Thanks to Netgalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for the ARC of this!

I am obsessed with Cat Sebastian's books already and this one did not disappoint. It was sweet and gave me so many feelings! The grumpy x sunshine was so well done, and even though sports romance isn't usually my thing, I loved the plot around the sports writing and the players they interacted with.

I really loved this book! Cat's style of writing sucks you right into the characters' world and makes the characters immediately loveable. As a person who is typically apathetic to sports, especially baseball, I found myself actually rooting for the team and getting drawn into the rules of the game. It's also a really interesting look into the lives of queer people before it was acceptable to be out, and how they were able to still find community in those days.

You Should Be So Lucky was one that I probably overhyped for myself after We Could Be So Good made the @nytimes 100 Notable last year. While I found it to be perfectly pleasant, it did not wow me the way that hype suggested. I think I wish it had leaned into one of its threads more heavily: either that it be more of a recovery romance, more about the sports reporting, or more about the historical pressures of 1960 on Queer folks, especially in “masculine” spheres. Instead, we get something that’s nice to its characters almost to a fault with a lot of almost drama that never comes to fruition. If you like low angst/low pressure with good steam, this is for you.

One of my top recs for the Boston Globe summer books preview.

Rather than fake dating, Eddie and Mark are faking not falling wildly in love. When an underdog baseball team tries to reboot the image of New York’s most hated baseball player, the last thing anyone expects is for him to make a secret love connection with the still grieving erudite reporter assigned to ghost write his story. But this is 1960, and being out is not an option for a major league athlete and the writer had enough of hiding in the closet with his previous partner. The stakes are high, but their love story is a gentle heartwarming joy. Cat Sebastian is one of the big three of romance, and this mid-twentieth century historical romance is a sexy, swoony home run.

Wow did I love this book! This was my first Cat Sebastian and I definitely will be back for more. This was such a tender, heartfelt queer historical romance. I loved the baseball aspects but most importantly the sweetness and communication between the two main characters.

I don’t know what I was expecting from this book- maybe a cute sports romance? And it certainly was that, but Mark and Eddie’s slow-burn love story had so much emotional depth and tenderness that I was gripping the edges of my Kindle the entire time. I have never read Cat Sebastian’s books before this, but after this they are going to be auto-buys. Thank you, Cat Sebastian, Net Galley, and Avon for the ARC!

I loved this book. I don't generally go for slow burns, but the tender love story made my heart absolutely melt. I could not stop grinning throughout the whole thing.

And the setting is captivating - historicals are not my first choice, but these books set in the '50s and '60s are novel and yet still contemporary enough to keep my interest.

Highly recommend. Really lovely. I liked Cat Sebastian previously, but these two books are another level of great.

This was an absolute delight, not that Cat Sebastian's books aren't <i>ever</i> a delight. I absolutely enjoyed following Mark as he slowly dealt with his grief and reconciling the life he had with the life he still has. I also quite enjoyed his sarcasm and caustic nature, which made him softening as the book continued that much more delightful.

I loved Eddie, and how absolutely <i>earnest</i> about everything he was. I also really enjoyed that there wasn't a magical fix for his swing: he's different, and it would make sense that how he approaches baseball and life are different now. I loved loved loved how tender and patient he was with Mark, and how supportive he was of making sure that Mark knew that William's memory wasn't going to come between them. That William was a part of who Mark was, and that he was glad that Mark was so loved.

But the real scene stealer? Lula. Bless that spoiled, pampered pooch.

So cute! I actually wanted to cry by the end because Eddie and Mark are absolutely adorable. I love the way this story focuses not only on the struggles that come with being queer, particularly in a time/place it's not acceptable, but also the ways love, loss, and grief hold on to us and affect our lives long after an individual has left us.

Truly words cannot express how much I loved this. As a baseball playing, vintage aesthetic loving gay man, this feels like it was handcrafted for me. Sports romances often just kind of wave away the sports itself and use it more as an excuse to have an entourage cast or fun little uniforms while letting the sport fade away, but this was nothing like that. Cat Sebastian either loves baseball or does a damn good job pretending, because the game and all its weird little intricacies are woven throughout.

Eddie and Mark had such a sweet, wonderful romance. It felt perfectly paced and unlike a lot of romances, I felt like I could really see them growing closer and starting to trust each other and fall in love. And both characters were such a joy in their own way.

I shed several tears through this. Over Eddie's journey of crafting a life for himself. Over Mark's grief. Over their slowly learning each other. I haven't felt so caught up in a story in a long while. I almost feel like Eddie coming out of a slump.

The historical aspect was also realistic, without ever falling too much into doom and gloom, if that's a concern for any potential readers. It's beautiful in its own way to see how our community has always carved out spaces for ourselves even in hostile environments.

Truly, I love this book. It'll live front and center on my bookshelf as soon as I can get my hands on a physical copy.

4.75⭐
PG🌶️

My whole heart belongs to this series. This is a must read for the fans of Newsies and A League of Their Own and 🏳️‍🌈 pride. I loved this grumpy- sunshine, finding love after loss, 1950/1960s baseball starring, emotional, picky men so much. The beauty of this novel just proves that we need more stories about this time period and about these beautiful people forced to hide their queerness in the face of so much legalized hatred. I desperately hope this isn't the end of this series!

