You Should Be So Lucky: A Novel

by Cat Sebastian

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

A trope salad — opposites attract, slow burn, forced proximity and more — queer romance with dynamic characters, addictive angst and sparkling prose. From the conflict to the domesticity, there's so much to love.

An emotional, slow-burn, grumpy/sunshine, queer mid-century romance for fans of Evvie Drake Starts Over, about grief and found family, between the new star shortstop stuck in a batting slump and the reporter assigned to (reluctantly) cover his first season—set in the same universe as We Could Be So Good.

The 1960 baseball season is shaping up to be the worst year of Eddie O’Leary’s life. He can’t manage to hit the ball, his new teammates hate him, he’s living out of a suitcase, and he’s homesick. When the team’s owner orders him to give a bunch of interviews to some snobby reporter, he’s ready to call it quits. He can barely manage to behave himself for the length of a game, let alone an entire season. But he’s already on thin ice, so he has no choice but to agree.

Mark Bailey is not a sports reporter. He writes for the arts page, and these days he’s barely even managing to do that much. He’s had a rough year and just wants to be left alone in his too-empty apartment, mourning a partner he’d never been able to be public about. The last thing he needs is to spend a season writing about New York’s obnoxious new shortstop in a stunt to get the struggling newspaper more readers.

Isolated together within the crush of an anonymous city, these two lonely souls orbit each other as they slowly give in to the inevitable gravity of their attraction. But Mark has vowed that he’ll never be someone’s secret ever again, and Eddie can’t be out as a professional athlete. It’s just them against the world, and they’ll both have to decide if that’s enough.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063272804
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/07/2024
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	11,053
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Cat Sebastian writes queer historical romances. Cat’s books include We Could Be So Good and the Turner series, and have received starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist. Before writing, Cat was a lawyer and a teacher and did a variety of other jobs she liked much less than she enjoys writing happy endings for queer people. She was born in New Jersey and lived in New York and Arizona before settling down in a swampy part of the South. When she isn’t writing, she’s probably reading, having one-sided conversations with her dog, or doing the crossword puzzle.

Editorial Reviews

★ 03/11/2024

Sebastian delivers another irresistible period romance in this poignant spin-off of We Could Be So Good. In 1960, New York Chronicle reporter Mark Bailey is assigned to ghostwrite the diary of Eddie O’Leary, the alienated new shortstop for the Robins, an MLB expansion team. The diary entries, published weekly in Mark’s newspsper, are designed to get people to like Eddie, who’s in a horrible slump. Having been depressed for more than a year since the death of his lover, William, the prickly Mark unexpectedly enjoys getting to know the equally lonely Eddie over dinners, finding that “beneath the layer of grief, something is starting to stir.” He depicts Eddie as a lovable underdog in his column—emphasis on lovable. Meanwhile, the sight of Mark in the stands makes Eddie beam so brightly others start to notice. The men’s increasingly flirtatious friendship could be dangerous for Eddie, a public figure who inspires legions of fans. Mark, who “doesn’t make much of a secret” of his sexuality, worries their connection will ruin Eddie’s career. The pair’s endearing slow-burn romance, which plays out between ball games and on the Robins’ road trips, delivers a big emotional payoff. (“ ‘I love you,’ Eddie says... ‘You’re a nightmare,’ Mark returns, in precisely the same tone of voice.”) Readers will melt. Agent: Deidre Knight, Knight Agency. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Cat Sebastian writes about love in all its forms with the care, warmth and effortless mastery of someone putting a homecooked meal in front of you. I don't know how she keeps getting better, or how she managed to make me care so much about a sport I know literally nothing about, but this one is—again!—the best yet. A truly wonderful and heart-healing romance about community, grief, perseverance, New York bakeries—and baseball." — Freya Marske, bestselling author of A Marvellous Light

"It's impossible not to be romantic about baseball in YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY. It's a book about second chances, the inevitability of failure, and the everyday miracle of finding—and deserving—love. As with all Cat Sebastian books, this one changed me irreversibly. For everyone who's ever had to come back from the worst thing they've ever imagined; for everyone who longs for life to be surprising and wonderful again. I never wanted to put this book down—I laughed, I sighed, I cried, and I know I will return to it many, many times." — Olivia Blake, NYT bestselling author of the Atlas series

