I DO feel so lucky to have gotten an ARC of this book from NetGalley! I never thought I would get approved, but I'm so glad I did because I loved every moment of this book. This series is absolutely one of my new favorites of the year.

This book is a fantastic mid-century historical romance and baseball romance all wrapped up in one. Folks who read book 1 will know Mark Bailey as an arts reporter for The Chronicle who doesn't exactly hide that he likes men. But he's also been struggling through the deep grief of losing someone he loves. Mark is every one of us who's ever lost someone. Who feels like they have no one to talk to. Who feels like the world is carrying on without them. But who's getting up every day and doing his best.

Eddie O'Leary's life has been upended. He's had to leave behind his home, his family and everything he knows to play baseball in New York. He's every one of us who's ever left home. Moved away. Said goodbye to family and friends. Started a new job. Started over. Tried to make friends as adults. But he's also hiding that he's queer, and doesn't really know how to be safe in this new city.

Mark and Eddie are forced together when Mark is asked to write a profile on Eddie to bring in more readers for the paper. When the two meet -- there's an instant connection that neither wants to acknowledge. Eddie cracks Mark's carefully crafted armor. And Mark helps Eddie see his luck isn't all bad. The slow burn between Mark and Eddie is everything!! Eddie warms himself to Mark through Mark's dog and it's just so so irresistibly sweet! I could not get enough of the banter between these two -- so here are a few spots to convince you to read:

"Jesus Christ, you don't mince words.
Do you require words to be minced?"

"Look at that, I was sincere, you didn't die -- good work, team."

"What I can tell you is that whatever calamity you're imagining? There's a day after that."

"I'm not a connoisseur of d**k.
Come on. It's not every day your d**k gets that kind of compliment."

"When Eddie needs reassurance and affection, Mark gives it, wholeheartedly and without reservation. But when Mark needs it, he hisses and complains."

*Minor Spoilers Included*

I am always excited when a Cat Sebastian book comes out! Of course, I loved it.

I found myself holding my breath waiting for the moment that Mark/Eddie would be broadcast to the world their life would come crumbling down. I am more than thrilled to say this is not one of those books. This is not a tragic historical queer romance, which is so important to write about. I feel that every time I pick up something queer and historical, they are outed against their will. That being said, "out and proud" meant something very different in 1960.

This was a four star read for me solely because it did not capture my attention as much as I thought it would. It took me a little over two weeks to finish it. However, I strongly recommend this book for anyone looking for queer sports romance where public outing is not a major plot point, it is down right refreshing.

“Even if nobody here knows I'm queer, maybe I don't have to hide it from them. Maybe when I walk down the street, people won't automatically assume I'm something I'm not.”

What do you get when you cross a homesick and tempter-tantrum-throwing baseball star having an off season with a mourning arts reporter forced to cover the sports beat? A swoon-worthy Cat Sebastian romance that will absolutely make you cry and sigh contentedly.

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian was definitely a top contender for my most anticipated read of the year. I mean, hello, it’s set in the same universe as We Could Be So Good! Ya girl had given up hope on getting at arc, but at the last minute Avon came through and I felt so blessed!

I flew through this story of growing through grief and managing a changing life - it’s so good and it tugged on my heart in the way that Cat Sebastian does so well! I can not wait to get my physical copy so it can sit in its rightful place alongside the rest of my collection.

Whether or not you like baseball if you’re a fan of mid century queer romance you gotta pick this one up! It’s out on May 7th and don’t forget to pick up We Should Be So Good too!

"Now, though, he thinks that the game may have earned those metaphors. It's slow, and often seems pointless. It's beautiful, when it isn't a mess. There's a vast ocean of mercy for mistakes: getting hits half the time is nothing short of a miracle, and even the best fielders are expected to have errors. The inevitability of failure is built into the game."

Cat Sebastian’s You Should Be So Lucky is utterly glorious: beautifully written, tender, meditative, and romantic. Centered around the prickly Mark Bailey, a reporter who recently lost his partner, William, and the hot-heated Eddie O’Leary, a baseball player recently traded to the (fictional) NY Robins, an expansion team composed of aging players and untested rookies, managed by an alcoholic former player with a reputation for violence.

Eddie himself exploded colorfully on live television when told about the trade; he’s also mired in an epic batting slump, and both of these things make his integration into the team and its dynamics almost impossibly difficult.

Mark, meanwhile, is tasked by Andy (our favorite newspaper owner from WCBSG), with writing both ghost writing weekly diaries for Eddie and producing a piece about Eddie and the team for the paper’s new Sunday magazine. Mark and Eddie are drawn to each other, even as they wrestle with what it means it to be queer in 1960s New York. As was the case in WCBSG, both men wrestle with the balance between safety, their happiness, and their sense of self.

YSBSL is a story about second chances, both big and small (in addition to seeing Eddie battle his slump, we watch the Robin’s manager wrestle with his sobriety and see the team form itself into something cohesive), grief (Mark both mourns William and reproaches himself for still feeling his loss even after a year and half has passed), aging (the paper’s sports reporter George, is an incredibly lovely side character in a book full of them), and found family, including Eddie’s teammates, Mark’s friends Lillian and Maureen (and Nick and Andy), and Eddie’s delightful mother. Thrown in a haughty dog, a poignant romance between two lonely men, and mediations (both melancholy and beautiful) on baseball, and you pretty much have a perfect book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Cat Sebastian for the privilege of reading You Should Be So Lucky early.

I’ve saved this to read for various unexplainable reasons. The timing of finally reading it lined up perfectly in my life so the universe does have a sense of humor. Anyway.

Reading this book felt like getting a giant gulp of air after holding my breath a tad too long in the pool as a kid. Just kind of stark, unfettered relief. The MC’s are gloriously human and well painted by Cat. Grief is a large part of the book. But it’s not the focus. The focus is a tender and sweet slow burn love story between Eddie and Mark. Two people that could not be more different yet somehow impossibly work. It’s about finding hope again, and finding love even when it’s scary.

You don’t need me to sell you on it. I say that a lot in my reviews. But this is another book that will be greatly loved by Cat’s fans and even by new readers. Deservedly so. I always feel special to get ARC’s for books that I know will leave an undeniable mark on the genre. And this is one of those.

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian was one of my favorite books of 2023. It was the first novel by Cat Sebastian that I read and I've since read several more of her novels and novella. You Should Be So Lucky is her newest work and my new favorite by her.

You Should Be So Lucky is set in the same world as We Could Be So Good. It takes place a few years after the events of that book and features the same newspaper and its lead characters, Nick and Andy, in supporting roles. You don't need to read We Could Be So Good before you read You Should Be So Lucky, but if you do some scenes are especially enjoyable.

The story follows Mark, who was a supporting character in the previous book, as he is assigned by Andy to do a series of articles on a newly transferred baseball player named Eddie. Eddie has gotten some bad press recently and is having a terrible season with his new team. Mark, who has suffered his own major loss, sees potential in Eddie's story and decides to take the job.

What I love most about You Should Be So Lucky are the characters. I did not expect to instantly love Mark and Eddie, but both characters are relatable in different ways and very likable. I love romance novels where the characters are enjoyable separately and together; these two characters and their relationship are examples of that done perfectly. Both of their POVs were a delight to read, and their scenes together crackled with chemistry and were so incredibly sweet. I was completely invested in their story within a few chapters!

I also love the themes of the novel. The story is largely about overcoming personal obstacles and coping with grief and big life changes. The themes are echoed in both Mark and Eddie's stories but also in the stories of some of the wonderful side characters. Still, even with the heavier theme, the novel's tone stays hopeful and light. The characters and their resilience feel inspiring and celebratory instead of ever being maudlin or cynical.

You Should Be So Lucky is my favorite kind of romance novel. The characters are great, the romance often had me wanting to squeal like a teenager, and there's depth beyond even the romance. It's a romance with layers that uses baseball as a lovely metaphor for life.

Cat Sebastian has quickly become one of my favorite romance writers and this is the best book that I've read by her. If you enjoy historical queer romance, I can't recommend her books enough, especially You Should Be So Lucky!

I'd like to give a huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher (HarperCollins) for this chance to read an advance copy of one of my favorite author's work in exchange for an honest review.

And, to be honest, I was a little uncertain about this book upon reading the synopsis. Despite Sebastian being pretty much my go-to author for queer historical romance, there were several things that I wasn't sure I'd like.

Like, I don't consider the 1960's to really be historical, I am not a fan of the so called grumpy/sunshine romances and finally, a solid 95% of my knowledge and fan-ness for sports goes securely to hockey.

But, really, I should have had confidence that this book would be as amazing for me as all Sebastian's other works.

Taking place in the 1960's is really more of a backdrop and is used to inform us readers of the society of the times (and a little look into what being queer in that time would be like) and is very understated and doesn't at all try-hard like a lot of other mid-century 'historical' books I've read.

