This was my first Cat Sebastian novel but it absolutely will not be my last. Mark and Eddie are so charming and I loved their story and the building of their relationship. The spice level was mild to mid, which was honestly perfect for the way this story was so focused on the emotional parts of their relationship and their connection to each other. The one thing I didn't love about the book is the time period that it was set in, which made a big part of their story the fact that they had to hide their relationship, but I should have realized that Sebastian's whole thing is historical queer romances, so that's really on me. Once I realized that's kind of the THING about this book that does actually make it special, I was able to relax and enjoy the story a lot more. I really loved this and look forward to reading more of Sebastian's novels.

You Should Be So Lucky follows an extroverted baseball player in the biggest hitting slump of his life and the reserved reporter hired to write about him. It has deep themes of grief, acceptance, overcoming failure, and choosing love.

Although its conflict isn’t too heavy, it was actually nice to read such a sweet story. You think gay men in the 60s and you assume tragedy, but this was a nice change of pace. I think it takes a very nuanced situation and handles it with respect and grace. I loved both POV characters and the surrounding characters made the environment feel real.

I’ve never read The Haunting of Hill House (and the author does a great job describing it so I didn’t feel lost) but I really enjoyed the recurring references and discussion of the book along with the lesbian take on it. I’ve read a lot of ways characters have come out to each other or checked if the other was ‘okay’ with gay people, and this was a unique way to show the audience as well, even if it wasn’t Mark’s conscious decision.

Very light spoilers: There’s a part where Mark tends to Eddie’s minor wounds after a fight at a game, and I think it might be my favorite scene. It was short, but their tenderness hit a peak there and it was really sweet. They keep getting sweeter through the course of the novel. So cute, would recommend!

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**

Cast Sebastian returns to the universe of We Could Be So Good with You Should Be So Lucky, a companion novel set in 1960s New York. Readers follow Mark, a reporter for the Chronicle who is making his way through his grief from the death of his partner over a year ago. When Mark is assigned to ghostwrite the ongoing diary entries of a hot-headed baseball player, he is less than thrilled with the assignment. Eddie O'Leary is a baseball player in the worst slump of his life. He was transferred unexpectedly to the Robins in NYC, far away from his home in Omaha and everything he knows. And now he can't even play decent baseball. As Mark and Eddie meet to discuss Mark's publications, they grow increasingly closer and Eddie has to decide what things he values most in life.

Cat Sebastian has done it again. All of her books pay beautiful homage to the time period in which they're written, including the struggles for the queer characters that live during those times. Despite the time period associated difficulties, I would argue that every Sebastian book centers queer joy and building of relationships in ways that are sustainable for characters given their circumstances. Each book builds not only a relationship between our MCs, but also builds a community of support around them.

The stars of any Cat Sebastian book are her characters. What amazes me is not just that Sebastian manages to build characters that are easy to root for and perfectly flawed in a way that is utterly human, but also that in all the books Sebastian has written, her characters are highly differentiate from one another. Sebastian is not a one-trick-pony author who repeats the same successful dynamic. She establishes characters that are uniquely themselves and invites them to come together in ways that suit them as characters, even if it might not work for others. Specific to this novel, I loved the acerbic and cynical reporter Mark coming together with cinnamon roll country boy Eddie. Mark and Eddie are absolutely a lovely grumpy sunshine dynamic but are also far more than the trope.

As always, I am happy to have had the opportunity to read You Should Be So Lucky early. I look forward to going through Sebastian's extensive backlist as well as any future work she writes.

This is the fussy-cat + golden retriever queer romance of my dreams!
It is a SLOW burn mid-century NYC gem, between Eddie, a star baseball player has lost his swing, and Mark, a reluctant journalist is tasked with covering his first baseball season. These two opposites share one important similarity: they are both lonely; whether from grief (Mark's loss of his long term partner) or from anonymity (Eddie's been transferred to NYC and the team is giving him the cold-shoulder after his public comments about them). Between interviews, and then increasingly frequent late-night phone calls, Mark and Eddie develop a friendship. Between chats about book, their families, Eddie's swing, and being queer, they slowly cave into the pull that seems to be tightening between them, eventually sparking into intense desire and longing.

