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sarahyjackson's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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
4.5
I loved the interrogation of hoping/wanting; Gene’s love of his trans body and his physicality in intimacy; and the tenderness of scenes between Luis and Gene. I also felt like their characterizations were really consistent and faceted! Spice also great, if a long time coming.
I felt that it was *a lot* of baseball. I am used to sports in sports romance being a kind of backdrop that moves the characters from event to event and this was a bit more of a sports homage than I wanted - but I think baseball fans will adore. Also the way conflict was managed/resolved sometimes felt kind of clunky to me? Like a split take where I’d missed something.
Either way! Baseball season is nigh! Trans men are men! Drop Estrada’s hair products, cowards!
I felt that it was *a lot* of baseball. I am used to sports in sports romance being a kind of backdrop that moves the characters from event to event and this was a bit more of a sports homage than I wanted - but I think baseball fans will adore. Also the way conflict was managed/resolved sometimes felt kind of clunky to me? Like a split take where I’d missed something.
Either way! Baseball season is nigh! Trans men are men! Drop Estrada’s hair products, cowards!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia
Minor: Deadnaming
caseythereader's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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? No
4.75
Thanks to The Dial Press for the free copy of this book.
- You’ve seen endless great reviews for this book, and let me tell you, they are all absolutely correct. What a gift of a book THE PROSPECTS is!
- Gene and Luis have my whole heart. What beautiful, soft men, learning to let themselves have what they dream of.
- The supporting cast is wonderful, too. I would gladly read whole books about Vince, Baker, or the Kyles.
- If you’re worried about the baseball, don’t. It’s a sport I feel neutral about and I was still swept along with the story.
- You’ve seen endless great reviews for this book, and let me tell you, they are all absolutely correct. What a gift of a book THE PROSPECTS is!
- Gene and Luis have my whole heart. What beautiful, soft men, learning to let themselves have what they dream of.
- The supporting cast is wonderful, too. I would gladly read whole books about Vince, Baker, or the Kyles.
- If you’re worried about the baseball, don’t. It’s a sport I feel neutral about and I was still swept along with the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Medical content, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia
Minor: Deadnaming, Racism, and Car accident
jennireadsmaybe's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? Yes
Imagine my delight when I found out there was a trans + queer baseball romance coming out where the main character is the first trans man to play professional baseball. The Prospects is everything I love about romance and sports and queer/trans identity mixed into one totally delightful, heartwarming story.
Gene is the kind of character that will stick with me for the rest of my life. He's an optimist, but he's so afraid to dream of more for himself. His romance with Luis is yearning personified. The former teammates turned rivals turned teammates want each other so badly that they don't quite know how to leave the other be. Truly, I would do anything to protect them from the world.
K.T. Hoffman isn't afraid to acknowledge the tough conversations around just how white and cis-het baseball is. But, at its heart, The Prospects is a story of hope, friendship, community, romance, dreaming, and all the different forms love that we have for people. I can't wait to see what is to come for K.T. Hoffman!!
Gene is the kind of character that will stick with me for the rest of my life. He's an optimist, but he's so afraid to dream of more for himself. His romance with Luis is yearning personified. The former teammates turned rivals turned teammates want each other so badly that they don't quite know how to leave the other be. Truly, I would do anything to protect them from the world.
K.T. Hoffman isn't afraid to acknowledge the tough conversations around just how white and cis-het baseball is. But, at its heart, The Prospects is a story of hope, friendship, community, romance, dreaming, and all the different forms love that we have for people. I can't wait to see what is to come for K.T. Hoffman!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Transphobia
auteaandtales's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for the review copy!
This was such a wholesome, heartwarming romance! Gene is a lovable, loud, optimistic and funny man with a huge passion and drive for his goals and learns not to be afraid to demand what he wants. Luis is so soft, sweet and sensitive and a perfect balance for Gene.
This was such a wholesome, heartwarming romance! Gene is a lovable, loud, optimistic and funny man with a huge passion and drive for his goals and learns not to be afraid to demand what he wants. Luis is so soft, sweet and sensitive and a perfect balance for Gene.
