First of all, the cover is beautiful and grabbed my attention immediately. This is a great MM romance that features Eddie, a baseball player ina slump and Mark, a reporter whose job is to follow Eddie around during his season and report on what's happening. Baseball is my favorite sport and the author does a great job describing it and the relationship between Eddie and Mark. They are opposites, but they work so well togther and they're definitely soulmates. This is so heartwarming and sweet and just makes you feel happy inside. It's such a nice palate cleanser and has quickly become of favorites.

Thank you to NetGalley, Cat Sebastian, and Avon for the eARC of this book.

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

After reading and loving We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian then devouring a bunch of her other books, I knew I had to have You Should Be So Lucky! And it did NOT disappoint. Sebastian has a way of writing romances that feel real, earnest, and tender, without going too far into feeling shmaltzy. It's such a joy to pick up a Cat Sebastian book and meet her characters.

In You Should Be So Lucky, we meet Eddie, a baseball player in a hell of a slump, and Mark, a reporter tasked with following Eddie's season. They're both prickly at first, but then they, of course, fall in love. I really enjoyed their storyline, as well as the actual baseball plot and the cast of characters. I loved that Eddie and Mark had conflict, but it never felt too strained or forced. Mark had genuine worries, and Eddie did his best to understand what he was going through, and they worked through it realistically.

What a joy! I'm definitely keeping my eyes peeled for Cat Sebastian's next book.

3.75 ⭐️

First I just want to say the cover is STUNNING I just love it!!! You Should Be So Lucky was my first Cat Sebastian book so I was super excited to receive this ARC! It’s truly a perfect sweet historical fiction book. I loved the setting being in 1960 and the romance between a baseball player and the reporter assigned to report on him despite never having written about sports was such a fun pairing! It’s a lot more than a romance with a heavy focus on two different kinds of grief and adjusting/learning how to carry on.

I really enjoyed the first 75% of the book but the last quarter dragged a bit for me. Stakes were pretty low and it felt a little receptive. I also don’t vibe that well with romance books written in third person so that’s a me problem. I think it made it feel like they were boxed into their grumpy x sunshine personalities a little too much at some points because you don’t have their true inner monologues. I think it would have translated better for me with first person POV. Just didn’t quite hit as hard for me due to those couple of factors. I definitely want to check out We Could Be So Good now which is also by Cat Sebastian along with her other books! She’s a phenomenal writer.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely loved this I love a good MM romance where you can truly see the romance between them and it seems legit. I wanted to jump into the story and see their story unfold together. Also I’m a fan of sports romcoms and this hit that so well. I also love the cover and I need to own a copy of this when it comes out

YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY by Cat Sebastian was the perfect book to finish on baseball's opening day.

For approximately three-quarters of a second, I thought this was a time travel book, because it opens with the year, 1960. That was not my finest moment, considering I did know the broad strokes of the plot, but it threw me. It's just establishing that it's a historical. What was most fascinating to me is how much *hasn't* changed in the intervening years. Most queer players are definitely still closeted! It's still hostile to the involvement of women in authority positions! We have made very little progress in that regards, which is rather a bummer.

And so some (maybe even much) of the story is about the balance between safety and authenticity. What really matters to you, and how much are you willing to lose or give up for it? But it's not all downer dealing with homophobia, because there is also just the most lovely and precious love story! And it is hilarious! There are so many good lines. I was trying to pick a favorite—that's a man who has an accountant? Wearing loafers in public is not a life boldly lived? Stopping at Bloomingdales to get in touch with his roots?—but I can't, so please tell me your favorites, if and when you read this delight.

YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY comes out May 7, and dare I say we should all be so lucky to read it.

Oh, this book was EVERYTHING!!!

This book has my entire heart, and I’ll forever scream about how Eddie and Mark are soulmates. Cat did her magic with this book, it was wholesome and so heartfelt.

I could not put this book down, and cannot wait until it’s released. This is a story that everyone should read, it’s incredible.

"I don't think I could have a single feeling about you that's wasted."

It’s opposites attract, yet they’re so similar… it’s funny how it worked out that way. I’d like to end this by saying, the way Eddie understood Mark had my entire heart. They just fit… they are actually endgame. I cannot recommend this enough, ahhh, I loved it!!!

I loved this book so much. I came in knowing I would like this since I was such a fan of the Amazon series “A League of Their Own,” which is also a queer story about baseball. However, this book was so much better than I could have imagined. The romance was so sweet and heartwarming. Mark and Eddie are perfect for each other, and were there for each other in moments where the other needed support. I liked how these were fully fleshed out characters with their own background and baggage. The plot points surrounding Eddie and his baseball team were also entertaining and didn’t drag at any point, as some sports stories can. I also liked the queer found family and the other supporting characters. I had to immediately pick up “We Could Be So Good” after finishing this since I wasn’t ready to leave this world. I really hope Cat Sebastian continues to write in this universe. A book focused on Lillian and Maureen’s story would be so interesting. Overall, I highly recommend this book and now want to read everything Cat Sebastian has ever written.

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for the ARC.

Wow! I did not think I could like another book by Cat Sebastian as much as I liked We Could Be So Good, but here it is! There are some lovely links between the two - they take place a year apart and have overlapping characters. I actually think of New York City as a character in both of these books, and I love that. This book is a love story between two people but also a love story about baseball, and I found the reflections about the game very profound and endearing. Cat Sebastian writes characters in such a nuanced way - I swear I could meet them walking down a street - they are that real and realistic. I find the time setting so compelling - it is the cusp of a change in American society about many things, including the beginning of a move to more equal rights for many people, including queer folk - but it's just the cusp and the fear of exposure, ridicule, violence is always simmering right under the surface. All I can say is you should put this on the top of your list of books to read next. You will not regret it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

4.5 stars for this wonderful follow up to my favorite book of 2023, We Could Be So Good. Mark Bailey is Nick's former colleague from the Chronicle who frequently handed down queer literature to Nick, despite the latter's objections. We learn that two years after WCBSG, Mark's partner William died suddenly and his life pretty much stopped in its tracks. He quit his job but continues to show up at the office because he doesn't know what else to do. William was a successful attorney who remained deep in the closet, so Mark's grief is compounded by the fact that he was never able to publicly acknowledge their relationship, even in death.

Andy (still adorable), the Chronicle's publisher, gives Mark an assignment to ghostwrite the diary of Eddie O'Leary, a baseball player who was recently traded to the New York Robins, a last-place expansion team. Eddie burned a lot of bridges by going on a very public tirade about how much he hates the Robins players, management, and New York in general. His first month of the season has been a disaster; the once-promising young player now can't get a hit to save his life. When Eddie meets Mark there is a spark that is nurtured by their tacit admission of queerness. But Mark is still grieving, living in an apartment that is more mausoleum than a home. He's tired of being someone's dirty little secret, but he knows that Eddie's career is over if anyone finds out about their relationship.

Eddie and Mark give off similar sunshine/grouchy vibes to Andy and Nick from WCBSG, although Eddie's innate sweetness is obscured at first by his temper tantrums, and Mark is deeply grieving in addition to being grouchy. Their relationship arc mirrors their own journeys; Eddie is trying to recapture his baseball mojo and Mark is slowly moving past the acute phase of grief. Mark is subtly signaling that he will not hide his queerness anymore by taking small steps like letting his hair grow and dining out with his queer friends. Paradoxically, he is irrationally protective of Eddie, worrying that he will be the cause of Eddie's downfall. For his part, Eddie has always known he was queer, but it was easier to compartmentalize in a smaller city where he wasn't falling in love for the first time. There's very little third act drama - Mark tries to be a martyr but Eddie won't let him. And the HEA is very 1960s appropriate, with the men finding a community of queer friends and allies, even if they are decades away from being able to be out and proud.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention two memorable secondary characters. George Allen is an elderly sportswriter and would-be mentor to Mark. His gruff, no fucks given personality is a perfect portrayal of many of that generation's real-life heralded sportswriters like Red Smith and Jimmy Breslin. And Mark's dog Lula has her own character arc, moving beyond "still waiting for William to come home" to "claims ownership of Mark and Eddie (but especially Eddie)." The Robins players and management shine in small roles as they move past their anger at Eddie and start feeling protective of him.

