This slow burn, saccharine sweet romance really worked for me. I loved the authors choice of timeframe and that she focused on the every day lives of the two characters rather than what was necessarily going on sociopolitcally in the world at the time. I loved Eddie and Mark's love for each other and Eddie's unwillingness to be pushed away by Mark. I think some of the fluff could've been cut but other than that this book really worked for me.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for giving me the wonderful chance to read this book!

Cat Sebastian didn’t disappoint! So so fun and enjoyable. It honestly tug at my heart strings as well. The characters felt real and unique. I loved this.

A tender, thoughtful slow-burn romance set in the 1960s, You Should Be So Lucky explores grief, loneliness, and unexpected connection. Eddie and Mark are beautifully written—flawed, real, and quietly healing together in a time when being openly gay was dangerous. While the pacing is slow, the emotional payoff and nuanced moments make it worth the read.

I absolutely loved this book! It was so sweet and gave me all the feels! I loved the characters so much! Their story was wonderful! I think their personalities matched one another too! The story as a whole was just wonderful! I highly recommend this one!

I have been in my historical romance era lately and decided to pick this one up as a result. Unfortunately, this just didn't do anything for me. I didn't make it very far because my head just wasn't in it, I didn't really care about the story that much (I think sports is just too overdone for me at this point?). This wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't for me.

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian is a historical romance, set against the backdrop of NYC in the mid-century. It follows Eddie, a baseball player who is tanking his sophomore season, and Mark, a reporter dealing with grief who is tasked with writing a story about Eddie. When the two meet, they're both two lonely souls who can't help but be drawn into each other's orbits. But, Mark has vowed he won't ever again be someone's secret, and Eddie can't be out as a professional baseball player in 1960.

Cat Sebastian is one of the greatest authors of our time. Honestly. There's no one out there doing it quite like her. This was actually the most beautiful romance I've ever read. The longing and RESPECT between these two was palpable. And there were so many beautiful lines about love, friendship, chosen family, and LIFE. If I could only read 1 book over and over again for the rest of my life, it would most likely be this one. I'm dead serious.

I think I liked this even more than We Could Be So Good. A delightful story with strong character growth all around. I think I cheered as hard for the friendships as I did the romance. Absolute delight.

Such an amazing concept for a book! 1960s, baseball, reporters, closeted men, and a society that won’t accept change. I loved the friendships of this book along with the romance that came out of it. This book was very easy to follow which is always a plus in my book! Will be recommending this to peers!

Won this in a giveaway awhile ago and finally got around to reading it. LOVED it. The characters, the story, just everything

Felt such a strong emotional connection to both MMCs and enjoyed their love story so much. Enjoyed the historical aspect of the story as well

One of the best books I have ever read. It is radical, Queer and adorable. Queerness is never the point of contention but it is a point of strain as representative of the time period. I loved every second of it. A beautiful follow up in the NYC books.

I really wanted to love this, but I found it slow and didn't like this historical setting. I DNFd it at about 20%. I'm eating 5 stars to not affect the rating!

Ok, I'm sold, Cat Sebastian is wonderful! The longing! The growth! The healing! AUGH it was just so sweet and lovely. My literal only complaint is the inconsistency in Eddie's maturity; one second he's throwing a temper tantrum after a strikeout but the next he's has the emotional stability to hold back with Mark until Mark is ready to commit? He's unaware of the political turmoil around him but is observant enough to adjust his behavior around Mark's need for space and healing? I just....what? Is he 22 or 32? Is he mature and observant or juvenile and obtuse? Eh, other than that, this is a sweet story of 2 complex men finding how well they fit together in a time where doing so comes with lots of risk.

**Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the eARC**

It's a very well-written book. Even though the story's a little sad, the author wrote about their grief so well and Mark and Eddie's journey together is so good. There was great character development, especially as we see Mark's struggle through his grief and healing. Their relationship was very wholesome and sweet and the book is just so heartwarming. Eddie's sunshine personality was also a plus.

4.5 stars
This Historical Romance was super cute with a dash of spice! I usually don't read sports romances but this one really hit it out of the park no pun intended. It also navigates through the 1960s and homophobia as well as grief of a partner. Overall, I think this was very well written and made me really care for the characters. I'm excited to read more of Cat Sebastian's works.

The grumpy/sunshine 1960s-ish queer love story of my DREAMS. Mark is a well dressed, sharp tongued, grieving journalist/book reviewer who gets stuck ghost writing a series of “diary entries” for Eddie, a baseball playing cutie patootie from the sticks, who might be two golden retrievers wearing a trench coat. I loved them, but did NOT love the audiobook narrator - that accent was truly wild.

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian is historical fiction at its best. One of my top favorite reads in 2024. I loved this baseball romance set in New York City in 1960. The book really captures the time period and sets us in another time. Sebastian is able to capture the worlds of baseball, newspapers and queer NYC seamlessly. I love Eddie and his unlucky streak. Mark is the picture perfect 1960s reporter with such a touching backstory of grief and needing to live his life on his terms. Highly recommend for romance and historical readers alike.

Cat Sebastian delivers a deeply moving love story in You Could Be So Lucky, set against the rich backdrop of mid-century America. The novel beautifully captures the emotional journey of two men navigating loneliness, grief, and the quiet yearning for a love they can never fully express in a world that refuses to acknowledge it. The historical setting is compelling, and I especially appreciated the well-researched inclusion of 1960’s baseball—the New York Robins were clearly meant to be the New York Mets—which added an extra layer of charm and authenticity to the story.

The romance itself is tender and achingly beautiful, with both characters struggling to find happiness in a society that demands they deny their true selves. Their relationship unfolds with a bittersweet intensity, and Sebastian masterfully portrays their fears, hopes, and the quiet ways they build a life together despite the obstacles. The themes of longing and finding solace in another person are incredibly powerful, making this one of the most emotionally resonant historical romances I've read.

My only issue with the book was its choice of narrative style—third-person present tense. While I understand the intent behind it in high action stories, I found it a poor fit for a historical setting and a Romance. The present tense gave the prose a modern feel that often pulled me out of the otherwise immersive world. It’s a small but significant drawback in an otherwise excellent novel.

That said, You Could Be So Lucky is still a beautifully written, heartfelt story of love and resilience. Fans of historical romance, especially those who appreciate nuanced depictions of queer love in restrictive time periods, will find much to love here.
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Series: Midcentury NYC #2

Setting: New York City, early 1960s

BIPOC Main Characters: No

Steam/Spice Level: open door, in the bed
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ARC Provided by Avon/Harper Voyager.

A queer baseball centric novel written by Cat Sebastian? I knew this book was meant for me from the moment I read the description. This story is super heartwarming and emotional. The entire journey of reading about Mark and Eddie's relationship felt extremely realistic and natural, but in some ways that hindered my overall reading experience of this book. It's an extremely long book and the slow burn between the two main characters was just a tad bit too slow for me. Luckily, that didn't detract too much from my enjoyment of this amazing book!

I really enjoyed this book! It felt authentic to the time period. I loved the characters and their development. I can't wait to check out the book set in the same world that came before this!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

Arts reporter Mark Bailey wasn’t even supposed to be here today. He’s uncomfortably covering a ball game and interviewing the rookie shortstop for the New York team, the Robins, trying to mask his melancholy and mourning for his previous partner. Ballplayer Eddie O’Leary is struggling to adjust to his new team, while in a slump and on the receiving end of the silent treatment from his teammates, while missing his family and staying firmly in the closet. Each have lost a touchstone: Mark, his lover; Eddie, his family.

Set just ten years later than We Could Be So Good, the 1960s are still a time when homosexuality is categorized as a mental disorder that could lead to institutionalization, and when same sex couples who were out or public display of affection risked jail or death. As Mark interviews Eddie for a new assignment to write a weekly diary of the ballplayer in the paper’s Sunday magazine, and eventually, a feature article, they get to know one another over milkshakes and meals. Mark outs himself with a annotated copy of The Haunting of Hill House, which prompts Eddie to ask Mark what his intentions are. Each recognizes something in the other as they form first a friendship, then a deep bond, that is healing and gives them each a sense of home. They slowly and cautiously widen their circle of supportive allies and long for a time and place where they can openly love one another and not hide who they are. Meanwhile Mark, who has a vicious streak, is writing an article that will provide a 360 degree profile of all of Eddie’s triumphs and despairs, including his slump.

The writing is so perfect–not a misplaced word, sentence or idea; perfectly selected details of Eddie’s mannerisms and Mark’s belongings to really show who they truly are; finely drawn supporting characters, like Eddie’s mom and George, an elderly senior writer on the sports circuit; and Maureen and Lilian, Mark’s dear friends/colleagues who live so openly together they don’t even pretend to have separate bedrooms. Most especially, Sebastian nails the emotions: the longing to connect, the fear of being outed, the slow falling for someone, and joy at being seen, understood, accepted, and loved. The pain of dishonesty of not being able to be your true, queer, out self is gut-wrenching, while Eddie purchasing an apartment in The Village just to be around queer people, even though he cannot out himself as one yet, is a tiny victory.

The narrative writing is richly detailed and set so firmly in time and place that the audio version was a disappointment. Most of the voices sound more British stiff upper lift/upper crust or proper Bostonian than New York queer; Eddie didn’t have a midwestern twang to hint at his Omaha roots. A few of the supporting characters have the slighted dated tone and affections I’d expect of the time period.

I received a free reader’s advance review copy of #YouShouldBeSoLucky via #NetGalley, courtesy of #Avon. This review will post to HLBB on Red Sox opening day: 3/27/2025.