4.5/5 ⭐️ (rounded to 5)

This book warmed my heart!! As someone who has never watched a single baseball game in their life, I actually enjoyed it, yes there were terms I did not understand, but it did not deter from the story at all, honestly by the end I was living for the commentary and just the excitement of the games that occurred, when the stakes were high and everything. Gene and Luis were everything and I immediately found myself rooting for them and the team from the beginning!

The found family aspect of this book was incredibly written. I loved that Gene found within his team a sense of community, where he was able to play baseball and was welcomed with open arms. I loved Altman, Baker, and the rest of the team.

Reading about Gene’s journey as a trans man and his career, being the first trans man in baseball, and dreaming for more rather than settling for small goals, I could only just feel deeply proud of him and where he ended up, his growth, his career moves, and finding love. It was just joyous and optimistic, tender and heartwarming.

As for Luis, the mental health representation, seeing him deal with his anxiety, the ups and downs of it all, was very touching as someone who also has anxiety. I thought his experiences were well written and it was heart warming that Gene would always be there for him in any way he could help.

A wonderful debut by Hoffman.

Thank you Dial Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you PRH Audio and Random House/Dial for the review copies, all thoughts are my own.

Luis and Gene played baseball together in college, but Luis left abruptly after getting drafted following his junior season. They’re reunited when he gets traded to the AAA Beaverton club where Gene plays. This story follows their season as they learn to communicate and play together as infield teammates. Early morning practices turns into late night hangouts, and their chemistry off the field becomes undeniable, which only helps them succeed on the field. This is truly a perfect baseball, queer romance, with excellent mental health representation along the way, and if you get the chance, Shaan Dasani is great with the narration on audio. Definitely add this to your TBRs – it will get you in the baseball spirit!

Wow! What an unexpected treat! I love sports romance and I love MM romance. This was my first book where one of the MC was Trans. I was curious how it would be handled and would I have the emotional connection. The answer is yes I connected with these characters and it was handled perfectly.

I loved Gene and Luis and needed them protected from any pain and suffering. The sex scenes were incredible and beautiful and hot.

This is a great book about baseball, love and figuring out what you want. I can’t wait to see what KT Hoffman writes next.

Thank you for the ARC @netgalley

Thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press for the eARC.

I had high hopes for this book but ultimately they weren’t met. I was excited by the premise but ultimately didn’t find the romance to be very believable. Disappointed, but not necessarily surprised.

This was so good omg!! Once I got to about the 10% mark, I literally didn’t want to put this book down! I love Gene & Luis & Dodger & Vince & Baker & Ernie & all the Kyles! I love the Beaverton Beavers so so much!! 🥺 this book was truly just so joyous and made me so happy, even when it made me cry! I truly can’t say enough how wonderful this book is and I hope everyone picks it up when it releases on 4/9!!! 🥰

I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. It was pretty well written and I liked the characters on their own, but I genuinely didn’t get the chemistry between them. I also hate that we didn’t get Luis’s POV because I feel like we missed out on a lot of potential chemistry. I don’t think this is a relationship that would last because I just didn’t feel many sparks between them. I loved reading about Gene’s story and I feel like his character was so strong! 3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book! It was cute, happy, and absolutely lovely. I’m not normally a sports romance kind of person, but this one really hit it out of the park (pun very intended). I loved seeing Gene and Luis grow and work together both on and off the field. I think the length of the book was good, it kept my interest the entire time and nothing felt excessive or unnecessary.

While a fun and happy book, it still tackled some decidedly heavy topics: transphobia, homophobia, anxiety, panic attacks, imposter syndrome, and some others that I’m probably forgetting. But it felt like a good balance of sweet and serious.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw the summary of this book, I knew I needed to read it. I don’t keep up with sports much, but baseball has always been my favorite. This book was beautiful and filled with joy, while not shying away entirely from the messy realities of life. I loved the characters, especially Gene and Luis who seemed so different but fit so well together. There was lots of baseball but it didn’t feel too overwhelming to the story. Gene loves baseball, so it only makes sense that baseball was so important to the story. This story gave me hope and felt like a comforting hug. I absolutely loved it!

CW: anxiety, panic attacks, transphobia, homophobia

Such a fun and charming romance!

Sports romances are usually very hit or miss for me. I found myself enjoying the baseball concept a lot more than I expected to. The representation was also very well done as well. The length worked really well for this book, it didn't feel too short or too long. It held my interest for the vast majority. I enjoyed both Luis and Gene, and I only wish we could've gotten Luis's POV. Their relationship was super cute, and the representation was so good.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. The sports and the romance are fairly equally balanced throughout, and the plot is easy to follow. This book definitely has the right amount of charm and sappy moments that make it the perfect romance read. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun summer read!

