Washed Up

by Cat Sebastian

From beloved romance author Cat Sebastian comes a new, queer, contemporary romance, perfect for readers of Heated Rivalry. Two former childhood costars reunite, but will the sparks that fly be enough to overcome the secrets of their past?

When they were teenagers, Gabriel and Matthew were the faces of a popular television show. They were best friends, media darlings, and possibly more. But that was 15 years ago.

Then Gabriel became a star and Matthew…didn’t. Now, Matthew has reinvented himself as a celebrity journalist and mostly stays out of the spotlight. He certainly stays as far away as possible from any mention of Gabriel.

A few years ago, Gabriel abruptly quit Hollywood, and now the internet thinks he’s the latest victim of the family curse that ended the careers of his movie star father and grandfather. When he agrees to come out of hiding long enough for Matthew to interview him, Matthew knows it’s a terrible idea. Sometimes the past needs to stay in the past. But curiosity—and old hopes—get the better of him.

Will a week in a crumbling New Hampshire cottage be the answer to their problems? Or are these star-crossed lovers destined never to be together?

Tropes:

• Friends to Lovers
• Second Chance Romance
• M/M Romance
• Celebrity Stories

Genres: Romance, Queer, Contemporary, LGBT, M M Romance, Adult, Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

Expected publication March 30, 2027

About the author

Cat 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.

Reviews

[Sophie]

ohhh myyyyy I really want to read this 🥺

[Marie]

It’s so beautiful 🥹😍

[Sully (sulliedjedi)]

Omg, what is this cover?!? 😍

[Lance]

All aboard the Cat Sebastian hype train!!

[gracie]

need this in my hands asap! cat sebastian is one of the few authors I trust to write a second chance romance that I'll actually enjoy

[Ashley]

this just became my most anticipated read of 2027

[Lily]

God, no one writes queer dudes vibing in a cold, woodsy, and slightly melancholy setting quite like Cat Sebastian. The second I saw this ARC pop up on NetGalley, I straight-up LUNGED for it.

Matthew and Gabriel were adorable, and as always, the banter was so damn crisp. Washed Up reminds me most of Luke and Billy Finally Get a Clue with some Star Shipped and After Hours at Dooryard Books thrown in. What a delight from start to finish.

[Bec]

Grabby hands

[Erin]

4.5 stars. Cat Sebastian contemporary romances still have a charmingly vintage feel, and this is no exception. Set mostly in a neglected New Hampshire farmhouse, where movie star Gabriel has been holed up for several years for mysterious reasons, this is a second chance story between two former child stars who haven’t spoken in a decade. Matthew is now an entertainment journalist who has come to interview Gabriel for the anniversary of their old show. But soon the two are going for walks in the autumnal woods, cooking roast chicken for each other, and coming to terms with what drove them apart. There’s also a cat named Pamela, a cast of grumpy locals, and some long held family secrets.

I saw someone online saying that the cover has Frog and Toad vibes, and that’s definitely true for the story as well. This is cozy and emotional and will make you want to fix homemade soup and bread for dinner. I took half a star off because I didn’t feel like the family mystery that they spend a lot of the book unraveling got a satisfying enough conclusion.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

[MAB LongBeach]

Former teen costars and friends reconnect when Matthew, now a journalist, contacts Gabriel, who dropped out of sight several years ago, to do an interview for their show's twentieth anniversay. Matthew had a mad crush on Gabriel in their youth, which he has been suppressing for the past dozen years. Now in their late 30s, both are damaged in different ways, but they fumble their way to a new relationship.

Good writing, good characterizations, and a believable romance. Recommended.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Veronica]

ARC via Netgalley. Delightful as always from Cat Sebastian! The pacing is a bit funny for a romance novel in that very little happens for the first seventy percent of the book and then it all happens all at once, but if you're not married to the traditional act structure, it's a wonderful read and I was never bored, even when there wasn't a lot of action driving the characters forward. Fabulous cozy cooking and home renovations vibes.

[A]

I did enjoy this book, but I felt like it dragged between the 45-60% mark. It took me a couple days to get through how slow it felt. One of the things I love about Sebastian is how slow her novels are, how they aren't rushed, but there wasn't enough going on to really keep me interested here. I did enjoy the characters, but I wanted more about the B plot that never really came! I would say there is less going on here than in her more recent books, but it's a solid read.

[Amy Dickinson]

Cat Sebastian is simply the best. I will try to write a more thorough review later but I will basically forever love the characters, the banter, the chemistry that gets put onto the page by this author. Couldn’t put it down.

Thanks to Avon and Edelweiss for the ARC.

[lana]

SECOND CHAAAAAAANCE

[★ Sai ★]

(pre-read, aug 2026)

i am so jealous of my future self 🥺

[Emily]

Review tk

[Thea]

Received an e-ARC via NetGalley. I don't want to potentially spoil this but I'll just say that I loved it and it's one of the better books I read this year.

[Isis Molina]

It’s almost 3 am and I just finished this book. If that doesn’t tell you how good it is, I don’t know what will. Absolutely obsessed with this beautiful love story. Cat Sebastian does it again.