Gene Ionescu, the first trans pro baseball player, loves his life, his job and his team. What he doesn't need is for his old teammate and rival, Luis Estrada, to be transferred to his team and mess up everything he's worked for. But life doesn't always go according to plan, and Luis' presence in his life might just end up being better than he ever hoped for.

Gene is such a contradiction. He's unapologetic and loves who he is so completely but also feels like he's not worth loving or being loved. That fear and insecurity just feels so real and visceral that it made him that much more lovable to me. He talks a lot about the difference between hoping and wanting, and when this eternal optimist finally let himself want something, it showed just how far he'd grown as a person.

A lot of that growth is thanks to the anxiety-ridden baseball player and Gene's friend-to-enemy-to-friend again, Luis. Gene's feelings for Luis are complicated, but once they reconnect and the walls start to come down, it's clear that their old feelings never really went away. These two have a lot of similar experiences and they're not afraid to be vulnerable with each other. That's what makes them so special and endearing and I loved getting to experience all their feelings with them.

This book may be about Gene and Luis, but it's also very much about baseball. While I may not love it in the same way Gene does, I grew to understand and respect it for what it means to him. The support of his team, the name on his uniform, the atmosphere of the stadium, the wins and the losses, all make up a huge part of him and it left its mark on me too. 

Gene's friendships were also an important part of this story. From the fights and disagreements to the relentless support and love that never wavers, Vince, Baker, Ernie and everyone else on the team are the kind of people you want in your life. They're there to share in the lows and to celebrate the highs no matter what.

This debut sports romance is an ode to queer love, family and baseball, and is so deeply hopeful and optimistic that you can't help but fall for this world and its characters. Gene and Luis are so pure and wonderful together, and I hope they get all the things they want in life. It's also got a ton of amazing representation from queer POC in sports, mental health rep and so much more. I loved every second of this story and can't wait to see what this author writes next!

Thoughts and Themes: I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be as invested in this book because sport stories are a hit or miss with me. This one also had a lot of baseball in it for the first 40% of the book but I really enjoyed that building up of the story. I like that the book spent all this time building up the characters for you as this made it, so you felt bad as things happen to them.

Something that I really enjoyed in this book was the anxiety representation through Luis and how real so many of those moments felt. Something else that I really liked throughout this book was Gene's response to Luis being anxious and the small things he does to try and alleviate that.

There were so many moments in this book that I was squealing and rooting for our characters. I really loved the hope that was spread throughout this book. I like that it was just interlaced with love and hope and aspirations for the future. I liked that even if Gene had a hard time hoping or wanting things that when he allowed himself to want things, he got them. I just found both Gene and Luis relatable and didn't want to put this book down even as I finished it. This book got several hugs from me because it put a lot of my feelings into words.

Characters: In this story you are introduced to the main characters, Gene and Luis, along with several other members of the baseball team. I really enjoyed getting to see all the characters interact with each other and develop those relationships.

I really enjoyed getting to see Gene and Luis's relationship develop throughout the course of the book. I like that their relationship starts with them not even wanting to be in the same space and this makes it, so I wanted to know why. I wanted to know why there was so much tension between the two of them and where this was going.

Another set of characters that I really enjoyed were Gene and Vince, I really enjoyed getting to see their relationship grow and change throughout the book as well. I like how Vince and his husband take care of Gene and how Gene does view them as family. I like how this relationship changes because of things happening in both of their lives and how they learn to navigate those changes.

Writing Style: This book is written in third person, and it follows Gene throughout the story. It's been a while since I've read a book in third person, and I had to keep reminding myself that there was an outside narrator because it felt like I was there with our characters. I liked that we were following Gene throughout the story because we only saw what was happening for him. I liked that this didn't jump around from person to person, but we still got a glimpse of other's feelings.

First off, I have been wanting to read this book for a while and eagerly awaiting its release. I was thrilled when I got ARC access. I am a huge MM, sports romance fan, and also from Oregon like the author, so I was excited to read a “local” book.
"The Prospects" felt like slipping into a warm blanket on a rainy Oregon day. The sense of hope and genuine authenticity throughout the story was like a breath of fresh air.
One of the coolest things about this book was the representation. Seeing diverse characters, like the deaf side character and the trans storyline, integrated into the plot was refreshing. It wasn't about token diversity; it felt like an organic part of the story. I also loved that the “trans-ness' ' was essential to the storyline, but wasn't part of the angst of conflict of Luis & Gene’s romance.
“Nes” & “Nada” were just lovable. I found myself rooting for them from the get-go, though I definitely wished we could've seen more from Luis's perspective.
As a local, reading about the fictional PNW team and the Beaverton setting was a blast. It felt like the author really nailed the vibe of the area and the fanbase, which added to the whole experience.
Saying goodbye to Gene and Luis was tough. I'm crossing my fingers for a sequel or maybe a spin-off featuring a side character. I just don't want to let go of this world yet.
"The Prospects" gave me KD Casey vibes with its slow burn romance and cozy atmosphere. (I hope the author finds this to be a compliment!) Overall, "The Prospects" was a delightful read that left me feeling warm and fuzzy inside - My first 5 star read of 2024.

This book was amazing and had so much representation it is hard to choose where to start with a review.

Gene the first openly trans baseball phenom has a fantastic rival to lovers story with Luis - a gay man with anxiety. These two are *chefs kiss*. They are on the same minor league team, and used to play college ball together - they were not friends back then. They quickly become rivals then friends then lovers and following their story is nothing short of amazing. I cannot wait to follow KT Hoffman for more books in the future - this is their debut novel and I cannot wait for more. Also this book has a service dog named Dodger.... what else could you want???

What you can expect:
Cinnamon Roll MMC
Anxiety Rep
LGBTQIA2S+ Rep
Deaf Side Characters
Baseball Games

Thank you Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advance copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The prospects by KT Hoffman is a book made of love. While there can be a bit a slow start to this novel once it finds it footing it is a fantastic and quick read i struggled to put down. Part 3 filled me with love and comfort. I love a good sports romance and this hit all of the inportant beats of it. Especially with this being a queer sports romance i love that our leads Gene and Luis are not the lone queers with this sports team. There is community. Luis and Gene are funny and complicated and so in love. And at the end of the day reading this book felt like sitting in the sun with someone you love and watching a good ball game. And how could you want anything more than that.

Gene "Nes" Ionescu loves baseball. As a gay transgender man, he knows he is lucky to have been signed by a (lesbian) manager to the Portland Lumberjacks' minor league system. Now on the Triple-A Beaverton Beavers roster, he doesn't let himself admit his wildest dreams to someday get called up to "The Show." Then Luis Estrada is traded to the Beavers and the shit hits the fan.

Gene and Luis were college friends and teammates, and Luis' abrupt departure for the draft left Gene feeling hurt. Now that they are (literally) batting for the same team, things start off poorly. Not only does Luis replace Gene as the Beavers' shortstop, relegating him to second base, but his obvious talent signals that Beaverton is just a brief pitstop on the road to a glorious career in the major leagues.

Little by little, Gene and Luis become a dynamic duo, on and off the field. But when Gene's manager suggests that their relationship is holding Luis back from his full potential as a major leaguer and reminds Gene that the couple will likely end up separated geographically, Gene has to decide if he should sacrifice the sport that has always made him happy or the man he is starting to love.

At times in this promising debut, I felt like I was reading something by Cat Sebastian or Casey McQuiston, because the writing was so strong.
"'I am regretting that choice,' [Luis} says, and Gene almost wants to laugh. Part of the appeal might be that it's at Luis's expense. Still, though, the barest hint of a sense of humor exists in Luis's voice. So faint it's like someone's cologne sticking around in an elevator when they themselves disembarked three floors ago, but it smells so nice that you wish they'd stuck around so you could ask the name of both the cologne and its owner." Unfortunately, at other times the plot lagged, and few of the other characters, including Luis, came alive.

But overall I was charmed by the book's inherent optimism, which is sorely lacking these days for the gay and trans communities. Although there is a (mercifully brief) third act separation, the dominant emotion for most of the story is joy - in baseball, in family, and in being queer. Gene is the first openly transgender man in professional baseball, but almost nobody gives him grief about his gender or sexuality. Queer representation extends to many of the secondary characters; in addition to Gene's lesbian manager, his best friend/teammate and two dads are gay. Angst is almost nonexistent, and everyone is emotionally available and supportive.

Gene's story may be a fantasy in today's climate, but Hoffman defiantly chooses to present a world in which his protagonist's dreams can come true.

N.B. Some "sports romances" use their designated game as window dressing, with most of the action taking place far away from the field/rink/stadium. The Prospects, however, is heavily steeped in baseball. Numerous scenes are set during games, and there are transcripts of the announcers' recap and analysis. I happen to love the sport, but YMMV if you can't tell the difference between a drag bunt and a drag show.

ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for objective review.

Gene and Luis are my babies and words can’t express how excited I am to have gotten the privilege to read this ARC.

Luis’s anxiety felt like I was looking in a mirror and I don’t know that I’ve read a more relatable representation of anxiety in a book. Same goes for Gene’s ADHD - it’s hard to put into words how difficult it can be to struggle with doing tasks even though you know you need to, and the way Luis and Gene took care of each other through panic attacks and decision/ADHD paralysis.. it warmed my heart.

I loved the way the romance wasn’t the only plot point, and I learned so much about baseball - sports romances, in my opinion, usually lean into the sports OR the romance, never both. This one did, though, and it was such a quick, beautiful story.

Sometimes you read a book and you immediately know that it’ll be one you come back to time and again, and this fell into that category so quickly, I’m in awe. Such a sweet story!

OMG this book is fucking phenomenal.

From the first line, I knew I was in for a treat, and it absolutely lived up to that promise page after glorious page. I want to say... KD Casey but with a higher joy-to-angst ratio? (I hope both authors are flattered by that comparison; it's meant as a compliment in both directions.)

This is a story that I want to believe can be true very soon, it's about love and baseball in the Pacific Northwest, and it has an honest-to-goodness bagel recipe that I hope to try someday—oh, and the writing is just chef's kiss. Please, run don't walk to read this; request it at your local library; recommend it to all your friends. I don't give five-star reviews often. There wasn't any question about this one. (Because I'm me, I'd have been happier without the secondary-characters-adopting plot point, but it was minor enough that it didn't detract from my enjoyment much.)

My thanks to the publisher/NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! This had me giggling and kicking my feet the entire way through - a story filled with so much love, hope, and joy! Gene, the first openly trans player in the minor leagues is just the perfect protagonist, and the tension he has with Luis is literally to die for. Luis is so dark, brooding, and sexy, plus he has an adorable dog?! Their will they or won't they/are they enemies or aren't they? tension is done so well, the side characters are developed beautifully alongside the plot to really help carry our main two lovebirds along, and I love how the story follows the baseball season along with their season of love. It's as much of a story about their baseball team overcoming the odds to win a championship as it is about them overcoming the odds to find happiness and true love, and it was just such a perfect, happy, sexy, adorable book. I can't believe this is KT's debut - what a stellar start to a great career.

I thought this book was just okay. I really liked how it focused on the sport more than other sports romance books. I loved that this one had trans representation. But this book was very predictable and nothing really stood out to me. But still it was a really cute read.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 17%.

Book did not pull me in; wasn’t particularly invested in the characters.

Thank you to Random House, Dial Press, and NetGalley for the free electronic advanced reader.

Thank you to Dial Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was everything!! It was equal parts soft and sexy. It was full of hope and love and dreams. Gene is an incredible main character who truly undergoes this wonderful character arc where he allows himself to want things, not just hope for them. He is the first openly transgender man to play professional baseball, and he loves his team and is ready for the season. But… when he finds out Luis Estrada who he played baseball with in college has been traded to his team, suddenly he isn’t so sure. As they are forced to figure out how to play together again, it also creates this environment where they’re able to reevaluate the other and be friends, until they start to slowly realize they’re becoming more to each other.

