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 love it. Sebastian just keeps getting better and better. 

PS Ignore all blurb comparisons. They're all terrible. Much more accurate comparisons are Sebastian's Page and Sommers books. Similar authors are KJ Charles (more smutty, and her latest chronological setting is 1920s in Slippery Creatures, but just as romantic and similar politics and creating a safe bubble in a hostile world) and Allie Therin (magic + more violent, but similar smut levels and Proper Scoundrels is the best grumpy/sunshine trope).

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.