There’s so much hope and joy in this book with great communication, banter and conflicts. I also loved the rep, which includes ADHD and anxiety, as well as some disability rep in side characters which include a Deaf character and a character with Down’s syndrome.
Although, this being a sports romance, I knew there would be sports in the book of course (specifically baseball) but there was a LOT of baseball talk. As someone not really into baseball, or sports at all, I’d have preferred it to be more of a background theme but that’s on me because the book couldn’t have made it any clearer on what I would be getting into.
Saying that, I really appreciated and loved the focus on how cis and straight sports are and how Gene and Luis existing in the industry was breaking barriers. This is such an empowering and inspiring message. I also loved the passion the author clearly shares with Gene, especially, on their love for baseball.
It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel. I endlessly recommend it! Especially if you’re a baseball fan.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Transphobia
obscurepages's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.0
Okay I was not prepared for how tender and hopeful this book was going to be 😭 I think this book surprised me, most of all, with the way it showed trans experience, queer love, and optimism among marginalized communities to its readers.
It might just feel dense and slow at times, but I loved the pining and romance. And I cried in one emotional scene, because one line reminded me of Ed and Stede from OFMD, well... there's nothing I can do about that 😂
This is all I will say for now! Will be posting a full review on my tour stop (Bookstagram + Blog) with Colored Pages Book Tours!
Exact rating: 4 ⭐️
CW: panic attacks, anxiety, transphobia, homophobia, misogyny, sexual content
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Transphobia
Minor: Misogyny
aromanticreadsromance's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
What a cute, feel good debut!! This book had me feeling so giddy. It seriously felt like a warm hug. The joyful trans representation (because trans people's lives aren't ONLY traumatic) written by a trans author was delightful. I was kicking my feet at the romance. I know next to nothing about baseball, but I could feel the author's love for it emanating from the page (i.e., my Kindle screen).
I loved so much about this book. In this review, you will see a lot of the phrase "I love(d)." Let's start with the representation. Gene is a 26-year-old white gay trans man with ADHD (it is OwnVoices trans and ADHD rep). He has Romanian ancestry (his last name is Ionescu). Luis is a 28-year-old Mexican-American closeted gay man with anxiety/panic disorder and a therapy dog. Gene's best friend, Vince, is a 38-year-old baseball player, also gay, with a Deaf/Hard of hearing husband. They are in the beginning stages of adopting a child. Gene's dad, his biological uncle, is, guess what? ALSO! GAY!
Even though we hear a little about Gene's hardships of being trans, especially those of being a trans (the first and only trans!) Minor League baseball player (namely the medical surveillance), this book is SO. HOPEFUL. Gene's transness was just as much a crutch as being a woman on a men's sports team would have been for him, in different ways. His team has always been accepting of him. He's able to change in the same locker room as all the other guys. He can access hormones (with weekly bloodwork, to make sure he's not overdosing on testosterone, which is dismissed as a ludicrous idea but a realistic requirement). He had top surgery and is proud of his scars. He is never misgendered on page (except maybe once, when a character 'unintentionally' groups him in with the WAGs/wives and girlfriends). He mentions off page experiences of people asking him WAY too personal questions. When he talks about his past, pre-coming out and pre-transition, he still refers to himself as "he" and "Gene" (through the third person narrator). We know Gene is his chosen name, and we have NO idea what his deadname was. Luis knew Gene when they were on the same college baseball team pre-coming out, and he never once slips up. I LOVE how Luis, a self-identified gay man, has no identity crises about falling for a trans man (and if he does internally, we never hear about them because it's not written in his POV). Luis still identifies as gay after falling for Gene (he's never suddenly like "oh maybe I'm bi now"), showing how he views Gene as another guy.