I wholeheartedly adore this book and its characters. Mark—the prickly reporter, just starting to get back to life after losing his partner; and Eddie—the newly-traded, golden retriever baseball player in a slump that Mark is reporting on.

While You Should Be So Lucky is about Mark and Eddie’s gradual fall in love, it felt like so much more. It delves into grief, homophobia, the realities of being queer in the 1960s, and loneliness. At so many times I laughed, I cried, and days later, I can’t stop feeling for these characters. The way they bonded over late night phone calls, reading scary horror stories, walks with Mark’s dog, Lula; I just couldn’t get enough of the minutia of their lives. It just felt so real.

Ugh, now I’m crying again. Basically this story was tender and sweet, broke my heart then put it back together and my dad will be so proud but maybe I like baseball now? I hope Cat Sebastian keeps writing books in this era because I will never stop reading them.

Thank you to Avon Books for the review copy.

Special thank to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this book. Cat Sebastian was my intro this lgbt romance so her books will always have a special place in my heart. The characters were sweet and I enjoyed that they are more than just the advertised tropes. I did find myself getting bored in the last 40% of the book, but loved how their relationship was handled during this time period so it evened out to me.

I would definitely recommend!

This is a book to savor.

A queer mid century slow burn black cat golden retriever romance set against the backdrop of an expansion league baseball season in 1960’s New York.

I don’t know how to describe this book without crying but maybe if I read it a few hundred more times, I’ll get there.

I adore everything Cat Sebastian writes, and this was no exception. I didn’t know how emotionally invested I could get in baseball until this book. I loved it.

Cat Sebastian is seriously a master of the genre. I have such a deep appreciation for the world she builds but even more for the characters she brings into existence. Reading a Cat Sebastian book is a religious experience. You will feel every emotion, you will question your own understanding of connection and love, and you will want to find a community to gush about this book with.

We Could Be So Good was my favorite read of last year, and as Cat Sebastian is one of my favorite writers, I was so thrilled to receive an Arc of this novel. This is the ultimate grumpy/sunshine novel with so much heart, I literally threw my iPad down on my bed to kick my feet and blush on numerous occasions. Reading a Cat Sebastian romance is a full body experience. This book follows a few of my favorite romance tropes: HEA, finding strength in unity during a time of adversity, grumpy/sunshine dynamics, and a general sense of coziness.

As an avid reader and collector, please do me the favor of reading this novel. You won't regret it! a full 10 out of 5 stars for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the arc.

I loved this story. Ultimate Grumpy/Sunshine romance, taking place in 1960 New York City. Mark Bailey, our Grump, is a writer for the arts section of one of the city papers, and is mourning the loss of his partner. His newspaper's editor assigns him to cover the new shortstop just traded into the city's new baseball expansion team. Mark is not happy about this new assignment, but he recognizes that he needs something to focus on in order to move on from his grief.

Eddie O'Leary, our Sunshine, is the just traded shortstop, and he's persona non grata in NYC because of his tirade after finding out of his trade. Added to this infamy, Eddie is suffering a severe hitting slump, and he's constantly booed during games, and is given endless advice about his lack of hitting skills whenever he's recognized outside of the stadium.

As Mark and Eddie get closer due to Mark's assignment, they both realize that they're attracted to each other, and they slowly dance around this attraction. They consider the implications of being seen together in 1960's New York City, navigating around Eddie's celebrity, and the possible impact to both of their careers. Reading all of their concerns, and how much they had to hide their affection for each other, was very sad, and Cat Sebastian tugged my heartstrings all throughout the book with how she wrote of Mark's and Eddie's methods of being together. Mark is such a lovable Grump, I was always able to picture him acting out while reading the book. And Eddie is such a sweet optimist, always believing that things will work out fine. All the side characters are wonderful, and I can't wait to read more of Cat Sebastian's work.

The novel is nicely character-driven, but there is a lot for the reader to learn about professional baseball as well the social environment of the times. As the relationship that is the focus of the story turns romantic, the forced public invisibility of same sex couples hangs heavy of the two men. An intelligent, if somewhat verbose discussion of the dilemma Is a big part of the novel's second half.
There is a non-specific, but happy ending to this story that is well-earned and suggests a possible sequel that deals with the inevitable outing of the pair--still some years away from Stonewall.

Amazing book. This slow burn romance between two seemingly different people was such a good representation of how HEA can happen in the face of complex grief and doubts about self identity. More than a lovely romance story, there were a lot of poignant truths about life captured, describing some of life’s most difficult emotions and moments. This couple was great. This story was interesting. And many times I was brought to tears. This is one of the best romances I’ve read and would gladly read again. Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book.

I thought this story was really enjoyable. Set in 1960s New York City, it follows Eddie O’Leary, a struggling star shortstop, and Mark Bailey, an arts reporter dealing with grief. Their romance unfolds quietly amidst the pressures of secrecy and societal norms. Eddie's charm and Mark's emotional journey really drew me in. The narrative explores resilience, hope, and the power of love in a challenging era for self-expression.

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC!