Oh my freaking goodness, I LOVED You Should Be So Lucky SO MUCH. This book was one of my most anticipated of the year, and I went through a BUNCH of trouble to try to acquire the ARC. And boy am I grateful I got one because this was ALL I was hoping for and more. While it shares the same world as We Could Be So Good, You Should Be So Lucky somehow ends up being a little softer and sweeter. Though the overarching themes were healing from grief and recovering from a baseball slump, the romance that develops alongside was just so perfect. I liked this as much as or possibly more than WCBSG, and I must say that Cat Sebastian has now become one of my absolute favorite authors for her incredibly endearing characters, low angst plot (that still manages to make me cry), and spectacular historical settings that I cannot get enough of.

Semi-retired reporter Mark meets baseball player Eddie O'Leary when he is assigned to write a series of articles about Eddie's incredible batting slump after being traded to the New York Robins. Eddie is initially suspicious of the prickly, hard-t0-read reporter, but he rapidly softens when he finally has the opportunity to open up to someone. In addition to suffering through his slump, his teammates are refusing to talk to him, so gregarious Eddie is extremely lonely. And, though he pretends otherwise, Mark is surprised to enjoy talking to Eddie as well. Eventually, they recognize that they are both queer and have some pretty intense chemistry - but their underlying friendship and concern for each other makes for a slow burn where they take things slow for a long time. Then, as Eddie slowly starts performing better and Mark starts to open up about his past, they seem to realize that there are real feelings behind their attraction. But are they both ready for the many complications that might underlie a relationship between a relatively out gay man and a very recognizable baseball player?

Oh my stars, I absolutely LOVED how Eddie could simultaneously be incredibly naive and supremely confident in his actions, especially when it came to Mark. He recognizes that there is something between them and doesn't want to let it go, so he's willing to do whatever he can to make it happen. He's also so incredibly understanding and considerate of Mark, especially once he realizes that Mark is still grieving for his partner. And oh gosh, I don't always fall for the grumpy half of a grumpy/sunshine, but I was just in love with Mark. His struggles to get over William just BROKE me - it made his ability to fall in love again seem so much more meaningful. I loved his snark, the way he turns into a total sap around Eddie, and his absolute devotion to giving him what he wants even when he doesn't want to.

There are also some amazing side characters in this one that just made it all the more enjoyable. This book was filled with supportive people that gave me so much joy, from Eddie's mom, to Mark's fellow reporter George, to Eddie's team manager Ardolino, to freaking Lula the dog. So many precious scenes of love and understanding that got me right in the feels.

Y'all, I didn't want this book to end. Something about Cat Sebastian's mid century stories especially are just so special and absolutely needed. Maybe it's the recency? The fact that we can still see the reverberations of this time in our own? I don't know, but I need more of this stuff. I wholeheartedly recommend this one, be sure to watch for the release in May because you do not want to miss this one.

I had exceptionally high hopes for this book after We Could Be So Good (the first book in this little, beautiful universe) was tied for my personal BOTY in 2023, and I’m thrilled to report that Cat Sebastian has exceeded my expectations.

“Rooting for a team doesn’t always mean that you need them to win; sometimes you just want to see them fight, do their best, or even just keep showing up.”

You Should Be So Lucky was breathtaking. Love and grief and solitude and companionship are all woven together so beautifully that I found myself rooting alongside the Robins fans for every single character. I wanted Eddie and Mark to find their peace as badly as I wanted the same for Ardolino, for George, for Lula.

“The world is filled with people who could happily be alone, their solitude interrupted by occasional conversations with friends. Mark might, in fact, be one of them. But Eddie isn’t. You can see the words he isn’t saying bubbling away just beneath the surface; you can see every aborted effort to reach out.”

Eddie O’Leary, a short-fused rising star in the baseball world, copes with falling into a batting slump, being traded to a team across the country with no warning, and being torn from the world he knows and the people he loves. Eddie’s solitude and pain was visceral, an ache that I could feel inside my own chest. Between being pulled from his mom and friends in Kansas City and the way the Robins shut him out for the first several months he was part of the team, you can’t help but find yourself hurting along with him.

“Mark always had to be careful, and careful means dishonest; careful means making sure that there’s always a lie at hand that he can reach for and use to paper over the truth.”

Mark Bailey, a semi-retired reporter for the Chronicle, is asked to follow Eddie’s first season with the Robins. It’s the last thing he wants to do in his attempt to shut himself off from the world after the sudden passing of his long-term partner William. To anyone on the outside looking in, it would appear that Mark and William were no more than roommates — certainly nothing that Mark has any right still grieving over a year later.

“He feels like every part of him is wrapped around Eddie, like they’re tangled up in something dangerous and lovely and terribly, terribly precious.”

There’s nothing I love more than a slow-burn romance, and this book was worth every moment of it. The buildup was everything — I was honest to god hollering over a forehead touch — and the eventual resolution made everything worth it. Watching these two fall into each other and grow together was just. Everything.

I can’t say enough good things about this book. Cat Sebastian has cemented her title as one of my favorite authors, and I will continue to inhale anything she puts out into the world.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was entirely wonderful. I love a sports romance, they are my absolute favorite but this one was charming, warm and fuzzy and I truly fell in love with these characters.

before i leave my thoughts, i would love to thank the publishers avon and harper voyager for sending me an advanced e-book copy from netgalley.
now as most people know me, i am a cat sebastian stan through and through, i might have discovered her only last may, but this is already my fifth book frlm her that i've read. this (in typical cat sebastian fashion) was INCREDIBLE. i might've related to eddie a little too much but that didnt stop me from enjoying this. i am definitely picking this up once it releases. cat sebastian, the mastermind that you are.

I don't know what it is about baseball that makes it the perfect backdrop to a story equally about grief as it is romance but it does. Perhaps it is the inherent nostalgic romance of baseball or the skill of Cat Sebastian as a writer but this book was incredible.

It felt like the spiritual successor to KD Casey's baseball books (highly recommend everyone read those) while being a completely new and refreshing take on baseball romance. Which it is very refreshing! One of my notes on this book is "weirdly refreshing about sports and homophobia??" because similarly to We Could Be So Good, the historical realism of being gay in mid-century New York - particularly as a well-known professional athlete- is absolutely present, the book is still incredibly hopeful and sweet.

And the romance! It's an absolute masterclass on domestic slice of life slowburn. Eddie and Mark are very different but they are so soft for each other, especially when it comes to helping each other deal with loss and grief and healing.

While We Could Be So Good gave me urban planning as a treat THIS book gave me literary criticism as a treat. The use of books as a way for Eddie and Mark to connect and, uh, declare themselves to each other was superb (and amusing) (particularly for me). And now I want to read The Haunting of Hill House to see what being "literally haunted by the specter of heterosexuality" is about.

In conclusion, another excellent book from Cat Sebastian.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins.

I think this is a good book with a good plot. I'll be honest though it was rough getting into for me. I think the whole baseball thing kind of through me off. While I do love the whole sports journalist idea. It feels very unique in this book.

Mourning the loss of his partner, Mark is going through the motions of his life as a reporter when he is assigned to ghost write articles for Eddie O’Leary, a baseball player on the worst batting streak on the league. Eddie was not happy to be transferred to New York and has made his displeasure known isolating him from his team, leading to Mark being his lifeline in the city. The two bond while isolated in a city of millions which leads to attraction and eventually love. Together they are able to make connections with others and find joy again in their melancholy existence.

Cat’s mid-century books are absolutely god-tier. This book filled a hole in my heart that I was not aware was there. I loved loved loved both Mark and Eddie. Both were such rich characters full of warmth, vulnerability, and love. I loved the melancholy that hung over the book, which yes led to me crying at 2AM, but more than anything it is a melancholy that has a lining of hope. As it is a Cat Sebastian book, there is of course humor still peppered throughout. I am fully obsessed with Mark’s dog Lula. I was very happy to see characters from We Could Be So Good again and came to really love George. I will ready anything any everything Cat decides to write in this universe or time period. This is a book that I see myself returning to and am already feeling a pull to read it again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book brought me out of my reading slump. It was fun, enticing, and I simply could not put it down. I was interested in every aspect of the story, and it was so nice to read something that did not have the miscommunication leads to breakup leads to getting back together troupe. Lovely piece of work! Highly recommend.

This book was an absolute treat to read! The initial first encounter in the beginning of the book was adorable, and the way they both tried to find excuses to meet each other more often was so cute! I loved the tension and yearning the two main characters have for eachother, and it was great to see how their story and relationship progressed over the course of the novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Publishing for the opportunity to read this early digital ARC release for my honest opinion.

I'm not sure if this has beat We Could Be So Good as my favorite Cat Sebastian but it's pretty close! I really loved Eddie and Mark and thought all of the side characters were great as well. Thank you to netgalley and avon for the eARC!

Last year, I would have told you that my perfect romance novel was We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian. However, that title has been snatched away by... obviously Cat Sebastian, because no one does it like her. I wish I could give this a million stars. It's not even out yet and I've read it twice.

Where to even start with this one? It features your classic finicky cat/golden retriever pairing in the form of grieving book reviewer Mark Bailey and struggling yet oh-so-very-earnest professional baseball player Eddie O'Leary, who both have such distinct character voices that they leap off the page and into your heart immediately. On the surface, Mark is the kind of guy who has an accountant and Eddie is well, a lovable hot mess. However one of the most beautiful aspects of this book is that they are BOTH utter messes going through difficult times and somehow, some way, they end up finding and helping each other. Mark Bailey has an emotional support horror novel and if that isn't the biggest mood I don't know what is. I would read a thousand pages of these two being petty about things they hate. As always, Cat Sebastian's portrayal of romance truly shines in the tiny details.

I've become a sports romance convert in the past six months, and You Should Be So Lucky checks off the entire list of things I love about them. Growing up in a family that rooted for the Cubs and being exposed to "Heart" from Damn Yankees at an impressionable age has given me a lifelong obsession with truly awful teams, and the Robins were no exception. This book is also one of the most beautiful uses of Baseball as a Metaphor for Life I've seen in a long time-- this well worn trope does not read as cliched at all in Sebastian's deft hands.

Ultimately this is a story about hope and how the world keeps spinning even when it seems that everything is lost. If I had to give the book a tagline, it'd be "Shit happens, kid. That's just baseball." And honestly, that's the message I need right now.

You Should Be So Lucky is a male/male historical sports romance set in the 1960 baseball era. Eddie is a professional baseball player who went from being at the top of his game to not being able to hit the ball. Mark is a journalist who is asked to write weekly diary entries in the newspaper from Eddie's perspective. The two must partner up and become friends along the way, and eventually maybe something more.

You Should Be So Lucky is so incredibly well-written. I could picture every scene with ease, and I truly felt connected to the two main characters. This book includes a ton of internal monologue, which really helps the reader get to know the characters. I felt for Eddie and Mark, and I was rooting for both of them in their own career and life goals.

However, due to the amount of internal monologue and the heavy focus on characters, the plot of the book really suffered. I feel as if virtually nothing happened in this book, and I wish there was a more streamlined arc. I truly cannot pinpoint what the climax of this book is, and unfortunately this led to the book feeling super slow and much longer than necessary.

If you enjoy slow burn and character driven stories, You Should Be So Lucky will be right up your ally. I really wish that I loved this book but as a plot-driven reader, I just needed more. This was so incredibly well written and I know that this book will find high praise its intended audience, and rightfully so. This was my first delve into historical romance, as well as one of my first slow burns, and by reading this book I learned that these aspects just might not work for me.

What a delight! I adored this book, and while it's only February now, I am almost certain this will be my favourite romance of the year. The book is sweet, heartwarming, real, and so thoughtful. It is a masterclass on what slow burn romances should be and through slice of life chapters paints the most vivid image of these characters and their story. This is a book I know I will be rereading regularly in the years to come and it's one I cannot recommend enough.

I thought this was such a cute sports historical romance, it's my first reading something like this and i can just imagine myself cozying up with this book. I loved to see their happy ending and thought it was a great mix of family, grief, friends, and romance.

Cat Sebastian returns to the world of We Could Be So Good with another mid-20th century New York queer romance, this time featuring a grieving reporter and the professional baseball player in a slump he’s been assigned to write about.

WCBSG was my favorite book of 2023, so it’s auspicious that I’m starting the new year with another lovely book full of pining and gentle care. I sincerely hope Sebastian writes another book in this universe, and soon.

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

This book truly made my heart sing. What a stellar reboot debut for Cat! Wonderful pacing, structure, and character depth.

Cute book set in 1960 Baseball! Book drags a little and 3rd person is hard for me to follow the characters but a nice romance

really really cute sports romance. tyssm for the arc, i enjoyed this one. would recommend quite a lot. was so funnnnn

I know more about nuclear fusion than I do about baseball, but I have So Many Big Feelings about this book. In fact, I cried again writing this review and it isn't even very long OR detailed. (Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy)

It's about grief and all the little ways loving and being loved by someone changes you, about filling the holes when they're gone. About the dark days after. About hard times and how no matter how many times you miss, you just have to keep swinging.

Mark Bailey broke my fricking heart. And he kept breaking it because his pain is so real, so beautifully written. I love that, even though he fell for someone else, he still loved William. He still remembered him and the ways he had been loved by him.

And Eddie? Eddie. I can't put into words how good to Mark Eddie was. He was so sure and never faltered despite what Mark was so convinced of. And he respected when Mark needed space and time. He wasn't even jealous of William.

Lots of times, in these types of books, there's always the Big Compromise at the end and i always feel like one compromised more than they should have had to. This was not the case for these two.

Also, because I was worried for a bit there, Lula does not die. I repeat the dog does NOT die.

Ok, so usually when I love something SO MUCH I become completely paralyzed on continuing the series because there’s literally no way the rest could live up to it. But moving on from <i>We Could Be So Good<i/> onto <i>You Should Be So Lucky was seamless. There was a lot I loved and didn't love about this book but it was also such a huge comfort to be back in this universe. We even get our Andy fix within the first couple paragraphs being “Mr. Manager” (isn’t so cute thinking of Andy running a whole newspaper? He’s so sweet) and telling Mark Bailey that he’s got to zhuzh up the Sunday Supplement as some fancy shmancy sports reporter following baseball player Eddie O’Leary.

And guys…. There isn’t a plot to be found. Sometimes you might hear a *whisper* of a plot but then it disappears again. It’s so cozy and gentle and hitting a place in my heart so much. In WCBSG Andy was a BIG thing for me. I related so hard to his coded ADHD and the way people misunderstood as just quirky. But Eddie is here is so similar yet so different. He’s more in the fidgety must touch EVERYTHING and impulse control (Eddie loves a little word vomit).

Cat Sebastian first and foremost is a character author. She pours so much into her characters that it’s almost impossible not to fully love the people she brings to us. This is a prime example of a CS slow burn character study. There were some moments, however, that I wish we understood more about Mark and Eddie and their motivations. Like there was never a clear cut reason on why Mark was avoiding everything so much. We knew it a lot of fear from his last partner dying but it was never actually talked about much. So because things weren’t talked about it felt like they were jumping around a lot.

I loved all the quiet gems throughout the story. Like Mark finding the vaguely queer relationships in every book and top notch A+ flirting. Their relationship had such a sweet flow to it that just felt natural for them. In WCBSG Nick and Andy were friends to lovers. Here, Eddie and Mark were strangers to acquaintances to friends to crushes to lovers. Their relationship always has the undercurrent of attraction but they move so well through the stages of a relationship in a completely grounded way.

The way Eddie flirts with Mark feels like Cat Sebastian’s Regency MCs. There’s just a touch of rakish/rogue to it.

There still a few things that have me in a gripe, that even though the slow burn was so low but yet there was so much flirtation, once the romance really kicked in it felt like they lost a little of their chemistry. The spice just didn’t have quite enough kick to it. For me personally, the connection is half the spice, and I just felt like it was missing a little. (Just a teeny tiny bit) Later they got it back but there was definitely an ebb and flow.

This book focuses a lot on Eddie and his slump. Which is totally interesting but it’s A LOT of baseball. I like baseball but it’s a lot. Eddie is a really interesting character but I wish there was a little more focus on Mark and his grieving. Having to hide a relationship with a man who was essentially your husband for 7 years and then losing him and having to mourn alone would have been interesting to explore more. We get a little exploration but not enough.

I really wanted this to be a 5 star but for me it’s 4 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon books