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The Cabots #3.5
Luke and Billy Finally Get a Clue
North Carolina, 1953
Billy Reardon’s spent the past five years trying and failing to keep his teammate Luke Novak at arm’s length—or at least a normal, friendly distance. Or, failing that, he’d like to not make a fool of himself. But a month after getting seriously injured by a wild pitch and disappearing off the face of the earth, Luke shows up at Billy’s isolated house in the mountains just as a storm’s about to roll in. Now that they’re stuck together in the middle of nowhere, Billy can’t even pretend not to have feelings that go beyond what he ought to feel for a teammate.
Meanwhile, Luke’s acting strange and Billy doesn’t know why. And Billy can’t seem to fight the urge to make Luke sandwiches and hot cocoa, lend him cozy sweaters, and watch him play with the dogs. It’s all pretty terrible, and the one thing Billy’s sure of is that things between them are going to be different after all this is over.
This novella is about 25,000 words
Billy Reardon’s spent the past five years trying and failing to keep his teammate Luke Novak at arm’s length—or at least a normal, friendly distance. Or, failing that, he’d like to not make a fool of himself. But a month after getting seriously injured by a wild pitch and disappearing off the face of the earth, Luke shows up at Billy’s isolated house in the mountains just as a storm’s about to roll in. Now that they’re stuck together in the middle of nowhere, Billy can’t even pretend not to have feelings that go beyond what he ought to feel for a teammate.
Meanwhile, Luke’s acting strange and Billy doesn’t know why. And Billy can’t seem to fight the urge to make Luke sandwiches and hot cocoa, lend him cozy sweaters, and watch him play with the dogs. It’s all pretty terrible, and the one thing Billy’s sure of is that things between them are going to be different after all this is over.
This novella is about 25,000 words
102 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 3, 2023
51 people are currently reading
1223 people want to read
About the author
Cat Sebastian
27 books5,023 followersCat Sebastian has written sixteen queer historical romances. Cat’s books have received starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist.
Before writing, Cat was a lawyer and a teacher and did a variety of other jobs she liked much less than she enjoys writing happy endings for queer people. She was born in New Jersey and lived in New York and Arizona before settling down in a swampy part of south. When she isn’t writing, she’s probably reading, having one-sided conversations with her dog, or doing the crossword puzzle.
The best way to keep up with Cat’s projects is to subscribe to her newsletter.
Before writing, Cat was a lawyer and a teacher and did a variety of other jobs she liked much less than she enjoys writing happy endings for queer people. She was born in New Jersey and lived in New York and Arizona before settling down in a swampy part of south. When she isn’t writing, she’s probably reading, having one-sided conversations with her dog, or doing the crossword puzzle.
The best way to keep up with Cat’s projects is to subscribe to her newsletter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 343 reviews
November 17, 2023
Just the soft, short, all-vibes-no-plot, sports-adjacent, dumdum read I needed right now. Not technically a holiday book, but it felt holiday.
This is basically Cat Sebastian writing KD Casey fanfic, and I'm here for it.
This is basically Cat Sebastian writing KD Casey fanfic, and I'm here for it.
November 17, 2023
4.5 stars
just like Kathleen said, it really does read like Cat Sebastian writing KD Casey fanfic, in the best way possible. i have no notes.
Cat Sebastian is apparently deeply devoted to writing plotless books about one person yearning and the other one going "you dumdum, we've been in love this whole time, you can quit with the yearning" and the other one going, "no, i don't think i will" and then they gaze at each other adoringly and make some disgusting meatloaf. honestly i think at least 15% of all literature should be this pointless and plotless and soothing. god knows i strive to make at least 15% of my reading fit the bill.
excellent work Ms Sebastian, much obliged.
just like Kathleen said, it really does read like Cat Sebastian writing KD Casey fanfic, in the best way possible. i have no notes.
Cat Sebastian is apparently deeply devoted to writing plotless books about one person yearning and the other one going "you dumdum, we've been in love this whole time, you can quit with the yearning" and the other one going, "no, i don't think i will" and then they gaze at each other adoringly and make some disgusting meatloaf. honestly i think at least 15% of all literature should be this pointless and plotless and soothing. god knows i strive to make at least 15% of my reading fit the bill.
excellent work Ms Sebastian, much obliged.
