Cozy, heartwarming, and so damn fun! The Prospects brings together the best of baseball with a swoon-worthy romance for the ages.

This was such a tender, sensitive, fully-realized trans romance—I loved the glimpses into baseball culture, the arc of these estranged friends, and the exploration of transness in sports. A total, heart-opening joy.

cute story, i like sports romances and this one did the trick. I would read more from this author, the characters were fun and the enemies to lovers trope was great

Thanks to Dial Press and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Prospects by KT Hoffman follows Gene, a minor league baseball player, who is reunited with a former teammate, Luis. They have a tense relationship after playing together in college and then losing contact. The novel follows them as they reconcile and connect again over their mutual love of the game and each other.

I looooved this book. It was so charming and heartfelt, while dealing with realistically strong emotions and deep issues. Gene was such a fun character to follow, and I loved all the baseball antics. I'm definitely going to be on the lookout for more work from KT Hoffman.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have played sports my entire life, albeit soccer, and I really enjoy watching and reading media surrounding sports. So the idea of a queer baseball story with a trans main character really got me excited. Gene “Nes” Ionescu’s story is unfortunately not possible in reality, something the author acknowledges, so at first it was a little difficult for me to suspend my disbelief. I can be very particular about how realistic things are, but that isn’t the point of the story. It’s not about what currently is possible for trans athletes but looking forward to a future we can one day hope to reach. Remembering that grounded me back into the story.

The book itself has several mistakes and contradicting statements from the characters, but given this is an ARC and the book won’t be published until April 2024, I won’t discuss them here.

The thing I had the biggest issue with is the setting, or more specifically, how the author handles the setting. The author is from Beaverton, Oregon, which is the setting for the book, and he clearly has a lot of love and pride of his hometown. However, with that, he seems to make a lot of assumptions about the reader’s prior knowledge of the town and Oregon itself. I found that the way the setting was discussed is really inaccessible to anyone not already familiar with Oregon, particularly non-Americans. I’m American, and I still found myself struggling to understand what Beaverton looked like. Is it a city? A suburb? How close is it to Portland? The author doesn’t actually describe the setting in general terms, just in relation to very specific knowledge only someone from Oregon could understand. He also mentions a few other towns in Oregon, some smaller, some larger, and the only reason I understood any of it is that I have a friend in Oregon, and I’ve been there a few times. Anyone not from the USA will probably need to be constantly checking a map, I know I did.

Just like the setting can be difficult unless you’re already familiar with it, the same thing goes for the baseball. The reader is sort of thrown in the deep end of the sport, and unless you already have some prior knowledge, you’re going to be very confused. Once again I’m lucky to have a connection to the topic, my dad played baseball, and he still plays softball locally. But even with that knowledge, I struggled with some of the really specific terminology. However, after a while it became easier to understand.

In terms of the actual plot, I thought the initial conflict resolved itself pretty quickly and with little fanfare. I wish there had been a bit more tension in the conflict and its resolution, as is typically the case in a rivals situation. I found the pace of the first half to be pretty slow, and I was dragging my feet. However, once I hit the second part of the book, the pace picked up, and I was able to get back into the story.

Now, let’s talk spicy scenes. I’m never someone who enjoys sex scenes in media because they’re just not for me, but I didn’t mind the ones in this book at all. I can’t say enjoy, because I never do, but there are a few reasons why I liked them. 1) It’s nice to have sex scenes with a trans man and a gay partner, it felt natural to me, and I’m so happy to see that kind of representation. Not all queer things need to be sanitized for the public, and trans people enjoy sex too. 2) Thank GOD for the use of the word ‘clit’, I actually cheered.

Overall I felt the book was okay, there's a lot more I wish I had gotten from it and the story itself was pretty straightforward. I can’t say I was really surprised by anything that happened, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I am open to revisiting the book and this review after the final publication, as I’m confident that these issues I have can be resolved.

