This is a queer sports romance. It was really good. I like the hope vs wanting theme. The two was a rivals to lovers romance story. It's a debut novel and I was really happy after reading this.

This was one of the first baseball romance books I've ever read and it did not disappoint. From the first to the last chapter, I was captured by Gene and Luis, both wonderfully written and realistic characters. The author's love for baseball shines through in this book, I am a huge fan of sports romance and this one sets itself apart because of the care that went into the baseball-related information. There is so much queer joy and love filling this book, there were so many times I cried happy tears. I cannot recommend this book enough and typically I am not super interested in the author's notes but I highly recommend reading it at the end.

Nothing like a sports romance in my book, and I loved the holistic look at the game and personal lives in this one. The Prospects shows the representation that we wish there was in major league sports - and that we will hopefully see one day.

This book was so much better than anything I expected. I went in blind and didn't even mind all the baseball talk. This was such a joy to read. Trans representation and one of the sweetest queer love stories I have ever read! This author will be an auto-buy for me from now on.

4.75⭐️

I do not understand anything about baseball, but boy did I love this book so much!!
Queer joy, trans joy, found family. A little bit funny, a little bit steamy, and a whole lotta vulnerability.
Read this book! Gene and Luis and The Whole Beaverton Crew™️ certainly steal bases and will also steal your heart (oh that was so cheesy and I'm not even sorry about it lmao).

Rounding up to five stars. Here I find myself struggling to write a review for a book because I enjoyed it too much! There is something extra compelling about a sports romance that is not set in the major leagues. It's all a bit more human and accessible. But also, the trans joy and optimism in this book is off the charts and I was there for it! This book is really Gene's story and it is so lovely spending time with him - witnessing his growth, experiencing his friendships and following along as he falls for Luis. Also, this book is pretty hot. I'm not sure what else to say because it was just a joy to read and remarkable for a debut.

I'm not usually one for sports romances but I am always a fan of a good queer romcom, and The Prospects did not disappoint.

Gene, the MC is so easy to root for. He's witty and hilarious and strong, and he cares so much for the people in his life. His love for the game was palpable on the page, and it made me want to be at a real game cheering him on. And paired with Luis, who was relatable to me through his anxiety, the two men made a lovable pair of friends to lovers.

It's also worth mentioning the platonic and familial relationships were all darling, as well. I've read romcoms in the past where the side characters were flat but Hoffman does a great job giving each one shape, in particular with Vince, Baker, and Ernie. I just cared about everyone in this book so dang much!

My only complaint: Some details felt a bit rushed. In particular, I never felt like we were given a clear understanding of Gene and Luis' friendship back when they were in college. In one paragraph, Gene would be saying he felt betrayed because Luis left so suddenly but then in another, he would say they barely talked during college. It wasn't very clear.

But overall, I loved The Prospects! This book is filled with hope and love and unabashed trans joy, as well as great rep (Trans MC with ADHD, Gay Mexican LI with anxiety + emotional support animal, as well a Lesbian, gay, and deaf side characters). I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin RandomHouse for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Prospects
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: K.T. Hoffman

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Random House Publishing and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Hope is familiar territory for Gene Ionescu. He has always loved baseball, a sport made for underdogs and optimists like him. He also loves his team, the minor league Beaverton Beavers, and, for the most part, he loves the career he’s built. As the first openly trans player in professional baseball, Gene has nearly everything he’s ever let himself dream of—that is, until Luis Estrada, Gene’s former teammate and current rival, gets traded to the Beavers, destroying the careful equilibrium of Gene’s life.

Gene and Luis can’t manage a civil conversation off the field or a competent play on it, but in the close confines of dugout benches and roadie buses, they begrudgingly rediscover a comfortable rhythm. As the two grow closer, the tension between them turns electric, and their chemistry spills past the confines of the stadium. For every tight double play they execute, there’s also a glance at summer-tan shoulders or a secret shared, each one a breathless moment of possibility that ignites in Gene the visceral, terrifying kind of desire he’s never allowed himself. Soon, Gene has to reconcile the quiet, minor-league-sized life he used to find fulfilling with the major-league dreams Luis makes feel possible.