October 13, 2023
It’s short, it’s amazing and doesn’t need any more praises. Just read it.
October 28, 2024
*re-reading October 24*
Original review:
This was one of the best surprises I had this week, a surprise release by Cat Sebastian. I love everything she writes, and she has fast become one of my favorite, one -click authors. There are still quite some books on her backlist that I still need to read, but I love the books she has written that were set in the fifties and sixties era.
This novella is set in the fifties. Billy and Luke are two baseball players, but there isn’t a lot of baseball to be found in their story. Frankly, there wouldn’t even have been a story if these two had worked on their communication skills and had the courage to be honest with one another. But I understand how scary it must be to out yourself to a teammate who has also been the one you spend most of your time with on the team for the past fIve years. Both Billy and Luke held their cards tight against their chests for a long time and it was such a wonderful experience to witness them finally getting The Clue!
What I really loved is how I felt their need to be honest with each other about their real feelings for one another but didn’t know how to do it. Even when we only get Billy’s pov, it was as if I felt Luke’s despair too. It’s in the gestures and the things that aren’t said, things you need to read between the lines. It’s due to the excellent writing and the way she uses subtle humour and witty banter that we get to know both Billy and Luke really well in only about a 100 pages.
And so, as usual, the writing is superb and the characters are very human. It takes skills to write characters the way Cat Sebastian does, so well developed, so human and real. As if I was granted to take a look through a window and be there on the sidelines to watch their lives develop, see them become more than just teammates. All the subtleties and the banter, it was more than just good. I loved every minute in their presence and I really can’t wait to see what Cat Sebastian comes up with next.
Original review:
This was one of the best surprises I had this week, a surprise release by Cat Sebastian. I love everything she writes, and she has fast become one of my favorite, one -click authors. There are still quite some books on her backlist that I still need to read, but I love the books she has written that were set in the fifties and sixties era.
This novella is set in the fifties. Billy and Luke are two baseball players, but there isn’t a lot of baseball to be found in their story. Frankly, there wouldn’t even have been a story if these two had worked on their communication skills and had the courage to be honest with one another. But I understand how scary it must be to out yourself to a teammate who has also been the one you spend most of your time with on the team for the past fIve years. Both Billy and Luke held their cards tight against their chests for a long time and it was such a wonderful experience to witness them finally getting The Clue!
What I really loved is how I felt their need to be honest with each other about their real feelings for one another but didn’t know how to do it. Even when we only get Billy’s pov, it was as if I felt Luke’s despair too. It’s in the gestures and the things that aren’t said, things you need to read between the lines. It’s due to the excellent writing and the way she uses subtle humour and witty banter that we get to know both Billy and Luke really well in only about a 100 pages.
And so, as usual, the writing is superb and the characters are very human. It takes skills to write characters the way Cat Sebastian does, so well developed, so human and real. As if I was granted to take a look through a window and be there on the sidelines to watch their lives develop, see them become more than just teammates. All the subtleties and the banter, it was more than just good. I loved every minute in their presence and I really can’t wait to see what Cat Sebastian comes up with next.
November 3, 2023
Cat Sebastian did it to me again! Watching Luke and Billy get a clue was sweet, sweet joy. This slow, quiet grand slam of a read stole my heart.
Luke Novak and Billy Reardon have been teammates and friends for about five years. Billy has made sure they have remained just friends. Hell, he won’t let himself think about more with Luke.
“The last thing he needed was a crush on a teammate. Jesus. But Billy couldn’t keep his distance from Luke any more than he could keep his distance from freshly mown grass and a brand-new ball.”
Luke and Billy sit together on bus rides, swap locker room rumors, and play ball. Off season, they don’t even see each other usually. That is until Luke turns up on Billy’s doorstep after the season ends and after Luke gets hit with a wild pitch and pulls a disappearing act. A very worried and grumpy Billy hasn’t seen Luke in weeks. But here he is on his porch. Why? What does Luke want? And what’s Billy going to do about it?
