#We could be so good cat sebastian

[ashiningstar]

Im reading we could be so good by cat sebastian and the tension between andy and nick is unreal

[ravenwarner]

incredibly self-indulgent fanart of We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian. Nick and Andy I love you.

[rainhorizons]

we could be so good 📰🚬

[bangbangwhoa]

books I’ve read in 2023 📖 no. 068

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian

“I love you…and I want to be with you, and that’s all there is to it. The rest is details. The rest is…administrative.”

[monomatica]

Type Map for We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian

A portrait of Nick Russo + Andy Fleming done in colors inspired by the book cover. I adore this book so much, it’s one of my favorites of the year. 🥰

Bookomatica on Insta

Etsy Shop

[evenaturtleduck]

Andy is me

[libraryleopard]

i'm reading we could be so good by cat sebastian and oh man it has been a hot minute since i read a romance novel that i liked this much. screaming into my hands over these fucking dorks and their pining

[poisindonottouch]

Queer reads: Cat Sebastian

Continuing my queer books you should read, for day 23, I bring you Cat Sebastian. 

Cat Sebastian writes historical romances, set in the 18th century, the 19th century, and the 20th century. I prefer her books set in the 20th century, by far. (I’ve read her other books, and I have a soft spot for The Queer Principals of Kit Webb, but I found the other ones... forgettable. Like, I read them all, and can’t remember the plots. So, uh, not my favorite.)

But these ones. These ones are excellent. 

The three Cabot books take place in the 1958 (I think?), 1960, and 1973 set in the US. They follow a person from the politically famous Cabot family (think the Kennedys), and three queer members who don’t quite fit into the family. Tommy Cabot Was Here and Peter Cabot Gets Lost are novellas that are more about the vibes than the plot, but I love everything about them. Daniel Cabot Puts Down Roots is a longer novel, and is also heavy on the vibes, light on the plot. But they’re so sweet, and so soft, and the writing is so good. (also, A+ on the spicy scenes). 

We Could Be So Good takes place in New York in 1959, and shows slice of life in the queer world before Stonewall. The two main characters are Nick and Andy, and they’re idiots for each other. I love them so much. I read this book when it popped up on my kindle at 10 PM the day before it was released (thank you time zones) and stayed up till 3 AM reading it. 

The Page & Sommers books are set in the UK post WWII, and are murder mysteries. Agatha Christie, but make it gay, according to Cat Sebastian’s website. Aside from the murder, it’s also sweet and soft, and James and Leo are also idiots about each other. 

If you haven’t read any Cat Sebastian, or you’ve only read the regency books, check these out. They’re so good. 

[madrabbitsociety]

Every time I read a book I feel like doing a little dance.

I used to read so much. And audio books, for the record, do count. But when I actively choose to pick up a book instead of watching YouTube or scrolling Tiktok, I feel like a part of me is healing.

I get that blogging about that is probably ironic, or other words that I know when I'm not recovering from a migraine, but for fuck's sake I'm so happy I'm reading a book. It smells like paper. It's heavy. I love it.

[qbdatabase]

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian Nick Russo has worked his way from a rough Brooklyn neighborhood to 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. View the full summary and rep info on wordpress or check it out for free from the Queer Liberation Library!

[alinacapellabooks]

Review: We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Genre(s): Romance, period drama (The setting is 1950s New York)

Tropes: Friends to lovers, slow burn, found family

Rep: Gay Italian-American MC, bisexual and autistic love interest (It’s never directly stated that Andy is autistic, but it is made very, very clear that he is)

My Thoughts: This book, you guys. I love it so, so much. It was such a gentle, comforting read, like a cup of hot cocoa on a cold morning, and so very domestic.

The main thing I liked about this book was the domesticity of the relationship between Nick and Andy. I loved seeing them just exist together, cooking, shopping, having dinner parties with their friends, and even adopting a stray cat, and from the moment Andy moved into Nick’s apartment, it truly felt like the two of them were married, but didn’t know it yet. They do know it by halfway mark, however, despite living in a time period where they can’t get married, or even be public about their relationship without risking legal action, but by the end of the novel, all of their friends know that they’re together, and they’ve even built up a network of queer people at work. I also really liked exploring the complex relationships that Nick and Andy had with their families, with Andy being fiercely proud of his mother’s work, even though she was never there for him when she was alive, and his improving relationship with his father, who wasn’t much better in terms of parenting, but he’s one of the first to know, and accept that fact that Andy is in love with Nick, and he bonds with Andy much more as an adult. Meanwhile, Nick is firmly in the closet to everyone in his family, except for his cop brother, who very much does not approve of his sexuality, mainly because it puts his career at risk. He agrees to keep Nick’s sexuality, and his relationship with Andy a secret, but it is made very clear that he would prefer for Nick to be with a woman, if only because of his career as a cop being at risk.