The romance is wonderful and soft and sweet. I love the fact that the guys are so careful with each other - and themselves - and there is plenty of conversations and kissing before the sex. (Though I most assuredly do not consider this slow-burn.) Mark is, honestly, not grumpy - he's just a cat in human form. He's fussy and particular, likes to gripe and complain, can unleash his claws, but what he really wants is to be told he's important. Eddie is…a golden retriever that was accidentally crossed with a chihuahua, because he has more bite to him than I have ever seen in a 'sunshine' character.

All in all, everything about the romance makes me very happy. (Add to the fact that there is no melodrama, no late-story separation and no misunderstandings and this book feels like an old favorite in all the best ways, just a calm, relaxing romance.)

About the baseball…Well, it was a decently important part of the story, but as someone that knows very little - and the little they do know they picked up by osmosis from a dad and a brother that were/are baseball fans… It worked. It was easy to follow and things were explained well enough without getting into the minutia. (And, I mean, it's no hockey, but we all knew that going into it.)

Finally, I want to say that I love the attention to community this book had. It wasn't huge, but it was there and very important for both Mark and Eddie. They needed people they could be true to themselves around while also being safe, and I really think they found it and I am glad for them.

This book was a very sweet, very easy to read romance and I am so happy I got this chance to read it.

Review crossposted to Netgalley/Goodreads.

“You Should Be So Lucky” is a heartbreaking and heartwarming novel. Mark is a 28 year old magazine and newspaper writer in 1960 New York City. He’s just barely surviving after a tragic loss over a year ago. He goes to work at his friend’s newspaper but does nothing, His friends try to get him to start to move on but he’s too sad to do so. Eddie is a 22 year old phenomenal baseball player for the Kansas City pro team. He has friends on the team and it’s close to where is Mom lives so he she her frequently. So, when Eddie is told that he’s been traded to a new expansion team in New York City, he has a very public and well reported toxic meltdown. Eddie says some horrible things about his new manager, teammates and the team….and they all know it when he reports t his new locker room and nobody talks to him. He’s lonely, hates everything about New York City and the team and has fallen into an inexplicable batting slump. He and Mark meet when Mark is asked to ghostwrite a baseball “diary” under Eddie’s name. That both men are queer at very scary time for all queer people, both having to hide who they really are is at the crux of of their budding relationship. Gut wrenching and celebratory, much like “Band the Drum Slowly,” this is a love letter to baseball and all forms of love. You’ll laugh and cry and be happy doing both.

I received a copy of this book as an electronic advanced reader's copy from the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I am very torn on my feelings of this book. When I read the summary for this book, I was excited to read a queer love story in the 1960's about a baseball player and a news reporter. Eddie O'Leary is a 22 year old baseball player who just got traded to the NY Robins and is having a massive slump. Mark Bailey is a 28 year old news reporter who is a bit down and typically writes scathing book reviews and lifestyle articles. His editor assigns him to write "diaries" for Eddie O'Leary, and Mark finds himself spending time in the Robins' locker room and getting to know O'Leary. They develop a fondness for each other, which develops into a love story. And it goes on for there. For 400 pages. And it feels about 80 pages too long.

I wanted to love this so much, but there were parts I actively did not enjoy, and by the end I was ready for the book to be over. I did enjoy Eddie and Mark as characters, and how they both find each other when they are low and inspire each other to grow and become better versions of themselves. I liked the side characters. I liked the baseball elements. I felt that some of the behaviors and interactions between Eddie and Mark felt very 2020 not 1960. There were a lot of scenes in this book, and I do not think it needed the "Part V" Fall and Winter pages. The author could have tied off some of those "loose ends" in the September section, and finish it at the end of the season. I also think this book suffered a bit of identity crisis-- it wasn't light enough to be a fluffy rom-com beach read, it sometimes seemed like it was trying to dip its toe in literary fiction, but then it had some smutty scenes as well. I also felt like this was advertised as "grump and sunshine" trope, but the grump was pretty sweet and the sunshine could be a real asshole at times, so I would say this isn't really grump and sunshine.

I didn't hate this. I didn't love it. I am glad I read it, but it almost put me in a reading slump, much like Eddie's batting slump in the beginning of the book.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of You Should Be So Lucky.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have always enjoyed Cat Sebastian's books and this one is added to the list. I thought the character development was great and it was nice to see the progressiveness of some of the older characters. The author's ability to bring you into the times of the book and have you understand the risks and potential dangers that might have happened was very insightful. She has a way to draw you into the characters very quickly and you feel invested almost immediately. I was happy that I did not need to have a ton of baseball knowledge to be able to follow along with the terminology. While the story line was a little predictable, it did not diminish the joy I felt in reading the story.