I loved watching these two try to communicate with silences, words, and humor. Their personalities were laid out so perfectly. Big-hearted grumps are a weakness of mine and Billy...well, he just hit my favorites list! I could see Billy’s sweet gruff ways and Luke’s curiosity and grin move around that kitchen. I smiled every time they took a step closer to what they both wanted. The care Billy takes with Luke with sweaters and meals and walks is just the sweetest damn thing to see. Their quiet moments might be my favorite though. The way their looks, nudges, and tugs turn into more oh-so slowly.
Check these two out! Their story is full of laughs and love. Along with cannibal chickens, frozen mystery meals, freckles, and lots and lots of ketchup. :)
Highly recommended.
February 11, 2024
5 stars.
Beautiful, so so beautiful.
Everything in this novella worked so well, the narration from one pov, the MCs personalities, the storyline..
I loved both Billy and Luke, although it took me some time to get were they were emotionally.
Fantastic storytelling!
I felt the end of the book was there way too fast, I could have read for much longer how Billy and Luke got closer, but the ending was still perfect and in line with the story as a whole.
I had a lovely time reading this and I'm definitely going to reread this sooner or late.
(There were a few editing errors but they weren't very distracting)
Beautiful, so so beautiful.
Everything in this novella worked so well, the narration from one pov, the MCs personalities, the storyline..
I loved both Billy and Luke, although it took me some time to get were they were emotionally.
Fantastic storytelling!
I felt the end of the book was there way too fast, I could have read for much longer how Billy and Luke got closer, but the ending was still perfect and in line with the story as a whole.
I had a lovely time reading this and I'm definitely going to reread this sooner or late.
(There were a few editing errors but they weren't very distracting)
October 25, 2023
5 perfect ⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾ stars (or a grand slam, which is 4, not 5, but whatever)
I'm using all my self-control to not write this review in all caps.
I'm probably the only person left who hasn't read a Cat Sebastian book, but I don't tend to read historical romance. But I do read anything baseball. And this is a 98-page novella set in the 50's with two baseball players.
I was on the first page and already had to take a break to highlight because being inside Billy's head was just bliss. If there were a prototype for my favorite type of character, it would be Billy.
Chapter 1 (opening page):
•While the Yankees were busy winning the 1953 World Series in the top of the ninth inning, Billy Reardon was deciding whether to punch Luke Novak right on the front porch of his house.
•The problem was that if Billy didn’t punch him, he was going to do something even stupider, like kiss him.
•In the end, he offered to make Luke a grilled cheese sandwich, which maybe wasn’t exactly splitting the difference between kissing and punching, but Luke really looked like he needed a sandwich, so what else could he do.
Chapter 2 (p.16-17)
•Billy got out the ingredients for grilled cheese, slamming around the kitchen as much as possible. Making a bunch of noise never actually made him feel better, but it also never made him feel worse, so as far as he cared, there was no reason to stop.
•He slapped the butter and cheese onto the counter and then shut the icebox door with the maximum amount of force.
•He heard the tapping of paws on linoleum and supposed Luke was scratching the dogs’ heads. The dogs were horrible judges of character, always had been.
•Billy turned around so Luke wouldn’t see him smile—Luke didn’t deserve smiles yet.
THIS guy. His thoughts, his actions, his reminiscing, and most importantly, his bumbling dialogue and second-guessing while he tries to figure out what Luke wants. I could read an entire novel about this even if there wasn't any romance. Gah.
For anyone wary of sports romance, this takes place in the off-season and on a farmhouse in North Carolina. Enough baseball tidbits to keep me happy, but it doesn't take over the story.
No severe angst or miscommunication, even when Billy incorrectly guesses or misinterprets Luke, he course corrects quickly. Every author who drowns us in page after page of inner monologues: this is how it's done. Succinct and clear inner thoughts in 1-3 sentences.
I love this book. Billy is just ridiculous and amazing (slightly reminds me of Emery Hazard, slightly) and Luke is this great pseudo-sunshine golden retriever character that Billy sees right through.
Billy and Luke are alone at Billy's childhood home and it gives us a fantastic little bubble to see them interact. From eating meals, doing stuff with the dogs, feeding the chickens (because LOL Billy is a hilarious dick and likes to make shit up and told Luke chickens are cannibals), power outage, sitting by the fire, all the little things that go on that sound boring, EXCEPT you're in Billy's head. And as I said, that's the greatest place to be.
I know it's the norm to whine after a novella and wish the author would make it into a full-length book. I don't want that, this was perfect and ended with an HFN. I will say (subtly beg, throw wishes out to the Universe) I would love it if Cat Sebastian wrote a full-length baseball book set in the fifties with new characters (and if we were so lucky, with Billy and Luke as side characters).
I'm biased because of baseball. But, this novella would be five stars even without the baseball. Baseball was just the icing on the gorgeous cake.
Baseball quotes:
•Meanwhile, people who had never watched a baseball game in their life suddenly had opinions about things like batting helmets and wild pitches. Everybody was a goddamn expert on concussions. Billy was ready to start handing out concussions like they were sticks of gum.
•He had to shut it down, lock it out, keep his eye on the goddamn ball—and so that’s what he did.
•He was put on this planet to hit beautiful line drives and charm mothers and sisters.
Also, I almost forgot the very organic craving for praise, holy shit, this book just delivers:
•He wanted to make this good and he wanted Luke to keep telling him it was good.
•“Billy,” Luke said, and Billy wondered what he’d have to do to get Luke to keep talking the whole time. He wouldn’t even have to say anything smart, just occasionally say Billy’s name in that rough voice and tell him he was doing good.
⚾♥️
I'm using all my self-control to not write this review in all caps.
I'm probably the only person left who hasn't read a Cat Sebastian book, but I don't tend to read historical romance. But I do read anything baseball. And this is a 98-page novella set in the 50's with two baseball players.
I was on the first page and already had to take a break to highlight because being inside Billy's head was just bliss. If there were a prototype for my favorite type of character, it would be Billy.
Chapter 1 (opening page):
•While the Yankees were busy winning the 1953 World Series in the top of the ninth inning, Billy Reardon was deciding whether to punch Luke Novak right on the front porch of his house.
•The problem was that if Billy didn’t punch him, he was going to do something even stupider, like kiss him.
•In the end, he offered to make Luke a grilled cheese sandwich, which maybe wasn’t exactly splitting the difference between kissing and punching, but Luke really looked like he needed a sandwich, so what else could he do.
Chapter 2 (p.16-17)
•Billy got out the ingredients for grilled cheese, slamming around the kitchen as much as possible. Making a bunch of noise never actually made him feel better, but it also never made him feel worse, so as far as he cared, there was no reason to stop.
•He slapped the butter and cheese onto the counter and then shut the icebox door with the maximum amount of force.
•He heard the tapping of paws on linoleum and supposed Luke was scratching the dogs’ heads. The dogs were horrible judges of character, always had been.
•Billy turned around so Luke wouldn’t see him smile—Luke didn’t deserve smiles yet.
THIS guy. His thoughts, his actions, his reminiscing, and most importantly, his bumbling dialogue and second-guessing while he tries to figure out what Luke wants. I could read an entire novel about this even if there wasn't any romance. Gah.
For anyone wary of sports romance, this takes place in the off-season and on a farmhouse in North Carolina. Enough baseball tidbits to keep me happy, but it doesn't take over the story.
No severe angst or miscommunication, even when Billy incorrectly guesses or misinterprets Luke, he course corrects quickly. Every author who drowns us in page after page of inner monologues: this is how it's done. Succinct and clear inner thoughts in 1-3 sentences.
I love this book. Billy is just ridiculous and amazing (slightly reminds me of Emery Hazard, slightly) and Luke is this great pseudo-sunshine golden retriever character that Billy sees right through.
Billy and Luke are alone at Billy's childhood home and it gives us a fantastic little bubble to see them interact. From eating meals, doing stuff with the dogs, feeding the chickens (because LOL Billy is a hilarious dick and likes to make shit up and told Luke chickens are cannibals), power outage, sitting by the fire, all the little things that go on that sound boring, EXCEPT you're in Billy's head. And as I said, that's the greatest place to be.
I know it's the norm to whine after a novella and wish the author would make it into a full-length book. I don't want that, this was perfect and ended with an HFN. I will say (subtly beg, throw wishes out to the Universe) I would love it if Cat Sebastian wrote a full-length baseball book set in the fifties with new characters (and if we were so lucky, with Billy and Luke as side characters).
I'm biased because of baseball. But, this novella would be five stars even without the baseball. Baseball was just the icing on the gorgeous cake.
Baseball quotes:
•Meanwhile, people who had never watched a baseball game in their life suddenly had opinions about things like batting helmets and wild pitches. Everybody was a goddamn expert on concussions. Billy was ready to start handing out concussions like they were sticks of gum.
•He had to shut it down, lock it out, keep his eye on the goddamn ball—and so that’s what he did.
•He was put on this planet to hit beautiful line drives and charm mothers and sisters.
Also, I almost forgot the very organic craving for praise, holy shit, this book just delivers:
•He wanted to make this good and he wanted Luke to keep telling him it was good.
•“Billy,” Luke said, and Billy wondered what he’d have to do to get Luke to keep talking the whole time. He wouldn’t even have to say anything smart, just occasionally say Billy’s name in that rough voice and tell him he was doing good.
⚾♥️
November 20, 2023
Welp this novella just make me cry in public in a coffee shop. How does Cat Sebastian make me care so deeply for characters in such a short time?! She is a magician.
October 19, 2023
Short, sweet, adorable! Cat Sebastian is the queen of mid-century romances!
I adored Luke and Billy.
And maybe that was just how it was going to work: Billy would keep offering, and Luke would keep saying yes. Maybe that’s what more looked like. He’d offer Luke his bed, his time, his car, his anything, and all Luke had to do was take it.
I adored Luke and Billy.
And maybe that was just how it was going to work: Billy would keep offering, and Luke would keep saying yes. Maybe that’s what more looked like. He’d offer Luke his bed, his time, his car, his anything, and all Luke had to do was take it.
February 24, 2025
THESE TWO IDIOTS BROUGHT ME SO MUCH UTTER DELIGHT!!!
"And maybe that was just how it was going to work: Billy would keep offering, and Luke would keep saying yes. Maybe that’s what more looked like. He’d offer Luke his bed, his time, his car, his anything, and all Luke had to do was take it."
I have the dopiest smile on my face rn. Luke and Billy are the epitome of idiots to lovers, asshole4asshole, and 'insults as a love language' and I adore them! This has no plot, just domesticity and a good amount of hurt/comfort but in a light way. Perfection!
Mid-century has to be Cat Sebastian's strongest era and that's saying something considering how good her 18th and 19th century books are!
Oh and the Mary Renault reference? *chef's kiss*
"And maybe that was just how it was going to work: Billy would keep offering, and Luke would keep saying yes. Maybe that’s what more looked like. He’d offer Luke his bed, his time, his car, his anything, and all Luke had to do was take it."
I have the dopiest smile on my face rn. Luke and Billy are the epitome of idiots to lovers, asshole4asshole, and 'insults as a love language' and I adore them! This has no plot, just domesticity and a good amount of hurt/comfort but in a light way. Perfection!
Mid-century has to be Cat Sebastian's strongest era and that's saying something considering how good her 18th and 19th century books are!
Oh and the Mary Renault reference? *chef's kiss*
July 23, 2024
These 20th century historical mm romances by Cat Sebastian are just special. Low drama (if not downright no drama, and no, that is not boring somehow..), lots of caretaking, and just nice people actually being funny while falling, or realizing they fell, in love.
Gorgeous. Concussed baseball player hanging around another baseball player in autumnal north carolina mountains circa 1950s, with dogs. Her writing is as usual, fantastically funny (to my taste ....)
Novella length, about 25k words and it is kind of perfectly contained in that length. I would have liked maybe an epilogue (might be a newsletter thing. I actually think this, all of it was a newsletter thing. I hate those gimmicks though) though, the ending is a bit abrupt.
Gorgeous. Concussed baseball player hanging around another baseball player in autumnal north carolina mountains circa 1950s, with dogs. Her writing is as usual, fantastically funny (to my taste ....)
Novella length, about 25k words and it is kind of perfectly contained in that length. I would have liked maybe an epilogue (might be a newsletter thing. I actually think this, all of it was a newsletter thing. I hate those gimmicks though) though, the ending is a bit abrupt.
March 27, 2024
This is a short story in the Cabots series but without any Cabot. The vibe though is the same and it takes place in the 50s. Anther amazing book from CS- can't get enough of this authors books 🩵
February 11, 2024
4.5 stars
This book gave me goosebumps, in the best possible way. It's adorable how Billy and Luke awkwardly approach each other. So cute. 🥰
My first book by Cat Sebastian and definitely not my last.
Billy drew in a breath. “I want you to come over to my house. I want to see you in the off season. I want to see you every day. Even if you don’t go back to playing, I want this.” His hand found Luke’s. Luke was still looking at him, but not saying anything. “I want to look at you and know that you’re mine, because I already think it. I’m sorry, but I already think it and I have for a while. Does that sound like something—”
****
“I don’t think I ever loved anyone until I loved you,” Luke said later on. “And I know that nobody ever loved me until you did.”
“How could anyone not?”
This book gave me goosebumps, in the best possible way. It's adorable how Billy and Luke awkwardly approach each other. So cute. 🥰
My first book by Cat Sebastian and definitely not my last.
Billy drew in a breath. “I want you to come over to my house. I want to see you in the off season. I want to see you every day. Even if you don’t go back to playing, I want this.” His hand found Luke’s. Luke was still looking at him, but not saying anything. “I want to look at you and know that you’re mine, because I already think it. I’m sorry, but I already think it and I have for a while. Does that sound like something—”
****
“I don’t think I ever loved anyone until I loved you,” Luke said later on. “And I know that nobody ever loved me until you did.”
“How could anyone not?”
January 21, 2025
4.5
cat sebastian please i beg for mercy stop killing me with your books 😩😩
cat sebastian please i beg for mercy stop killing me with your books 😩😩
October 12, 2023
This is a glorious no-plot, no-angst, hurt/comfort character driven piece about a couple of idiots stumbling their way to lovers while left alone in a cabin to cook food, wear sweaters, and slowly discover their feelings for one another.
Cat Sebastian is the master of character-driven stories. I don’t know how anyone gets away with writing fiction with no plot but she pulls it off every time. Reading this made me feel like a fly on the wall watching every moment - the big ones and the little ones - unfold in real time. And the magic of what Cat does is in making every moment riveting, even the little quiet ones. It feels like this could have been a stage play - two actors, one set, nothing but looks and touches and dialogue. It’s quiet and pensive and gives the characters room to breathe and just be.
This is a delightful, intensely romantic story and so freaking funny, too. The banter (and Billy’s inner monologue) was hilarious. I swear I finish every Cat Sebastian book wishing I could be her friend. Her books are just so charming and funny and smart and I suspect she is the same. I absolutely loved everything about this.
Cat Sebastian is the master of character-driven stories. I don’t know how anyone gets away with writing fiction with no plot but she pulls it off every time. Reading this made me feel like a fly on the wall watching every moment - the big ones and the little ones - unfold in real time. And the magic of what Cat does is in making every moment riveting, even the little quiet ones. It feels like this could have been a stage play - two actors, one set, nothing but looks and touches and dialogue. It’s quiet and pensive and gives the characters room to breathe and just be.
This is a delightful, intensely romantic story and so freaking funny, too. The banter (and Billy’s inner monologue) was hilarious. I swear I finish every Cat Sebastian book wishing I could be her friend. Her books are just so charming and funny and smart and I suspect she is the same. I absolutely loved everything about this.
October 27, 2023
“It’s always been you, knucklehead”: queer professional baseball rural house frozen dinner head-injury joint-issue novella edition. There are dogs. Maybe bears.
August 5, 2025
Nobody does plotless books better than Cat Sebastian.
October 13, 2023
too bad this was a novella ☹️
September 16, 2025
The first time I read this, it was the middle of the night and I was tired. But I kept reading it, even though it is ultimately soothing and was helping me want to sleep more. In the morning, I was fuzzy and foggy, but what I could recall I remembered fondly. So, before rating it, I decided to re-read. Foolishly, I started it a second time late at night, but stopped myself from finishing in the middle of the night again and waited until I wasn't nodding off to read the bulk of it.
This is quintessentially Cat Sebastian, and I really really liked it a whole lot. It does what it is trying to do, which is be a novella about these two finally getting together, and the entry point is well-chosen. We get some background and some stakes, and I just wanted more. MORE. And, I just finished my second audio re-read of Peter Cabot Gets Lost and that novella did everything I wanted it to, no notes. So, judging against other works of this author, I'm calling it a four. Also, I am feral for the full length mid 20th century baseball novel we're getting in May. This book seems like a first course to that main dish, and that's not a terrible thing to be!
This is quintessentially Cat Sebastian, and I really really liked it a whole lot. It does what it is trying to do, which is be a novella about these two finally getting together, and the entry point is well-chosen. We get some background and some stakes, and I just wanted more. MORE. And, I just finished my second audio re-read of Peter Cabot Gets Lost and that novella did everything I wanted it to, no notes. So, judging against other works of this author, I'm calling it a four. Also, I am feral for the full length mid 20th century baseball novel we're getting in May. This book seems like a first course to that main dish, and that's not a terrible thing to be!
October 27, 2023
There’s really no plot in this story and I love it so much. It’s just two adorable idiots falling in love. I’m so serious. Cat Sebastian is incredible at writing love stories where one MC assumes that their feelings are unrequited, then the other MC is like “You absolute dumbass. I’ve had feelings for you this whole time.” 🥰😩😭
February 17, 2024
It’s only 4* because I wanted more more more of it - the ending was too abrupt. But. This is peak Cat Sebastian post-2020 - friends in love, gently bumping up against each other physically and emotionally until they find their way to a love declaration. It was delightful. I was duly delighted. It makes me want the next We Could Be So Good book so badly, I can’t tell you.
October 18, 2022
I was so incredibly lucky to get an ARC of this novella, which is going to be published at some point by the HEA Collective, and all I can say is: if you need a reason to sign up to that Patreon, this is IT! <3
As always, I'm just in awe of how seamlessly Sebastian shifts between time periods in her different romances. This one is set in the 1950s and the tone is just effortlessly right, while the two heroes, Luke and Billy (both professional baseball players), were both so much fun that I actually found myself caring about the sport of baseball for perhaps the first time ever in my life.
Luke and Billy have spent almost every minute of their professional lives together for years as the closest of friends and teammates, but it's only in the wake of a bad accident that Luke takes refuge with Billy and, for the first time, they end up seeing each other off-season...and confronting all the repressed feelings that they haven't dealt with up until then. This is 100% a sweet pining idiots kind of romance - my favorite kind! - and it's just warm and lovely and really funny, too, as they circle around each other, bickering and doing house repairs and taking care of each other and desperately assuming that each of them is the only one who's *obviously* been head-over-heels for the other one for years.
One of my (many) favorite things about Cat Sebastian's romances is that in her recent books, she's stopped forcing her protagonists through the stressful 80% Black Moment in romance when (traditionally in the genre) they break up (sometimes for genuinely plausible reasons; sometimes because That's the Way It's Supposed to Go in Romance) and angst happens before the happy ending. As stressful as I find those moments as a reader, I do understand how effective they are at keeping up the tension of the traditional story arc - but somehow, nigh-on magically, she manages to elide any need for that kind of unnecessary stress without losing a single drop of interest, fun, or tension from the storyline.
I don't know how she does it, but I'm so grateful that she does, and it makes her stories feel like warm, nurturing hugs. This one left me smiling and feeling warm and happy, like a delicious hot coffee on an autumn morning. I loved it!
As always, I'm just in awe of how seamlessly Sebastian shifts between time periods in her different romances. This one is set in the 1950s and the tone is just effortlessly right, while the two heroes, Luke and Billy (both professional baseball players), were both so much fun that I actually found myself caring about the sport of baseball for perhaps the first time ever in my life.
Luke and Billy have spent almost every minute of their professional lives together for years as the closest of friends and teammates, but it's only in the wake of a bad accident that Luke takes refuge with Billy and, for the first time, they end up seeing each other off-season...and confronting all the repressed feelings that they haven't dealt with up until then. This is 100% a sweet pining idiots kind of romance - my favorite kind! - and it's just warm and lovely and really funny, too, as they circle around each other, bickering and doing house repairs and taking care of each other and desperately assuming that each of them is the only one who's *obviously* been head-over-heels for the other one for years.