YSBSL has a bit more real world angst (grief, fear of being outed) than WCBSG, which accounts for the slightly lower rating. Andy and Nick's appearances are kept to a minimum, which is appropriate even though I wanted to see more of them. I hope Cat Sebastian keeps publishing these 20th century historical fiction novels. They capture the era perfectly and are replete with passages worth underlining.
(Eddie, looking at picture of himself from a year ago) The person in that photo is a kid. He had such a simple, uncomplicated life...But it was a life that couldn't grow in any direction. It didn't allow for failure, didn't allow for honesty. He was carefree, but maybe because he didn't know what was worth caring about. Now he knows who he is and what he wants, and he knows exactly how high a price he's willing to pay for those things. He's tired and he's angry, and his contentment is something heavy and sharp, a prize that he fought for. He wouldn't exchange it for anything.
ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for objective review.

Sports romcoms can be a hard sell for me, but Cat Sebastian’s time pieces have become an endearing part of my reading journey and this was no exception. Eddie starts the book down on his luck and ostracized, a new take on the athlete narattive that quite enjoyed outside of the normal althetes are perfect specimens narrative. Marks had a rough life, losing his closeted boyfriend of years suddenly leaves him hurt and bitter. The two are definition black cat and golden retriever and watching them come together slowly was a delight

I JUST KNEW THIS WAS GONNA BE A NEW FAV AND I WAS RIGHT!!! i love this for me. cat sebastian NEVER misses period and i'm so glad my faith in her paid off. this was just so jenrjfdhaerhfejrhfqeorfhoerjhf softness and pining and cuteness overload, and my heart is feeling so mushy right now. highly highly highly recommend!!

Thank you to Avon or Harper Voyage & Netgalley for this ARC.
This was my first book this author and i can definitely say i will be coming back for more.
as you can tell by the gorgeous cover, this is LGBT+ book. it follows Mark, a reporter, and Eddie, a baseball player. they get paired up for a PR assignment to make clean up Eddie's image. this is what called out to me and i put in my request for it.

reading this book had me on a constant state of panic because it is set on new yok in the 1960s, which as you might know was not the best for queer people. i kept waiting for the shoe to drop and have my heart stomped and bulldozed over at any turn of the page.

there were definitely some parts that made me feel angry and made me put the book down, i enjoyed it very much, hence the 5 star rating.

Absolutely a 5 Star Read! This book had more depth than I ever anticipated. The character development and writing is simply lovely. I found myself rooting for both Eddie and Mark in all the ways - in terms of their relationship, but also in terms of their own personal development and growth. This book was an absolute delight. Love the baseball component. This is my first Cat Sebastian book and won't be my last! Thank you NetGalley for an early copy.

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian is a grumpy x sunshine queer romance between a baseball player who is in a hitting slump and is currently being looked down on by his city and team, and a reporter who normally doesn't cover sports but has been tapped to write about him. This book also delves into grief, life after loss, queer community, and the dangers and hope both of coming out.

I really loved this book, I fell in love with Eddie and Mark quickly and was rooting for both of them. There is also a case of side characters that are not the main focus of the story but are all quite lovable and also got me to invest in them. The one thing I didn't quite love in this book was the way that some of Eddie and Mark's arguments seemed to not really resolve. I was not wishing for a fight or a blow-up, but I was hoping for something more. However that is just a small blip in what was truly a lovely reading experiment, and I certainly recommend this book for anyone looking for a cute, bittersweet sports romance.

Do you ever love a book so much that you have no idea how to go about expressing your feelings for it? That is me in this moment with You Should Be So Lucky. Cat Sebastian has been on my radar for quite a while, but I hadn’t made the leap to pick up one of her books until now. I usually think long and hard before reading queer historical romance because my heart often can’t handle the heartache that accompanies it. Cat Sebastian changed that for me. She showed me that the genre can be bright, beautiful, and full of promise while also touching on the very real life challenges of living in a less accepting time. You Should Be So Lucky blew expectations out of the water to become my favorite read of the year so far.

The story begins with both Mark and Eddie at less than ideal points in their lives. Neither man is looking for anything special when they meet, but the pair slowly forms a friendship that gradually turns into more. Mark doesn’t go out of his way to try to hide his queerness, but he’s used to being a well-kept secret out of deference to his recently deceased long-term partner. Eddie is a mid-western boy, well-versed in hiding his queerness for a number of reasons. The two men couldn’t be more different.

“Mark thinks the danger he poses is that people will notice that Eddie’s queer, but the real danger is that Eddie finally noticed he’s queer - or at least noticed the implications.”

Eddie is full of sunshine and sparkles despite struggling with a slump threatening his baseball career after being traded and having an epic publicity screw up. Mark is a grump with a heart of gold who is still struggling with the loss of his partner, the ramifications of being a secret throughout their relationship, and the reality of dealing with his grief alone. Both men desperately need something to shake up their lives, rearrange the pieces, and put them back together in a way they can start living again, not just going through the motions.

“Sorry, I know I’m rambling. I know some things are just bad. I’m not saying things happen for a reason - I hate that. I'm saying that things happen. And it doesn’t have to mean anything except what it means to you. Nobody else gets to decide.”

Cat Sebastian does a remarkable job of weaving Eddie and Mark’s struggles together in a way that allows them to be there for each other in the exact way the other needs. They way they fall into a relationship is so natural and complimentary that neither man realizes it until they are so gone for the other that they can’t turn back. It’s as if they picked through the rubble of their lives, pulled out the best pieces, repaired the things that were broken but worth fixing, and combined them into something new. Something better than before, something they could be together.

I can’t say enough good things about this book. You Should Be So Lucky was a delight to read from start to finish, a beautiful slow burn that filled me with warmth and happiness like a cozy blanket I wanted to snuggle up in and never leave. Despite the story having the potential to tear me apart, I was left instead with joy and hope that's sure to stay nestled in my heart for a long time to come.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

eddie and mark are everything to me. this book is so sweet and tender and not without its struggles,. eddie was a standout to me and he made my chest hurt. i just love their love so much. i love stories grounded in living in the present and fighting against fear and loss. i will definitely check out cat's writing in the future!

Thanks to Avon and Netgalley for the ARC!

Mark and, in particular, Eddie have my entire heart. I am not much of a baseball fan but this book got me invested in Eddie's hitting slump and the future of the Robins because Cat Sebastian made me care so much about the team itself. It was a powerful exploration of what it looks like to grieve someone when your relationship with them was secret, and how to live openly, yet safely, in a homophobic society. I loved seeing Mark and Eddie's relationship develop and as a big fan of We Could Be So Good, I loved getting little snippets of Andy and Nick and the other newspaper folks. If you're a fan of sports romances, characters you want to just put in your pocket and carry around, and emotion without total heartbreak, You Should Be So Lucky might just be for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for an advanced copy of this ebook!

This book is an emotional powerhouse for so many reasons.

Not only is the love story so sweet and realistic, but the historic portrayal of queer love tears my heart apart.

I absolutely loved each page of this book and experiencing the realities of love in the 60’s.

4.5 / 5 stars -- rounded up to 5.

This is my second Cat Sebastian book (my first being We Could Be So Good, which was one of my top books of 2023). There is just something so special about her writing that you cannot find in any other author's work. The sweet, lighthearted moments that she describes in the book feel like a warm hug. She is adept at crafting narratives and scenes that focus on the tiniest (but so important) details as they relate to falling in love with someone (the cherries? a small gesture that meant so much to Nick and William). You have a front row seat to watch the character's feelings for one another unfold on the pages before you, and it just feels .... correct.

You Should Be So Lucky is a great exploration of grief -- especially how queer grief had to be hidden in the 1960's (and beyond) to avoid any disclosure of romantic involvement. And this exploration is absolutely heartbreaking -- knowing that Mark (who I sometimes became frustrated with, but loved nonetheless) was so lonely in processing his trauma. I loved seeing his character arc as he began to heal.

Eddie O'Leary? We must protect him at all costs! Watching his development over the course of these 400 pages was an incredible journey of witnessing someone become comfortable with their identity and feelings.

The book is a somewhat moderately-paced narrative that unfolds over several months / seasons, but it is by far a character-driven one. You care about what happens to Mark and Eddie. Their relationship is just such a beautiful story to follow.

I think at this point, I can read anything by Cat and I will love it. These last 2 novels have been absolute knockouts. I'm normally not even one for sports romances, but apparently, 1960's queer baseball romances are the way to my heart! I will recommend this book to others, along with We Could Be So Good. (And hey, loved those Nick and Andy cameos!)

Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this book so much. it's about loving freely and openly. eddie's joy and love for mark and the same for him in return made me want to cry. i loved this book so much.