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Shout out to Netgalley and the publishers for advanced copies of these three books, but as per usual with me, you can already grab all three of these books to read for yourself!

You Should Be So Lucky
by Cat Sebastian

You Should Be So Lucky is definitely going to be one of my favorite books of the year. I picked it up, belatedly, because I needed to fill the prompt read your highest rated book on Goodreads (I picked from just my 2024 ARCs, but even still this one has a very high rating!). I’ve been meaning to get to it for ages, as evidenced by the fact that it is an ARC I requested, but also I own the physical copy. Anyway, before I start explaining why this is a magical book and I love it so much, let me tell you a little bit about what it’s about. 

Eddie is a professional baseball player and he got abruptly traded to this New York team and he is not having a good time. He has completely lost his ability to hit the ball and feels like everything is just so hard, including the fact that he is now living in a city that cares about baseball so he can’t sneak away to find a safe space. He’s also exceptionally alone because none of his teammates will talk to him. Then we have Mark. Mark is a reporter and he’s mourning his past relationship (view spoiler) and feeling pretty stuck. His “boss”, Andy, assigns him to write a column of Eddie’s “diary” on a weekly basis and this results in the two of them slowly becoming friends and eventually more. 

What I love about this book is the found family. The care Sebastian takes to make all of these characters real people. I hate baseball, but I found myself so invested in this team and wanting them to succeed. I want a spin off book about the manager and the owner. Like, this book absolutely stole my heart because every character feels so deeply real and I love them so, so much. The romance too is absolutely wonderful. It’s 1960 and so things aren’t the greatest in terms of civil rights (obviously), and there’s a big conversation about how to live your life openly, when you also, you know, can’t do that safely. I just… I can’t even explain to you. It’s so good. If you haven’t picked it up, you really should.

At Her Service by Amy Spalding

This book is a single POV following Max, who is an assistant at a Hollywood agency and she loves her job, but she also wants to move up to being a Junior Agent. She’s also “in love” with her bartender, Sadie. Unfortunately for Max, she can’t seem to get people to take her seriously and she really does want that to stop. This results in her agreeing to her influencer roommate, Chelsey’s sponsorship plan to promote an app that will help her become more self-actualized. 

What I liked about this book was the self-actualization piece. I loved that Max is such a person of routine and comfort, while yearning for something more, and how this journey with the app makes her push herself out of her comfort zone, which results in her really starting to see some significant changes. What I didn’t love about this book was also related to the self-actualization piece. One of the things that is the message of this book is that sometimes you get caught up on something that isn’t actually what you want in life, but when you focus so much of your energy toward that thing, it can be hard to let it go. I think, for me, this book both really hit in a way that made me feel seen in a way I didn’t want to be, but also, at times wound up being very frustrating. 

Basically, this book is messy. The romance is definitely at the forefront even while this is a single POV book which is about self-actualizing. I really do like Amy Spalding’s writing and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Second Night Stand
by Fay & Karelia Stetz-Waters

I listened to Second Night Stand and I enjoyed it! It’s somehow simultaneously an easy read and a stressful one. I think that stems from the fact that this book takes a fun reality talent competition idea and pairs it with two characters who both desperately need either the money or the validation of winning the competition. Izzy, also known by her stage name Blue Lennox, has invested all of her money into a theatre to be a safe space for her burlesque troupe only to discover that the theatre is a money pit. She is also so convinced that she has to always be Blue Lennox and cannot just be Izzy. Then we have Lillian, a classically trained Black ballerina, whose mother has really convinced her that she cannot be anything less than perfect. Ever. Both of them are dealing with a lot of big emotions and angst because of their respective issues, which makes this book have a serious tone. At the same time though, the overall plot and the romance between the two feels more “Casual” by Chappell Roan coded. Like a will they won’t they be serious about one another, if that makes sense. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next book by these co-authors because I think they will likely improve in pacing and hopefully managing to strike a more consistent tone throughout the novel.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, a good set of three books and it’s always a good time when you get to celebrate Queer love, you know? What are some of your favorite queer books that have come out this year?

xx