Sweet, sweet, Eddie. Sigh. His charisma, hopefulness, love of his Mama, ability to put his foot into his mouth yet overall goodness was so adorable. And my soul-twin Mark! He is such a fussy introspective reluctant pet-owner who HATES early mornings but needs his coffee and clothing a certain way. If you love reading about opposites attract, male vulnerability, 'us-against-the-wold', and cheering for characters to overcome obstacles, you will swoon over this read.

Sebastian can bring me to my knees over a SIGH. Or a simple knee touch in the back of a cab, or the first line of a phone greeting after an absence, and make me cry over a darn jar of maraschino cherries. Yes, there is romance, but there is also found family, grief, and human connection that bolster this read into top tier status.

I enjoyed this one, but not quite as much as We Could Be So Good, which may be the most yearning romance I’ve ever read. This is in the same universe but can be read as a standalone! I really like Sebastian’s writing and how she manages to capture being queer in a time where it was dangerous. I liked Mark and Eddie and all the kooky side characters in this book. I hope Sebastian continues writing stories in this universe!

god what a lovely book about grief and queerness in 1960. how do you mourn someone no one could ever know meant something to you? how do you learn to accept love again when loving you puts your beloved in danger? what kind of person does it make you to ask someone so special to risk everything for whatever scraps of a person is left in your heart?

i appreciated the conversations in this book about queer identity and how isolating it can feel without community. how can you let anyone truly get to know you when you can’t share the most important person in your life? the very foundation on which your whole identity is built?

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!! I LOVE GAY PEOPLE I WISH THEY WERE REAL!!!!

What a sweet book! I feel like I got a really good snapshot of what it was like to work in baseball, as well as what it was like to be gay in the 1960s. This book is like A League of Their Own, but in the 60s and with men. The characters felt real and relatable. My only qualm with the book is that there wasn't some super large conflict (other than homophobia lol)

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'm no stranger to gay romances, and it's clear that Cat Sebastian knows what she's doing. This is a well-written slow burn about two men who are broken in different, yet equally devastating ways. Mark and Eddie are so cute together, and I love their interactions. Highly recommend!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
You Should Be So Lucky is the latest offering from Cat Sebastian, and while not in an “official” series, it’s technically a companion novel to her prior release, We Could Be So Good. As such, while it’s a standalone, some of the major characters do overlap (Andy from WCBSG is a supporting character!), so, if you like one, you’ll inevitably like the other.
I love that Cat Sebastian is continuing to explore the mid-20th century, in spite of it not being a massively popular time period in historical romance. And while I’m not a baseball fan, or sports fan in general, I loved getting some nuggets of baseball history amid the fiction. And the narrative continues a thread explored in Sebastian’s previous mid-century works (including WCBSG), regarding the prevalence of homophobia in the 50s and 60s, and how much more complicated it is when you’re a professional baseball player.
The two leads are great, and the central romance is really sweet. Mark is rather closed-off and prickly, while Eddie is much sweeter (although they both have their dickish moments). They’re bonded by their mutual experiences with grief and loss, and provide a lot of support for each other. Their relationship is also full of great banter and humor, as well. Sebastian’s books of late have often been more slow-burn, and largely vibes-based, but this book, like its predecessor, worked really well in that regard thanks to the strong central romance.
This was another enjoyable read by Cat Sebastian, and I’d recommend it to readers looking for a mid-century historical sports romance.

4.75/5 ⭐️ 1/5 🌶️
I didn’t think I would ever love a book about baseball, but here we are.

“I love you,” Eddie says without really pulling away, so the words are half swallowed by Mark’s mouth. “You’re a nightmare,” Mark returns, in precisely the same tone of voice. Eddie can feel that he’s smiling.

The story starts in 1960, where Eddie O’Leary is having the worst slump of his baseball career. He’s been transferred to a new team, a new city, and on top of it all, his lack of a filter has made all of his teammates give him the cold shoulder. When the Robins’ owner tells Eddie that he is going to be getting a ghost-writer to write some journals for the newspaper, he is less than enthused to put his slump at the forefront of the news.