Another thing I really liked was the handling of Andy’s relationship with his ex fiancée, Emily. Despite their relationship not working out, she remains very present in Nick and Andy’s lives, and there’s never any animosity between them. She, Nick, and Andy become genuine friends, and she’s arguably the most supportive of their relationship in their circle of friends.

Overall, this was a great read, and I would highly recommend it. If domestic gay fluff is what you’re into, this one is for you

[the-final-sentence]

For now he reaches for Nick's hand.

Cat Sebastian, from We Could Be So Good

[kelliealtogether]

MORE PAGE & SOMMERS!!!!!!! AND MORE WE COULD BE SO GOOD UNIVERSE!!!!!!!

[pretensesoup]

Queer books, day 26/30

Oh boy okay hot off the presses with this one, here we go.

Nick and Andy are newspaper reporters in 1958 New York. The historical writing here is GORGEOUS, I just want to say. There are beatniks, there's Brooklyn, there's uptown. It's a richly imagined place and I feel like I could walk around in it. But okay, Nick and Andy meet at the newspaper and become best friends.

Nick is gay and very invested in hiding that fact from absolutely everyone else--he won't even talk to another gay man who works at the paper. He has good reason to be this way, having once been picked up on "vagrancy" charges (i.e. having gay sex in public) and having to have his older brother (who is a cop) bail him out. Nick doesn't like his older brother and he is deeply, deeply worried that everyone he loves will hate him if they find out he's gay, so he just keeps it quiet and lives this bifurcated life.

Andy, on the other hand, is the son of the paper's owner/publisher who is working as a reporter to gain experience before taking over. He's also a giant pile of abandonment issues and anxiety. He starts the novel ostensibly straight. After his fiancée leaves him (her name is Emily! and she's actually not a terrible person, so I forgive this), he moves in with Nick because he kind of hates being alone. And eventually, between reading the Village Voice and going to Some Like It Hot and Nick making him soup and a lot of self-examination, Andy realizes that he's actually bisexual, and what he really wants is…Nick.

A lot of this novel is about homophobia, surveillance, and coming out. Sometimes, coming out means telling friends about your desires, and sometimes, coming out is coming out to yourself. Admitting that you have been making specific choices that made your life easier, when maybe there were other choices that might make you happier. (Wow, that didn't strike a chord with me and my recent life at all, geez.)

Interestingly, for all the discussion of homophobia (and there is a lot, it's kind of a bummer), almost everything we see is related to self-surveillance. Yes, Nick talks about having been arrested and his fears of losing his job, but he doesn't really experience any negative repercussions during the story from any of the things he's afraid of (there are threats but no follow-through). It's also clear how limiting this anxiety is for him—how even when he is surrounded by Andy, Andy's father (who knows they're together), and his own nephew (who he just came out to), he still feels the need to come up with a work-related excuse to talk to Andy. And, like, that's realistic, but also a little heartbreaking, in among how sweet this book is, that Nick can't see his way through this forest. But he gets slowly better as the book goes along, and it seems like maybe, someday, he's going to get there. And for the time being, we wind up with characters who are both out in specific ways and respect each other's boundaries on that, which is nice.

To parallel this self-surveillance theme, there's also a plot about police surveillance and corruption. Just to remind you that ACAB. Even Nick's brother, who is at least trying to be decent to his son and even to Nick, is still kind of a bastard.

Key quote:

"Do you have a copy of Phaedrus?" he calls out. "Do I have a what?" "Plato's Phaedrus." "Oh yeah. Sure, it's right over by the-- No, I fucking don't have any Plato in my apartment, for fuck's sake, Andrew."

This book has non-explicit open-door sex scenes (really, they're sweet but tame). It also contains period-typical homophobia and reference to child abuse (off page and not explicit). It's also incredibly sweet and hopeful and funny. 10/10, go read it.

[evenaturtleduck]

"But if you really want to know what about you made me consider whether I like men, and we're going to pretend that the fact that you're my best friend has nothing to do with it, then it's this spot here." He touches the dip in Nick's clavicle.

"That?" He'd been ready to hear about his shoulders or his arms, or even his ass. Those are the things that get mentioned. He's not exactly unaware of his own charms.

"Every time you loosen your tie or unbutton your shirt, I can't look away. I love that spot." He reaches up and kisses it. "I couldn't be in the same room as that spot without eventually considering whether I might be at least a little queer. And then when I moved in here, I saw it every day, because you don't understand shirts, and now I'm committed to lewdness and homosexuality. And probably communism. We'll find out, I guess."

[bookbaran]

We Could Be So Good was really good, by the way. I think I prefer Cat Sebastian's more recent historical fiction.