I was given an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

I adored this book!

I thought the pacing of the relationship was good and I love how they integrated William into the story in a realistic way.

I also appreciated that they had relationships with people (friends, family, coworkers) outside of the two main characters.

Based on the description, I went in expecting some angst/drama, but that’s not what this story it. It appeared to me that the author took a Schitt’s Creek approach to the story. That’s is not to say that I didn’t love the book, even though it wasn’t what I had expected, I thought the book was excellent.

There were a couple of times where it seemed like there was an error in the timeline ex. Chapter 6: “the phone rings at an ungodly hour on Sunday morning” then two pages later “tomorrow is Saturday” and in the epilogue it seemed like they were discussing an article from the chapter before that was at least a month before the epilogue began. But these were very minor and didn’t cause me any confusion about the story.

It was hard in the epilogue to feel the changing of the seasons, to see how their relationship has developed over the past few months. It seemed like they all could’ve taken place at the same time.

Overall, I thought this book was very cute, and I really liked it!

"You Should Be So Lucky" by Cat Sebastian is an absolute home run of a read! As a baseball enthusiast, I was instantly drawn to the unique backdrop of the sport intertwined with a heartwarming romance. Eddie and Mark's relationship is not just cute, it's positively charming, filled with moments that will make your heart swell. Cat Sebastian has crafted a delightful story that seamlessly blends love, passion, and the thrill of the game. Whether you're a fan of romance or baseball (or both!)

Cat Sebastian has done it again. I read We Could Be So Good last year and fell in love with Cats writing. Getting approved for this ARC was so exciting because the idea of another historical romance written by her especially a baseball romance was such a dream. Cats writing style is so beautiful and this book covers loneliness in different ways between Eddie and Mark.

Eddie is struggling with his trade to a new team while being iced out by his teammates while playing his worst season yet. Mark is struggling with the loss of his longtime partner. They’re both at a point in their life where they feel lost and like they don’t belong anymore and when pushed together (begrudgingly) for a series of articles, they get to rediscover who they are together. And while this does cover loneliness, Cat does it such a way where you really feel it in these little moments throughout the book instead of it being a constant stream in their inner thoughts.

Eddie is the definition of a golden retriever and I absolutely adore him. Mark is quiet and reserved due to years of constant hiding, but they balance each other out and bring out the best in each other. Together we get to see them fall in love with their respective careers again. Cat covers being queer in her historical romances so well because there’s always the undercurrent of people can’t find out, but she hints at these other characters knowing and accepting Eddie and Mark. It’s all about queer love and joy even in times when it wasn’t accepted by the public.

Eddie and Mark have my whole heart and their love is so tender. I put this off from reading just because I knew I would enjoy it so much and that I would never be able to read it for the first time again.

This book was one of my most anticipated books of the year and I was lucky enough to read an ARC. It was absolutely AMAZING.
This book has everything I love in Cat Sebastian's books, it's emptional, soft and cozy.
This books follows Mark, a journalist and Eddie a baseball player, through their paths of grief and loneliness, falling in love and healing. It was a beautiful love story and one of my favorites of the year (if not THE favorite) and a new comfort read.

Thanks to Avon and Netgalley for the eArc

This novel is a beautiful love letter to the nuances of grief - the fragility, the hallowed out frozenness, the unexpected little reminders that can stop you in your tracks. The work it takes to just be. It’s the story about what happens after loss, after turmoil, after the worst day of your life. What’s next?

This is a love story of the next. Mark is barely surviving. Stuck in the frozen numbness of a grief he can’t share with the world. Eddie is new to town, isolated and lonely. He sees Mark as both a life raft and someone who needs saving. Their journey is beautiful and heart wrenching and ultimately hopeful.

Cat Sebastian does a brilliant job of exploring the duality of love lost and love found. This is the love story not just of Mark and Eddie, but also of Mark and his lost love William - everything they were and everything they could have been. I connected just as much with Mark’s past relationship as I did with his current one. The love, acceptance, and respect Eddie shows for Mark and William’s relationship made me fall in love with him even more.