After being thoroughly obsessed with @catswrites book We Could Be So Good, I knew I needed to get my hands on a copy of her latest. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best and was delighted to receive an ARC.

Eddie O’Leary is star baseball player who is in a slump. He also says dumb things to reporters sometimes, and when he found out he was getting traded, he went on a tirade. Mark Bailey is a writer, who is tasked with ghostwriting columns for Eddie, essentially to make him more likable. They become friends, and more…

Things I loved about this book:
The writing in this novel is SUPERB. I got 5% in and thought to myself “oh no.. I fear I have a new favorite book” and I was right. I immediately was hooked into the story and I lost my marbles watching these two fall for each other.
God, how I loved Eddie. I wanted to, as one woman says, fold him up and put him in my pocket. Not only is he funny in a self deprecating way that I find relatable, but damn it he loves hard. He’s so trusting. I wanted to hug him.
Mark. My angel, my lovely. My grieving man. I was crying with him. I lost it at the scene with the cherries. Literally tears streaming down my face. He was so prickly and grumpy and you just had to root for him.
I loved the team, especially once they forgave Eddie. The manager really turned it around. His honesty and working to get sober? Hell yeah.
The grief in this novel was so well done. SO WELL DONE.
Loved seeing my friends from WCBSG in this one!! Andy and Nick and Lillian and Maureen!!
George. 🥹😭 oh that ending had me crying.
Eddies mother. What a goddamn gem.
The key to the apartment.
The sexy scenes were perfect. Loved that communication and learning each other.
The epilogue!!!!

Y’all I literally highlighted half of the book. Please preorder your copy (from @femmefirebooks for personalized and signed copies and some swag) and enjoy with me. I cannot WAIT to annotate a physical copy.

LOVED this! We Could Be So Good was one of my favorite books of 2023, and I'm so thrilled Cat Sebastian wrote a companion novel with You Should Be So Lucky (please, Cat, give us another one!). I love historical romance, and historical fiction in general, that is set in less-featured periods, and these books so perfectly feature late 50s/1960 New York City and especially newsrooms, baseball, and queer life in the city. I adored grumpy, grieving reporter Mark Bailey who is reluctantly covering the new team, the Robins, and particularly their infamous new player Eddie O'Leary, who badmouthed the team and is now going through a terrible batting slump while he adjusts to his new city and team. I'm also a long suffering Mets fan from a family who has followed them since they were the new team, so I loved watching the Robins and their journey, just as I enjoyed the world of reporters.

Mark and Eddie's early friendship and attraction are built up gently and realistically, and then, like the previous novel, Sebastian expertly depicts a sweet, genuine journey to happiness. While they're both dealing with their own problems - grief, fear, job worries - there is the ongoing pleasant surprise that nothing very bad will happen in these books. There are no arrests or traumatic outings. Instead, Sebastian shows the reality of two people fumbling their way to a future together despite the personal, professional, and societal obstacles to one. Her writing is both so funny and sharp and so heartwarming and touching. I really, really hope there are more books in this series.

Thank you Net Galley and Avon for the ARC! Newspaper columnist Mark Bailey is tasked with creating a new column covering the NY Robin's new Shortstop, Eddie O'Leary, but when opposites attract during the 1960 baseball season, can love hit a home run? Eddie O'Leary's time with the Robin's has been off to a terrible start. His lack of enthusiam for his trade onto the team, coupled with a sudden batting slump, has him feeling isolated and hated by his new home. Though Eddie's been portrayed as a tempermental hotheaded, Mark sees beyond this persona to the lonely young man who was just yanked away from his home and is now facing a career ending slump. As Mark interview's Eddie for a special column, the two quickly bond. Mark is the first person to be understanding of Eddie's situation (as well as simply kind to him), and Eddie's warmth and friendliness melt through Mark's exterior grumpiness to the wounded heart of a man recovering from grief. As friendship turns to love, can Mark and Eddie find a way to be together as society (and celebrity) is structured to keep them apart? With authentic characters and emotion and fascinating setting, Cat Sebastian's You Should Be So Lucky is an engaging historical romance. You Should Be So Lucky is a companion book to We Could Be So Good and features appearances by Andy and Nick.

Cat Sebastian is quickly becoming a favorite author for me. I loved We Could Be So Good and while this was a bit different, I loved this one as well. I really enjoy reading about this time period in historical fiction. Reading about how queer men had to navigate during this time is a refreshing take on a genre that typically focuses on earlier time periods. The discussion on grief and life slumps was handled with care and these were some of my favorite moments of the book. I loved the cameos from some of my favorite characters, and I can’t wait to see more of them in future books.

