The blurb for this sweet, delightful book is a disaster and doesn't begin to do it justice. I wish publishers would stop using "this is a mashup of x and y, perfect for x fans" as a strategy, since as far as I can tell the book has nothing in common with x, y, or z in this case. Describing Nick, a thoughtful and lonely man who's been afraid of having his sexuality discovered for his entire life, as a "scrappy reporter" is frankly bizarre.

Ok, on to the good stuff. Cat Sebastian is branching out into mid-twentieth century historicals and is doing a bang-up job. Her recent short works (the Cabots) are lovely but largely "just vibes," while this more substantial work is both a lovely romance and a slice of life piece about what it was like to be gay in late 1950s New York City. Spoiler alert: it was really hard.

Dual POV is a very traditional and popular approach to romance, but Sebastian takes a unique approach, giving each main character several chapters before alternating so readers have a strong sense of their emotions and perspective. There's no flashbacks, either, so we don't have to read rehashes of events, and are asked to extrapolate how Nick feels about something when we're in Andy's head and vice versa. I loved this so much as a strategy that I forgave the book for being in the present tense, something I generally don't enjoy. The third person limited POV was also a blessing here.

I didn't expect this book to start off with an M/F romance plot for Andy while he and Nick built their budding friendship, but it really worked, and made Andy's slow discovery of his own sexuality feel more authentic, given the societal expectations and social mores of the time.

This was a moving portrait of two men coming to terms with what they want and what they think they can't have: loving relationships, detentes with their families, meaningful and fulfilling careers, and the safety to fully be themselves. Funny and sad and warm-hearted, We Could Be So Good is a fantastic book. I have a feeling this will only become richer and more nuanced upon a reread.

This isn't the first book I've read by Cat Sebastian, but it's absolutely my favorite! This wonderful story about Nick and Andy working at a newspaper together in the late 1950s made me laugh and cry. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would.