All that being said, this book is also hilariously funny. The banter and snarkyness that Cat Sebastian excels at is woven throughout the narrative. I highlighted entire pages for the sarcastic comments and dry observations alone. The supporting characters were top notch and the ever-expanding circle of found family that loves and protects these men is absolute perfection.

This is easy five stars. I loved every second. I cried through a lot of it and found it incredibly cathartic. This book will resonate with anyone who has experienced loss or grief or trauma, but especially those of us who have had a loss that we’ve had to mourn privately.

I can’t recommend this book enough.

I could have let this review percolate for a bit through my synapses, but to be honest, this book doesn't require that kind of overthinking. I LOVED IT. I loved We Could Be So Good a lot, but if I were to choose between the two it would be You Should Be So Lucky for me, hands down. It has all the things to love about Cat Sebastian's best work: two dorks falling in love, more vibes than plot, unrestrained kindness even when dealing with hard subjects. Something here does feel more weighty, more ambitious, though. It's not that Sebastian hasn't tackled serious subjects before--there's just something about the relatability and authenticity to everything in this book that leave me going "wow." I loved watching Eddie and Mark's romance grow through their encounters. They are wonderful, flawed, incredibly real-feeling characters who are only better for the incredible supporting cast. I almost even gave a flying anything about baseball in rooting for the Robins along with everyone else.

So no, this isn't a thoughtful and deliberate review. This is a READ THIS BOOK YOU WON'T REGRET IT review. You're welcome.

A few pages into You Should Be So Lucky I had sunk so deep into this cozy, queer historical romance I’d forgotten I wasn’t reading it just for fun. I fell in love with Mark and Eddie, their book swap turned romance, and the found and fought-for families they each bring to the party.

It’s a book about grief and redemption and finding home, even if it can’t be forever.

Anyway, I’m going to have to go reread The Haunting of Hill House now.

Adored this book just as much as We Could Be So Good. It manages to be so entertaining and so earnest, with real explorations of love and loss, grief and glory. The plot is a little light, but each character is very well developed; their arcs pull you in immediately and keep you on your toes the entire time. A joy to read.

I read the NetGalley ARC, this is my review:

I am not a sports fan. I know just enough about baseball to not be too lost as to what's happening. I am a Cat Sebastian fan; I loved the first book in this series, so I was delighted to get to read this one early.

Boy, what a treat! Smart characters, tough situations, the reporter-ballplayer conflict plus the dangers queer people faced in 1960... It is long enough to do everything justice, and yet it doesn't linger overlong at the end. This is a satisfying novel, funny and thoughtful and sweet. Highly recommended.

3.5 stars*

Cat Sebastian has never disappointed me in the four books of hers I read previously and she didn’t disappoint with “You Should Be So Lucky”.

I’m not a baseball fan by any means, but this isn’t necessarily a sports romance so don’t let that detract you from reading it. This is a story of being queer in the States in the early 60’s, an exploration of grief and mental health, and a sweet love story at the same time.

Mark, a reporter who would rather write a scathing book review than an article about baseball, is forced to work with Eddie, a baseball player who can’t seem to get out of a slump. Their relationship isn’t “enemies to lovers” or even necessarily “forced proximity”, their relationship develops very naturally over the course of the book and feels realistic.

My only complaints? I think this book is pretty long for what it is and the pacing is slow, but there is definitely payoff if you’re looking for a romance novel that has a bit more substance to it. I think if the pacing had been better, this could have been a four star read for me.

I don't even know where to start in my review for this book., so I'll just praise the author first:

Cat Sebastian is an amazing writer.; more than amazing, actually. I've read two or three books by her, and it didn't take me long to realize what Sebastian excels at: She is the absolute master of describing an emotion. It's a gut punch when you realize which one she is describing in certain scenes, because not only can you imagine the emotion in detail, you have actually felt it before. She writes human emotion in such beautifully perfect detail. And not to be gushy about it, but to me, she is one of those authors who were truly--with every single fiber of their being--meant to be a writer. Only stories and voices from THESE people could be told THESE ways. And I'm absolutely smitten with them.

