Reviews with content warning for Violence - We Could Be So Good

At this point, I'm going to have to read everything that Cat Sebastian has written and will write. She is so good at building delicious tension and creating beautiful slow-burn romances. I love Andy and Nick.
This work also encourages me to look into queer literature and works—I'll have to check out The Charioteer and "Revolt of the Homosexual" for earlier representations of queer society.

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nere's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

4.75

17 may 2024

I feel like I’ve been trying to crack the code of romance books so long since I ever started reading. I went a period thinking maybe the genre wasn’t for me until I became an experienced enough reader to realize I just hadn’t found the right book yet. in this case, I hadn’t found Cat Sebastian yet. this is the closest thing I’ve ever come to feeling GIDDY while reading romance. kicking my feet and twirling my hair. Sebastian has a deep understanding of the machinations of lust, desire, and build-up few romance authors could only dream of. any romance I usually manage to sit through, keeps me engaged in SPITE of the writing—but this kept me engaged, in large part, because of it. I was interested in the two leads as characters, I was invested in their individual developments outside of the romance. the romance just happened to be a delightful, giggling, and kicking-your-feet worthy cherry on top.

“Maybe the trick is to put fear in its place so it doesn’t take over. […] He can believe that the future they have is worth more than his fear.”

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moreadsnrambles's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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maya_vee's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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hendrixpants's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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blewballoon's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

5 stars for how delighted I was throughout this book. It's so much fluffier than I expected! That being said, it's not without depth, and the sweetness feels earned. I adored the characters. I dunno, this book was like a warm hug from someone you didn't expect to hug you.

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yourbookishbff's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I adore Nick and Andy, Cat Sebastian writing mid-century New York, every single side character, painfully awkward flirting, and even that silly orange cat. This is often described as cozy and low-angst, and that's true for the character interactions - this is flawlessly executed friends-to-lovers, where the characters have deep-seated respected and care for each other, so we always know they will be kind, even when they're dummies. I would note, though, that the external conflict and the periphery of the story is stressy - this is 1950s New York, so it's obviously hostile to queer men, and the threat of the police lurking throughout this entire story had me on edge for a large part of the plot.
This is for those who love slice-of-life trope lasagna (Can we make that a thing? It's no haphazard trope soup, but a rich and layered dish of all of my very favorite tropes?). If you love friends-to-lovers, caretaking, hurt-him-and-I'll-hurt-you, let-me-make-you-soup, roommates-to-more, etc., this is swoony and delicious.

Also - I LOVED the bi-awakening we see on page. It is one of the most familiar and affirming I've seen in romance recently, and it gave me lots of fuzzy feelings.

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smokeandwires's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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