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

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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

5.0


When I tell you I love this book, I mean I LOVED IT. I laughed, I swooned, I cried, I left feeling warm and fuzzy. I think I highlighted 90% of it.

This is a story about a grieving writer who is kind but sharp edged and closed off, and a baseball player who is optimistic by choice and willing to fight for what he wants with cheerful tenacity. In 1960, Eddie is a ballplayer experiencing a terrible slump in his first year playing with the major leagues in NYC and Mark is a reporter reluctantly assigned to write about him. The following slow burn is tantalizing and perfect.

It’s a romance but it’s also a reflection on life, on the slumps we all face, the bad things that are bound to happen, and the people we need to carry us through those times until our luck changes, as it is bound to eventually. This is a story about the hits we can pull off if we keep trying, the runs we can score as long as we keep swinging.

This is my ideal historical fiction, where the setting is well thought out and clear in the story but the focus is about the people existing in that world. History is made up of actual people, and while this is fiction, I feel like the story genuinely reflects that concept. It doesn’t shy away from the fact that existing as a queer person in 1960 was hard (not that it’s easy now, but things were different) but it also doesn’t get hung up on the tragedy. It shows that of course queer people have always found a way to love one another, and of course queer people can find happiness despite the obstacles stacked against them. The side characters are rich and loveable and help to tell this story of getting back up and trying again, waiting for the tide to finally turn back in our favor, and relying on your team to carry you through until you can do the same for them in turn.

Anyway gonna go cry about baseball as a metaphor for life while you all buy this book okay thanks

(this is an ARC review)
 
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