I have read other Cat Sebastian romances so when I saw the newest one was going to be grumpy sunshine I knew I had to read it!

This one took a minute for me to get into. The characters both started out in a bad place making the beginning a bit depressing. However, I'm really glad I stuck with it! I feel like Mark and Eddie are the definition of black cat and golden retriever. Eddie has such a big heart and while Mark is a bit more prickly. I had such a fun time reading about Mark being discerning (he'd definitely not a snob) and watching Eddie make fun of him about it.

I ended up really liking Eddie and Mark's relationship but it is hard to read a queer romance set in a time when the characters can't have a happily ever after where they live openly together. I have read some Regency queer romances (including others by Cat Sebastian) but for some reason, it was a little harder for me knowing they were so close to a time when they could have lived openly together. I like to think that they got the opportunity to one day.

We don't see a lot of romances set in the sixties. It's in an interesting period that doesn't quite feel historical but also is not contemporary. It is a period that people alive lived through but also one that is a completely different society from ours. It was interesting for me to read more about this period.

I recommend this one for fans of queer romance and particularly opposites attract or grumpy sunshine. I think readers who like other reading about earlier time periods will also enjoy this one.

I love baseball. Like, LOVE love it. So when I heard Cat Sebastian’s next book was within the same universe as We Could Be So Good Together, and centered around a queer baseball player and reporter Mark Bailey from The Chronicle, I practically begged for this ARC. Less angsty than WCBSGT, there is a tenderness and sweetness to Mark and Eddie’s story. This is a bit of a grumpy sunshine age gap trope and Eddie O’Leary is the lovable young “Sweetheart” who is currently in the worst slump of his batting career. And yet all I (and the Robins fans) wanted to do was root for him. Everyone loves an underdog and when crabby solitary Mark Bailey is tasked with writing a series for the Chronicle based on Eddie’s performance, he finds that maybe this loudmouth bat breaker is really just frustrated from being on the outs with his team.
Mark is the one with the power: he’s older, has authority over what gets published about Eddie, has a home and financial security, and yet I love how Mark doesn’t use his power to control Eddie, but instead to help him. What I think begins as compassion for Eddie’s slump and ousting from the Robins turns into genuine care and empathy as Mark gets to know the real Eddie.
This book deals with some heavy issues from loss of a loved one to being a homosexual man in the 1960s. And yet Sebastian handles them so deftly that it made me feel for and love Mark and Eddie’s story even more. As with any book by Sebastian, the side characters are just as complex as the main MCs. Mark finds a surprising friend in George Allen, an aging sportswriter, Eddie’s manager Tony Ardolino isn’t necessarily the screw-up that he seems, and even Mark’s dog Lula has her own ridiculous snooty personality. There are of course cameos of characters from WCBSGT, but this book could still be read as a standalone (but why would you want to?!).
You Should Be So Lucky gave me all the warm feelings of new love, the energy of a stadium cheering on its beloved players, the heartache of wondering if you can ever get back what you lost and I loved every minute of it. It’s a quieter, possibly slowburn of a book, and yet I felt compelled to keep reading into the wee hours, just wanting to know how the story ended. I received this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Steam: 🪭.5
Emotional longing: 🥹🥹🥹

Absolutely loved reading a story set in the 1960's! I am 1970's baby, so this was extra entertaining for me as it was an era that I just missed. Eddie our baseball player is just not having a good season of it at all, but he is still such an upbeat guy. Mark comes across as the grumpiest grump, but the unexpected friendship with a baseball player starts to change his perception on life. They become bantering friends and then develop a slow and quite cozy romance. This was a lovely realistic and comforting read.

5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley, Cat Sebastian and HarperCollins for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I'm continuing my project of clearing out my NetGalley shelf, although, this hardly counts as an ARC review because it's not exactly a risk reading a Cat Sebastian book. I knew this would be good.

I was a little surprised HOW good this was, it's for sure my favorite book that I've read by CS- to be fair, I've only read 2 others by her- but this was absolutely wonderful.

First of all for anyone who is wondering- this can totally be read as a standalone. There are some cameos of the MCs from "We Could Be So Good" which was nice, and one of the MCs in You Should Be So Lucky was a SC in WCBSG, but there's nothing in this that would be confusing if you haven't read WCBSG.

As usual with Sebastian, the research and attention to detail was amazing. Everything felt so authentic, even the fictional baseball team somehow felt like it must have really existed. I love that the logo for the Robins is a bird that is "definitely not a robin" lol. The humor in this is so good too. There is some great banter, and when the characters are cracking each other up, I was actually laughing right along with them (not just rolling my eyes like the cynic that I am).

Also as usual for CS, the character work is nuanced and crazy well done. Mark Bailey is a reporter and grieving his partner of 7 years who died suddenly. His grief is not only due to the death but due to the fact that their relationship was a secret to almost everyone. His late partner was a lawyer, which was a very conservative profession in the 50s/60s U.S., and they had to pretend that they were straight roommates. This is the brutal reality of American history and Cat certainly doesn't dance around it. I think it's handled very well, although if you have triggers surrounding homophobia, or queer kids getting kicked out by their parents, etc.... please take caution. There is a lot in this. It's heavy, but it's also full of sweetness, optimism, and joy. Anyways, after his partner's death, Mark has sort of vowed to himself that he won't keep who he is a secret anymore, and as a reporter, he's not under as much scrutiny as other professions, like say...professional athletes.

Eddie is a professional baseball player from Nebraska, who has just been traded from Kansas City to NYC (the Robins). He is notorious for having a short temper and no filter, and he is currently suffering through a batting slump after having an amazing first season. He is the very definition of a golden retriever and I ADORE him.

Mark is interviewing Eddie for a diary that will be published in the Chronicle. They are both lonely, they are both attracted to each other, but need to be careful. The development of their relationship, the way Eddie sort of...gently nurses Mark back to life... it's so beautiful and well done. There's a lot of push and pull, and comfort given, and I just really liked it. A lot.

The smut was... well... I don't even know if it really counts as smut because every orgasm is sort of glossed over, and much of it is glossed over. BUT it is tender and sweet, and, at least this time I knew what I was getting into and was expecting it because this is my third Cat Sebastian book.

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian was a very moving and poignant story.
I adore this book. I loved every second of it. I loved the two characters and I loved the their perspectives and personalities! loved reading about Nick and Andy and how they developed their relationship. The growth that the characters exhibited throughout the book was amazing.
A sweet and charming queer historical romance that was truly unputdownable!
Cat Sebastian writes incredible stories and this one is no exception!

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This book surpassed all of my expectations. I thought it was really well-thought-out and an emotional read that let me connect with the characters really well. It's about Eddie, a baseball player who is only in his second year in the major leagues, and Mark, the reporter assigned to write up a weekly column for him. Mark is hurt and grieving while Eddie is young and naive (basically a puppy). Their developing romance is so emotional and well done. It has lots of hurt/comfort and deals with issues of trying to have a relationship in the spotlight in the 1960s while being homosexual. I love this book. It made me cry, laugh, feel giddy and so many other emotions.

We Could Be So Good was one of my favorite books of 2023 and I knew I had to get my hands on this one. 🙏 To be honest, I didn't pay that much attention to Mark in that book but now I'm going to have to do a reread and pick up all the crumbs! I absolutely loved Mark as a character. His journey through grief hit so close to home for me and the scene with the cherries absolutely ruined me. The book in general and his and Eddie's growing relationship is just so soft and tender and precious, filled with snippets of mundane beauty that tug on your heartstrings in just the right way. I don't know how Cat Sebastian manages to put so much emotion into these little moments but she does and it's one of the things I absolutely love about her books.

I also love how vivid the side characters are in all of her stories. Everybody feels so tangible and broken and well crafted, and they all work perfectly together. I would have loved to see more of our favorites from WBCSG of course but I loved meeting all the new characters like Eddie's teammates and his mom!

Anyways, I'm not sure there will ever be a book Cat Sebastian can write that I'll ever dislike. If there is, it's probably a silent plea for help.

Thank you to Avon & Netgalley for the eARC!

Cat Sebastian writes stories in a way that pulls you in and keeps you there. She is a master at the grumpy sunshine dynamic and I'm a sucker for it. I love a grumpy snarky character and Mark is that in spades. Mark is snarky but also has a huge heart and Eddie brings out the best in him. The grief as part of the story is done very well, its shown realistically in what it is to grieve alone and in secret. The story is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.

This story is long, and maybe a little too long. But it's not boring, we get to see the relationship develop and we also get to see how relationships outside of the romantic relationships.

The SWOONIEST slow burn to ever slow burn romance that I couldn't put down!

You Should Be So Lucky is a historical fiction gay romance set in New York in the 60s. It tackles tough subjects like grief, fitting in and finding your place in this world. The main characters are a recently traded baseball player in the middle of a horrible batting slump and a barely working reporter who somehow ends up covering baseball.

I LOVED this book so much. It took me a minute to get used to the writing style, but once I did I was ALL IN. Their quiet romance tugged on my heartstrings through the entire read and I was rooting for them to find their footing the entire time. I loved being thrown into the baseball world at that time (huge baseball fan) and the side characters were memorable and showed families can be created, not just consist of the one you were born into.

Read if you like:
- grumpy / sunshine
- found family
- sports romance (specifically baseball)
- queer romance

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader! All thoughts are my own.

You can always trust Cat Sebastian to write queer love stories that are inextricable from the fabric of life, queer or otherwise, in the time period it is set in. Whether it be Regency or in this case, America in the early 60s. It is always a gentle and meaningful meditation on what it is to live at the intersection of multitudinous Otherness. While I'm not the biggest fan or follower of baseball or any ball sports, that wasn't as much of an issue I was afraid it might be. Which goes to show how little the world has progressed in terms of how isolating and heteronormative the world of ball.sports still is for queer men. Eddie, however, is a delightfully sweet himbo and his earnestness, even in the face of public scrutiny and perceived failure, is as refreshing as his complete self-assuredness about being queer even in this time period. I adored Mark and his queer book club agenda in We Could Be So Good. But a grieving and healing Mark, relearning how to live and love again, was a beautiful and gratifying journey to behold. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop on someone getting outed, etc, and I'm so grateful that the author chose instead a journey towards finding and learning to trust a supportive community of allies and queer found family.

4 Stars Queer historical romance icon Cat Sebastian is back with You Should Be So Lucky, a slow burn, grumpy/sunshine queer romance between a baseball player and reporter in 1960 New York.

Despite an amazing rookie season, this year is shaping up to be the worst baseball season of Eddie O'Leary's life. He's been traded to an expansion team where his new teammates won't talk to him after he mouthed off about them, he's homesick, and he can't hit a ball to save his life. On thin ice, he's ordered to do a series of interviews with uptight reporter Mark Bailey. Mark is an arts writer, not a sports reporter, though he hasn't been writing much over the last year while mourning his late partner. The last thing Mark wants to do is write about the obnoxious new short stop for the New York Robbins. As Eddie and Mark spend more time together for the interviews, they recognize what they have in common--not only that they are both queer, but that they are both lonely souls. The two give into their attraction, but Mark has sworn to never be someone's secret again and Eddie can't be out as a professional athlete. Is what they can offer each other enough to make it last?

You Should Be So Lucky was an incredibly sweet and tenderhearted story. Though there's grief and loneliness, the story is hopeful and feels like being wrapped up in a warm blanket full of love. I was just as invested in the journeys of the side characters like George and Tony as I was in Mark and Eddie's story. Cat Sebastian doesn't ignore or minimize the reality that queer folks faced in this time period. It's honest about the fear of being discovered or outed, without piling on too much. This truly was such a lovely book and feels like the perfect story to get out of a reading slump!

MM - historical (retro) romance - white MCs - low steam - pov third dual - celebrity sports (baseball) MMC - child free - class gap (wealthy) - closeted - found family - opposites attract - workplace - widowed - ARC - 5 stars.

This books fits in so well with We Could Be So Good. There's many of the same themes and I was thrilled to see the couple from WCBSG as prominent side characters. Eddie starts as a really downtrodden baseball player who's being shunned by his team thanks to his temper. Once that turns around (found family vibes!) Eddie is such a sweet himbo. Mark is classic exasperated man who is also grieving. The book is low angst with the exception of being a queer person in the 1960s, especially someone who's a public figure like Eddie.

Bonus points for Eddie's midwestern mom who comes through when he needs her. Double bonus points for the adorable dog.

I loved We Could Be So Good, so I was very excited to learn there was another M/M romance by Sebastian set in the same world. I really enjoyed You Should Be So Lucky as well, but I'm not sure if I would place it as an equal to WCBSG. I loved Eddie and very much relate to Mark. I'm not sure I would classify this as a "grumpy/sunshine," but would wholeheartedly agree with the "golden retriever/grumpy barn cat." In only that when we first meet Eddie, is is definitely not "sunshine," and so it immediately took that out of my mind. I did feel like time moved a bit weird in this novel. A good chunk of time would pass without much explanation sometimes, or I would lean later that we had indeed jumped a good ways forward.
In the end, I still love Cat Sebastian and will continue buying her works.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for providing an eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!

This was such a sweet, fun, and earnest historical romance. It was my first Cat Sebastian book, but certainly won't be my last. The dynamic between Mark and Eddie was such a joy to read, from their banter to their more vulnerable moments. I appreciated the dual-POV, because being in the heads of each of these characters and understanding their motivations and thoughts--especially the things left unsaid, partially due to the time in which this novel is set--made me appreciate their relationship even more. The novel seemed well-researched, from baseball specifics to the experience of being queer in the 50s & 60s, especially if you didn't want to live in complete secrecy. Something is keeping me from five stars, though it's difficult to pinpoint; I suspect I felt the plot/progression of the story could have been more compelling. I found myself reading mostly because I wanted to see Mark and Eddie get together and see their relationship grow, but I often sensed a lack of weight to the story around the two of them and wasn't fully buying into the stakes. It's just my personal preference that certain elements would have been more rounded out. Perhaps it was merely my own reading pace or lack of thorough baseball interest. That said, this was a delightful read, and I always love a black cat x golden retriever pairing! These two satisfy that urge entirely, and I will be thinking about them for a long while.

Cat Sebastian is on a roll. Has knocked it out of the park, if you will!! Her last couple books have absolutely slayed me and this one was no exception.

As per usual, the world the characters inhabit is incredibly vibrant and tangible. It’s a stunning love letter to 1960 NYC, historic baseball, and our queer elders. Reading this book is like stepping through a doorway to the past, except it’s populated by dumb gay jocks and long suffering journalists.

The side characters are all delightful and I was invested in every aspect of the story. Each sentence was so rich and emotionally poignant, I lost track of how many times I teared up. Cat continues to describe this book as “no plot, just vibes”, and that is spot on in the absolute best way. And what vibes they are!! Totally off the charts. It’s reminiscent of the best character-driven, vignette-riddled fanfiction I have read.

Eddie and Mark may be my new favorite Sebastian couple, which is an insane thing to say. They are so perfectly matched for each other, it was easy to see their relationship trajectory from page one. You should be so lucky indeed!!! Time to go read The Haunting of Hill House.

Oh, what a fantastic, effervescent book! It’s taken me several days to come up with a review because I’ve simply been ruminating on how much I enjoyed it and how much of a spark it ignited in me. Not to be overly personal, but as a queer baseball fan, this book rocked my world. Sebastian’s characters leap from the page directly into the forefront of your mind, and she has created a world where one can feel equal parts safe and comforted. I laughed, I cried (multiple times), and I already want to revisit it. Despite all my tries, it’s hard to put into words how special this book is beyond those very simple ones: goodness, how special it is.

Cat Sebastian has another home run (pun intended) on her hands with “You Should Be So Lucky,” the follow up to one of my favorite novels from 2023, “We Could Be So Good.” This slow burn, historical romance hits all the right notes with two main characters, Mark and Eddie, and the side characters (and of course, Lula) you’re rooting for. When grumpy reporter Mark falls in love with an up and coming baseball player, they both have to decide if the other is enough in a world where being out and proud is scary and dangerous.

From the very beginning, I was hooked — which is funny, because I’m not a baseball fan. Sebastian does a nice job writing about a baseball player and the sport that you needn’t have any prior experience or interest (really) to enjoy it.

Like “So Good,” “So Lucky” is set in a time period we rarely see in LGBTQ romance books — too many times, we are either dealing with modern stories or stuck in the 80s dealing with heavier themes. Hey, if Sebastian wants to move the next one (please let there be a next one) to the 70s, you’ll have plenty of readers happy.

If you’re a fan of lovable characters, a tender storyline set in a New York City bursting with motion, check this novel out. Don’t let the slow burn stop you from enjoying - the journey and destination are worth it. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, for the ARC.

But sometimes there is no hope. Illness worsens, accidents strike, you lose people you love. It’s inevitable, as Cat Sebastian’s blunt, beautiful midcentury historical makes clear: “Unless a couple has the good fortune to get hit by the same freight train, their story ends in exactly one way.”

At the start of YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY (Avon, 382 pp., paperback, $18.99), the journalist Mark Bailey is only 16 months out from the death of his partner. He’s coasting. It’s only when he’s assigned to write about a flailing baseball player on the sad-sack New York Robins that he finds something to connect to: “What’s happening to Eddie O’Leary is an end. That’s something Mark knows about; that’s something Mark can write about.”

Eddie, “a wad of bad ideas rolled into the approximate shape and size of a professional baseball player,” doesn’t know why he is suddenly terrible at a game he loves. He’s lonely and new to the city and shunned by the teammates he bad-mouthed to the press. He’s grateful for Mark’s attention even though he knows it’s an assignment, and he’s quick to notice all the little kind impulses Mark would die rather than admit to. Their romance is like watching a Labrador puppy fall in love with a pampered Persian cat, all eager impulse on one side and arch contrariness on the other.

People think the ending is what defines a romance, and it does, but that’s not what a romance is for. The end is where you stop, but the journey is why you go. Whether we’re talking about love, baseball or life itself, Sebastian’s book bluntly scorns measuring success merely by end results: “The crowd is hopeful, but it isn’t the kind of hope that comes with a fighting chance. It’s a hope that doesn’t need success to validate it. It’s something like affection, maybe with a bit of loyalty mixed in.”

Hoping, loving are things you do for their own sake, to mark being a human among other humans. Or as Eddie puts it: “Sometimes you want to look at a guy and say: Well, he’s f——-, but he’s trying.”

I can think of no better summary of why we do any art. If you read one romance this spring, make it this one.

I really, really liked this is mid-century queer baseball romance. The baseball background is great vibes, the supporting cast is interesting and likable, and Lulu is the best dog ever.

But I just didn't love it as much as We Could Be So Good. Eddie is so wholesome and precious - but just less so than Andy. And Mark has that grumpy charm, but he's less lovable than Nick. Reading We Could Be So Good just before this made me see all the similarities and slight differences in the two stories, and the first book is easily better in pretty much every way besides insufficient baseball energy.

To be clear, You Should Be So Lucky is still great and sweet and wholesome and very enjoyable. I strongly recommend reading both, just not back to back!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian

I love Cat Sebastian’s books and this one didn’t disappoint. The first book in this series, We Could Be So Good was excellent as well. The leads here are Eddie, a baseball player and Mark, a newspaper writer who is drafted as a sports writer. His topic is Eddie’s early career slump and his new team. The year is 1960. Sebastian’s books are sexy and sweet. Eddie is a Sunny soul while Mark is maybe a grumpy worrier but they are not made to a mold and will delight you and each other.

Quickly, you can imagine all the woes these would be lovers are up against but with wit, courage, affection, humor and friends, there is a way to love. They are lovable and real with the sweetest foibles. You can’t help but to fall for them both and root for them. Endearing and hot, great combinations. The details of the time and the other characters with their own quirks adds to the appeal.

I highly recommend you read this book asap. Some of the characters including Mark are in the first book which ups the enjoyment another notch but it can be read as an unbelievably, amazing stand-alone. I thank the author, HarpersCollins Publishers, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this great read.