A review by ramunepocky
The Prospects by KT Hoffman

emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

“He understands wanting to look queer. It had made his life harder, but it also made everything in him quiet in a way he never thought he’d achieve.” 

This review is not spoiler free 

I am going to preface this by informing you that I know absolutely nothing about Baseball – I have never played it before, I have never watched it before, it is not a game I have any particular interest in and therefore have zero knowledge of. Consequently, this means that I had not a single clue what was happening during the games, or what any of the sports jargon meant, but that is my experience with every single sports book and it doesn’t impact my enjoyment at all. For someone who is not at all a sports enjoyer, I love sports books so much, probably for the found family element within teams, but alas. Regardless, I absolutely adored this book, it was so sweet and sad in places, and so beautiful! 

I loved the main character, Gene, so much, and it broke my heart the way that he wouldn’t allow himself to want anything, and how he’d only let people see the good in him, and not the bad too. I loved watching him throughout the book and letting that hope turn into want and allowing himself to want big things for himself instead of just being comfortable with what he had, and aspiring for more. I loved his dynamic with the team, and I loved that he always wore his trans flag cleats, and that even though he’d faced prejudice for it and it had been harder for him, he loved being out and proud and loudly a trans man in sport. I loved the way that he and Baker had an understanding of each other, and both looked out for each other, even the times when they were angry and expressing themselves wrong, they’d still been saying what they’d said with the other person in mind. I adored Gene’s dynamic with Vince; their friendship was my absolute favourite thing. And I truly truly adore Gene’s dynamic with Luis – the steady trickle from reluctant teammates again to friends to more, and how his growing feelings for Luis made it even harder for him to come to terms with the fact that in this sport, people come and go and leave. It was sad watching him struggle with that, knowing that Vince would be retiring soon and assuming Luis would be moving up soon, but I’m glad that he managed to come to terms with it and find it more bearable than he had, and that he still got to keep the people that meant the most close. 

My favourite character was Luis, I loved him so much, he was very misunderstood and people, including Gene, often thought the worst of him because he was closed off, and didn’t often share parts of himself, and wasn’t comfortable in team social situations. I resonated a lot with how vicous his anxiety could be, and it was heartbreaking to learn that he’d been in that car accident because he’d been having a panic attack. I loved that he had Dodger, his emotional support dog, and seeing Dodger interact with Luis and how he comforted him when he was getting anxious. It was evident to me how much baseball was making Luis anxious, especially when he had a panic attack again about being moved up, and how he’d shared that it wasn’t the first time that it had happened, and I’m glad that he made the decision for himself to take a step away from baseball and go back to school instead. It was really sweet when he came out to his family too and how supportive and accepting they all were. I loved his dynamic with Gene too and the slow build up of their friendship again and their relationship, and how it turned out that Luis had liked Gene back then too, before he’d came out, and had kept tabs on him, bless his heart. I also loved that the last game they’d played of the season, they’d worn each other’s jerseys to make it evident without really saying anything that they were dating. 

I absolutely adored Vince too!! I was quite annoyed with him tbh when he took his frustration and anger out on Gene about it being his last season and how he couldn’t perform due to his injury, but I was so glad when they made up again. Their friendship was so sweet and I loved it so much! I loved that Gene had been made to feel instantly welcome by Vince coming out to him and introducing him to his husband, and how Gene lived in the apartment attached to their house. I loved their weekly rituals and their entire dynamic! And I loved how Vince had teased Gene about Luis even before Luis was on their team, and how he just continued to do so as Gene got closer to Luis again and ended up with him. Vince’s relationship with his husband was so sweet too, and it filled me with joy to learn they were going to become parents once Vince retired. 

All in all, I really really loved this book !!! And I’d love to read anything else the author writes, even more books about sports that I don’t understand, because this was really enjoyable and I adored absolutely everything about it!! 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings