You Should Be So Lucky is a new queer romance set in mid-century New York City set in the same universe as Cat's other novel We Could Be So Good. Bringing together two people who seem to have lost hope in anything else around them.
The 1960's baseball season is turning out to be one of the worst seasons of Eddie O'Leary's life. He can't manage to get a hit and his new teammates hate him after he publicly talked about not being happy with going to NYC. He is homesick, living out of a suitcase in a hotel, when the Robin's team owner orders him to give a bunch of interviews to a snobby reporter. He is already on thin ice and has no choice but to agree.
Mark Bailey has had a rough year and has barely managed to get his once a month book reviews out in time for the art section of the Chronicle. Mark just wants to sit alone in his too quiet apartment, mourning the loss of a partner he was never able to be public with. He is definitely not a sports reporter but when he is given the assignment to write a diary for Eddie O'Leary, he has to accept. It's all a stunt to get the struggling paper more readers, but he knows he can't say no.
Though both men can't seem to stand the idea of having to interact, they seemingly start to gravitate towards each other. Eddie could use a friend in the city, someone he actually trusts, and Mark's lost soul needs something to keep it from wandering off. As their working relationship continues, they start to realize the attraction between them, but Eddie can't risk being out as an athlete and Mark does not want to be someone's secret again.
One part of this book I really enjoyed was how the queerness of the characters was handled. It felt like a secret between them for a bit, how Eddie borrows a book from Mark and realizes he doesn't care about the lesbian characters, how they want to be together but there are risks. The text also navigates the conversation of what is worth the risk and what isn't, not relying on that 'forcing someone to come out' trope that is something really heavy in older-era and sports romances. There is something about keeping a secret, but also being honest with themselves the whole time that is really refreshing, especially when Mark starts to realize being himself isn't a threat to those around him.
The book does a lot to talk about grief as well, and how moving on from grief is not linear but sometimes needs a 'jumpstart'. Mark has spent the last year or so in the depths of grief because of the loss of his partner he couldn't tell anyone about. But as he starts to journey working with Eddie and talking to others at the Chronicle more, he starts to realize he may not have been as secretive as he thought he was, and finds allies he didn't know he had. These moments start to help him realize he can move on from what has happened, and even be happy again.
The journey the characters take is also a really great element of the story. With them going from barely knowing each other, to becoming work acquaintances to friends to lovers, the careful steps they take to make sure both of them are comfortable. The care they have for each other at every step. I really enjoyed seeing the whole process, especially as it relates to the baseball season.
For being a book with baseball mentioned, and a main part of one of the character's lives, the sport itself isn't as in depth as some other books that have it. Though Eddie is struggling with hitting, the book focuses a lot more on the Eddie and Mark themselves, with a background of a baseball stadium and articles about the team and players.
Overall, I really loved this book. Cat Sebastian is slowly becoming one of my favorite authors in this historical romance genre and I'm excited to dive into more of her stories.
5 out of 5 stars for me!
This book is scheduled to come out May 7, 2024.
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