“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… Hoping, loving are things you do for their own sake, to mark being a human among other humans... If you read one romance this spring, make it this one.”
— New York Times Book Review

"Another wonderful read from Cat Sebastian. This book was like a big warm hug, with wonderful characters you can't help but root for. Mark and Eddie stole my heart within the first few pages, and their story of love and growth, especially in the face of grief, will be a sure hit with readers." — Emma Denny

"Sebastian’s latest is full of grumpy/sunshine goodness, with an absolutely delicious slow-burn romance." — Library Journal (starred review)

"Sebastian delivers another irresistible period romance in this poignant spin-off of We Could Be So Good... The pair’s endearing slow-burn romance, which plays out between ball games and on the Robins’ road trips, delivers a big emotional payoff. (“‘I love you,’ Eddie says... ‘You’re a nightmare,’ Mark returns, in precisely the same tone of voice.”) Readers will melt." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A delicious slow burn threaded with midcentury New York detail… Elegant character development and strong, witty writing make this one a home run… Another stunning queer historical romance from a writer at the top of her game.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Sebastian delivers a home run of a romance that gracefully pivots from moments of sweet romantic yearning to sizzling sensual heat with perfect aplomb. Readers are so lucky to have books by the ridiculously talented Sebastian, who makes writing superbly satisfying love stories with wry wit and endless empathy seem effortless." — Booklist (starred review)

“Cat Sebastian’s latest queer historical romance is a love letter to resilience and the power of bravery… Like baseball fans throughout history, You Should Be So Lucky roots for victory—even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.”  — BookPage (starred review)

"Cat Sebastian is responsible for writing some of the best queer historical romances in recent memory, and her latest is yet another home run (pun very much intended)." — Marie Claire

“Queer historical romance author Cat Sebastian hits a home run in You Should Be So Lucky, a sexy and heartwarming will-they-or-won't-they set in the world of 1960s New York baseball… Through stolen glances across crowded diners and locker rooms, Sebastian shows readers a world where love has to grow in the shadows. But this novel isn't just about stolen kisses. Sebastian excels at light, smart prose to develop relatable characters like Eddie… You Should Be So Lucky is about finding solace in unexpected places, second chances, and the courage to swing for the fences, whatever the odds.” — Shelf Awareness

From the Publisher

★ 04/01/2024

It's 1960, and the baseball season isn't going well for shortstop Eddie O'Leary. He's been traded to a mediocre expansion team, which he learned very publicly and didn't react to well. His new teammates are giving him the silent treatment, his batting average is dismal, and the fans boo him regularly, on the field and off. He's beyond homesick and lonely, and it's all he can do to keep his temper on the field, let alone with the press afterwards. Meanwhile, grieving arts writer Mark Bailey scarcely leaves his apartment anymore, but his editor has just assigned him to report a series of articles about Eddie. Mark is not a sports reporter, and he has no desire to spend an entire season in close proximity with the baseball team. But as the two men get to know each other, their attraction becomes impossible to deny. Eddie can't come out and keep his job, but Mark won't have his sexuality be a secret anymore. Do they have a future? VERDICT Sebastian's (We Could Be So Good) latest is full of grumpy/sunshine goodness, with an absolutely delicious slow-burn romance.—Rebecca Moe

Library Journal

Narrator Joel Leslie brings his usual charm to Cat Sebastian's latest historical romance. Eddie O'Leary, the star shortstop for the New York Robins, is not having a star season--he's deep in a record-breaking slump. Mark Bailey, a reporter for the NEW YORK CHRONICLE who is mourning the death of his partner, certainly doesn't want to write weekly columns about Eddie. Leslie beautifully captures the nuances of both characters: Mark's sharp humor and deep loneliness, Eddie's outward optimism and internal doubt. Leslie's narration is wry during Eddie and Mark's long-distance phone calls and incredibly gentle when Mark allows himself to grieve. This is a cozy, joyful, moving book about failure and letting yourself be seen. Romance--and baseball--fans will be delighted. L.S. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

MAY 2024 - AudioFile