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Casey McQuiston meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in this mid-century romdram about a scrappy reporter and a newspaper mogul's son--perfect for Newsies shippers. 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.
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**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**
Cat Sebastian returns with We Could Be So Good, a queer romance set in the 1950s. Nick is a reporter for a newspaper and has had to work for everything he has. Imagine his chagrin when the owner of the newspaper's son is given a job in the office after dropping out of business school. Imagine further that said son, Andy, is actually awkward and shy and kind. The worst part is that Andy is woefully handsome. Not that Nick noticed.
I have been a fan of Cat Sebastian's historical romances for quite some time, but this has been the first time I have read something she has written outside of Regency era. Suffice it to say, everything I have always loved about her writing is still there. Sebastian has a way of getting to the heart of characters and putting every emotion on the line. Her conflicts are compellingly real and never trite. Beyond that, Sebastian pays due regard to the historical period in which she writes, making choices in alignment with what would be accurate for the time. Certainly, she uses artistic license as needed, but Sebastian, in my experience, stays away from any major anachronism that might distract a reader from the story.
Nick and Andy were a joy to watch come together and learn to rely on one another. While they do endure period-accurate instances of homophobia, the amount of queer joy celebrated in even small things during this book was absolutely what I needed in the moment.
I would recommend any of Cat Sebastian's works to folks seeking queer historical romance, and was grateful for the opportunity to read this one early.