throughout the story was like a breath of fresh air.
One of the coolest things about this book was the representation. Seeing diverse characters, like the deaf side character and the trans storyline, integrated into the plot was refreshing. It wasn't about token diversity; it felt like an organic part of the story. I also loved that the “trans-ness' ' was essential to the storyline, but wasn't part of the angst of conflict of Luis & Gene’s romance.
“Nes” & “Nada” were just lovable. I found myself rooting for them from the get-go, though I definitely wished we could've seen more from Luis's perspective.
As a local, reading about the fictional PNW team and the Beaverton setting was a blast. It felt like the author really nailed the vibe of the area and the fanbase, which added to the whole experience.
Saying goodbye to Gene and Luis was tough. I'm crossing my fingers for a sequel or maybe a spin-off featuring a side character. I just don't want to let go of this world yet.
"The Prospects" gave me KD Casey vibes with its slow burn romance and cozy atmosphere. (I hope the author finds this to be a compliment!) Overall, "The Prospects" was a delightful read that left me feeling warm and fuzzy inside - My first 5 star read of 2024.

This book was amazing and had so much representation it is hard to choose where to start with a review.

Gene the first openly trans baseball phenom has a fantastic rival to lovers story with Luis - a gay man with anxiety. These two are *chefs kiss*. They are on the same minor league team, and used to play college ball together - they were not friends back then. They quickly become rivals then friends then lovers and following their story is nothing short of amazing. I cannot wait to follow KT Hoffman for more books in the future - this is their debut novel and I cannot wait for more. Also this book has a service dog named Dodger.... what else could you want???

What you can expect:
Cinnamon Roll MMC
Anxiety Rep
LGBTQIA2S+ Rep
Deaf Side Characters
Baseball Games

Thank you Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advance copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The prospects by KT Hoffman is a book made of love. While there can be a bit a slow start to this novel once it finds it footing it is a fantastic and quick read i struggled to put down. Part 3 filled me with love and comfort. I love a good sports romance and this hit all of the inportant beats of it. Especially with this being a queer sports romance i love that our leads Gene and Luis are not the lone queers with this sports team. There is community. Luis and Gene are funny and complicated and so in love. And at the end of the day reading this book felt like sitting in the sun with someone you love and watching a good ball game. And how could you want anything more than that.

Gene "Nes" Ionescu loves baseball. As a gay transgender man, he knows he is lucky to have been signed by a (lesbian) manager to the Portland Lumberjacks' minor league system. Now on the Triple-A Beaverton Beavers roster, he doesn't let himself admit his wildest dreams to someday get called up to "The Show." Then Luis Estrada is traded to the Beavers and the shit hits the fan.

Gene and Luis were college friends and teammates, and Luis' abrupt departure for the draft left Gene feeling hurt. Now that they are (literally) batting for the same team, things start off poorly. Not only does Luis replace Gene as the Beavers' shortstop, relegating him to second base, but his obvious talent signals that Beaverton is just a brief pitstop on the road to a glorious career in the major leagues.

Little by little, Gene and Luis become a dynamic duo, on and off the field. But when Gene's manager suggests that their relationship is holding Luis back from his full potential as a major leaguer and reminds Gene that the couple will likely end up separated geographically, Gene has to decide if he should sacrifice the sport that has always made him happy or the man he is starting to love.

At times in this promising debut, I felt like I was reading something by Cat Sebastian or Casey McQuiston, because the writing was so strong.
"'I am regretting that choice,' [Luis} says, and Gene almost wants to laugh. Part of the appeal might be that it's at Luis's expense. Still, though, the barest hint of a sense of humor exists in Luis's voice. So faint it's like someone's cologne sticking around in an elevator when they themselves disembarked three floors ago, but it smells so nice that you wish they'd stuck around so you could ask the name of both the cologne and its owner." Unfortunately, at other times the plot lagged, and few of the other characters, including Luis, came alive.

But overall I was charmed by the book's inherent optimism, which is sorely lacking these days for the gay and trans communities. Although there is a (mercifully brief) third act separation, the dominant emotion for most of the story is joy - in baseball, in family, and in being queer. Gene is the first openly transgender man in professional baseball, but almost nobody gives him grief about his gender or sexuality. Queer representation extends to many of the secondary characters; in addition to Gene's lesbian manager, his best friend/teammate and two dads are gay. Angst is almost nonexistent, and everyone is emotionally available and supportive.

Gene's story may be a fantasy in today's climate, but Hoffman defiantly chooses to present a world in which his protagonist's dreams can come true.

N.B. Some "sports romances" use their designated game as window dressing, with most of the action taking place far away from the field/rink/stadium. The Prospects, however, is heavily steeped in baseball. Numerous scenes are set during games, and there are transcripts of the announcers' recap and analysis. I happen to love the sport, but YMMV if you can't tell the difference between a drag bunt and a drag show.

ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for objective review.

Gene and Luis are my babies and words can’t express how excited I am to have gotten the privilege to read this ARC.

Luis’s anxiety felt like I was looking in a mirror and I don’t know that I’ve read a more relatable representation of anxiety in a book. Same goes for Gene’s ADHD - it’s hard to put into words how difficult it can be to struggle with doing tasks even though you know you need to, and the way Luis and Gene took care of each other through panic attacks and decision/ADHD paralysis.. it warmed my heart.

I loved the way the romance wasn’t the only plot point, and I learned so much about baseball - sports romances, in my opinion, usually lean into the sports OR the romance, never both. This one did, though, and it was such a quick, beautiful story.

Sometimes you read a book and you immediately know that it’ll be one you come back to time and again, and this fell into that category so quickly, I’m in awe. Such a sweet story!

OMG this book is fucking phenomenal.

From the first line, I knew I was in for a treat, and it absolutely lived up to that promise page after glorious page. I want to say... KD Casey but with a higher joy-to-angst ratio? (I hope both authors are flattered by that comparison; it's meant as a compliment in both directions.)

This is a story that I want to believe can be true very soon, it's about love and baseball in the Pacific Northwest, and it has an honest-to-goodness bagel recipe that I hope to try someday—oh, and the writing is just chef's kiss. Please, run don't walk to read this; request it at your local library; recommend it to all your friends. I don't give five-star reviews often. There wasn't any question about this one. (Because I'm me, I'd have been happier without the secondary-characters-adopting plot point, but it was minor enough that it didn't detract from my enjoyment much.)

My thanks to the publisher/NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! This had me giggling and kicking my feet the entire way through - a story filled with so much love, hope, and joy! Gene, the first openly trans player in the minor leagues is just the perfect protagonist, and the tension he has with Luis is literally to die for. Luis is so dark, brooding, and sexy, plus he has an adorable dog?! Their will they or won't they/are they enemies or aren't they? tension is done so well, the side characters are developed beautifully alongside the plot to really help carry our main two lovebirds along, and I love how the story follows the baseball season along with their season of love. It's as much of a story about their baseball team overcoming the odds to win a championship as it is about them overcoming the odds to find happiness and true love, and it was just such a perfect, happy, sexy, adorable book. I can't believe this is KT's debut - what a stellar start to a great career.