Current rating: 3.5 stars, rounded down.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for an eARC of this.

Unfortunately, I ended up DNFing this book and it has nothing to do with the writing or the story. I just couldn't get into it and enjoy it like I wanted to.

I'm am very happy though with the more representation that the LGBTQ+ community is getting and there are people out there that will be able to connect with those story better than I could!

The prospects follows Gene, a minor league baseball player. Gene is the first openly transgender player on a minor league team and how he feels about Luis, an old teammate getting traded to his team.

Firstly I really enjoyed what a joy all of Gene's teammates are. It was so refreshing to read a story that wasn't filled with homophobic, transphobic jocks. The team all really care for and root for each other.

As someone who deals with anxiety, I enjoy a character like Luis and I absolutely adore his dog Dodger. As someone who isn't super into sports I really appreciated that although baseball was obviously present throughout the book, it never took over or was more important than the human relationships, which is definitely a theme throughout the book

This was a really heartwarming and fun enemies to friends to lovers story. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, even if you're not super familiar with baseball it's still a great read!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gene is the first openly out trans man to play in the minor leagues, and he's proud of his accomplishment and loves his team--until one of his college teammates Luis gets traded to the team. They were friends before Luis got called up and then disappeared from Gene's life, and even worse, Luis is taking Gene's usual spot on the field. When neither is playing their best and the tension between them is clear to everyone, their team manager tells them they need to find a way to work together. As they do, their friendship rekindles--as do Gene's feelings for Luis, much as he would like to pretend they don't exist.

I loved this book. It felt much longer than it was (but somehow not in a bad way), and the pacing was pretty slow (although, again, not in a bad way). I really loved the characters and how Gene's transness and Luis's anxiety were both clearly important and absolutely given the attention they deserved, but that the book also focused on other aspects of the characters and on the baseball itself--it balanced all those things really well. I am not much of a sports person but was mostly able to follow the baseball--there were a few terms I didn't know but there was enough context for me to follow along. Overall I really liked it, and am looking forward to reading more from KT Hoffman.

So much to love about this book! It is a baseball story (I love baseball), with Gene, a trans character as the lead. Gene was such a strong character. I loved his fearlessness. his optimism, and his love of the game. The exploration of his trans identity was nuanced and filled out in a deeper way than I have read in other books. The supporting characters of families, teammates and coaches created a warm and diverse feel to the whole book.
I thought Gene and Luis' relationship was realistic and mature, and the author sensitively portrays the anxiety disorder that affects Luis' life. I would highly recommend this book to readers who love diverse representation, sports and romance. This book is a winner!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Thanks for giving me access to this ARC. What a joyful queer story. I don’t read many sports romances often but I definitely enjoyed this one a lot.

Baseball, MLM, rivals to lovers what’s not to love. I have very little to say about this book that isn’t positive. A book about learning to want the things you deserve in life wrapped up in a hopeful romance. Gene’s transness doesn’t stop him from making his mark on the baseball world and while it’s shown as a hindrance in some cases, as it is in the real world, his hope and desire to be where he is, is inspiring. The side characters are likable and the rival/love interest Luis comes with his own side growth that really kept me reading.

I loved this book! I devoured it in only a few sittings and wish there was more to read. The story line was paced very well and the characters were easy to love!

Gay sports rivals and a transmasc main character! Sign me up!

Gene Ionescu, the first openly trans player in professional baseball, feels the tension rise when his rival, Luis Estrada, gets traded into his team, the Beaverton Beavers. Forced proximity, both on and off field, turns their bitter distaste into blossoming love as we watch both players chase their major league dreams.

I love a good sports rivalry. The funny dialogue and cute romance made this book a fun read. I’m not a big fan of baseball, so I found scenes surrounding the game a bit boring. Unlike me, baseball fans will eat this up!

Thank you to Netgalley and Dial Press Trade Paperback for this ARC.

This book is a delightful bundle of gay, trans, baseball JOY.

Gene is the first openly trans player in professional baseball, happily playing shortstop on the triple-A farm team for the (fictional) Portland Lumberjacks. Then his college teammate -- and former friend -- Luis is traded to the team and Gene gets "demoted" to second base. With Gene's grudge and Luis's standoffishness, the two can't complete a play on the field or a conversation off it. If they can't make nice and work together they might ruin the team's whole season, not to mention their prospects of ever moving up to the majors.

In addition to the sweet rivals-to-friends-to-lovers romance and lots of fun baseball, The Prospects has loving supportive family, great teammates, and a Very Good Dog. It's coming out in April and I know I'll be revisiting it in the spring!

The romance:
* In a way this a second-chance story. Not that Gene and Luis had a romantic relationship before, but their history together in college meant that they already understood and could read each other to some extent, so once they decided to work together, their friendship had a good foundation to grow quickly on.
* I think the "spice level" was appropriate. I'm generally happy to read intimate scenes with any level of explicitness and I'd have been fine with more here, but it may have detracted from the balance of the various story elements. I think that for Gene as a trans person, the use of specific terms he likes for his anatomy was important to show how comfortable he is in his own skin, which is something Luis seems to really like about him.

The baseball:
* I'm not much of a sports fan in real life, but I have a good understanding of the terminology and process of baseball and I certainly can enjoy watching a game if I know or care about the players, so I really liked all of the baseball parts of this book. The story of a game is often the most compelling part, and I think there's a good balance here between detailed plays and game summaries.
* Even with a sport or other story element that I have minimal knowledge of, I can enjoy it if it's written well, and Hoffman's genuine enthusiasm for baseball really shines in this book.

The families:
* I liked the different family histories that Gene and Luis have around baseball. Their experiences playing the game were similar in many ways, but their differing upbringings in it had a big impact on whether they could enjoy playing at a high level.
* I loved how supportive Gene's and Luis's families are of their gender and sexuality. Stories of family rejection or discomfort after coming out are totally valid and necessary for many readers to feel understood, but it's refreshing to read this story that sets an example for how families *should* respond to their family members coming out.

The teammates:
* I really liked that Gene did not face harassment in the locker room. His teammates were focused on the game and it was nice that he could avoid nasty comments (if he was willing to stay off tw*tter).
* I had a lot of sympathy for Vince's anger around his injury. It was a little heartbreaking when he and Gene weren't speaking to each other, but it felt very realistic.

I was really looking forward to this one and it was unfortunately a DNF for me. The writing style was the biggest thing holding me back, but also the netgalley epub made it even harder to read. This ended up being so personally and deeply not the book for me that I think if I spent anymore time on it, I would end up being way more critical than it deserves. This is a story that is going to find its people with or without me and they are going to just love it, but unfortunately (for me!) I'm just not one of them.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own.

Gene, a gay and trans minor league baseball player in Oregon, vows to help his team make the playoffs before his best friend retires. But then his former teammate, Luis, is traded onto the team, disrupting their gameplay as well as Gene's emotional equilibrium.

The Prospects is a sweet, engrossing love story with a strong undercurrent of optimism and joy. I loved how confident Gene was, how little bigotry he encountered on the page, and how supportive the other characters were of his personal and professional aspirations. While I realize that there is plenty of transphobia and homophobia in professional sports and the world at large - and that it's important to address that, including in fiction - it was delightful to read a story that takes place in the best version of our world. This allowed the story to focus on Gene and Luis's emotional journeys and the romance between them.

Gene was a delightful main character, and Luis was an interesting and well-developed love interest. In fact, Luis was so interesting that I might have liked to read some chapters from his point of view as well! However, I think the author's decision to confine the story to a single point of view kept the story fast paced and positive (Luis struggles with anxiety, so his chapters might have been more emotionally challenging) and it's hard to quibble with such a great read.

I stayed up late multiple nights in a row to inhale more of this book. Lyrical sport romance, 2 gay male MC, one trans - this book just brought me so much joy. The concept of just being out there, playing a professional sport with the focus on the positives while managing the negatives - I am so here for all of it.
I loved the mental health struggles of both MC, the therapy dog, history of their relationship, being out. And of course the Dedication, the Acknowledgements and Author's Information. I could not get enough. I've already pre-ordered a copy.
It is THAT good!

The Prospects by KT Hoffman is a delightful debut rom-com that takes readers on a heartwarming journey through the world of minor league baseball, love, and self-discovery. Gene Ionescu, the first openly trans player in professional baseball, serves as the charming protagonist in a story that beautifully blends the complexities of identity with the joy of newfound love.

One of the standout elements of this book is its unique backdrop—the world of baseball. The author brings the sport to life with vivid descriptions of the games, the camaraderie among teammates, and the tension on and off the field. For someone not well-versed in baseball, the narrative provides an engaging and accessible entry into the sport, making it an enjoyable read for both sports enthusiasts and those new to the game.

The dynamic between Gene and Luis, his former teammate turned rival, is the beating heart of the story. The author skillfully builds their relationship, infusing it with genuine charm and humor. The gradual progression from animosity to a begrudging friendship and eventually to a deeper, more romantic connection is expertly paced, keeping the reader invested in their journey.

Gene's identity as the first openly trans player in professional baseball adds a layer of depth to the narrative. The book explores the challenges and triumphs of being true to oneself in a traditionally conservative sports environment. The author handles Gene's experiences with authenticity and sensitivity, offering readers a poignant look at the intersection of identity and passion.

The supporting characters contribute to the overall warmth of the story, creating a sense of community within the Beaverton Beavers. The camaraderie among the team members adds depth to the narrative, emphasizing the importance of friendship and support in the face of life's curveballs.

In essence, The Prospects is a joyful celebration of love, self-discovery, and the courage to pursue one's dreams. It seamlessly blends the excitement of sports with the tenderness of a blossoming romance. Fans of LGBT romance novels, especially those who enjoyed Red, White, & Royal Blue and The Charm Offensive, will find The Prospects to be a welcome addition to their reading list. Overall, a heartwarming and enjoyable debut that hits a home run in the romance genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishes for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

4.5 stars. I absolutely loved this one. Not only is it filled with love and hope, it’s just so uplifting and funny. All the characters had such a bright and likable personality and they worked off each other so well. I loved Gene and Luis so much as well as the rest of the team. Vince and Jack were so sweet and I loved Vince’s friendship with Gene. It felt so real and I always wished I had something like that.

The romance was top tier. Luis was so open about exploring things with Gene and they were so stinkin cute together. I wanted it to get mushier and mushier as it was going on. Also, everyone accepted Gene and was willing to be there for him. Nobody was mean and everyone was just so sweet and open both on and off the field.

The only thing I didn’t quite get was the baseball references. There was a LOT of in depth baseball jargon and I missed every single thing. I felt like I unfortunately didn’t get the full depth of the story because of my lack of knowledge. However, everything else was super enjoyable and I loved this book so much!

This is a real underdog story where Gene is the first trans man to attempt to go pro at baseball and fall in love along the way. I can not wait for more from this author!

4.5 - I love baseball. It is basically the only sport I care about (except my college basketball team won their championships). I loved the show Pitch and I wish we had a little more exploration and diversity in baseball related media.

I saw The Prospects on NetGalley and knew I had to read it with a trans man playing minor league baseball and a gay love interest. The story was so much fun and I can tell K.T. really enjoys the sport because a lot of care was put in. I enjoyed the highs and lows and the little nuances that come with the sport of baseball. Gene and Luis have my heart and I would die for them. The way their relationship forms, grows, and settles was great and I found myself tearing up at times as I cheered for them to get to their happily ever after.

Thank you for the ARC and can't wait to buy a physical copy!