Reviews - The Prospects | The StoryGraph

2.26k reviews for:

The Prospects

KT Hoffman

4.31 AVERAGE

beckie_mcg's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

kriseaf's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

3+ it was good! Something about the writing didn't quite catch me the way I was hoping it would, but overall it was a good story. I really loved both the main characters and the cast of secondary characters and I felt for their relationship. It could have been maybe 10% shorter, but I had a good time and I'm glad I read it.

popcornpigeon's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

emilyreadstoomuch's review against another edition

5.0

5 out of 5 stars, 10 out of 10 stars if ya nasty, 100 stars if I could. I have no idea how I'm going to put into words how much I love this book, but I will try my best!!!!!

Summary
Gene Ionescu knows his way around a baseball diamond, top to bottom, inside and out. He basically grew up on one watching his dad play for the Beaverton Beavers, the Portland Lumberjacks's Triple-A minor league team. He was literally made to play--except he wasn't. In his final year on Stanford's baseball team, Gene came out and soon became the first-ever trans man to play professional baseball. He has no plans to play in the majors, it would be silly to even hope for it, but he can lead his team, the Beavers, to the playoffs. But, before the season begins, Gene's former teammate and current target of his one-sided beef is traded to the Lumberjacks. He's not quite sure what it is, but something about Luis Estrada rubs Gene the wrong way. Now Gene has to figure out how to turn his losing-record team into a championship contender while learning to play alongside a man that he has not, can not, and will not ever understand. And maybe Gene will learn that Luis can rub him the right way, too.

My Thoughts
I am a huge baseball fan. I grew up playing softball year-round, my sister plays for the University of Arkansas, and I do not miss a single Houston Astros game if I can help it. You will have to yank bat-on-ball sports out of my cold, dead hands. As soon as I saw this book, just from the cover alone, I knew I was going to love it. And then I read the blurb, and I fell in love with Gene immediately. A trans man playing baseball??? Sign me the fuck up!!! Stories like this are so important, especially right now as lawmakers continuously try to keep trans people from competing in collegiate sports entirely.

I felt so connected to Gene. I cried along with him, I laughed when he laughed, I smiled at what made him smile, I struggled as he did. I see so much of myself and my sister in his journey with accepting and loving himself for who he is and playing to his strengths, not despite his body, but because of it. There's so much expectation as a public figure, and it's very easy to feel pulled in a thousand different directions to do what everybody else wants from you.

"People--teammates, coaches, fans, if you have them--watch you when you play, and they expect you to be that same person always. The version of yourself who steps onto the diamond and has all the rules memorized, all the right moves rehearsed. It's hard, sometimes to find the people you don't have to rehearse for."

There is something so beautiful in learning to live for yourself and not for anyone else. There is sometimes great power in being selfish for the right reasons. I found peace in doing what truly makes me happy, and I'm glad Gene does too. Because it's not a crime to want something, it's not inherently bad or foolish, even if it seems impossible.

KT Hoffman is such an incredibly, insanely, ridiculously talented writer. His characters are so dynamic and serve a true purpose to the story, no matter how small their role is. Each one of his sentences is layered with meaning, and his prose is almost lyrical. I mean LOOK AT THIS!!!!!!!!!!

"His mouth is warm and wet, and so is Gene."

AND THIS!!!!!!!!!!

"There, batting ninth, number zero: starting second baseman Gene Ionescu--the name he chose for himself, and the one he inherited from his dad, one stacked atop the other, an announcement and a vote of confidence all in one."

THAT IS REAL WRITING!!!!!! THAT IS HOW YOU WRITE A GODDAMN BOOK!!!!!!! I have not read a traditional romance book that has knocked me so completely off my ass as this one did in a very long time. I cannot wait to see what Hoffman publishes next, because if it's even half as good as this one, it will blow me away.

Thank you so so much Penguin Random House, Dial, NetGalley, and KT Hoffman for an advanced reader's copy of this book!!!!

thischarmingreader's review against another edition

4.5

funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

🌈 This book has been so highly recommended by so many friends, I’m delighted I finally made time to read it. What a wonderfully written book about being confident and about being accepting and about figuring out life.

Gene is the first trans man playing professional baseball in a Triple A team. His teammates are kind and accepting of him. His coach is someone he’s admired for years. His best friend is a married pitcher who lets him live in their house for free. His life is good.

And then Luis Estrada gets traded to his team. The same Luis Estrada that he thought was his friend in college, but didn’t even say goodbye when he left to play ball. Gene has hurt feelings.

Oh man! Their season starts out ROUGH. Like, these two could not be playing worse together. Good thing they have a brilliant coach. Time together allows them each to open up and expose their messy hearts. And wouldn’t you know that’s right exactly what they needed to find their groove. On the field and off. Woo boy! That off the field action is delectable. 🥵

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to stick with this one. For a person who enjoys reading and watching fictional sports-centered things, I don’t actually enjoy sports. And this one was filled to the brim with baseball talk. I’m so glad I stuck it out though. I care so much for all of the characters, not just our beautiful couple, Gene and Luis.

Recommended for lovers of a slow burn, admirable side characters, and baseball. Like, baseball is a character in this one. ⚾️

#romance #romancebooks #gayromance #mmromance #transrepresentation #neurodiverse #anxietyrep #theprospects #kthoffman #bookrecs #bookreview #bookstagram