Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

You Should Be So Lucky

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

An emotional, slow-burn, grumpy/sunshine, queer mid-century romance for fans of Evvie Drake Starts Over, about grief and found family, between the new star shortstop stuck in a batting slump and the reporter assigned to (reluctantly) cover his first season—set in the same universe as We Could Be So Good.

The 1960 baseball season is shaping up to be the worst year of Eddie O'Leary's life. He can't manage to hit the ball, his new teammates hate him, he's living out of a suitcase, and he's homesick. When the team's owner orders him to give a bunch of interviews to some snobby reporter, he's ready to call it quits. He can barely manage to behave himself for the length of a game, let alone an entire season. But he's already on thin ice, so he has no choice but to agree.

Mark Bailey is not a sports reporter. He writes for the arts page, and these days he's barely even managing to do that much. He's had a rough year and just wants to be left alone in his too-empty apartment, mourning a partner he'd never been able to be public about. The last thing he needs is to spend a season writing about New York's obnoxious new shortstop in a stunt to get the struggling newspaper more readers.

Isolated together within the crush of an anonymous city, these two lonely souls orbit each other as they slowly give in to the inevitable gravity of their attraction. But Mark has vowed that he'll never be someone's secret ever again, and Eddie can't be out as a professional athlete. It's just them against the world, and they'll both have to decide if that's enough.


  • Creators

  • Series

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from March 11, 2024
      Sebastian delivers another irresistible period romance in this poignant spin-off of We Could Be So Good. In 1960, New York Chronicle reporter Mark Bailey is assigned to ghostwrite the diary of Eddie O’Leary, the alienated new shortstop for the Robins, an MLB expansion team. The diary entries, published weekly in Mark’s newspsper, are designed to get people to like Eddie, who’s in a horrible slump. Having been depressed for more than a year since the death of his lover, William, the prickly Mark unexpectedly enjoys getting to know the equally lonely Eddie over dinners, finding that “beneath the layer of grief, something is starting to stir.” He depicts Eddie as a lovable underdog in his column—emphasis on lovable. Meanwhile, the sight of Mark in the stands makes Eddie beam so brightly others start to notice. The men’s increasingly flirtatious friendship could be dangerous for Eddie, a public figure who inspires legions of fans. Mark, who “doesn’t make much of a secret” of his sexuality, worries their connection will ruin Eddie’s career. The pair’s endearing slow-burn romance, which plays out between ball games and on the Robins’ road trips, delivers a big emotional payoff. (“ ‘I love you,’ Eddie says... ‘You’re a nightmare,’ Mark returns, in precisely the same tone of voice.”) Readers will melt. Agent: Deidre Knight, Knight Agency.

    • Kirkus

      April 1, 2024
      Two men stuck in the past find a future with each other. When they first meet in the locker room of the New York Robins baseball team in May 1960, shortstop Eddie O'Leary and Chronicle reporter Mark Bailey are each stuck in a slump. Eddie, who until recently was "a serious candidate for rookie of the year," seems to have forgotten how to hit since he was traded from Kansas City and made some thoughtless remarks that have left him isolated in his new clubhouse. And Mark, still grieving the loss of his life partner, William, has been drifting through life, unable to focus on writing--or anything, really--the way he used to. Then he's assigned to write a series of articles in Eddie's voice, and the two men agree to an awkward breakfast to try it out. Though both are mired in their own internal torments, they have to talk to each other every week to keep the series going, and an attraction flickers between them. Though Mark is about as open as a gay man can be in their time, Eddie doesn't have that freedom as a famous athlete, but very carefully, over the course of their discussions, both come to realize they're beginning to have feelings for each other. Though Mark and Eddie's story is a stand-alone, it's set in the same universe as Sebastian's We Could Be So Good (2023), and it easily meets the high expectations readers will have from that book. A deliciously slow burn threaded with midcentury New York detail, Eddie and Mark's romance will delight Sebastian's many fans, even those who think they don't like sports stories. Though things finally get hot and heavy about halfway through, the true warmth of the tale comes from the emotional connections--and not just between its heroes, but also among their friends, families, and colleagues. Elegant character development and strong, witty writing make this one a home run. Another stunning queer historical romance from a writer at the top of her game.

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Booklist

      April 1, 2024
      For the last year, Mark Bailey has sleepwalked his way through life, including his writing career at the New York Chronicle. Now the newspaper's publisher has a new assignment for Mark, ghostwriting a series of diary entries for the 1960s New York Robins' newest player, shortstop Eddie O'Leary. Writing about a temper-tantrum-throwing ballplayer who is in the midst of a career-breaking batting slump is not at the top of Mark's list of things he'd hoped to do. However, as Mark gets to know Eddie, he discovers that the shortstop is actually kind, sweet, and shares a secret in common with his, a secret that could derail Eddie's professional baseball career if it ever became public knowledge. Picking up a supporting character from We Could Be So Good (2023), Sebastian delivers a home run of a romance that gracefully pivots from moments of sweet romantic yearning to sizzling sensual heat with perfect aplomb. Readers are so lucky to have books by the ridiculously talented Sebastian, who makes writing superbly satisfying love stories with wry wit and endless empathy seem effortless.

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Library Journal

      Starred review from April 1, 2024

      It's 1960, and the baseball season isn't going well for shortstop Eddie O'Leary. He's been traded to a mediocre expansion team, which he learned very publicly and didn't react to well. His new teammates are giving him the silent treatment, his batting average is dismal, and the fans boo him regularly, on the field and off. He's beyond homesick and lonely, and it's all he can do to keep his temper on the field, let alone with the press afterwards. Meanwhile, grieving arts writer Mark Bailey scarcely leaves his apartment anymore, but his editor has just assigned him to report a series of articles about Eddie. Mark is not a sports reporter, and he has no desire to spend an entire season in close proximity with the baseball team. But as the two men get to know each other, their attraction becomes impossible to deny. Eddie can't come out and keep his job, but Mark won't have his sexuality be a secret anymore. Do they have a future? VERDICT Sebastian's (We Could Be So Good) latest is full of grumpy/sunshine goodness, with an absolutely delicious slow-burn romance.--Rebecca Moe

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Loading