Mark Bailey is NOT a sportswriter. He is a journalist, who after spending the last year of his life locked away with grief and longing, is tasked with writing newspaper diary entries for the Robins’ newest player. Mark does not want to spend his time out and about with the loudmouth shortstop of the Robins, but soon, the men strike up an unlikely friendship.

I absolutely adored this story. Cat Sebastian has such a lovely prose and although the story’s plot felt slow at times, Eddie and Mark’s slow burn was everything I needed. I love a character dynamic where one person is so grumpy to protect their tender heart and the other person loves them like its breathing.

“It’s completely adorable how you get like this.” One of Eddie’s arms has snaked around Mark’s waist. “My mom has this cat who likes to be pet, but he hisses on the way to my mom’s lap every goddamn time. It’s fucking hilarious.”

5.0 ~Milkshake Dates, Dog Walks and Phone Calls~ Stars

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thoughts:
This is my formal request for more soft, cozy, heart-touching, slow and beautiful baseball romances. I say that, but truly this is more than just a romance. This is a story of grief and hope. It is about life and how peculiar of a thing it is. It is about how even as the world keeps moving on, it is nice to just stop and be still with someone.

Sometimes, with being a mood reader, the time and place you are at or in can affect the book and experience. The stars aligned with my first Cat Sebastian read, and it was the perfect time, place and book! The historical elements to the 1960s were absolutely spot-on as you see and feel the research behind it with the tone and setting being accurate. I can absolutely see that some may think this read dragged a little as there was no major conflict and some unnecessary details, but I ate up every extra page and paragraph. I felt no issues with it personally.

“And I don’t think I could have a single thought about you that’s wasted.”

I loved Mark and Eddie with all of my heart. The main characters were flawed and a tad broken but so lovely. Cat Sebastin fed us the sunshine x grump (aka golden retriever and black cat) trope in the best way, and their little tender moments made me squeal in delight and keep wanting more.

I look forward to reading many more works by CS soon!

P.s. I would instantly fall in love with someone who asked me to borrow my annotated books and then called me to talk all about it hehehe.

Would I recommend this and to who:
I know this book won’t be for everyone, but I think everyone should give it a chance. Our main characters are easily loveable, and I believe most will be surprised with how much they will end up enjoying it.
Paperback/Hardcover/Audiobook/E-book:
E-Book
Pace:
Slow
Cover thoughts:
So freaking cute!

Quotes: *SPOILER ZONE* I REPEAT *SPOILER ZONE*

“You usually take interview subjects out for milkshakes?” … “Only the handsome ones.”

‘Mark had been laughing along with him. Mark can’t remember the last time he laughed here.’

‘Eddie stealing glances at Mark’s mouth and Mark doing the same thing, and the fact that they aren’t kissing is taking up more space than any kiss possibly could.’

“I’ve been watching all your games.”

‘It’s not like he forgot what Mark looks like, He doesn’t think he could. He doesn’t think anyone could.’

“I thought you were beautiful! I couldn’t believe how beautiful you were.”

“I can’t stop thinking about you.”

‘He feels like an idiot, but Mark’s laughing, and he’d be okay with feeling like an idiot all the time as long as it made Mark laugh like that.'

“Mark, you’re not going to ruin my life. You’re the person I want to build my life around.”

“You’re lovely.”

“I will go literally anywhere you go.”

“So–tonight, should I call you at your number or mine? I mean–ours?” “Ours,” Mark says. “Call me at ours.”

Triggers:
Grief, Sexual content, Homophobia, Death, Abandonment, Alcohol, Racism, Medical content, Ableism, Mental Illness, etc.

I have read several Cat Sebastian books now (mostly the Regencies) and what she brings to the table is a lot of character nuance and introspection rather than melodrama. This book is no different and certainly we get well rounded characters who are not perfect and just trying to live their lives in difficult situations. Those looking for high drama or prolonged romantic moments won't find them here and that's ok - this is a quiet and thoughtful tale set in the 1960s.

Mark works for the newspaper but is mourning the sudden loss of his boyfriend. Eddie is a baseball player just traded to a NYC team and very unhappy to have to leave his hometown in the Midwest. Mark is given an assignment to write a 'diary' about the once-great player Eddie who is now in a particularly nasty slump. Together, the two get to know each other and overcome their personal demons.

Mark is older, has been very closeted to ensure his politically active boyfriend didn't get exposed, and greatly mourning his boyfriend's sudden death. Eddie is 22, frustrated, hot tempered, and shot his mouth off one too many times, causing great disharmony and offense among his fellow teammates. Mark's articles could make or break Eddie's career. Worse, the two have found common ground and Mark fears that once again he could be the factor in destroying the career of a more famous boyfriend.

I appreciated that neither man was perfect and each made mistakes suitable to their different ages and backgrounds. Eddie dealing with his slump as well as the cold shoulder by teammates he insulted when learning of the trade was well written and compelling. Mark's emptiness and loneliness while living with everything that was his former relationship was also poignantly written. Both men felt like their ages.

The milieu was well researched - from pay phones you have to keep feeding to landlines always busy. Of course, the homophobia is there always hiding in the background ready to spring on anyone foolish enough to attract notice.

In all, a gentle read with pathos. Some readers may find it a bit slow because the drama is about character development rather than deus ex machina plot devices. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC of You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian.

In You Should Be So Lucky we follow Eddie and Mark. Eddie, a talented baseball player, finds himself thrust into a new team where animosity greets him due to past remarks. Mark, a columnist tasked with following Eddie's journey, grapples with his own inner turmoil as he navigates the loss of a former lover. What unfolds is a beautifully crafted romance that blossoms from friendship to something deeper, despite the challenges posed by the societal norms of the time period.

One of the standout aspects of the book is the seamless flow of the romance between Eddie and Mark. Sebastian skillfully portrays their evolving relationship, allowing readers to witness the genuine connection that forms between them. Mark's story is full of heartbreak and worry as he has had to hide his relationship with his former lover William to the point he is not even able to grieve publicly over his death. Eddie's support of Mark and his grief highlighted his love for Mark while Mark's constant concern over Eddies career and what an outing could do to it showed his.

Supporting characters play a crucial role in the enjoyment in this book. There were the characters who were obvious allies as they were part of the queer community but then there were the unexpected allies. Seeing Eddie and Mark become more comfortable with not just each other but those around them was one of the best parts of the book.

The appearance of familiar faces, Andy and Nick from We Could Be So Good was such an added bonus. It was great to see them again and see where their relationship had progressed. Once again Cat Sebastian does a wonderful job of creating a beautiful romance set in a time where being oneself meant hiding who you truly are. This is a definite must read.

I don’t even have words for how much I loved this book. It was hilarious and poignant and painful and hopeful all at once. It’s a beautiful ode to baseball, a tribute to coming back to life after losing a partner, and a testament to what love - both romantic and platonic - can accomplish. I absolutely adored it, and I think it’s going to be a lifelong favorite. Now I’m off to read all of Cat Sebastian’s older books!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was (I’m pretty sure) my first Cat Sebastian book, and I really enjoyed it! In general, historical queer romance is my shit, so I’m surprised I haven’t read Sebastian’s stuff before. I will say that I didn’t feel the time period very strongly in the narrative. My mind kept wanting to put it all earlier than 1960 (in fact, I just went and looked up the summary again to make sure I knew what the time setting was). But then again, I don’t know much about the early 1960s, so maybe that’s partially on me. Either way, it didn’t really affect my overall enjoyment of the book. I love a sports romance on top of loving historical romance, so there was a lot that was going to be a home run (get it?) for me right off the bat. The two main characters, Mark and Eddie, were both well-developed and had great chemistry with each other. Mark is still struggling with the loss of his late partner, and Eddie has found himself traded unexpectedly to a city he doesn’t know and to a team who hates him. Perfect set-ups for all kinds of angst. The side characters, as well, contributed a lot to the story. Eddie’s baseball team had several notable characters that stood out, but I do wish we’d seen a more of Mark’s queer friends on page. They’re talked about plenty, but only involved a few times. For the time period, the book definitely takes an optimistic view of how people would react to finding out a professional baseball was gay. Eddie never ‘comes out’ publicly in the way we think of it today, but there’s quite a few characters that you do find out, and there’s little to no hesitation from any of them on offering support. The book acknowledges the general homophobia of the time period, but none of it is ever played out, so if you’re worried about triggers or excessive trauma, don’t. My one other criticism is that, for me, it was just too long. The last 50-75 pages really dragged for me. Mark and Eddie had their moments with no real definitive ending. Perhaps Sebastian did this on purpose, but it didn’t work for me.

Being set in 1960, being queer isn’t something to do publicly. But Mark is tired of living a secret. And Eddie doesn’t want to keep secrets, but he is a public figure. Mark tries to resist Eddie, but his golden retriever personality makes that impossible to do. So they have to figure out how to be together quietly instead of secretly.

Historical romances about queer folks always make me a little sad, because they cannot yell about the love they’ve found. But these guys have a core group of queer friends they can be more open around.

The book does deal with lasting grief for a partner, and a side character slowly losing a battle with heart disease.

I want to thank the publisher and net galley for the amazing arc!
This is not the type of book I typically reach for, but I am so glad I did. The characters are so dense and well-written! Cat Sebastian does an amazing job at writing, and I cannot wait for her next release. This is now one of my new auto-buy authors.

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and Cat Sebastian for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This story is beautiful, soft, cozy, and never rushes through a moment or scene. It gives you characters to root, hope, and feel for. It focuses on the details and the moments of both good times and bad through both the grief and the romance.
In that way the baseball backdrop pairs gorgeously with this story - a slower paced game that is all about the details where no matter their record you cheer on your team and feel the wins and losses in your heart.
Eddie and Mark will live in my mind and heart for a long time.

Cat Sebastian just rocked my world once again. I’m just so in love with Mark and Eddie and their beautiful story.

You Should Be So Lucky brings us Mark Bailey, a reporter we meet in We Could Be So Good and who’s grieving the loss of his partner, and Eddie O’Leary, a baseball player freshly traded to NY who’s initially having the worst luck with his game. The pair of them a bit of a mess, honestly. Both struggling with different things, and both queer in a time that being queer in public wasn’t a possibility.

There were so many things I loved about this book that it’s hard to choose one or two to talk about. I guess, firstly, I just want to say how beautiful and brilliant Cat’s writing is. Her words flow so well and every single line makes you FEEL. This book made me laugh, giggle, cry; it made be giddy and want to throw my kindle away (or throw it at the wall) at time just trying to subdue all the emotions, while at the same time wanting to feel and absorb all of it.

Here we have a naturally grumpy and now grieving man who had to hide a loving relationship for almost a decade and suddenly got all that love taken away from him, leaving no space for him to grieve other than in private. Then, we have a good natured, even if with a short fuse, young man with easy smiles and who’s almost incapable of hiding all his feelings and is in the public eye. They’re both so easy to love and the need to fold them up, tuck them in and care for them forever is stronger than I can explain.

One thing that caught me unawares by how relatable it was and kinda broke me a bit, was the struggles both these men go through. They have very different problem, and yet quite similar. Eddie, a professional hiccup with a batting slump where he wasn’t finding his way back to where he used to be. Mark, the death of a partner which left him untethered and adrift, a complete change that could never go back to the same way it used to be. Realising that your world changed, that you may have changed, then building a new reality where things start to make sense again and, above all, accepting all the new things that come with it and accepting that you might never be the same again…my heart almost can’t take all the truth I can see in all of this. Yet, this book was healing in a way that only books that make you profoundly happy can be.

So, You Should Be So Lucky is another phenomenal book by Cat Sebastian and it’s coming to steal all your hearts once again. This book is set in the same world as We Could Be So Good and we get to see some of the characters from there, which was a total delight.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the eARC.

3.5-3.75. Doesn’t have the same electricity as We Could Be So Good, but it’s a perfectly nice romance novel and a sweet story about picking yourself up after a shattering fall and making something new of the pieces.