Overall this is a thoughtful book and well written. The main characters are very likable and the romance is easy to root for. I personally wasn't a huge fan of the book because there was a lot of explaining how professional baseball works at the beginning. I was trying to get hooked and invested in the beginning but I just felt like it was a baseball lesson with information I already knew. First person is also my preference in romance.

I got an ARC of this book.

When the author bio includes a mention of “trans joy”, I knew I needed this book. Trans joy is something I need desperately.

This book is full of trans joy. The transphobia level was pretty low. It was not a plot. It was more people not knowing what to do. It was more people trying their best. I felt safe reading this. I didn’t have that gut wrenching panic that can come from reading cis people write trans characters. I have no idea if Hoffman is trans, but based on this book I would not be surprised if he was. Gene is too human and the plot is so mildly trans that I thought a few times throughout the book that Hoffman probably was.

The sex. Oh god. The sex.

The baseball aspects were legit. This was not a book that has the idea of baseball like a lot of sports romances. Instead baseball was an integral part of the story. You don’t need to know the rules to really understand what is happening. There is some stats talk that will make more sense if you have some basics. But without it, you will be ok. It is more about the feeling of doing something that feels so freeing and so intensely you that the details are just icing on the emotional cake.

Gene was wonderful. He was a bit of a ham. He was a golden retreiver boyfriend in the best ways. He was supportive, he was eager, he was adorable. I was all for Gene and Luis getting together. The backstory at first made me concerned, but it grew on me. The few offhand comments that come from that were so affirming for me as a trans guy. Luis’s sister had one of the best lines and I am here for that family. This book could easily have a sequel of the men later in life. It doesn’t feel like a spoiler for a romance that there is an at least HFN ending.

Luis. Luis. Luis. I wanted to hug him so tight. He was such an anxious guy and even had an ESA. I was so excited. I wanted Gene to win him over with his golden retreiver energy and help Luis feel safe. It just really felt like it was meant to be.

I really enjoyed this book. I am pretty skeptical of sports romances, so this one stands out in a lot of ways.

This was a very well-written book with really lovely main characters! I loved the romance and the mental health rep. Overall I thought it was an excellent book, I just don’t think baseball/sports romances are for me!

🌈Queer rep: Gay trans man, gay cis man. MM main relationship. Secondary gay male characters, lesbian character, MM couples, FF couple.

This book was really sweet and I absolutely loved the premise of it! Nes and Nada were very complex and loveable characters, and I enjoyed how the conflict at the beginning was resolved and their relationship progressed naturally alongside the plot. At times, the writing style was a little bit annoying because it felt a bit unfinished and backstory elements were randomly inserted to serve the specific plot moment rather than being naturally integrated, but it didn’t hinder the reading experience too much. I didn’t know I needed a trans baseball book until now, but it was wonderful and I will be recommending it to others!

I enjoyed this book so much! It was a ton of fun, and brought out all the feels. The characters were beyond compelling. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. The story gripped me and didn't want to let go. Very enjoyable.

I love this book so much I am sad I don't get to experience it for the first time again. This is the perfect summer romance. Perfect.

The Prospect is a sports book. There is romance and found family and funny moments, but this really is about baseball. There is sports jargon (that I don't understand), game details, league details and other sports stuff. I am SO excited about this, because this feels to me like a queer romance about gay men that is not written for the "female gaze" (there has to be a better way to say that? Idk).

AND Gene is trans. It feels far fetched and exciting to read about a trans athlete working his way up the ladder of baseball and learning to dream big. It feels hopeful that this story exists in our world! This is somehow very finding yourself/coming of age. It's sweet, people learn and grow and family is FOUND. I loveeeeeeee Vince and Baker and the roles they play....and that his family are cool and supportive too. There are many great iconic pep talks, definitely look out for Vince to warm your heart right up with his grumpy self. While Gene does have challenges, hate and blatant transphobia are not the main ones/not explicitly shown on page (but also not avoided as reality).

All that to say, this book is incredible and I'm so glad it's in the world. And that I got to review an early copy. I have already sent several *strong* recommendations to friends who HAVE to read this so I can fangirl my life away. Who knows, maybe I will even start watching baseball. (I will not).

casey mcquiston’s blurb says “i completely adored it” and they were right!!! cute lil enemies to lovers baseball romcom

CAN I JUST HAVE ALL THE QUEER SPORTS ROMANCES DIRECTLY IN MY INBOX RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I NEED MORE LIKE THIS

NetGalley Review — my rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I was invited to read “The Prospects” by KT Hoffman and I thought “hmmm…June feels like a good month to do that…”

Why? Well, Gene is the first openly trans minor league baseball player. He wants to go to the big leagues but doesn’t think it’ll ever happen. All of a sudden, Luis Estrada is traded down from the majors after an accident leaves him paralyzed with anxiety attacks. Luis and Gene? College teammates and always at odds over the same position. But maybe the animosity is something more?

I am going to say this. If you don’t understand baseball, this isn’t the book for you. If transgendered people make you uncomfy, this isn’t the book for you (and also, see yourself out).

On that note, I enjoyed this one for the most part. 3.5 but I’m knocking it down because it did drag on and jumped around a lot. But I liked Gene’s positivity and his chemistry with Luis. It was a fun read!

Thanks to Random House Publishing for the ARC! This was released April 9 so check it out!

#netgalley #kthoffman #theprospects

I absolutely adored this story. This was such a unique sports romance, but it also touched on so much more than that. It’s hard to describe all of the feelings this book gave me but it felt in the end like a warm hug. I was so incredibly involved in this story because the characters created were so well done. I also absolutely love baseball and to have a story that brings to light some of the bad parts of the sport, while also expressing love for it, it was an impressive balance achieved by the author. The representation of a transgender athlete in this book was done so well, and helped bring to light issues that transgender athletes have to deal with that other athletes might not think about. Overall, one of my new favorites.

Cheers to all the LGBTQ+ Sports Romances having their moment this spring/summer!
This is one of the most remarkable DEBUTS I think I have ever read.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

What to expect…
- baseball, DUH!
- characters who will quickly make you a baseball fan.
- anxiety/panic attacks/ ADHD that are written with care
- you will laugh, cry, & then want to read it again.
- SEXY HEARTFELT MOMENTS!
🔥🔥🔥

Thank you to the author, the publisher, & to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my review!

I loved the idea of a gay baseball romance! And while the baseball was fun it felt like the romance was being drowned in the baseball knowledge and games. It took me a while to be sold on Gene's and Luis relationship as I didn't really feel the chemistry initially. This caused me to soft dnf the book for a couple months but when I eventually hit the halfway point of the book I very quickly got more immersed in their relationship and story! I also really loved Vince as a character and enjoyed how much the other characters affected the main story.

The trans diversity and representation felt great in this book, and I'm interested in reading more from this author!

Thanks for netgalley for an early arc of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed this one as I was constantly rooting for the main character and was interested in where the story was going. I also was interested in the story in imagining a world where there's more inclusion especially in the male-dominated world of sports and romance to boot. We follow Gene Ionescu, the first openly trans player in baseball, on a minor league baseball team. He's followed his dreams and is where he wants to be in life until he meets his new teammate, Luis Estrada. It's love/hate at first but possibly it's not all it seems. They figure out how to support each other as teammates but there something more there. Also, Gene has the dream of making it to the majors but knows it's highly unlikely. Yet, he is a positive force on the team, an incredible player and is always willing to put himself out there. Can he also put himself out there for love and take risks he'd not
allowed. This is a wonderful uplifting story!

I really edged myself with this book because I waited so long to read it even though I had the arc for months and I kept hearing such fantastic things, but for some reason, I held off on reading it. But then I finally picked it up and I could. not. put it down.

This book is so lovely in its representation. Gene is a trans man in the male-dominated world of baseball and so much of this book speaks about what his identity can mean to others who look up to him. I also loved Luis's representation of GAD and how he has his therapy dog Dodger and that his experience is never questioned. This book is just a giant rainbow in the best way and it's a love letter to all different types of identities.

The book heavily features baseball (obviously) but I never felt like I was getting bogged down/lost in the baseball info (as I barely know anything about the sport). You can really tell that KT took the time to get the details of the world right, but also took some artistic licenses here and there. There was a lot of KT's heart poured into this book and you can see it right on the pages.

I'm so happy that this book exists and that I was given the opportunity to read it. Definitely one of my favorites of the year so far!!

Thank you to Dial Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own!

This was such a sweet and wholesome read! I loved the support between the love interests — they really work so well together. Also the main character is so strong and very comfortable with who they are which is great to see. I liked how this book truly celebrated trans joy! It didn’t ignore the difficulties, but just mostly decided to focus on happiness and that’s incredible. This book will mean a lot to many people who see themselves reflected in the characters. And for those who are not part of the queer community, this could build empathy and some understanding around the realities faced in the world (joyful or not). I hope we can have a world with more equal opportunities in sports like the one KT Hoffman creates in this book! Some day, perhaps! 3.5✨ rounded up!

Note: My rating is because it is baseball heavy and I just found some parts would drag because I’m not super into sports. BUT I think it’s still a good read! I’m definitely going to keep my eye on this author in the future!!

I LOVE a good sports romance that actually focuses on the sport as well. Don't get me wrong, the romance was very cute and a large part of the book, but the baseball plot line is what kept me.

The beaverton baseball team and players have my heart. I loved that she kept a running tally of their wins vs losses and had sports commentators discussing the season. It really kept me caring about the team.

Gene learning to believe in hope in his life and that he deserves to be on a professional baseball team because of his skills was super emotional and well done. This was not a story about someone being Trans and learning to love themselves. It was a story about someone who loved everyone else and needed to learn how to love and believe in themselves.

Thank tou Dell what an absolutely stunning perfect debut. I am soooo glad I saved this one for June as it was the perfect book to kick off pride with!!! I love how the author wrote this book it felt so unique and would love to see teams in the future have everyone included. I cannot wait for the authors next book they are one to watch!!!!!

Genes passion in life is baseball. He's the first openly trans gay man to play and that comes with backlash and feeling like he may never get to go pro. But he's happy playing in the minors for beaverton, at least until Luis Estrada is traded to their team and takes his position. A blast from the past rocks gene to his core, but will it effect his whole life? The rivals to lovers trope is done incredibly well in this debut novel. I love the diversity of the characters, the mental health representation and the love story between these two. One open and proud, the other struggling to come out and deal with his anxiety. The pair seemed unlikely, but they fit so well together and the spice was perfect. Just enough to leave you wanting more and the ending was absolutely adorable and wrapped the story up perfectly.

The Prospects by KT Hoffman is a refreshing and delightful sports romance that will capture any lover of queer and sports narratives alike. Hoffman does a magnificent job creating a world that celebrates trans joy and the possibilities of what that could look like in sports. The romance is heartwarming and sweet, two characters and a team you can't help but root for. Gene Ionescu is a lovable and hopeful protagonist that captures the reader from the very first page. Apart from the romance, at the core of the novel is the wonderful friendship between Gene and his captain, Vince, showcasing how important found family is to the queer community. The Prospects is a book I will recommend and KT Hoffman is certainly an author I look forward to reading again.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I really hope to see more. This is about a couple baseball players, one being the first trans person in the league.