Luis and Gene are the absolute CUTEST, and I am obsessed with them. We must protect them at all costs!! Gene is this bubbly, hilarious, kind personality, and Luis is quiet, anxious, and introverted. They balance each other out and allow for the other to have space to be exactly who they are. As they begin to spend so much time together, it was so easy to see their attentiveness and care towards each other. I was constantly highlighting interactions and conversations between the two of them, because I could not get enough of them. I could’ve read another 200 pages of just them being together. Luis also have a therapy dog named Dodger, who I cannot fail to bring up, because he’s such a good doggo!!! He is shown multiple times to be doing a great job taking care of Luis in extremely anxiety inducing situations and when he has an on-page panic attack.

And I cannot fail to mention Vince! I love him and his friendship/mentorship to Gene. He took him under his wing, and it’s so good. They also have some disagreements/arguments in the book that felt very real to me. They were able to work through their issues and admit where they had messed up. The found family of their team was also great, and it just made my heart so warm and gooey.

I’m blown away that this is a debut novel. I feel like nothing I say or review will be even adequate enough for my love of this story and these characters. Hoffman, incredible, wonderful, brilliant job.

CW: transphobia, anxiety/panic attacks, cursing, sexual content

The Prospects follows Gene Ionescu, a trans baseball player, who has never wanted anything except to play baseball. In comes Luis Estrada, an old friend of Gene's who left unexpectedly when the two of them were in college. Gene holds a grudge and Luis is dealing with his own issues.

I still don't know anything about baseball after reading this book, but I do respect the hell out of trans athletes. Frequently, athletics makes it difficult for trans athletes to exist in spaces they have a right to. I think my favorite thing about this book is how real, nuanced, and human the characters feel. No one is perfectly put together. I feel for these characters just like I would a non-fictional person. I love how the characters' relationships were written with care and a familial sense clearly built into them. Of course, I am partial to how Gene and Luis's romance develops and grows. They treat each other with such care and adoration.

Thank you SO MUCH to KT Hoffman, Dial Press, and NetGalley for an ARC of The Prospects!

This book is the definition of a warm hug - everything about it made me swoon over how great it all was. As a huge baseball fan - go Phillies and the Phanatic, iykyk - I absolutely love seeing a baseball-focused romance, and the queer rep was so well-done I can't even find the words to explain how good it was. Gene, the first trans player in professional baseball, and Luis, an anxious star player worried about a post-injury comeback, felt like two best friends that I was cheering for the entire book. I spent the whole book was squealing and kicking my feet over every interaction, both their tense early ones and the sweet and spicy later contact.

I read so many great books every year but this one was truly phenomenal. The whole book just made me so romantic about life and baseball and love and existing. I wish Gene and Luis and Vince and Baker and the whole team were real people that I could be friends with and hug in real life, but for now I'll settle for telling everyone how important this book is and to grab a copy ASAP on April 9!

This book was enjoyable once I got into it, but it took some time to get into it. The book starts right away without an introduction to some of the characters and world. While this is a baseball sports romance, there is a lot of baseball context/knowledge without any explanation which made it extremely hard to get into it. This was a major reason why my rating is the way it is.

The romance of this story was well done. I enjoyed following Gene and Luis as they reminisced about their history in college and their growing fondness for each other. I enjoyed the enemies to friends to lovers troupe as I felt myself rooting for them. Both Gene and Luis have major character development throughout the book which made it that much more enjoyable.

3.5/5 stars. Once you get through the beginning of the book, it is soo enjoyable and I found myself getting excited to get to the baseball games to see how it ended up and reading how Luis and Gene started to become each other's biggest supporters! Read this book for (enemies to friends to lovers trope, LGBTQIA+ romance, Sport Romance).

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group, and K.T Hoffman for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a fake sports fan, I love reading books about sports and The Prospects is no exception. I started the book because I was excited about the trans representation, but I stayed for the realistic and lovable characters. There was so much diversity through the book that was so lovingly and carefully written where everything felt so real.

I am just full of sunshine after reading The Prospects. Gene and Luis brought me so much joy in a moment where I really needed it.

Gene is the first trans athlete in American baseball. He’s completely comfortable in the minors playing in his home(ish)town Portland, OR for the Beaverton Beavers (btw I live a stones throw from Beaverton and I would be so happy to have this team). But lo and behold his ex teammate from Stanford, Luis, has been traded to the Beavers and he’s coming in for his Gene’s position at shortstop. The 2 have to figure out a dynamic and to play nice but old crushes come out and they just can’t help themselves.

(There’s just something so inherently cute about a romance between a shortstop and their second baseman)

This was honestly so much fun and I’m happy I was able to partake in Gene’s story.

I will 1000000% recommend this to anyone who will listen.

What you’ll get:
Grumpy/Sunshine
Forced proximity
Mutual crush
Enemies to lovers
DIY earring piercings
Anxiety rep
A support dog named Dodger
Lots of baseball

This is a happy, hopeful, gay, baseball book and I loved every minute of it. As KT Hoffman acknowledges, Gene’s story isn’t likely. But like KT, and Gene, I hope it’s not impossible. This is an important book for so many people *because* it is happy and hopeful.

Listen, I love baseball. We’re in spring training right now. It was not a hassle for me to read about the nuances between short stop and second base or getting called up. But even if you’re not a baseball (or sports) person, this sports book has so much more to offer. I love reading about Gene and Luis as main characters and love interests as much as I loved them as professional baseball players. They are happy, they are soft, they are true, they are proud, they are in love. The (second-chance) romance developed so beautifully, and I loved the conversations Gene and Luis had about what intimacy looked like for them. There’s just so much good in this book and I want everyone to read it.

4.5!!
What a joy to read about a trans athlete who is celebrated, loved, and admired, given our current reality. Don’t get me wrong, Hoffman doesn’t pretend transphobia doesn’t exist, but The Prospects is an overall joyous and hopeful sports romance that really lifts your heart.

Gene has never let himself want anything because he’s been conditioned to think wanting is selfish and only results in disappointment. He’s the first openly trans professional baseball player, an achievement in itself, so shouldn’t the minor leagues be enough for him? Big dreams aren’t for people like Gene, right? And you can’t be disappointed if you never let yourself want anything in the first place…right? But what would happen if you opened yourself up to those possibilities and imagined you could have bigger dreams? That you deserve those big dreams.

Do I know one single thing about baseball? Absolutely not. Was this delightful all the same? Absolutely. It’s so full of heart and humor. It’s bursting with joy and hope and just so refreshing to read. The characters are endearing. Gene and Luis are sweet and complementary with lots of chemistry on and off the field.

Also, there’s so much included in the back of the book (a very gay playlist and Gene’s bagel recipe!! what more could you want??) that continued to put a smile on my face even after the story ended.

Thank you Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

📣 a fantastic queer baseball romance that made my heart feel so full!

📖 where you a sports movie fan when you were younger? I was! The Mighty Ducks, The Little Giants, Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken…

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

You know those feel good sports movies where you are rooting for the honorable underdog team & they finally win & you’re like YES, YOU DID IT, LOOK AT YOU GO!?!

That’s how I felt reading The Prospects by KT Hoffman, with the added loveliness of rooting for one player extra hard, a trans hero named Gene who’s loved baseball for years & is shining on his minor league team.

An old college teammate is traded to Gene’s team & what is initially annoyance & frustration turns into deep friendship, understanding, affection, & love.

This book has so many sweet moments & they had my heart singing. Gene & Luis show so much care for each other—I had every sense that they completely had each others’ backs whether it came to the team they played on or in non-sports life.

With anxiety rep, trans rep (including a scene where Gene injects himself with testosterone), strong friendships, & about a thousand other things I love, The Prospects is truly a stellar mix of hug-in-a-book-emotionality meets joie de vivre!

5 ⭐️. Out 04/09.

CW: please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.

[ID: Jess’s white hand holds the ebook in front of a pastel patchwork brick wall.]