this is the most beautiful love story i’ve ever read… and i’ve read a fuckton of love stories. the love between Mark and Eddie is my roman empire.

This has the patented Cat Sebastian pairing of "one very serious internally nervous man X one absolutely chaotic disaster" and MY GOD IT WORKS EVERY TIME. It's also about grief and baseball and honesty and trust and realizing that you have people in your corner.

SPOILERS BELOW because I can't talk about this book without giving everything away.

Eddie is the most wonderful golden retriever whose believe in the inherent good of people (and his belief that he will get his swing back) is something that is so beautiful. As William says in the book, you never write about baseball without writing a metaphor, Eddie's understanding of what it *really* means to be queer in 1960 is told through the way that he has to relearn his baseball swing, to fight through it.

Side characters were phenomenal. Cat Sebastian is the best example of how to include a racially and ethnically diverse cast -- that still represents the reality of the way that racism appeared in 1960 -- and not play these characters for trauma. Ardalino and Price are phenomenal "old guard" supports of Eddie and their "you know we know" conversations were stunningly beautiful and still relevant in this modern age. The reveal of George Allen's real name (combined with his wife's name of Ruth), left me speechless, because of the way the deft hand of Cat Sebastian's craft. A lifetime of love and a career to be proud of, with some compromise. This is not a fictional world where Black players are welcomed into the league with open arms and Jewish journalists get to write headlines, but its a reflection of the ways that painting all stories of minority groups with broad brushes misses the ways that these individuals established their agency in the face of discrimination.

I want Eddie's mom to give me a hug. I want to hold Mark while he cries in William's sweaters and have him make me cornflakes with bananas.

The strongest, and most beautiful part of this book, is the way that it never feels like Mark has to choose between his love for William and his love for Eddie. And *that* to me, is one of the most beautifully queer things about this book, the ways that queer people have understood love and loss and love again in ways that don't exist for heterosexual culture. Eddie, to his credit, never tries to replace William, and in fact, is the one to encourage Mark to share about his previous lover. It's a stunningly tender portrayal of love again after loss.
One thing that Cat Sebastian is never going to do is kill characters *because* they're queer. I appreciated so deeply that William's death was random chance -- he wasn't gaybashed or some other horror that awaited gay men in the late 1950s. William's death is a factor of random chance, and as a queer person, that is MUCH appreciated.

We also get updates on everybody's favorites, Nick and Andy. I love that Nick and Andy are deeply concerned with each other's well being and friendship and absolutely would never admit it to the other. Andy -- our little chaos demon is all grown up and RUNNING THE NEWSPAPER. The moment at the end where Nick and Andy still trade tomatoes made my cry. I love seeing the continuation of earned HEAs in the background.

Also, I fully believe that the George's wife's cat that ran away became Nick and Andy's cat in We Could Be So Good.

One more thing -- the level of historical accuracy in this book is top notch, from the architecture of the Polo Grounds to the nuances of Greenwich village street layouts.

Perfection.

** spoiler alert ** An absolutely precious, so cute it hurts romance from the author of We Could Be So Good (set just a couple years later, with a different pair of lovers, and some of the previous cast popping in here and there to say hi).

This was fine, and very, very cute, but not my favorite Cat Sebastian so far. I generally prefer the Victorian romances (Seducing the Sedgwicks in particular) and this was kind of long on baseball and short on plot for me to really love it.

The romance was believable and all the characters were about as likeable as possible, even the supposed "bad boy of baseball," Eddie who could not have been more charming or vulnerable. I really loved crabby journalist Mark's journey of figuring out how to write with love and kindness instead of pure snark, and the characterization of George Allen (an elderly sportswriter for the Chronicle) was unexpectedly beautiful.

This is definitely a book that relies more on the journey of personal development than any exterior plot. I enjoyed it, but the lowest of low stakes (sorry, I guess the baseball stuff as the central stakes just missed me, and the constant fear of homophobia, while realistic, never actually manifested at all, and everyone who figured out the characters were gay were lovely and accepting) didn't really work for me in this.

Thanks, Avon and Harper Voyages and Netgalley for this ARC and the opportunity to get my grabbers on this early. I am a HUGE Cat Sebastian fan and even though this didn't really make my top favorites ever rank I still really enjoyed it and will read everything Sebastian ever writes, probably twice.

