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

Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian

12 reviews

jourdanicus's review against another edition

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? No

5.0

Ooh, this book gave me the warm fuzzies 🥰 I think Cat Sebastian might be one of my favorite queer romance authors now!

This checked all the boxes of my romantic fiction requirements: diverse characters, characters being kind to one another, a good balance of external and internal conflict, open-door intimacy, just enough plot to keep things interesting without overshadowing character development, and an interesting setting that was present but also didn't overshadow the characters.

Usually I get impatient with slower burn romances; this one wasn't exactly slow burn because Nick and Andy definitely had desire for each other from the beginning. But something about it did seem a little slower - I think it was the way the internal plot developed. Their need to figure out where their relationship was going was present, but not so urgent that it got in the way of them enjoying each other.

The little moments of domestic intimacy also really drew me in, and I think that's what made this story really special to me. It combined the excitement and hesitancy of new love with the familiarity of a couple who lives together comfortably (to which I can relate as someone in a very long term LTR).

Finally, I'm no history buff so I wasn't exactly fact checking every little thing, but it seemed evident that the author did their research for this. I felt very present in the time and place while reading.

Yay for another 5 star read in 2024!

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kaneebli's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

oxfordcommas91's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

3.5

A sweet, light, but slightly predictable queer romcom. It was a fun romp and a lovely palette cleanser between more serious books. I loved that this book was a coming out story without explicitly being a coming out story. This book lacked the “good” conflict for me - I’m used to having that big third act breakup that brings our love birds back together for good, so I was searching for that big moment a bit. That being said, this book does a beautiful job covering queer history and what it was like to be a closeted professional gay man in 1950’s-1960’s NYC. I enjoyed the historical references, and also found the main characters’ discussions about sexuality, race, politics, and class enlightening and thoughtful. Overall a unique and fun look at a gay romcom.

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wardenred's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

Sometimes it’s a tightrope walk, you know? And it’s not fair that I have to be on the tightrope when other people just go for a stroll down the fucking sidewalk.

It's still early in the year, but I've got the feeling this is going to be my favorite book of 2024. This story just hit all the right notes for me. It's a perfect blend of so many of the tropes I adore: friends to lovers, roommates to lovers, workplace romance, mutual pining. The execution of the mix was so well done, too: the way their emotional proximity kept growing, how the closer they got the more they felt they had to hide while getting more and more open with each other. How they see certain things about each other so clearly, almost more so than they see certain things about themselves, but get hopelessly tangled with others until they get just the right nudge. How they both make each other not only happier, but better.

The characters are so alive on the page—not just Andy and Nick, but everyone who surrounds them. There was that cool feeling that the main leads were carving this bubble for themselves that was just for them two in many ways, but they wouldn't be able to do it if they weren't surrounded by other people along the way. People like Emily and her friends, but also people like Andy's father or Nick's big complicated family, despite the tumultuous relationships they had, and people like their coworkers, and all the other queer people in New York whose lives touched those only tangentially—through glances exchanged in the streets or articles in the newspapers. I'm an absolute sucker for deeply character-driven stories like this, and so many of Andy's and Nick's experiences and feelings resonated with me so much, too. From Andy's very obvious ADHD to Nick's struggled habit of concealing big parts of his identity, there was always something that made me go, "Yeah, been there."

There was also this very clear sense of place and historical period that I enjoyed a lot. So many scenes and locations were so vividly depicted that I almost felt I was watching a movie, and I'm not a super visual reader. Due to the realities of that time, there is a strong impact of period-appropriate homophobia, but in spite of it, there's a lot of queer joy and thriving to offset the angst, even if it has to happen under wraps. Especially since the wraps are coming down, what with all those small subplots about the articles or the increasing number of queer books reviewed by Nick's colleague—some of them even non-tragic.

If I had to nitpick, I could perhaps note how there were a few instances of the prose not being quite clear, or how maybe in a few places the intersections of character arcs and external plot evens could be tightened up. But I'm not in the mood to nitpick at all—I just loved the entire experience. Honestly, I could go on and on about so many aspects of the story because it gave me All The Feels. Ultimately, it's a beautiful slice of life with so much heart, and I think I'll re-read it someday, even though there are so many books and so little time.

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kshertz's review against another edition

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challenging emotional slow-paced

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

4.0

The heartbreaking side of being gay in the 50s. It was so beautiful to see them find each other and so sad to see them have to hide it for their whole lives. Like I loved it and I hated it. But it’s beautiful and if you can handle it, a wonderful story to enjoy!

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xaniya's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

This book makes my heart so full. Their lives in fear of being found out are recognized, but fear doesn't embody everything this story has to offer. Above all else, it's a sweet tale of two men finding themselves and support -- the forever kind -- in each other.

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callidoralblack's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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20sidedbi's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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saskiahill's review against another edition

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3.75

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purplepenning's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.25

Everyone he knows is trying to assemble some kind of life from the spare parts they have lying around…

I usually prefer my rom on the com side, but this was as good a character-driven rom-dram as I've ever read. It doesn't hurt that you get to fan cast your favorite classic Hollywood stars in all their 1950s NYC glory. 🙂 We Could Be So Good is a mostly slice-of-life story that captures the complications, the tension, the hope, and joy of carving out a queer space and establishing a found family in an environment that is passively and sometimes brutally, actively hostile. I don't want to spoil it for you, but it ends up being…

a gentler story than I had anticipated and I might have enjoyed it more if I had known that going in

. Yes, there are oppressive laws and family issues and mistrust and corruption, but there are also flowers and dopey cats and baseball games and Italian cooking and hearth and home sweetness. For the relationship itself, you'll find grumpy-sunshine, friends-to-lovers, pining and yearning, caretaking, healthy acceptance of differences, and mostly beautiful communication with some realistic miscommunication that doesn't get tropey or lazy.

He can feed the goddamn ducks and he can kiss his boyfriend. He can believe that the future they have is worth more than his fear, and he can do what it takes to make that future as safe and happy as possible. 💜

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