The story itself is both oddly adorable and sexy. It goes like this:

Mark is a cynical reporter at a major newspaper in New York City. You get the sense that he's got the attitude for a specific reason, like he's TRYING to be cynical, but can never fully get there. He's forced to take an assignment writing the "diaries" of a hot-tempered rookie who was traded to the Robins against his will. This hot-tempered, but somehow adorable rookie player is Eddie. Unfortunately, the trade accidentally happened on national television, and he cursed and bad-mouthed his future team. Well, naturally, the team doesn't take it well and ignore him for over a month. But when Mark and Eddie meet, they each surprise the other by being different from the people that they were expecting each to be. The lust is pretty powerful between the two of them from the beginning, and it doesn't take long to see for them to see each other falling in love. And the HEA is so perfect.

The author has a way of fully fleshing out her characters. They're three-dimensional and real; they aren't stereotypes or cliches. I could picture each character so clearly. I loved the emotional journey that Mark goes on, especially when we learn fairly early that he is grieving from the death of his former spouse, William. I also loved that the author gave us Eddie's POV. You really felt like you were inside the brain of a fresh-from-Nebraska, rookie baseball up and comer. I loved their adorable banter, their sexy chemistry and charm. And Sebastian's decision to set this beautiful love story against a 1960's national baseball season was a stroke of genius. The characters, plot, and setting are somehow just the perfect fit, both swoon-worthy and realistic.

I guess I don't really need to say anymore about this book, because it's pretty obvious how I feel about it. If you're looking for the perfect blend of romance and steam, plot and emotion, I guarantee you can't do any better than this book.

To my great surprise, I love absolutely everything about this. I wasn't expecting for the baseball storyline to hit just as hard as the personal plotlines, but much like many of the peripheral characters, you just can't help but start to root for the Robins as a whole, even beyond Eddie's batting slump.

For a book whose themes are unarguably loss, grief, and prejudice, it is profoundly hopeful and warm, gently contemplative, and ultimately comforting. I found myself sinking into it much like a warm bath - Eddie and Mark's story is domestic as they start to rebuild their lives, about the small moments that mark the changes both inflicted and chosen that are a part of living, and how they weave each other and a possible future into those moments. There are home-cooked meals, dog walkings, dinner outings, and book trades, and you really get a sense of Eddie and Mark both falling in love and learning the shape of the other's grief and needs. It's slow and soft, but because it's Cat Sebastian, there is a lot of humor and wit that makes it an easy story to get lost in.

Being set in 1960 and being set in New York and against baseball gives the story a lot of room to think about community and support and what different forms of that looks like. Mark and Eddie set two different ends of the spectrum of being "out". Mark is able to be much more open about making inferences to his sexuality due to his job, but past experiences (family, needing to be secretive due to his partner's job, among others) keep his circle close and tight, never letting new people in or fully sharing (a need he feels especially keenly in his grief of essentially a spouse, but forced to treat as a roommate). Eddie, on the other hand, feels keenly alone, especially being in a new city and not knowing who he can trust while being essentially a public figure. He wears his heart on his sleeve and having to hide that desire for connection only makes him feel more alone and homesick. The specter of "outing" represents very different things for them, and I enjoyed that the narrative never treated any one decision as better or worse, and that the arguments were always about the other person's safety, but ultimately letting that person's decision stand.

It's tender and wonderful and i can't wait to read it again.

This is my first novel by Cat Sebastian and will not be my last! I really enjoyed You Should Be So Lucky.

Set in the Spring and Summer months of 1960, Cat really got the feel of the 60s in the book while also having the book feel hopeful for their situation. LGBTQIA community was not accepted in the 60s, and the way Cat displayed how the characters worked through it was really inspiring. I also love baseball, so having one of the characters be a player was wonderful.

I did get annoyed at the constant we should/shouldn't from Mark (reporter), but otherwise it was a beautiful novel of self acceptance and how you can have a happy life while dealing with grief.

It's hard to sum up all of the feels I felt in You Should Be So Lucky. Charmed, annoyed, giddy, and touched are some that pop into my head. I love how Cat writes historical queer romance that feels truthful for the time period, but also still HOPEFUL. While I was reading this week, I kept making noises: awww, *gasp*, ugh, LOL: so much so that my husband asked me if I was okay. Yes, I'm just reading a really freaking good book!

A wonderful follow-up to We Could Be So Good, I thoroughly enjoyed You Should Be So Lucky. Set after the events of that book, this follows Mark Bailey, a newspaper reporter, and Eddie O'Leary, a baseball player on the Robins. Mark is grieving the loss of his partner, when he's assigned to follow the baseball season and their new player -- Eddie. Eddie didn't want to be traded and has a bad attitude, but immediately clicks with Mark. This book follows Mark as he leaves his cave of grief and connects with coworkers and friends, Eddie as he learns to accept his new team, and them together navigating being queer in New York in the 1960s. It's a gorgeous novel, that is heartwarming but never saccharine. The plot is intricate, but extremely well-paced. I really appreciated how clear the explanation of baseball was! It really benefited me as a baseball novice.

Cat Sebastian is a true leader in the romance genre, and I'm so excited to read what she puts out next.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Avon/HarperCollins Publishing, and the author, Cat Sebastian, for this digital ARC!

When I say that receiving the approval for this ARC made my entire week last week, I am not exaggerating. I absolutely and completely loved this novel.

You Should Be So Lucky is set in the same ‘universe’ as Sebastian’s novel We Could Be So Good (which was one of my favorite reads last year, and one of my favorite novels of all time), and follows the beautiful, angsty, slow-burn romance between baseball star Eddie O’Leary and reporter/writer Mark Bailey.

I will not give any spoilers because I want this novel to be as thoroughly enjoyable for everyone else as it was for me, but I will say that Cat Sebastian is the absolute queen of queer historical romance. Eddie and Mark’s love story unfolds so delicately and they treat each other with such tenderness, that I could feel my heart squeeze - in the best way - multiple times throughout reading this. There are so many gorgeous, wholesome, loving moments between them, and they are so perfectly balanced with snarkiness, sarcasm, and adorable banter. For me, it is so refreshing to read a romance novel where the love story is built on gentleness, trust, and the complexity of grief, fear, and self-preservation. This book is cozy like a hot cup of your favorite tea, wrapped up in your favorite blanket, and will bring the happiest tears to your eyes. I cannot WAIT for everyone else to have the privilege of meeting and falling in love with Mark and Eddie.

You Should Be So Lucky is set in the early 1960's NYC (the same world as We Could Be So Good, though a bit later) with a fictional expansion team, The Robins, and a fictional newspaper, The Chronicle. We Could Be So Good was my favorite book last year because of its soft, quiet, SAFE, slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance. You would not need to read the first to dive in here, but it helps if you want to know the overlapping side characters.

This book is very much in the same tone as WCBSG with the focus on the everyday development of an unlikely friendship that naturally, so carefully, grows into a romance. Mark is a bit adrift as a writer with no urge to write. He maintains his job at the newspaper despite no longer needing the money, due to an inheritance from his late partner. Editor Andy pushes him to write a weekly human interest story about newcomer Eddie O'Leary who has made a splash when he was quoted spewing venom about his trade to The Robins--including some choice remarks about the team manager. Add to this, Eddie's sudden inability to hit a single ball, and he's not feeling too welcome on his new team. Alienated from his teammates, Eddie clings to Mark at first as the one person in the city who will give him the time of day, even though the dynamic is interviewer/interviewee. But something about Eddie, his kindness, his thoughtfulness, a gentleness that belies the temper he's now famous for, tugs at Mark's cynical heartstrings, and the bond between them outlasts Eddie's alienation and improving circumstances with his team.

There is a whole lot more going on throughout this story with a bevy of side characters, like elderly writer George Allen, several teammates, manager Tony, Nick and Andy from WCBSG, the ghost of Mark's lost love, Eddie's mother, and a dog with passive-aggressive tendencies. Still, I wouldn't call this book plotty. Months pass as the characters meet in locker rooms, in hotels as the team travels, in Mark's apartment. Eddie walks the dog. They discuss books. This feels more like living alongside the characters for a year of their lives, and that may sound tedious, but there's something compelling in watching these events unfold, rooting for Eddie to improve his game, hoping those longing looks will lead to a kiss, a kiss to professions of love. These books are like a warm hug.

This line about baseball really could be said about these books: "But the glacial pace and the low stakes give you time to look at each individual component of the game and properly appreciate it."

I used the word "safe" to describe this series because while there is an ever-looming threat of outing in both books due to the era, it's never a cheap plot point. The people in this world are a safe haven. It would be magical thinking to allow these characters to live as openly as they might today, but this is acknowledged and then left to simmer without ever coming to a boil. It's nice not to have to worry about such a toxic possibility while reading these. Instead, we get to enjoy watching them figure out how right they are for each other, how despite superficial differences, they just fit.

There's so much I love about these books. I hope this series continues forever.

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC.

Five hours after receiving You Should Be So Lucky in my inbox, I sit here writing a review. That in of itself should recommend the book. You Should Be So Lucky is a heart wrenchingly beautiful love story. Cat Sebastian creates an immersive universe with rich supporting characters - piquing my interest in baseball is no easy feat.

[Y'all—I don't know what Cat Sebastian put in this book, but I am STILL tearing up as I write this review. This book is one that will stick with me. I feel so deeply attached to the characters and their struggles and successes. I'm absolutely smitten with everything about it.]

You Should Be So Lucky is this: it’s about hope. It’s about healing. It’s about the impressive resilience of the human spirit and finding that little pocket of space in life where you can just be yourself. If you have ever felt the weight of hiding your true self, fearing the rejection of the people you are closest to, this novel will resonate with you so deeply.

Mark and Eddie are two of the best characters I have ever read about. Every single one of their interactions with each other left me giggling or watery-eyed. Sometimes both. They felt so real to me. Their motivations and intentions and fears and hopes. I could feel them all and it was such a wonderful ride. The narrative was compelling and I was rooting for them the whole time I was reading. I’m still rooting for them. If I was offered a chance to read 100 more books about these two, I would snatch it up immediately.

This was a heartfelt love story about embracing one’s true self. It’s about accepting that maybe things won’t work out the exact way you hope or plan for, but the alternatives can be just as great. You Should Be So Lucky in an inspiring love story about hope, love, and authenticity in the face of adversity and it should be on everyone’s radar.

This is the story of Eddie O'Leary, a baseball player in 1960 New York who has just been unexpectedly traded to New York and is not pleased about it. Meanwhile, Mark Bailey has been charged with reporting on Eddie's season. As the season goes on, well, there are the feels.

I always enjoy Cat Sebastian's work. This one is no different. I loved the Grumpy Mark Bailey and how he softened around Eddie as the book went on. I loved how just... ridiculously adorable Eddie was, especially when Mark was around.

Much like other books by the same author, outside of the romance there is a good story as well. This one follows a baseball season in 1960 and is as far as I could tell, pretty accurate in it's description. Eddie's team evolves just as Eddie does, and I found myself liking characters that I normally don't think I would have.

If you like Cat Sebastian's work, especially  We Could Be So Good (as it takes place in the same universe) or like a good M/M historical romance with a New Yorky vibe, you are going to like this one!