I loved the vulnerability both Gene and Luis showed each other. It had me SWOONING. The sex scenes were also *chef's kiss*. Gene has been on testosterone for years, but there is no talk of "bottom growth" (which I know varies from person to person and only affects the size of the clitoris and clitoral hood). Besides a deepening voice, Gene doesn't mention any other changes from HRT (e.g., increased sex drive, etc.). I'd love to see the normalization of phrases like "his pussy," and I LOVE that Gene doesn't have any dysphoria surrounding his anatomy (or none that he voices, and we're in his head). He's not insecure that Luis wouldn't want him because of it. I do wish we got to see more of their time together in college, because Gene makes it seem like they were close-ish. I understand not wanting to do flashbacks, though, because it was pre-coming out.
My biggest gripe, that I feel some Latine readers might share or have more to elaborate on than me, is that very little is known about Luis's Latinidad. All we know is that Luis's father, Luis Sr., was "an international signee out of Mexico" (his dad was also a baseball player). His skin is described as "bright and beautiful brown" (whatever "bright brown" skin tone means, haha). When Gene joins Luis on a visit to his family, it feels like just another white "culture" or household. This might be because his dad died, and I'm not sure if his mom is also Mexican or if she's white and they met in the States? Either way, Luis's dad died when he was 18, so you would think some cultural traditions would have been preserved or mentioned. This is somewhat resolved with the single POV (but that also feels like a cop out), but Luis doesn't talk about his culture (and Gene doesn't ask).
I don't really like to give stars ratings for books (because how do you quantify feelings), but if I HAD to, this would be at least four stars? I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it.
Thank you to The Dial Press for an advanced copy of this book! All thoughts are my own.
I loved so much about this book. In this review, you will see a lot of the phrase "I love(d)." Let's start with the representation. Gene is a 26-year-old white gay trans man with ADHD (it is OwnVoices trans and ADHD rep). He has Romanian ancestry (his last name is Ionescu). Luis is a 28-year-old Mexican-American closeted gay man with anxiety/panic disorder and a therapy dog. Gene's best friend, Vince, is a 38-year-old baseball player, also gay, with a Deaf/Hard of hearing husband. They are in the beginning stages of adopting a child. Gene's dad, his biological uncle, is, guess what? ALSO! GAY!
Even though we hear a little about Gene's hardships of being trans, especially those of being a trans (the first and only trans!) Minor League baseball player (namely the medical surveillance), this book is SO. HOPEFUL. Gene's transness was just as much a crutch as being a woman on a men's sports team would have been for him, in different ways. His team has always been accepting of him. He's able to change in the same locker room as all the other guys. He can access hormones (with weekly bloodwork, to make sure he's not overdosing on testosterone, which is dismissed as a ludicrous idea but a realistic requirement). He had top surgery and is proud of his scars. He is never misgendered on page (except maybe once, when a character 'unintentionally' groups him in with the WAGs/wives and girlfriends). He mentions off page experiences of people asking him WAY too personal questions. When he talks about his past, pre-coming out and pre-transition, he still refers to himself as "he" and "Gene" (through the third person narrator). We know Gene is his chosen name, and we have NO idea what his deadname was. Luis knew Gene when they were on the same college baseball team pre-coming out, and he never once slips up. I LOVE how Luis, a self-identified gay man, has no identity crises about falling for a trans man (and if he does internally, we never hear about them because it's not written in his POV). Luis still identifies as gay after falling for Gene (he's never suddenly like "oh maybe I'm bi now"), showing how he views Gene as another guy.
I loved the vulnerability both Gene and Luis showed each other. It had me SWOONING. The sex scenes were also *chef's kiss*. Gene has been on testosterone for years, but there is no talk of "bottom growth" (which I know varies from person to person and only affects the size of the clitoris and clitoral hood). Besides a deepening voice, Gene doesn't mention any other changes from HRT (e.g., increased sex drive, etc.). I'd love to see the normalization of phrases like "his pussy," and I LOVE that Gene doesn't have any dysphoria surrounding his anatomy (or none that he voices, and we're in his head). He's not insecure that Luis wouldn't want him because of it. I do wish we got to see more of their time together in college, because Gene makes it seem like they were close-ish. I understand not wanting to do flashbacks, though, because it was pre-coming out.
My biggest gripe, that I feel some Latine readers might share or have more to elaborate on than me, is that very little is known about Luis's Latinidad. All we know is that Luis's father, Luis Sr., was "an international signee out of Mexico" (his dad was also a baseball player). His skin is described as "bright and beautiful brown" (whatever "bright brown" skin tone means, haha). When Gene joins Luis on a visit to his family, it feels like just another white "culture" or household. This might be because his dad died, and I'm not sure if his mom is also Mexican or if she's white and they met in the States? Either way, Luis's dad died when he was 18, so you would think some cultural traditions would have been preserved or mentioned. This is somewhat resolved with the single POV (but that also feels like a cop out), but Luis doesn't talk about his culture (and Gene doesn't ask).
I don't really like to give stars ratings for books (because how do you quantify feelings), but if I HAD to, this would be at least four stars? I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it.
Thank you to The Dial Press for an advanced copy of this book! All thoughts are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Transphobia
Minor: Medical content and Car accident
just_one_more_paige's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.0
Shoutout to @booksnblazers for putting this one on my radar! And then thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press for granting my request for the eARC. I am not usually a sports romance person. I have tried a few. (I read Intercepted by Alexa Martin a few years ago and thought it was ok. And maybe others I have forgotten?) And I have not yet tried to (in)famous hockey situation yet... But this trans and queer minor league baseball (insert inflammatory opinion about how baseball is more of a pastime than a sport anyways) situation intrigued me.
Quick synopsis. Gene Ionescu is an underdog, an optimist, and is *just about* living all his dreams, playing as part of a minor league baseball team (the first openly trans player to do so) in Oregon, the Beaverton Beavers. He's got everything carefully balanced out, until his former teammate, Luis Estrada, is traded to the Beavers. Gene and Luis just do not get along, and their inability to play together is putting the team into a tough - losing a lot - place. So, for the sake of the team, they begrudgingly start doing some extra practice time together...and the tension between them turns to a different sort altogether. Now, Gene and Luis are trying to balance totally new things, like their individual dreams of playing in the majors (or not, as it turns out) and their beliefs (or not, again, as it were) that they can pursue both that and be together.
Look, like I said, I don't do baseball. I think it's a silly sport. But I won't lie - I do enjoy the social aspect of going to watch the local team (the Durham Bulls!) now and again. And it turns out that I really did enjoy reading this and imagining this team, their relationships and dramas and all of it, happening in that setting. It was low-key more fun than I'd anticipated. Also, I was entirely in support of this taking over “America's pastime” with queer characters. That is everything I want in a sports-based socio-cultural upheaval! One more sports comment... I thought the inclusion of the local game/color commentators was such a great nod to the uniqueness of small town/local sports. Granted my experience with that kind of commentary is all soccer-related, but I think the vibes are similar. And it was a really fun aspect and a great way to move the story forward quickly, at a few points (the baseball season is so long!), and I appreciated that.
As far as the rest of the book goes, Gene and Luis are so painfully, but sweetly, awkward. I was a little worried to start, because this is a :just one POV" romance (Gene's), and I was afraid of Luis being able to get over his tough first impressions without his own narrative voice, but it turned out just fine. The enemies-to-lovers turn felt successful and genuine. They both ended up being so vulnerable with each other (content warning and shoutout for very real anxiety and panic attack rep) and I couldn't get enough of that. I was also super happy with the overall way this played out, both with the relationship and with the baseball career storylines. There was a lot of messaging about following your own dreams, giving yourself the space to decide what exactly those dreams are, for yourself, and then allowing yourself to want and go for them. (A note here, there was also a wonderful side-story, two really, about also knowing when it's time to let a dream go and find new ones - it was heartbreaking and fulfilling at the same time). Overall, there was a lot of emotional maturity showcased in this novel and I do love that in a romance.