I would also like to thank NetGalley and The Dial Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 4.5/5

3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the arc in exchange for an honest review (pub date 4/9/24).

I liked this book. It didn’t blow me away but it was charming, cute and funny in places. I think it could have been much shorter (cut out a few “roadies” and some of the will-they-won’t-they) and had just as much as an impact.

I enjoyed the many different relationships and aspects of queerness and mental health represented. There really is a character for everyone to relate to (and a cute puppy dawg).

CW/TW: anxiety, panic attack, abandonment, transphobia, homophobia, deadnaming, imposter syndrome, car accident, misogyny

THE PROSPECTS is a fun and engaging romp of baseball, romance, and queerness with a dash of anxiety and overcoming obstacles.

Gene Ionescu is the first openly trans player in professional baseball and has big dreams of making it to the major leagues. For now though, he's enjoying playing for the Beaverton Beavers, a minor league team where he's found something of a home and a family among his fellow players. However, his dreams face an obstacle with the announcement that Luis Estrada, former teammate, baseball rival, and longterm crush, has been traded to the team. Now, Gene and Luis must compete for their positions while Gene faces the possibility of losing everything he's worked so hard for.

THE PROSPECTS shows characters struggling with queerness and anxiety in a way that invites discussion and shows how these characters grow, both together and individually. The story deals with the struggles of the trans community, especially regarding sports, very well, and really shines a light on queer issues in professional sports.

I couldn't put this book down and devoured it within a few days. I loved cheering for Gene and Luis and seeing how their struggles and hard work paid off.

I cannot believe this was KT Hoffman's *debut* novel! "The Prospects" is incredible. The writing is so enjoyable and the characters are all so easy to love. The book flows so well throughout the baseball season and gives you a good feel for what all the players are going through. Gene is the first out transgender baseball player in the minor leagues. His dream is to make it to the big leagues, but while he works his hardest to reach his goals, he faces society's and his own beliefs about what someone like him can do. Luis has been in the big league, but an injury and crippling anxiety bring him down to the minors. When he gets traded to Beaverton, he and Gene have to work through their issues on the field while navigating their growing attraction off of it.
I absolutely adored this book and I would happily read another 300+ pages of Gene's time in the majors

The Prospects by KT Hoffman takes place during one season on the fictional minor league team, the Beaverton Beavers. Gene Ionescu is the first openly trans man to play in the league, and he's content to remain where he is, loves his team, his teammates, and doesn't dare dream of more. Then a blast from his past shakes things up as a former college teammate, Luis Estrada, is traded to play on his team. A lingering animosity from their history is exacerbated when Luis replaces Gene at his position at short stop. The friction between the two impacts their performance, leading them to start practicing together, getting reacquainted, and forging a new friendship. A sweet romance unfolds with some heat and low drama. And Gene starts to want things he's never believed possible. This is very much a baseball story--there's even a play-by-play from the color commentators occasionally. I'm not that into sportsball, but it's hard not to get excited about how the players fare game to game. Rooting for the romance intertwines with rooting for the team and for side characters who have their own journeys.

I highly recommend for joyful, positive queer romance, acceptance, found/real family love, and friendship goals.

I really adored The Prospects. Gene and Luis were so cute together and great as individual characters as well. I’m not a huge sports person but this book made me care about baseball! Absolutely 100% would recommend, it was delightful!

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (4.5 stars)

The Prospects by KT Hoffman gave me such a book hangover. This novel had me in a chokehold. It was so hard to put down while reading it, and almost impossible to stop thinking about after finishing it. (And I don’t even know anything about baseball?!)

What I loved most about this book was that while it didn’t shy away from touching on heavier topics like the discrimination faced by our leads, their journeys with mental health and gender/queer identity, and finding their place in spaces not inherently built to include them, this was balanced out with pure, heartfelt joy and acceptance. Hoffman has managed to craft an exquisitely written, hopeful novel that doesn’t feel cheap or gimmicky. These characters have earned their happy ending. You can’t not root for them.

And what a great cast of characters there was! Gene and Luis stole the show. Their individual character arcs were done expertly, and that romance? Perfection. It was great to see them grow individually as well as together throughout the novel. Plus, those sex scenes were intimate and real, and so hot.

The Prospects is a story of resilient optimism and queer/trans triumph. It is the perfect story for queer readers looking for some much-needed positivity and feel-goodness.

✨✨BOOK REVIEW✨

Who doesn’t love a good underdog story?! My second book as part of the Trans Rights Readathon 2024 was “The Prospects” by debut author KT Hoffman. I was lucky enough to receive an e-ARC from The Dial Press / Random House and NetGalley for my honest review.

The Prospects is the story of Gene Ionescu, the first openly trans male to play on the minor league baseball team the Beaverton Beavers. With hopes of moving up to the major leagues with the Portland Lumberjacks, everything is thrown for a loop when his former college teammate/frenemy Luis Estrada is traded to the Beavers just before the first game of the season. I was seriously rooting for Gene from the very beginning and it was so fun to see how the relationship between he and Luis evolved. The romance tropes you can expect are friend to lovers, forced proximity, second chance/missed opportunity. So much representation here with a trans MC, neurodivergent, deaf, gay and lesbian characters, same sex adoption…

I’m not big on beaver typically, but I’ll make an exception for the BEAVERTON Beavers any day of the week. As a gay male who crew up with a Dad and 2 brothers who were all obsessed with sports, I know enough about baseball to have been fully invested in the Beavers storyline. While I of course found myself rooting for Gene and Luis’s relationship, there were times where I was rooting for the Beaverton Beavers and the players’ success first and foremost. I loved how each chapter header was their updated season record, it kept me invested in their progress.

A quick and run read, I give this a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars

Stepping up to the plate of Baseball romances, I never thought I would be down bad for them. With my minuscule background, being from St. Louis (Go Cards!), in the sport I wasn’t sure how I’d fare. KT Hoffman hits it out of the park with his book, The Prospects. At the start we meet Gene Ionescu, a trans player, making his way through the minor leagues, careful to only hope for the best, never letting himself want more than he can have. When a shake-up to the line-up sends him reeling, he now must confront his past as it stands in front of him. Luis Estrada, his old college friend, and teammate is now on the roster, someone who virtually disappeared from his life overnight, now sits in his locker room. As the season goes on, they will have to learn not only how to be a team again, but they will have to face the past to move forward…and maybe…just maybe…they’ll figure out so much more about themselves and each other in the process.
 
What Hoffman has crafted here is nothing short of a beautiful and joyful queer romance against the backdrop of baseball. Right off the bat, I loved how this story was low angst, yet kept me glued to the page wanting to see what play came next, just how Gene and Luis were going to navigate their next moves. It warmed my heart reading this uplifting trans story because I find you don’t often see queer joy like this so unabashedly on the page. Then the heart of the novel comes through in talking about the trials LGBTQ+ people face in not letting ourselves want too hard, want too much, afraid things could be ripped away in a heartbeat. Both Gene and Luis face this in their own ways, exploring how to let themselves push for more, want more. I ached for them as they fought their internal selves to realize that wanting something is not dangerous, even if the result could inflict pain. Then there is fear of the things you have leaving, I find that queer people especially feel burdened by this afraid that once they let themselves truly show, people will desert them. Gene learns a hard lesson that just because someone leaves, just because life changes sometimes, it is not always bad.
 
Hoffman imbues this story, laced with large lessons, with such joy, such hope and I loved every second of it. I cried for Gene and Luis as they played their hearts out, as they learned hard lessons, and for the queer joy I felt reading this book, in letting yourself have what you want. A heartwarming, astounding debut, this story, like a sports highlights reel, will replay over and over in my mind. Catch me in the stands at the next Portland game crying over them again and again.
 
Taylor Swift Songs I associate with this book: Untouchable, Fearless, Jump Then Fall, All You Had To Do Was Stay, I Wish You Would, Say Don’t Go, Treacherous, gold rush, The Archer, Sparks Fly
 
Scarf Rating: 🧣🧣🧣🧣🧣🧣🧣🧣🧣🧣(10/5)
 
Thank you Netgalley and The Dial Press for an the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Prospects, by KT Hoffman, is a cute- if predictable- queer sports romance.

I enjoyed the banter between Gene and Luis, and how they grew closer together. I'm not much of a sports person, so this will probably be better enjoyed by those that follow baseball, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I’m loving that the small corner of trans romance is growing, and many of them have been so great, with The Prospects being no exception. I can’t recall that I’ve read any baseball romance, but I love that this is one of two queer baseball books coming out in the first half of 2024. And as unlikely as the concept is, by K.T. Hoffman’s own admission, given the current political climate particularly related to trans people and sports, this is a wonderful escape and symbol of hope.
Gene is the first openly trans minor-league player, and I appreciate how this is handled, exploring how he deals with transphobia, while also largely being affirming of him and his dreams.
And then, there’s Luis. He and Gene have a bit of a rivalry in their past, with the game having got between them when Luis first got drafted. Initially, there’s a bit of rivalry, as they’re competing for the same position on the team. But beneath this history and their personality clashes, they begin to bond in a beautiful way, and Luis is just as soft and sweet, if not more so.
This book was a soft, warm hug, and I’d recommend it to readers interested in a queer sports romance.

Warm fuzzy charming delightful. Gene and Luis are precious angels and I’m so happy to know them and the whole team.