My Thoughts: This was a sweet, heartfelt romance that elated optimism, inspiration, and hope. Gene is the first openly trans baseball player in the minor league. Gene is living the perfect life until his arch nemesis, Luis, gets traded to the same team that he is on. They cannot manage a conversation that does not involve yelling, however within the dugouts and bus, they start to establish a comfortable truce. As they begin to grow closer, the tension between them turns from anger to passionate. Will they be able to grow together or will they continue to work against each other? This follows the tropes of professional sports, baseball, queer romance, second chance love, and enemies to friends to lovers.

The author does an amazing job with the mental health representation, really does it justice with compassion and grace. There is also queer and trans representation that was amazing. The supporting characters represented downs syndrome, gay, bisexual, and deafness. Again, the author does an outstanding job at taking care with this topics and representing in a way that is beautiful, graceful, and compassionate.

The characters were well developed, fleshed out well, had witty banter, off the charts chemistry, and were intriguing. The supporting characters were really outstanding and really elevated this storyline to another level. The author’s writing style was complex, swoony, heartfelt, thought-provoking, and just beautiful. You can really tell that the author did research on baseball and loves the sport, the author discusses it with such adoration and passion. The author does a stellar job at balancing the romance with the sport, which is so refreshing. I have read a few novels that absolutely butchered the sport and just focused on the romance. For a debut novel, this is above par. I know we are going to see amazing things from Hoffman. The author builds our characters through a slow burn, then blends the plot into layers over the storyline, then has an amazing Happily Ever After for our MCs.

The tell of a good sports romance is not only rooting for our MCs, but rooting for their team and being invested in the outcome of the game. This was a heartfelt, sweet, swoony romance that will take you on a wonderful rollercoaster reading journey. I experienced the gambit myself. It was really hard to put my review into words because this novel was just so good. If you like Casey McQuiston, Alison Cochrun, or Anita Kelly, you will LOVE this story. I highly recommend picking this up today!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Stars
🌶️🌶️🌶️ 3/5 Steam Rating
📝 3rd Person; Baseball Romance with Trans & Mental Health Representation

This book right here is simply Trans joy and I loved every minute of reading it! It’s a story about a Trans Man finding his place (and love) while being a member of a Minor League Baseball Team in the PNW. The characters are well crafted and so incredibly lovable. You can’t help but to root for the Beaverton Beavers or for Gene & Luis as a couple!

When I say that this is a sports romance, I truly mean it! Not just the fact that the MCs play baseball, but everything about this book revolves around these characters love for baseball and their team. I had no idea how much I didn’t know about this sport before going into this book.

I enjoyed this book so much, I was easily able to overlook the fact that the MC chose the name Gene and that it’s told in 3rd Person.

After seeing so many friends rave about this book I was so excited to pick it up and it did not disappoint! It's no secret that I love a sports romance, specifically a queer sports romance! After finishing it I know this will be a go to sports romance rec for me! It had everything I love about a sports romance but also had so many other added aspects that really set it apart for me.

The story follows Gene, a queer trans man, who is trying to make a name for himself in the minor leagues. When his former college teammate Luis is traded to the Beavers their long-time stewing chemistry becomes much harder to ignore.

One of my favorite aspects of the book was the detail put into it. It can really take me out of a sports romance when it isn’t accurate, and while I’m not a huge baseball fan I know the basics, and it seemed pretty accurate to me. I also love how Gene’s best friend's husband, Jack, who was deaf was portrayed. The sign language was described in detail really illustrating everything that goes into it: the hand movements, lip reading and emotion behind the signs. I also appreciated the care that was given to Luis’s anxiety. While I do not personally suffer from anxiety, the portrayal felt very authentic to me based on other things I have read.

This was a fantastic debit and I can’t wait to read more from Hoffman!

Baseball! Pining! Friendship! Sex! Gender! Mental illness rep! Good hair! Great butts! This book was just wonderful and gave my romance bookclub the best 2 hours of conversation over wine and homemade pretzel bites and baseball cookies ♥️

We finished the night by sharing what our walk-up songs would be and, as expected, we made the best playlist ever!

Go sports!

It's honestly surprising that KT Hoffman's The Prospects is his debut novel because this book impresses with every single aspect. It's the kind of book you'll find yourself picking up when you need a pick-me-up, it brims with so much heart, joy, fluff, and sexiness while being balanced with the right amount of angst, challenges, realizations, and discussions of mental health. I admit that I know nothing about baseball and while following along Gene and Luis's journeys might not have made me a baseball fan, they certainly made me a fan of the Beaverton Beavers (I just can't help but root for the underdog) and of theirs. The Prospects is queer and trans joy bottled up finally being uncorked and let loose in a stream of awe-inspiring words that KT Hoffman captured, nurtured, and gave life to in the form of a book. If you're a Romance fan, then this is a debut you cannot miss.

It’s baseball season, and personally I think there’s no better way to celebrate than with some queer baseball romance. And let me tell you what… The Prospects by KT Hoffman is just the freaking treat.

The Prospects follows our main character Gene, who is the first openly trans player in professional baseball and the shortstop for the Oregon minor league team, The Beaverton Beavers.

Gene doesn’t really have any assumption or dream of being called up to the majors, but that’s okay because he loves his team and the life he’s built. That is, until his former friend and college teammate turned rival, Luis Estrada is traded to his team.

Not only is Luis impossible to hold a conversation with, but he also takes Gene’s spot as shortstop, pushing Gene onto second base. The horror! But as the team faces loss after loss and it’s clear that their inability to work together is a major reason behind that, Gene and Luis agree to work together, coming to the field early for extra practice just the two of them.

And predictably, they simply CANNOT deny the chemistry between them.

This book is truly everything that I look for in a good romance book.

It’s got two characters who are wholy fleshed out and feel real, they’ve got a relationship that is so charming it has my giggling and kicking my feet and maybe tearing up a little bit, and it’s got a compelling plot line that has me sitting on the edge of my seat the whole time.

I absolutely fell in love with Gene and Luis and their love story, as well as with the entire world that Hoffman created. The whole team of the Beaverton Beavers is just so much fun, and is filled with a whole host of lovable characters that I can’t help but hope we return to this world again in future books.

This was an EASY 5 star read for me, and I bet it will be for you too, so what are you waiting for?

WOW WOW WOW how was this a debut?!

Gene has been immersed in the baseball world since his youth. As an openly trans player on the Beaverton Beavers, he loves playing second base. He's got his home with role model pitcher and all is well.. until his rival Luis Estrada is traded to the team. Luis is a top 2nd baseman, demoting Gene to short, two positions that desperately need to work together. Tensions strike as they become closer and realizations start to hit. Two prospects, one with destiny clear as the strike zone and the other clear as that home run!

I adored listening and reading the Prospects as I immediately felt Gene's emotions, the banter, the baseball dialogue and that reality take. It made me think twice about A LOT going on in both the MLB and society today. The friendships? YES. The breakup? FINALLY a third act breakup that made sense!! I can NOT wait to see/read/discover what is next for KT Hoffman. The ending/author's note and discussion at the end...IMPACTFUL

There was great rep in this book and I loved the individual growth of both Gene and Luis. Their story was well-written and there was also a good balance between the romance and baseball. Though I don't know much about baseball, it was interesting to see how passionate the characters were and how they balanced their career and their relationship.

Trans and mental health rep in sports!! Sportsball is not my thing but make it queer fiction and I'm 100% invested.

This was a fantastic book and it's full of so many soft sweet moments. My single criticism is that I wanted a bit more explanation of Gene and Luis becoming friendly again. I feel like they went from rivals to friends very quickly and I missed a touch of context.

But as a whole, I really loved it. I loved Gene and all his Short King energy and I loved Luis and his soft sweetness. I loved Luis' dog (who is an emotional support animal NOT a service dog) and I loved all the teammates and their community with each other.

The only reason I make that note about the service dog is that there is a specific difference and people's service dogs often get more shit from businesses because people with emotional support animals say they have service animals when they do not. It is stated in this book that the dog is an emotional support animal and I just think that distinction is important. Emotional support animals are wonderful (I have one) But they're not service animals and do not have the same rights and access as service animals do in places of business. Also when looking for representation, this isn't service dog rep.

Trans gay MC, Gay Latine MC with panic disorder. Queer secondary characters.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s full of trans joy and hope and it was such a lovely read. Gene and Luis’s former-friends to rivals to lovers story is a rollercoaster of emotion and it was wonderful to see their journey.

I love the world KT Hoffman has created in this book, where a trans man can play baseball at the highest levels, where their coach can be a woman, and where the team’s baseball captain can be openly gay. The book doesn’t shy away from any of their struggles, but instead focuses on hoping for a better future. It’s a really joyful read and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves baseball and queer romances.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I don’t know if anyone out there has had the same anime-to-books experience I have, but I’m sure a few readers will understand the sort of vibes I mean when I say this book feels like a sports anime.

And for those who don’t, I’ll try to explain it the best I can:

Sports anime are typically very character-focused, rather than focused on the sport itself. Sure, there are bits and pieces of the sport (it’s what our plot is based on), but it’s mostly about the characters growing into their abilities as players and connecting with their teammates.

Sports anime are also, typically, a little bit gay.

The Prospects also fits this sort of description. It’s undoubtedly a book about sports, being centered around a minor league baseball team, but it’s not about the sports as much as you’d think it is. It’s about Gene and Luis and their teammates, and the personal problems they have alongside the season. Love and family and careers and, above all, sticking together no matter what.

I really loved the LGBT elements in The Prospects. For one, we have the relationship between Gene and Luis, which I immediately fell in love with. Despite the two being “rivals” playing the same position, it was easy to tell, even early on, that these two were there for each other. They supported each other, even if they didn’t want to admit it, and that made for a very wholesome read.

But I also loved the way this book treated Gene being trans. As a trans reader myself, I’ve complained in the past about books just not getting it. Making their trans characters have these totally awful, completely transphobic experiences like that’s the only sort of experience a trans character can have. It’s hard to find trans stories where the main character happens to be trans, rather than the entire story being about them being trans, but The Prospects ended up being the perfect example of what I want in a story like this! Gene is trans, and maybe sometimes he has to deal transphobia or has issues with just existing as a trans person, but ultimately, that’s not his story in it’s entirety.

The best example of this is a scene in which Gene has to use his government name in order to sign up for something. In the scene, another character is nearby and, respecting Gene, turns to look away as he types in his government name. At no point do readers learn what Gene’s birth name is, nor is the scene made into a big deal, but the way the author treats it and the idea that sometimes, trans people don’t officially change their name on governmental records really stood out to me!

In all, I really liked The Prospects and the way this author wrote the story! Meeting these characters and seeing the way they interacted with each other–whether in the main romance or in friendships–made for a very enjoyable read, and I’ll be looking forward to K.T. Hoffman’s other works in the future!

Somehow this book is a debut, which is flabbergasting, because it's pretty freaking amazing. It's an ode to America's pastime featuring characters that America doesn't always want to embrace. Well too bad, because the characters of THE PROSPECTS are wonderful, complicated, and not-at-all one-dimensional. They are portrayed as actual humans (*gasp*) and not just queer stereotypes.

Gene is such a great character: a trans baseball player in the minor leagues, with dreams of making it big. Gene is adorable. He is sweet, funny, optimistic, smart, and learning to navigate the world as a gay man. Thankfully, he has his teammate, aging pitcher and Team Dad Vince, plus Vince's husband, to help him navigate the baseball world. But nothing can prepare him for the arrival of Luis, a former teammate, rival, and crush, to his beloved Beaverton Beavers.

Luis may rival Gene for adorableness--Hoffman writes his anxiety into the story so beautifully, and it's impossible not to fall in love with them both. The story is about hope and wanting, following your dreams, and the people we find along the way. Found family is so important here. Baseball plays such a vital role in the story: its highs and lows, its transient nature, and the optimism required to play successfully. I love a good sports romance and THE PROSPECTS balances both perfectly.

The book feels just a bit long at times and one conflict felt forced/repetitive, but overall this is such a great story. It's so important and filled with such vibrant, realistic LGBTQIAP+ characters.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Random House in return for an unbiased review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was very cute. The writing style reminded me a lot of books by Casey McQuiston. The romance was adorable and I love that this was a queer sports romance. The fact that the MC was a trans MC was an added bonus!