One of my (many) favorite things about Cat Sebastian's romances is that in her recent books, she's stopped forcing her protagonists through the stressful 80% Black Moment in romance when (traditionally in the genre) they break up (sometimes for genuinely plausible reasons; sometimes because That's the Way It's Supposed to Go in Romance) and angst happens before the happy ending. As stressful as I find those moments as a reader, I do understand how effective they are at keeping up the tension of the traditional story arc - but somehow, nigh-on magically, she manages to elide any need for that kind of unnecessary stress without losing a single drop of interest, fun, or tension from the storyline.
I don't know how she does it, but I'm so grateful that she does, and it makes her stories feel like warm, nurturing hugs. This one left me smiling and feeling warm and happy, like a delicious hot coffee on an autumn morning. I loved it!
October 17, 2023
There wasn’t any actual reason for the feeling Billy got when he looked at Luke, something like a voice saying Yes. Him.
November 13, 2023
My appreciation for this author's writing increases with each new modern-era (mid-20th century) romance I read of hers; I liked her Page & Summers mysteries. The two MCs here proved too darned lovable and I can only wish I had a Billy and a Luke in my own circle of friends! 4.5 stars.
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February 21, 2024Me when I read We Could Be So Good: “maybe my Cat Sebastian era is now, maybe it finally works for me.”
Me about 3 pages into this: “Nope, loathe it, yuck, get me out.”
lol idk if it’s my mood or what but this could not be worse in my eyes. The tone…. cursed. Makes me root for someone vicious to come along and shake things up - I mean can somebody call up Bunny from The Charioteer? - and that’s not a great place to be on page 3.
Guess I’ll just wait for next book and try that one?
Me about 3 pages into this: “Nope, loathe it, yuck, get me out.”
lol idk if it’s my mood or what but this could not be worse in my eyes. The tone…. cursed. Makes me root for someone vicious to come along and shake things up - I mean can somebody call up Bunny from The Charioteer? - and that’s not a great place to be on page 3.
Guess I’ll just wait for next book and try that one?
October 22, 2023
I think Cat Sebastian's 20th century romances worked for me REALLY WELL! I mean, I love the Cabot series. We Could Be So Good was beautifully written. And this novella was also WONDERFUL!
It is written from Billy's perspective... when his teammate, Luke Novak, showed up in Billy's isolated house after disappearing from the face of the earth (Luke got hurt before he disappeared) - it finally untangled some unresolved feelings between the two.
There was some talks about the past, about how Luke and Billy knew each other and became teammate, about those moments when Billy noticed Luke more than he should... but especially the present time, when yes, they finally got a clue
It made me all warm and fuzzy, this novella.
I still wondered why Luke went underground in the first place, though. I would love to understand his thinking more since everything was from Billy's POV.
It is written from Billy's perspective... when his teammate, Luke Novak, showed up in Billy's isolated house after disappearing from the face of the earth (Luke got hurt before he disappeared) - it finally untangled some unresolved feelings between the two.
There was some talks about the past, about how Luke and Billy knew each other and became teammate, about those moments when Billy noticed Luke more than he should... but especially the present time, when yes, they finally got a clue
It made me all warm and fuzzy, this novella.
I still wondered why Luke went underground in the first place, though. I would love to understand his thinking more since everything was from Billy's POV.
October 31, 2023
This was a fine read, but even more so than the other novella in this series, I found myself wanting more. We only get Billy's POV here, and I thought Luke was a little bit opaque--this is an instance where I'd have preferred to get Luke's POV. I enjoyed the characters and the setting, but we're really only getting a brief moment in time with these two, with all of the build up and foundation happening off-screen prior to the book, and I do think that prevented me from totally connecting with the characters and story.
Want to read
November 21, 2023Thank you for the gift, Cocksmack, The Booty-Shackin Wiener Whacker Elf!
February 18, 2024
4.5
Short, sweet, and full of two clueless idiots in love? Sold! I’ve said it once, I’ll say it 5000 times, Cat absolutely SHINES when she writes queer mid century romance.
Short, sweet, and full of two clueless idiots in love? Sold! I’ve said it once, I’ll say it 5000 times, Cat absolutely SHINES when she writes queer mid century romance.
December 21, 2022
On a mission to read everything Cat Sebastian has written and loving every second of it 🥰.
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Get this cozy and sweet story by supporting The Happily Ever After Collective on Patreon!
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