Two random highlights: The Kyles. I mean all the teammates, really, but those three were great. Alright fine, also Vince. And the manager. Ok fine, the side characters were all really good (and very diverse!). The bonus material at the end - the walkout song list, the annotated bagel recipe and running playlist - were super fun and sweet additions.
Finally, I want to note that this book is so goddamn hopeful that it hurts. And that’s a feeling that is so important to have, now and again, and to remember how it feels. In reading the Author's Note, that seemed to be a major purpose in the writing of this novel. And I want Hoffman to know that It. Came. Through. Maybe not everything that happens seems possible right now. But that doesn't mean it won't ever be, or that that's a reason not to try/dream for it, and that is the message. The unabashed joy in being who you are - in regards to both gender and sexuality - is on full display here. And even if it's not always/universally supported, it's still very, very worth focusing on the many who DO support, and celebrate, that inclusion. When I finished reading this, I felt full. I love that feeling. Everyone deserves to have it, to see it for themselves and people like themselves. Beautiful.
"Love without the details, he has always found, is easier to receive."
"...there's something a little freeing in admitting to yourself that something will scare you no matter how well you prepare."
"But the other part, the part that queer people maybe understand better than anyone else, is the act of a parent changing the shape of their home so it can fit you, and loving you as much as they always have. More, because they know you better now."
"Hope can be selfless. But wanting feels selfish, and wanting means disappointment. / Hope doesn't? / Hope and optimism, are, like...shots in the dark. Wanting is specific, and it's hungry. It's nuance."
"It is absolutely like Gene to force himself not to want something just because the possibility of not getting it, the grief of losing something he never had, hurts too much. It's one of his best skills."
"You were literally made to be on a baseball diamond. Which is kind of incredible, because you were also not at all made to be on a baseball diamond."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Homophobia, Transphobia, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
shelvesofivy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
3.75
Thank you Random House and NetGalley for this arc!
The incredible cover art is what first caught my attention, and when I learned that the MC was trans, I was sold. While this book certainly puts you through an emotional roller coaster, it's still brimming with queer joy.
Gene is such a great main character to follow. He's an out and proud gay, trans man whose strength lies in his optimism (among other qualities). Even so, it's a learned/forced optimism and that makes him relatable in a way that hurts so good. Meanwhile, he compliments the other characters around him so well—most of all Luis, of course.
This book is very clearly a love letter to baseball, so I think that baseball fans will get a lot out of it. Admittedly a lot of the technical stuff either didn’t interest me, or I found myself straight up not understanding certain aspects.
The pacing also lagged just slightly. Between 50-60% especially, I found the story dragging by a little slowly and had to make myself continue reading. This lag is what kept it from being higher rated for me.
The stars of this book are the characters, their dialogue, and the prose. The writing itself was super lovely—I found myself both laughing and crying.
As a whole, this was such a sweet romance! I'd recommend it to anyone who loves queer joy, deep conversations, and sports romances.
The incredible cover art is what first caught my attention, and when I learned that the MC was trans, I was sold. While this book certainly puts you through an emotional roller coaster, it's still brimming with queer joy.
Gene is such a great main character to follow. He's an out and proud gay, trans man whose strength lies in his optimism (among other qualities). Even so, it's a learned/forced optimism and that makes him relatable in a way that hurts so good. Meanwhile, he compliments the other characters around him so well—most of all Luis, of course.
This book is very clearly a love letter to baseball, so I think that baseball fans will get a lot out of it. Admittedly a lot of the technical stuff either didn’t interest me, or I found myself straight up not understanding certain aspects.
The pacing also lagged just slightly. Between 50-60% especially, I found the story dragging by a little slowly and had to make myself continue reading. This lag is what kept it from being higher rated for me.
The stars of this book are the characters, their dialogue, and the prose. The writing itself was super lovely—I found myself both laughing and crying.
As a whole, this was such a sweet romance! I'd recommend it to anyone who loves queer joy, deep conversations, and sports romances.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Moderate: Transphobia, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia