We Could Be So Good: A Novel

by Cat Sebastian

Overview

A New York Times Notable Book of 2023

A New York Times Books Review Best Romances of 2023 pick • Apple Books’ Best Books of the Month • Amazon Best Books of the Month Editor’s Pick, Romance • An NPR “Books We Love” • Library Journal Romance Pick of the Month • LibraryReads Hall of Fame: June 2023 • Publishers Weekly Best Romances of 2023

Casey McQuiston meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in this mid-century grumpy/sunshine rom-dram about a scrappy reporter and a newspaper mogul’s son "‘for Newsies shippers,’ [that] absolutely delivers” (Dahlia Adler, Buzzfeed Books).

“A spectacularly talented writer!” —Julia Quinn

Nick Russo has worked his way from a rough Brooklyn neighborhood to a reporting job at one of the city’s biggest newspapers. But the late 1950s are a hostile time for gay men, and Nick knows that he can’t let anyone into his life. He just never counted on meeting someone as impossible to say no to as Andy.

Andy Fleming’s newspaper-tycoon father wants him to take over the family business. Andy, though, has no intention of running the paper. He’s barely able to run his life—he’s never paid a bill on time, routinely gets lost on the way to work, and would rather gouge out his own eyes than deal with office politics. Andy agrees to work for a year in the newsroom, knowing he’ll make an ass of himself and hate every second of it.

Except, Nick Russo keeps rescuing Andy: showing him the ropes, tracking down his keys, freeing his tie when it gets stuck in the ancient filing cabinets. Their unlikely friendship soon sharpens into feelings they can’t deny. But what feels possible in secret—this fragile, tender thing between them—seems doomed in the light of day. Now Nick and Andy have to decide if, for the first time, they’re willing to fight.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063272767
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/06/2023
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Cat Sebastian is an award-winning author of queer romance. Cat’s books include We Could Be So Good and You Should Be So Lucky, and have received starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist. We Could Be So Good won a Lambda Literary Award in 2024. In her spare time, she acquires too many houseplants and misplaces things.

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/03/2023

Sebastian (The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes) sets this irresistible romance in 1958, when Nick Russo, a cub reporter for the New York Chronicle, finds himself inexplicably smitten with the publisher’s absent-minded son, Andy Fleming, who’s “slumming it at the city desk... because his father threatened to cut off his allowance.” After Andy’s fiancée calls off their society wedding, a reeling Andy moves into Nick’s West Village walk-up and their improbable friendship intensifies. Nick is secretly thrilled, but he also knows he needs to maintain caution as queer men can be arrested. In the Village, Andy’s curiosity about queer life grows, and after he asks Nick to take him to a gay bar, he gains new clarity about his own desires and decides to declare his feelings. Once coupled up, however, the guys must worry about rumors. Meanwhile, Nick courts trouble with a piece he’s writing on police corruption—and a blackmailer threatens to expose his relationship with Andy if he doesn’t drop the story. There’s plenty of conflict to keep the pages flying, but it’s the scenes of Nick and Andy’s cozy domesticity that truly shine. This wonderful period romance will leave readers just as giddy as its leads. Agent: Deidre Knight, Knight Agency. (June)

Publishers Weekly

It’s not about the events [of the plot], it’s about the going through [them]. And the going through is wonderful: At one point a character makes some soup, and then later a different character makes more soup, and here I am weeping and prostrate because the reader knows what that soup means. … Queer oppression, the civil rights movement, white supremacy—these are tangible contexts in this novel, but they are not the subject. The subject: joy as praxis, love as liberation. You can’t do the big rebellions if you can’t start with the small ones.” — New York Times Book Review

“A spectacularly talented writer!” — Julie Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of the Bridgerton series

“This historical romance is billed as being ‘for Newsies shippers,’ and it absolutely delivers.” — Dahlia Adler, Buzzfeed Books

“Cat Sebastian is my desert island author—I would follow her through any era, any trope, any time. There is a lightness to Sebastian’s work that makes every page sing; every beat of repartee is bright with wit, every quiet moment impossibly, ardently romantic. It’s the kind of book that ends all too soon, because what could ever be better than life on Cat Sebastian’s page?” — Olivie Blake, author of the New York Times bestselling Atlas series

"Sebastian is the master of slow-burning sizzle with a realistic touch." — Boston Globe

“Cat Sebastian is a queen of queer historical romance…. [She] never disappoints.” — Entertainment Weekly

“When Cat Sebastian is creating romance, every serve is an ace. … [The] slow-burning sparks are organic, joy inducing and earned.” — NPR

“[A] tender love story.” — Popsugar

“Irresistible…. There’s plenty of conflict to keep the pages flying, but it’s the scenes of Nick and Andy’s cozy domesticity that truly shine. This wonderful period romance will leave readers just as giddy as its leads.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Well, this is just great. … Few authors have Sebastian’s flair for deftly exploring the intricate, often messy nature of human relationships, from moments of heartbreak to happiness, with such insight and compassion. While the vividly evoked 1950s setting is new for this author, everything else about this sublimely romantic love story, including the dryly witty writing and graceful characterization, is signature Sebastian.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Fans of the author’s books will absolutely not want to miss this one. This sweetly angsty novel about two people finding themselves and figuring out a way forward together will appeal to anyone who enjoys reading opposites-attract romances with found family subplots.” — Library Journal (starred review)

“[We Could Be So Good] reads like a love letter to the queer pulp novels of the era, but with an infusion of hope not often seen in literature about the time period. … With We Could Be So Good, Sebastian adds a tender, heartening stunner of a love story to her already-impressive body of work.” — BookPage

“[T]he focus remains on the revolutionary act of queer joy…. A found family element contributes to the hopefulness and heart that are the cores of this story. A vividly portrayed midcentury romance filled with queer contentment.” — Kirkus Reviews

"Cat Sebastian has a place on my keeper shelf!” — Tessa Dare, New York Times bestselling author

From the Publisher

★ 05/01/2023

Sebastian (The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes) turns her considerable talent to the Manhattan of the late 1950s with her latest novel. City beat reporter Nick Russo has worked for everything he has, using a newspaper internship to escape his rough Brooklyn neighborhood. As a gay man in his mid-20s, he learned the hard way not to put too much trust in anyone else. He's initially exasperated beyond belief with his latest work colleague, yet he can't help himself from rescuing Andy Fleming from every ridiculous scrape in which the man finds himself. Andy seems to be living a charmed life, but then his bride-to-be leaves him for another man. Reluctant to return to his own neighborhood, he moves in with Nick temporarily. When their not-so-easy friendship turns into something else, however, both men will have to decide how much they're willing to fight for the happy ending they deserve. VERDICT Fans of the author's books will absolutely not want to miss this one. This sweetly angsty novel about two people finding themselves and figuring out a way forward together will appeal to anyone who enjoys reading opposites-attract romances with found family subplots.—Rebecca Moe

Library Journal

2023-04-24
Two men who work for a newspaper in New York City in the late 1950s fall in love.

Nick Russo worked his way up the ranks to become a reporter for the Chronicle, a reputable progressive newspaper. As a gay man, he keeps his personal life private. Even outside of work, he’s cautious about his actions since he knows cops regularly throw people like him in jail. Andy Fleming is set to inherit the newspaper from his father, but first he has to get experience by working in the newsroom with Nick. Scatterbrained, amiable Andy becomes unlikely friends with grouchy Nick, but after Andy is jilted by his fiancee and moves in with Nick, their friendship deepens into more. The story is grounded in its time and place with specific New York references, including visits to Yankee Stadium, and thoughtful mentions of real historical heroes and queer media. The hardships queer people faced because of intolerance are present, yet the focus remains on the revolutionary act of queer joy—sometimes simply feeding each other soup and cuddling on the couch. Nick’s reporting work on police corruption adds some intensity but mostly hangs out at the periphery of the tale. Both men have complicated relationships with family—Nick with his extended Italian family, particularly his cop brother, and Andy with his ailing father—which function to deepen the characterizations of the leads. A found family element contributes to the hopefulness and heart that are the cores of this story.

A vividly portrayed midcentury romance filled with queer contentment.

Kirkus Reviews

Joel Leslie brings his usual spirited charm to this sweet, angsty romance set in New York City in the late 1950s. Nick is a newspaper reporter who doesn't let anyone get too close; it's the only way he knows how to stay safe as a queer man in a hostile world. Andy is the optimistic and tenderhearted son of the newspaper's owner, who's determined to show Andy another way of life is possible. Leslie gets every voice just right--from Nick's lightly New York-accented gruff rumble to Andy's smoother timbre. Leslie also brings every secondary character to life, including Nick's many Italian aunts and the fast-talking reporters who inhabit the newsroom. Perfect pacing, real pathos, and plenty of delicious banter make this an enticing listen. L.S. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

June 2023 - AudioFile