I don't know how Cat Sebastian does it but truly every book is incredible and this one was no exception. I absolutely adore a black cat/golden retriever pairing and Nick and Andy have my whole heart. The way that Andy blows into Nick's carefully constructed life of safe fear and blows it all up completely accidentally (in the most Andy way possible). I loved getting to watch Andy's queer awakening dawn on him as something that has always been there, but just as something he could ignore. And the pair's fierce devotion to each other and making sure the other is taken care of and loved (even before they realize that is what is going on). This book is about community and family and how queer folks construct worlds in which they can be fulfilled and safe in a world that deeply wants them to be neither of those things and the unexpected allies along the way. 

Perfect for people who love historical romance, queer romance, best friends to lovers, black cat/golden retriever

Well this book is fucking perfect. 

A lovely, baseball adjacent romance novel between two newspaper queers. While there are tense parts, Andy and Nick work to be together and have a satisfying happily ever after!

This book was perfection. It’s a historical fiction, friends to lovers book set in 1950s New York, when it was illegal and very dangerous to be queer. This couple not only has to figure out how to be in a loving relationship together but also how to break down the walls of traditional masculinity to be themselves with each other. It’s sappy and lovely and way more than I thought it was going to be!

I usually prefer my rom on the com side, but this was as good a character-driven rom-dram as I've ever read. It doesn't hurt that you get to fan cast your favorite classic Hollywood stars in all their 1950s NYC glory. 🙂 We Could Be So Good is a mostly slice-of-life story that captures the complications, the tension, the hope, and joy of carving out a queer space and establishing a found family in an environment that is passively and sometimes brutally, actively hostile. I don't want to spoil it for you, but it ends up being…

a gentler story than I had anticipated and I might have enjoyed it more if I had known that going in

. Yes, there are oppressive laws and family issues and mistrust and corruption, but there are also flowers and dopey cats and baseball games and Italian cooking and hearth and home sweetness. For the relationship itself, you'll find grumpy-sunshine, friends-to-lovers, pining and yearning, caretaking, healthy acceptance of differences, and mostly beautiful communication with some realistic miscommunication that doesn't get tropey or lazy. 

I'm calling it now, even though it's only June; this is my favourite book of the year. My heart is so full after reading this book. Every page was utter perfection. The dynamics actually remind me a lot of Cat Sebastian's 60s-set novella Peter Cabot Gets Lost, which is a big favourite of mine. I don't know how she does it, but she never misses. 

This quietly introspective story, about prickly, closed-off journalist Nick and ADHD-coded bisexual disaster Andy, is so soft and tender and heartwarming. These two characters are just so sweet and kind to each other, and I love how the book just carves out a little space for them to be that way even though the world at large doesn't. A good 70% of this story was just cute little domestic scenes like making each other soup, bringing home flowers, caretaking, and rescuing dumb cats, which I adored. Loved the workplace 'work spouse' dynamics too.

The insight into what it could look like to be queer in the 50s was really interesting, especially Andy's discovery of his queer self and how Nick feels when he finds a community of queer people where he can open up and finally feels safe to be himself (in an age where there was a very real fear of being found out even by a neighbour). Nick's whole journey to self-acceptance was lovely to read. It was also interesting to see the contrast between the casual acceptance of Andy's father and Nick knowing he could never truly come out to most of his family. I loved the 1950s New York setting and all the little historical and political details sprinkled in.

I really enjoyed the narrative structure choices made in this book as well. It was dual POV, but large chunks were written solely from either Nick's or Andy's POV, which really amped up the tension without losing that whole 'these two idiots don't realise they feel the same way!' kind of vibe that I always love about this author's books. 

And of course, it wouldn't be a Cat Sebastian book without lots of discussion on class and inequality with 'eat the rich' vibes. 

I had previously read (and loved) both Kit Webb and Marian Hayes, and with this, it's official - I will read whatever Cat Sebastian writes. I think my only complaint here is that I inhaled this in less than a day and now it's over.

But, starting at the beginning. Nick Russo is a journalist on the Chronicle's city desk who maintains a gruff facade and keeps people at arm's length. After all, it's the 1950s, and if anyone were to learn that Nick's gay, he'd lose everything. Enter Andy Fleming, the son of the Chronicle's owner, who is basically a gentle duckling struggling to take care of himself in a world that has never quite taken care of him enough. Nick and Andy quickly become best friends, then roommates, then...

Sebastian has built a rich and well-researched version of 1950s NYC as a backdrop against which the characters' relationships shine--Nick and Andy, of course, but also a cast of compelling and loveable side characters (Emily!!). There's also a cat who is not very good at being a cat, who is sure to delight fans of Rob's penchant for wayward pets.

The blend of friends-to-lovers and idiots-to-lovers certainly lends itself to a bit of miscommunication, but instead of the frustrating "just talk already!" type of miscommunication, it's the kind where you understand why the characters' individual fears and doubts hold them back and you just want to hug them both and make them soup. (Because yes, homemade soup is indeed a cure all, as Nick would have you know.)

Readers should go in aware that it is the 1950s and homophobia - with the all the risks of violence and societal/familial rejection it entails - is a very real fear driving characters' choices throughout. However, it's not a story about bringing that violence and isolation to a head; it's about found family, queer joy, and the ways we can look out for each other in a world that can be rough to go alone.


Content warnings: homophobia, threats from police, bullying and mild physical injury (off page), parental death (past/referenced)

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.