A review by dufremde
You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian

emotional 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

4.25

this time period (mid-century America) is clearly Sebastian's comfort zone when it comes to historical settings; it feels like such a lived-in backdrop to these queer romances. I loved the stakes in this one—it touches on the tricky relationship between a reporter and his source, the calculus of safety and freedom that affects each protagonist's worldview, and the sacrifices and concessions they each have to make in order to maintain the important relationships in their lives. 

it also hit another soft spot of mine—baseball—while also examining grief with devastating emotional clarity. Mark's friendship with the aging sportswriter was a pleasant surprise, and while some of the team dynamics felt a little too good to be true (mostly in Ardolino's characterization, although I was ultimately ok with the soft-focus approach to depicting a major league baseball team 10 years into integration in a romance book), I still enjoyed Eddie's journey to finding his place within this ragtag bunch.

the late-night batting practice scene where Mark tags along was especially well-done, and the idea of the magazine profile as a form of love letter really landed for me.