Cat Sebastian returns to the world of We Could Be So Good with You Should Be So Lucky. If that first book was basically Newsies but gay, then this one is Sebastian’s take on sports romances. Journey back to the late 1950s, where grumpy reporter, Mark Bailey, is assigned an ongoing column about Eddie O’Leary, the newest member of a local Major League Baseball team and current sufferer of one of the worst slumps in baseball history. Mark’s not a sports writer by any stretch of the imagination, so he’s unsure what to expect from his interactions with Eddie. But what he definitely doesn’t expect, however, is to fall in love with the city’s most talked about baseball player. It’s a love story for the ages – if they can just navigate their way through it. 

Put simply, if you loved We Could Be So Good, you’ll love You Should Be So Lucky. Sebastian’s gift for crafting heartbreakingly real characters is on full display. Eddie’s one of those men who so desperately wants to be a force of joy in the world. He craves love just as much as he craves making those around him happy. And the fact that he finds himself in this unbreakable slump eviscerates him, triggering the very worst of his insecurities. And then, on the other hand, there’s Mark, caught somewhere between being an open book and being a one-man-fortress-of-solitude. If Eddie needs adoration, then Mark needs to be understood. As a pairing, they’re the stereotypical lovable grump/ray of endless sunshine. But Sebastian gives both of them such depth that it’s easy to find yourself wrapped up in their lives. Sebastian makes you love these characters, she gets you invested in their romance, and she makes it easy to understand why they fall for each other.

Even better than that is the way she uses their courtship to explore much bigger themes – themes of grief, found family, and the danger and importance of being true to yourself. This is a story about two men who find each other, despite all odds. But it’s also a story of finding your inner strength – whether that’s the strength to move on from a traumatic event or to simply grant yourself an ounce of grace. At times, it can be a hard read. But it’s never too much, never too devastating, and never trauma for the sake of trauma. It’s just a dose of raw humanity on full display. Sebastian’s writing is filled with warmth, love, and just so much joy. You Should Be So Lucky is the kind of book that simultaneously overjoys you while also wholly wrecking you from the inside out. And to elaborate on that balance would absolutely ruin the experience, so it’s best to expect laughter and tears in equal supply.

At the end of the day, You Should Be So Lucky is a joyous, fast-paced, immensely compulsive read from start to finish. It’s the kind of book that digs under your skin and sticks with you long after you read it. The kind of book that wrecks you, but in the most joyous of ways. Sebastian’s novels always read like the literary equivalent of comfort food in the best way possible – and that’s certainly true for You Should Be So Lucky. This is the kind of book you read if you need a warm hug, a glimpse at the true joys of loving someone so fully. It’s the perfect read for a light, breezy summer day and a book that’s easy to lose yourself in for a few hours.

4.5 out of 5 wands.

You Should Be So Lucky is available now in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.

DISCLAIMER: A review copy of You Should Be So Lucky was provided by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for a fair review. All thoughts are my own.