Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for allowing access to the e-Arc.

4.5 stars

This is the kind of romance that I love. There is depth to the characters and talks about being trans and queer on a baseball team in between the cute moments. It has hope in the midst of trying to find one’s self. The writing is so good. It is engaging and binge-able. It reminds me of Casey McQuiston and Anita Kelly's writing. Gene and Luis are realistic characters dealing with a lot of crap. I love that we get insight into Gene’s family. It just adds to the story.

I highly recommend it!!!

Thank you, NetGalley for sending and allowing me to read another amazing story. I'm a huge romance reader and this was absolutely amazing, The author's writing style is so brilliant and thought out. You can tell she takes a good amount of time with he books. The characters were very likable and the plot was very well crafted. I cant wait to read more from this author in the future. I'm hoping her other future books are as amazing as this one. 4 stars.

What a cute, feel good debut!! This book had me feeling so giddy. It seriously felt like a warm hug. The joyful trans representation (because trans people's lives aren't ONLY traumatic) written by a trans author was delightful. I was kicking my feet at the romance. I know next to nothing about baseball, but I could feel the author's love for it emanating from the page (i.e., my Kindle screen).

I loved so much about this book. In this review, you will see a lot of the phrase "I love(d)." Let's start with the representation. Gene is a 26-year-old white gay trans man with ADHD (it is OwnVoices trans and ADHD rep). He has Romanian ancestry (his last name is Ionescu). Luis is a 28-year-old Mexican-American closeted gay man with anxiety/panic disorder and a therapy dog. Gene's best friend, Vince, is a 38-year-old baseball player, also gay, with a Deaf/Hard of hearing husband. They are in the beginning stages of adopting a child. Gene's dad, his biological uncle, is, guess what? ALSO! GAY!

Even though we hear a little about Gene's hardships of being trans, especially those of being a trans (the first and only trans!) Minor League baseball player (namely the medical surveillance), this book is SO. HOPEFUL. Gene's transness was just as much a crutch as being a woman on a men's sports team would have been for him, in different ways. His team has always been accepting of him. He's able to change in the same locker room as all the other guys. He can access hormones (with weekly bloodwork, to make sure he's not overdosing on testosterone, which is dismissed as a ludicrous idea but a realistic requirement). He had top surgery and is proud of his scars. He is never misgendered on page (except maybe once, when a character 'unintentionally' groups him in with the WAGs/wives and girlfriends). He mentions off page experiences of people asking him WAY too personal questions. When he talks about his past, pre-coming out and pre-transition, he still refers to himself as "he" and "Gene" (through the third person narrator). We know Gene is his chosen name, and we have NO idea what his deadname was. Luis knew Gene when they were on the same college baseball team pre-coming out, and he never once slips up. I LOVE how Luis, a self-identified gay man, has no identity crises about falling for a trans man (and if he does internally, we never hear about them because it's not written in his POV). Luis still identifies as gay after falling for Gene (he's never suddenly like "oh maybe I'm bi now"), showing how he views Gene as another guy.

I loved the vulnerability both Gene and Luis showed each other. It had me SWOONING. The sex scenes were also *chef's kiss*. Gene has been on testosterone for years, but there is no talk of "bottom growth" (which I know varies from person to person and only affects the size of the clitoris and clitoral hood). Besides a deepening voice, Gene doesn't mention any other changes from HRT (e.g., increased sex drive, etc.). I'd love to see the normalization of phrases like "his pussy," and I LOVE that Gene doesn't have any dysphoria surrounding his anatomy (or none that he voices, and we're in his head). He's not insecure that Luis wouldn't want him because of it. I do wish we got to see more of their time together in college, because Gene makes it seem like they were close-ish. I understand not wanting to do flashbacks, though, because it was pre-coming out.

My biggest gripe, that I feel some Latine readers might share or have more to elaborate on than me, is that very little is known about Luis's Latinidad. All we know is that Luis's father, Luis Sr., was "an international signee out of Mexico" (his dad was also a baseball player). His skin is described as "bright and beautiful brown" (whatever "bright brown" skin tone means, haha). When Gene joins Luis on a visit to his family, it feels like just another white "culture" or household. This might be because his dad died, and I'm not sure if his mom is also Mexican or if she's white and they met in the States? Either way, Luis's dad died when he was 18, so you would think some cultural traditions would have been preserved or mentioned. This is somewhat resolved with the single POV (but that also feels like a cop out), but Luis doesn't talk about his culture (and Gene doesn't ask).

I don't really like to give stars ratings for books (because how do you quantify feelings), but if I HAD to, this would be at least four stars? I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it.

Thank you to The Dial Press for an advanced copy of this book! All thoughts are my own.

this was so delightful, i know nothing about baseball but gene and luis just getting to know each other again after a decade and learning to work together and fall in love was such a sweet story

There have been a lot of baseball romances lately, but this one stands out. This is an enemies to lovers story featuring the first trans man to play on a minor league team (if only that were real), and his former teammate and rival. Watching these two figure out how to work together--and more--was a joy. Also, this book really made me want to try making my own bagels. There's even a recipe in the back.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: yes
spice: several open-door spicy scenes
TWs: mild transphobia, mild homophobia, mental health (on page panic attacks)
standalone: yes
final thoughts: this book was equal parts sweet and sexy! So much pining and angst and it was great! Definitely a book for fans of Casey McQuiston, baseball romances, trans love, and rooting for the underdogs. A wonderful debut novel- I can’t wait to see what else K.T. Hoffman writes in the future!!

read this book if you love

😬 angst
😳 forbidden lovers (teammates)
🏝️ forced proximity
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 great side characters
🌈 LGBT+ representation
🤜 friends-to-rivals-to-lovers
🏉 sports romance (baseball)
💓 slowburn
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 found family

Thank you to NetGalley and Randomhouse for the eARC!

Wow! This was SO much better than I expected it to be. As a lover of queer books I was excited for this, however I’m so far from a baseball fan and sports romance isn’t always my genre so I was hesitant.

I NEEDED our boys to win the championship and the I was SO invested. I loved the characters, appreciated the representation and I strongly believe we need more books like this on the shelf! So engaging and a great read!

I loved this book so much!! This was my first romance read featuring a trans main character and it was just so beautiful, I definitely need to read more. Gene and Luis' relationship was so precious to see develop. Both of their characters were so well written and it was a gift to read from their two perspectives. I related a lot to Luis and his anxiety and thought his rep was so well done. I look forward to reading more from this author! This is definitely reread worthy.


thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC through netgalley :)

Do I know anything about baseball - no. But does that matter - also no!! The Prospects follows Gene and Luis as they go from rivals to lovers…which is absolutely my favorite genre in romance! Perfect read for anyone looking for gay trans representation in a romance book! I’m a lesbian, but enjoyed this book thoroughly. Even down to the somewhat clumsiness of their first encounter!

I knew this book would be good when I saw Casey McQuiston and Allison Cochrun recommended it, but DAMN! This was such an amazing romance! I’m not a baseball fan so honestly all the baseball talk kind of went over my head BUT I was too enamored with the rest of this story to care. It was fun, sexy, full of optimism and a lovely romance. This book hadn’t even come out yet but I can’t wait to read whatever K.T. Hoffman writes next!!
Thank you to Random House for the E-Arc!

I've been on a baseball romance kick recently so I was excited to request this, but I just couldn't get into it the way I had hoped. I do think the representation was great, though, so despite the fact that it was a DNF for me a lot of other readers looking for trans and queer sports romance will probably find a lot to like here (and even though it trends explicit and deals with some very adult issues, I think it will appeal to NA and adult readers who enjoyed YA titles like THE PASSING PLAYBOOK, OBIE IS MAN ENOUGH, etc.).

THIS. BOOK. WAS. SO. GOOD.

I loved everything about this. The sports (done really well I learned about baseball), the friendships (I loved seeing Gene's relationship with the other players), the queer rep (it was so fucking good), the romance (I was S C R E A M I NG!!! the tension!!! the understand!!! I LOVE THEM!!!)

Thank You to Netgalley, the publisher & author for the E-Arc in return for an honest review

This was such a beautiful story 😍 I loved everything about it! I enjoyed watching Gene and Luis' relationship grow and sincerely appreciated the trams representation in this story. Such a fun read ❤️

Thank you to Random House Publishing, KT Hoffman and Netgalley for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a delight! I loved the fact that it trans rep, which is rare in traditional published romance. Gene was a complex, interesting character and I loved the chemistry between him and Luis. The build-up of their relationship felt organic and natural. Highly recommend!

LOVES! Sports romance babes! It's time to take notes!

The Prospects is an incredibly cute, incredibly sweet and angst-filled yet hopeful story! In it, we follow Gene, a trans baseball player for the minor league Beaverton Beavers. He's made it in professional baseball, plays the sport he loves most in the world, and lives with his best friend, an ex major-leaguer Vince who is finishing his illustrious career with the Beavers. But then Luis Estrada, Gene’s former teammate and current rival, gets traded to the Beavers, destroying the careful equilibrium of Gene’s life. Their rivalry first throws a wrench in the team dynamics, but through prolonged exposure, the two are forced to work together. And soon training sessions are full of longing glances and maybe, just maybe, there might be something worth everything between Gene and Luis.

I am finding it hard to explain how special this story is! From an openly queer and trans trailblazer main character to his shy and anxiety-filled love interest (the mental health rep in this book is FANTASTIC! I am always here for all the sports romances that deal with mental health as well, we need more of them!) and side characters that will make you fall in love with this story even more. The Prospects had it all! Add to that a deliciously torturous slow burn, a lot of longing glances and insecurities, and a lot of baseball goodness and you have a sports romance for the ages!

All in all, The Prospects is a wonderfully soft love story that walks the line between down to earth and beautifully hopeful, and my heart still cannot! Gene is a fantastic MC and I truly can't wait to see what KT Hoffman writes next! 10/10 wanna be his friend!

This is absolutely one of the best books I’ve ever read. It was heartwarming to see a trans main character just be, and not have their transness be the main point of the book. This is exactly the kind of book I’ve been looking for. I’m so so glad that I picked this book up.

The Prospects has so much queer and trans joy, you cannot help but smile while you're reading--even with all the sports talk! As someone who doesn't enjoy baseball, I was still able to follow this story and know what was happening. I did get lost in the terminology a few times, but I think that was out of my own annoyance.

The way Gene has paved his path, shows up as his authentic self, and brings optimisn and joy to his teammates is so endearing. This romance is a second chance, rivals to friends to lovers plot. It's hot! The author, who is also trans, does start the book by stating that not all trans folks or men will talk about their body how Gene does. And I think that's one of the beautiful things about reading books with trans characters written by trans authors: if you've read one perspective and experience, well, you've read one. Trans folks remind us that we are *all* experiencing and expressing gender in our own ways. What a gift!

Luis, the love interest, has panic attacks, and I felt this was portrayed in a realistic way. The care he receives from Gene (and his dog Dodger) also models a healthy support.

There's a throughline in this book that I definitely can relate to that talks about hope vs. wanting. It can feel easier to hope than to want something you're not sure your can have, whether that's love or your dream career.

I really appreciated all the author shared in this story, and I'm excited to read more from him.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced digital copy.

The Prospects is a wonderful story of beating the odds, embracing what you want, and living a life that is true to you. Gene is a fantastic narrator. His optimism, his kindness, and his spirit were wonderful to behold and kept me on his side throughout the book. His fears of wanting too much and being limited by the bigotry of others touched on all too real topics, but even with some of the heavier tones in the book where transphobia, homophobia, and panic attacks were discussed, I would never say that this was anything other than a happy book. Books about trans adults are still few and far between, so it's exciting to have another one to support and bring to wider audiences!

Gene Ionescu is the first openly trans player in professional baseball, and, as a self-proclaimed optimist, he's mostly happy with his career. His minor league team, the Beaverton Beavers, are like family to him, and because he doesn't dare dream big enough for the major leagues, he's comfortable where he is- until Luis Estrada is traded to the team.

Gene and Luis have a history. Former friends and college teammates turned rivals, the relationship is complicated by how much Gene finds himself drawn to Luis, who may not be as bad as he thought he was. Their chemistry on and off the field is undeniable, and complicated further by the fact that they are teammates, Gene is reluctant to lean into the type of desire Luis ignites in him. The two will have to confront their relationship and their own ideas of who they are and what they deserve in order to go for what they really want, in life and in love.

I adored this book. There are far too few adult fiction novels with trans main characters, particularly ones that are written by trans authors, so bless KT Hoffman for writing the hopeful (and spicy) queer sports romance of my dreams. I adored Gene, who is so passionate and kind and unapologetically himself. Despite knowing nothing about sports in the slightest (but loving a queer sports romance every now and then), I related to and loved so much of this. Gene's ADHD representation and Luis's panic attacks and mental health struggles were dealt with so well, and I loved how Hoffman wrote about such heavy subject matter with such hope and optimism.

This book was a breath of fresh air, a hopeful reprieve from the currently seemingly constant negativity about trans people in the news. If you need a little bit of trans joy, pick this one up. It won't disappoint.

This book was phenomenal. I adored the trans rep and it’s just an important topic right now. The romance was perfect. The baseball was fun, even not being a hardcore fan of the sport. I got butterflies reading this and finished in one day. I loved their banter and all the diversity. This was a joy to read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the arc!
Pub date: 4/9/24