A truly touching and warming blast from the past story! I loved the simplicity of the story and the time period chosen to tell the story.

“What I can tell you is that whatever calamity you're imagining? There's a day after that."
This book had no right being so heartwarming! Loved the characters, the romance, and how it portrayed different types of grief. I think I even liked this one even better than We Could Be So Good. Cat Sebastian just keeps getting better! Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the ARC!!

This was such a sweet romance.
lately, I've been looking for something softer and romantic in my books and this was just what I needed.

This was a beautiful story between Eddie our baseball player and Mark our reporter. It has beautiful elements of a slow-burn romance which I LOVE, truly cannot get enough of that trope.

Their chemistry is magnetic and I loved watching their relationship grow and progress as they got to know each other and spend time together. While I loved our main focus on our MMCs I enjoyed the stop-off with some of our secondary characters.

There are elements of baseball, found family, grief, and loss all wrapped up in a bow to create a beautiful sweet love story.

This was my first Cat Sebastian book and i look forward to reading many more!

This was my first foray into Cat Sebastian's books and it's safe to say that I'm now a fan! You Should Be So Lucky has all my favorite things--queer romance, baseball, journalism, Shirley Jackson, midcentury New York--what more can you ask for! I couldn't put this book down; I devoured it in three days and already miss Mark and Eddie. Sebastian writes about loss and hope and grieving so tenderly, but for a book that features these themes so intently, it never feels heavy; instead, reading this feels like a warm hug, or being wrapped up in your favorite sweater (just like Mark). The research and attention to detail is so evident throughout; you can tell that the author truly loves both the subject matter and the world she's created. With a touching love story at its center and a fantastic cast of supporting characters, this is a book you won't want to put down. It's a beautifully written and well-researched story about love and grief and baseball, and I can't wait for more people to have the opportunity to read it!

This was beautiful, and it did make me cry at the end! Sebastian has a gift for writing sweet and slow queer romance, and I love how well she captures the 50s/60s era. Tailored suits! Rampant alcoholism! Restaurant dinners that cost $1.50! The details she chooses paint a rich picture of the time without bogging down the story.

This wasn’t a quick read for me. It’s not a high-drama, page-turning book—the reader watches the relationship blossom at a pace that feels totally realistic, building delicious tension along the way. I really enjoyed watching Eddie and Mark get to know each other and slowly come to realize that they can make a relationship work.

My only complaint is that I wish there was more relationship-based interpersonal conflict between the two main characters. I’m old fashioned in my love for third act breakups, I know, so the lack of one here will probably be a plus for a lot of people. But this was my issue with the first book in this series, too—the characters are just too sweet and gentle with one another! I need some toxicity! I need someone to purposefully cutting and mean! Mark does a little bit of that, but Eddie never rises to the bait, and they never actually fight or hurt each other. For an angst lover like me, it wasn’t enough.

The thing is, there IS angst in spades in this book, it’s just angst due to external factors. The conflict stems from homophobia and the tragic end of Mark’s previous relationship, both of which are extremely heavy topics. While difficult to read about, the homophobia brings the time period to life and makes it all the sweeter when Mark and Eddie choose happiness and each other despite the danger it puts them in. The death of Mark’s partner is just really freaking sad, and while I can’t say I enjoyed that aspect of the book, I thought Sebastian wrote about loss quite wisely and beautifully. I found it a little odd that the death of Eddie’s father didn’t get the same kind of treatment as other losses in the book—it happened when Eddie was 12, which seems pretty major—but it didn’t take away too much from the book for me.

I’ve also noticed an interesting class dynamic in Sebastian’s books. She writes romance novels about queer people in eras that were not friendly to open queerness, and she seems to know that the best way have a happy ending in such circumstances is to have a lot of money. I have pretty neutral feelings about that, but I’ll say that it’s the one part of her books that really feels like a fairy tale.

Overall,this is a lovely, deeply satisfying romance, but it isn’t light or breezy. Keep that in mind going in and enjoy! Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first time reading Cat Sebastian’s work and I’m dazzled. I was so fascinated by the era in which this story about Eddie and Mark takes place—coins for phone booth calls, typewriters, and of course, the importance of absolute discretion for certain relationships are things most people hardly think twice about anymore. This was a heartfelt slow burn with snappy dialogue and lots of likable (and accepting!) characters, and I’m still thinking about it days later.