I’m not the biggest fan of historical romance unless it’s queer and bonus if it is written by Cat Sebastian. I absolutely loved this book. While it is connected to We Could Be So Good, you don’t miss anything if you haven’t read that one yet. This book was a tender love story in the midst of loss and grief along with the fear of being discovered as queer in 1960. I really felt for Eddie’s struggle in losing his instincts in baseball and for Mark dealing with his grief and some anger about having been such a secret with his late partner. Eddie is such a sweetheart in handling Mark’s grief and fears, I wanted to hug them both throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I loved this book from first page to last — in fact, I loved it so much I started advertising it to my friends as “I thought nothing can top Hither Page on my personal list of favourites, but Cat Sebastian went and wrote a book so wholly for me that I am helpless”. It has gay baseball! Queer bookclub! A gentle and accepting take on what it means to struggle - with grief, loneliness, setbacks, lack of a space to be yourself. It made it so so easy to cheer for its leads - actually, scratch that, for everyone in the book - and the way tension and release was handled in the narrative made me feel so grateful, because it’s very true to what kind of story this is. Needless to say, I bawled my eyes out in everything that touched on grief. Cat Sebastian gets it. She got us.

10/5 stars, no comments, will absolutelh read again and buy fifteen copies for friends.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC.

I ATE THIS UP. This is my first of Cat’s books, and only the second historically-set queer romance I have read. I absolutely loved it!

The characters were realistic, relatable, and oh so good together. Mark and Eddie had such a great story, and it encompassed so much more than just a linear romance.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely be checking out more of Cat’s work in the future!

Cat Sebastian could write in this universe forever and I would never get sick of it! Set in 1960 New York City, this story follows Mark Bailey (who you might recognize if you read We Could Be So Good), a journalist struggling with grief after his partner died about a year and a half before the book starts, and Eddie O'Leary, a baseball player who has managed to piss off his new team and basically every single fan before even arriving in the city. To improve Eddie's image, he agrees to work with Mark, who will write a weekly "diary" in the newspaper as Eddie, and the two become friends. As their connection develops and attraction sparks, they must consider what their feelings mean for Eddie's career, and Mark is reckoning with his grief and loneliness and he lets Eddie into his life.

Beautifully tender, You Should Be So Lucky is a book about falling in love, grief, and being who you are despite the world not wanting to let you. This is a book about wanting things you haven't allowed yourself to have, trading books as a form of flirting, slumps, homophobia in sports and a dog that waits by the door.

After reading We Could Be So Good - my first foray into Cat Sebastian’s work - last September, I was so excited to see that her next novel was going to be in the same vein of historical romance set in more recent history. Even more excited that baseball was involved (I’ve always found baseball to be a romantic sport to watch and read about. Fever Pitch anyone?).

I am so happy to report that this did not disappoint. Much like We Could Be So Good, You Should Be So Lucky is a warm, heartfelt, cozy romance set in a time period where queer relationships would’ve been kept largely under wraps.

Set throughout 1960, You Should Be So Lucky follows Eddie O’Leary, a young baseball player going through a slump following his trade to a new team and Mark Bailey, a writer - not a sports writer! - who is a year and a some months out from having lost his longtime partner. There is a near immediate fondness that these characters have for each other despite their differences in not only profession but just about every aspect of their lives.

There is not a lot of plot (if any) here so if you are looking for dramatics this is not for you! There are historical accuracies but there are also a lot of anachronisms as far as the way it is written, behaviors of certain characters and maybe even the lack of aforementioned dramatics. If you’re coming here for romance and expecting a history lesson alongside - turn away! Or don’t, the romance is worth staying for.

You Should Be So Lucky was a page turner despite its lack of plot and intensity if only because Eddie and Mark are impossible not to root for. You want to see Eddie’s career through whether he’s able to turn his slump around or not. You want to see Mark fall in love with writing again after experiencing such loss.

You want to read about these characters finding love in each other despite the odds!

Read We Could Be So Good and follow it up with You Should be So Lucky. They can be read alone but are quite the treat together. Like a piece of to-go cake (wink wink).



Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the eARC!

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian
Pub Date: May 7, 2024
Rating: 5/5 stars

THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD.

First and foremost, while this book is definitely a stand-alone, if you haven't read "We Could Be So Good," which establishes the universe this book takes place in, READ THAT BOOK, TOO. I loved We Could Be So Good, so when I found out Cat Sebastian had written another book in the same world, I was so excited. You Should Be So Lucky lived up to every expectation I had. I don't know what other characters could possibly have their own book in this world, but I desperately want more of these characters.

As with the other book, this one had me all torn up over the world these characters, Eddie and Mark, inhabit. I wanted so much more for them, and for the real people living in the 1950s and 1960s in the lgbtq community. I loved the places these characters found support and acceptance and love from members of their community. But Cat Sebastian's books, rightly, don't shy away from the realities people faced in the times in which these books are set. This makes the story so compelling and heart-wrenching, even when the end of the story is relatively happy given the high stakes these characters face in their personal and professional lives.

Now for Mark and Eddie, specifically. Ahhhh. I loved them. Maybe even more than Andy and Nick in the first book. I found their to be clear parallels between this couple and Andy and Nick, but the characters and stories are still so unique. Eddie's optimism and openness are infectious. I found myself, like Mark, wanting to protect him at times. The development of their relationship felt natural and it made the story all the more compelling. Every time Mark hesitated, worried, or tried to slow things down out of concern for Eddie's wellbeing, I loved him even more while also wanting to yell at him to stop so they could be together. These guys are wonderful. I SO enjoyed reading their story.

I also loved getting glimpses of Nick and Andy again, as well as meeting new characters. I felt that George, in particular, added such depth and sweetness to this story; this was especially true as Mark navigated his grief. This entire plotline was raw and emotional and beautiful and added so much to the book.

Read this book. And anything else by Cat Sebastian you can get your hands on. I'm definitely going to read her other books.

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

A review in three parts. Read whichever ones apply to you!

For general audiences not wanting spoilers:

You Should Be So Lucky is the story of Eddie O'Leary, a baseball player who has lost his swing, and Mark Bailey, a reporter grieving the loss of his partner of many years. I really did not expect to love a book about baseball, and I especially didn't expect to have any patience for a book that tried to turn baseball into a Metaphor for Life. This book proved me wrong. It's a gentle, contemplative story that is doing so much more than just developing a love story between two protagonists (though it does that very well).

For WCBSG fans who want expectations set without being too spoiled:

YSBSL is very much of a piece with WCBSG in the sense that it has a similar prose tone (third-person present, appreciation for the lyricism of the domestic, and focus on protagonists refusing to acknowledge a single feeling until they can't resist). In both books, the threat of outing is an acknowledged reality of 1950s queer life, yet it is not wielded *against* the characters as an imminent threat to safety. There are a few notable differences as well. Where physical intimacy in WCBSG happened on-page but in rather vague terms (more "fade to black"), YSBSL often used the device of initiating intimacy and then cutting immediately to its aftermath (more "closed door"). While both books focus on character development, vibes, and the long romance arc, I would say that YSBSL has a slightly broader narrative universe than its predecessor. Its overarching themes (baseball, grief, slumps, second chances) and its cast of secondary characters both get more air time than they did in WCBSG. Some readers may lament even a minor shift away from a tight focus on the romance, I thought the balance was perfection. My very subjective takeaway is that in WCBSG I felt most moved by the minute detailing of Nick and Andy's romance; in YSBSL I felt most moved by what Eddie and Mark's romance had to tell me about living joyfully in the face of change. I value both deeply.

For the spoiler-indifferent, or those having finished and looking to Talk Themes:

If you've made it this far, you've pretty much got my "review" of the book. But I still have a bunch of un-marshalled and un-collected thoughts about this book that feel a bit more spoilery. I went into YSBSL braced to possibly dislike two different elements of it. The first one is, quite simply, baseball. I kind of despise the sport. Not for anything inherent to baseball itself, but for the way it was wielded by the men in my family as both something I had no choice but to interact with (I was constantly getting dragged to stadia) and something I could never fully appreciate because I was a girl. Anyway, I have little time or patience for baseball. And when it became apparent that Cat Sebastian might be trying to draw broad thematic parallels between losing your baseball swing and losing a romantic partner... let's just say, it's a testament to how much I trust her as a writer that I did not fling my ARC into a river.

But... goddamn if she didn't actually make it work? I loved the thematic resonances in this book so, so, SO much. I'm not sure Sebastian gets enough credit for how boldly she takes on the irrevocability of loss as part of an HEA (she has a romance hero in a different book dying of tuberculosis, ffs). But she does it beautifully. I loved how the theme of continuing to live after loss wove its way through everything in the book, from something as small as the loss of a neighborhood, to something as uninteresting (to me) as the loss of a baseball game, to as earth-shattering as the loss of a loved one. And it was done in a way that didn't try to *overplay* similarity between these things, but rather let each one be its own experience, each speaking differently to the centrality of loss and recovery to the human experience. It left me just kind of in awe over the bravery of living. Which is a lot, for a romance!

As I kind of hinted at above, there was a voice in my head that wondered if the actual, concrete love story of Eddie and Mark didn't get the tiniest bit lost under all that thematic work. And maybe it did? I certainly didn't feel quite as desperate for the catharsis of them getting together as I did with Nick and Andy. But I loved it, just the same.

So, the second thing I was wary about was how much the threat of public outing was going to play a role in this story. I think it could be argued that Cat Sebastian is writing in a genre climate where both other historical eras (like the regency), and other types of sports romance (like contemporary hockey romance), are already so wonderfully saturated with narratives of queer acceptance that midcentury baseball romance appears as a genre space in which the threat of outing can be newly reinscribed. And I'm always ... a little wary, especially keeping in mind my reader positionality as a cis queer woman writing this in 2024, about how the "threat of outing" narratives in mm historical romance is working.

I don't presume to have an answer to that, but I will say that one thing that resonated a LOT with me in this book is how un-binary Sebastian's approach to "the closet" and "outing" is here. Which is to say, first of all, the blurb is kind of misleading: this is NOT a romance where Mark wants to live fully out after a life of secrecy, and Eddie is terrified of being outed as a gay sports player. Rather, it's just as true that Mark wants to keep Eddie safe by NOT being public in certain ways, as much as it is that Eddie really longs to have his queerness be recognized by key people around him. The question of being "out" is, technically, a source of plot here, but it's one where both MCs have a lot of time and patience and understanding for the complexities of that issue. Similarly, I loved the recognition that being "closeted" or "out" is not, in fact, a binary switch-flip for Mark and Eddie: they get to kind of patchwork together a network of people who know only what the two men want them to know about their lives and identities and intimacies. I loved both the care and the nuance that went into that.

And, jeez, there's so much more I loved about this book that doesn't really fit into the confines of my review. GEORGE (*sobs*). Everything going on with Ardolino. Eddie crying over Mark's dog. The jar of cherries. MARGINALIA! I just loved it all a lot.

Anyway, these are just my ramblings, and I'm looking forward to hearing what a lot more people think about this book, and these issues, once they've had the chance to read it.

Slow burn, grumpy reporter, and golden retriever baseball player?? Say less! I absolutely knew that this would be like catnip for me just based on that alone, but Cat Sebastian's We Could Be So Good was also my top romance of 2023 so I just knew that this was going to be an absolute 5 star read for me, and indeed it was.

It's been quite some time since I finished this book and I truly don't know that I can talk about it coherently yet. Here's what I do know - it's going to at least be one of my top romances of the year. THE YEAR! I would protect Eddie and Mark with my entire heart and I want every good thing ever to happen to them. I highlighted so many quotes that I truly don't think I could pick just one to highlight here. Cat's writing is just so incredible - it's evocative, emotional, and so deep while also being really truly funny.

Eddie, my sweet golden retriever sunshine boy...oh what can I even say. I just loved him so so much. He was so incredibly sweet and thoughtful and open. UGH he's just so goodddddddd.

Oh and my little black cat Mark - so damaged and yet still so capable of love. The representation of grief here is also really spot on and his protection of Eddie was so so sweet. Gosh I just love them both so so much.

The scene where Eddie tells Mark that he loves him was also just so perfect and quintessentially them - like I couldn't have pictured a more perfect scene for them. Oh, and the cameos we get from Andy and Nick were just perfect too!

"He feels like every part of him is wrapped around Eddie, like they're tangled up in something dangerous and lovely and terribly, terribly precious"

Thank you so much to Avon and Netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Cat Sebastian has always reigned supreme when it comes to historical queer romance and YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY is lucky (see what I did there) to be added to the list. Handling queerness in a time like the 1950-1960s where you could be blacklisted from your career if outed seems to be my recent hyperfixation, so I was eating this up. As also Cat Sebastian handles her characters with care and compassion and also doesn't have erroneous homophobia that makes me sick to my stomach which cannot be said for all historical queer novels. With all tof that said, I ate it up and you will too.

This was one of the most expansive romance novels I've ever read. I wanted to live in this book. It felt luxurious. Every page, every sentence, every plot point was so loved.

This is my second book by Cat and it lives up to the hype I had in my head. I loved We Could Be So Good by her last year, and I loved this one just as much. You Should Be So Lucky is set in the same world, mid-century NYC, when queer love was mostly hidden away. But this was so much more than a queer romance. It was a book of grief, longing (for love and for living authentically), and second chances. It is heartbreaking and real how her characters navigate being queer in 1960.

Eddie and Mark are both complex and relatable. Cat breathes life into her characters. You see their strength and their flaws and root for them anyway. I love how we to get to experience growth with both characters. I especially enjoyed how their initial connection beyond a working relationship was through sharing books.

Cat puts a great deal of research into her writing. I will certainly be working through her backlog and look forward to reading more.

I'm rounding up from 4.5. This is a lovely story of grief, struggle, perseverance and love. I don't typically pick up historical romance reads, although calling 1960 historical is a bit depressing(😆). The story follows Eddie, a 22 year old queer baseball player traded to an expansion team in NYC. He's blindsided by the trade news and his temper got the best of him causing him to insult his new team and teammates leading to an awful start in NY. Mark is a writer at the Chronicle, a NY paper. Well, technically Mark quit over a year ago, but he keeps showing up. Mark is grieving the death of his lover, William. Mark is tasked with writing about Eddie to help bring attention to the new team and maybe figure Eddie and his struggles out. Eddie is struggling in the new environment, his teammates aren't speaking to him, no one knows that he's gay and he has no friends close by. Mark takes the assignment and gets to know Eddie. They slowly realize that the other one is queer and that they can talk and lean on each other. It's a slow burn, but worth watching it unfold. It was great to see Mark trust Eddie's feelings and decisions and work through his grief. It was also great to see Eddie learn to embrace his new team and persevere through his struggles on the field. Eddie's confidence in their relationship was inspiring considering the consequences in the 1960 climate. The supporting cast of characters are fantastic and help move the story along. Great read.

Mein Leseerlebnis

In der ruhig erzählten m/m Baseball romance lernen sich zwei Männer über den Verlauf einer Baseball-Saison kennen und verlieben sich dabei ineinander.

Das Leben der beiden Helden wird von der Autorin mit viel Gefühl erzählt und als Leserin hatte ich kein Problem damit, mir die beiden Helden als echte Personen vorzustellen. Auch konnte ich mich gedanklich gut ins Jahr 1960 transportieren. Dadurch waren die Einschränkungen in der Selbstentfaltung der beiden Helden für mich greifbar und haben mich emotional tief berührt.

Auch wenn der Alltag der beiden Helden durch Einschränkungen in Bezug auf ihre Liebe geprägt ist, so wirkte der Liebesroman auf mich doch hoffnungsvoll und nicht deprimierend.

So schnell werde ich die beiden Helden und ihre schöne Liebesgeschichte nicht vergessen.

🖤🖤🖤🖤 1/2

Für wen?

Wer ruhig erzählte und zugleich intensive, historische Liebesgeschichten mag, die im Jahr 1960 spielen, dem kann ich die vorliegende m/m romance ans Herz legen. Und die Liebesromane der Autorin ganz generell.

Another utterly perfect romance from Cat Sebastian. You Should Be So Lucky deals with grief, family, and loneliness in such compassionate, gentle ways. The love story at its heart is so true, so generous, and so open-hearted, and I cannot recommend it enough.

This one took me through all of the emotions. I laughed, I teared up, I squealed like a school girl. Cat takes such care with the way she presents difficult topics. Mark was so special to watch transform from a grieving writer to a man in love. I loved how heavy this was on the baseball love/representation as I have been getting more and more into sports romances recently!

I will post a review on my instagram on release day. @thatbookishteach

I have yet to find a Cat Sebastian book that has failed to make me laugh, cry, and leave the story with a long list of new characters I will hold forever in my heart. You Should Be So Lucky continues the tradition.

We follow a journalist struggling with grief and heartbreak, and a baseball player struggling with anxiety, anger, and a batting slump the should-be rookie of the year should NOT be having. Mark and Eddie are meant to work together to create a weekly column that gives Eddie and his team some good press during his abismal performance, but something more precious than great pr blooms.

There were so many topics covered in this book such as grief, social anxiety, and fear of failure - all done with such care and nuance. This also takes place in the 1960s so we dive into what it meant not only to be a gay man in that time, but also a gay man in the public eye and I loved the honesty of that conversation.

I left the book wanting so much more of every single character and will be recommending it highly!

You Should Be So Lucky is a queer historical baseball romance about a young star shortstop in a batting slump and the grieving reporter assigned to write about him.

When I heard there was a book with all my interests in one niche subgenre, I knew I had to read it. And I’m glad I did! YSBSL is a slow and gentle delight that still deals with heavy topics like life after a loss you can’t properly acknowledge and living an authentic life when your identity is criminalized.

The (at first) reluctant writer and pathetic subject angle worked well for me. I loved Eddie’s faith in the relationship and his determination to win Mark over. And Mark slowly working through his grief and (crankily) falling in love. I was glad to see this was actually a baseball book, with both main characters (and most of the side characters) involved in the game in interesting ways that all showed major love for the sport.

My main/only issue was the lack of a significant plot. It felt like it dragged somewhat without high stakes or conflict going on. But I can see this as a plus for anyone who wants a softer read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and honestly review this ARC.