’You Should Be So Lucky’ review: Cat Sebastian delivers a healing romance

The tenderness that bleeds from the page in Cat Sebastian’s evocative, deeply empathetic You Should Be So Lucky is profound. Existing in the same world as her 2023 mid-century romance, We Could Be So Good, the novel further expounds on Sebastian’s ability to weave warmth into the pages, sewing deeply heartfelt moments of poignancy into the text. The doubleheader of these two novels should cement Sebastian as the next big thing, her voice endlessly compassionate for her characters. 

You Should Be So Lucky takes place during the 1960 baseball season, following shortstop Eddie O’Leary, having the worst year of his life. Homesick and facing the ire of his teammates, who he managed to royally piss off before even transferring, his emotional turmoil is compounded by his inability to bat. His slump is so notorious that it draws the eye of a struggling local paper looking to boost its ratings. Enter Mark Bailey, an art page writer battling his own bout of grief, reluctantly accepting the assignment to cover Eddie’s first season. 

The novel deals with their mutual struggles, notably Eddie’s slow acclimation to his new team and Mark’s repairing the wounds left by the death of a partner with whom he could never publicize. A slow burn committed to the patient pace it strikes, the book draws out their romance but quickly points out their mutual attraction. Mark is reserved but infatuated, and it’s Mark’s fearless nature in embracing his sexuality that frees Eddie from his initial fears of being in a new city, so far away from the familiarity of home — the stresses and the relief. 

Mark doesn’t want to be anyone’s secret again. Eddie is a famous athlete. How the two meet in the middle as they face down the world armed with the isolated life they build for themselves, demonstrates the healing nature of the queer community and the significance of what it means to be seen. Sebastian’s works have profound beauty, reminding readers that queerness isn’t something that came to be in a specific decade. No, it’s always been here, and love stories like Mark and Eddie’s deserve their happy endings. 

So much of You Could Be So Lucky works because of the personalities of our two leads. The characterization of Mark and Eddie is superb. They’re so much more than just the “grumpy/sunshine” labeling that seems to have taken over marketing for romance. Eddie is often more optimistic than Mark, yes, but he’s also prone to anger and self-righteous tantrums on the field and in the locker room. He’s stubborn and reckless. Mark might be quieter of the two, solemn in how he approaches romance after a tragic loss, but he’s endlessly clever, quick with praise and biting truths. 

We see this in the first meeting between Mark and Eddie. Mark expresses annoyance that a photoshoot colored Eddie’s eyes, replacing his natural hazel with blue. The two hardly know one another, but he’s quick to an affectionate defense. 

“A travesty. You should sue.”

It’s just one subtly sweet moment that defines Mark’s character. Later, he thinks to himself that anyone who would “intentionally be mean to Eddie O’Leary is a disgrace.” The beauty of these characters isn’t their contradictions. It’s that each page, each interaction, unveils greater layers that build them into something impossibly human. We care because they’re flawed without said flaws written as cheap devices. Each decision that makes — even those self-destructive, wounded — comes from a place of truth and honesty. We yearn with them, mourn their losses, and hold dear the whisper of hope caught in one another’s embrace. 

Sebastian takes pains in her novels to showcase queerness in mid-century love stories and how the characters themselves are chasing other stories that reflect them. We see this in Mark’s adoration of The Haunting of Hill House, text he views as inherently queer. Later, upon reading it, Eddie, too, finds validation. 

“…this book is something solid that Eddie can hold in his hands, real proof that queer people exist, that he exists.” 

The central love story is the book’s beating heart, one that aches and trembles underneath the compassionate prose Sebastian extends. But it finds an even greater soul in Eddie and Mark’s surrounding community. From other players who face discrimination to an older reporter who becomes something of a pseudo-father figure to Mark, the book revels in community and camaraderie. These characters begin so lonely, untethered, and rudderless, afloat in a city that makes ghosts of many. And yet they find each other, the first miracle. And then they find others who chase the loneliness away. 

Along with the pacing, the writing also refreshingly eschews overdone and lazy plot conveniences and struggles. No forced third-act hurdle comes out of left field or misunderstandings due only to the character’s unrealistic inability to communicate. Mark’s a reporter; he lives in words, and Eddie is brash and bold with his emotions. The story honors its characters and itself by remembering the two are adults, and they behave as such. There’s tension, yes. Due to the nature of their relationship and the period, there’s no way to eliminate the concern over their livelihoods. But nothing is ever thrust upon us without it being a natural character moment. 

Sebastian handles everything from their first kiss to declaration of love to Mark’s grief over his partner with the utmost care. The writing offers a quick read without sacrificing depth. We simply can’t tear our eyes away from their story. The thoughtful writing is addicting, carrying us until we’re 200 pages deep with more than halfway to go and already mourning the end of the book while planning to re-read it again. 

You Should Be So Lucky envelops us in an embrace of emotional catharsis. Touching on the unbridled feeling of being seen and cared for, Sebastian taps into what it means to love fully and to know that love is being returned. It’s simply marvelous. It’s lovely and detailed. The book ensures we take part in Eddie and Mark’s love story, their healing journey, and what it means to find yourself in the art and world around you, no matter the place you call home. 

You Should Be So Lucky is available now.

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 Feature image courtesy of Harper Collins