We Could Be So Good

A Novel

By: Cat Sebastian

Narrated by: Joel Leslie

A New York Times Notable Book of 2023

A New York Times Books Review Best Romances of 2023 pick • Apple Books’ Best Books of the Month • Amazon Best Books of the Month Editor’s Pick, Romance • An NPR “Books We Love” • Library Journal Romance Pick of the Month • LibraryReads Hall of Fame: June 2023 • Publishers Weekly Best Romances of 2023

Casey McQuiston meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in this mid-century grumpy/sunshine rom-dram about a scrappy reporter and a newspaper mogul’s son "‘for Newsies shippers,’ [that] absolutely delivers” (Dahlia Adler, Buzzfeed Books).

“A spectacularly talented writer!” —Julia Quinn

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.

Be still, my cynical heart.

Cat Sebastian's books (especially her more recent ones, including her Highwaymen series) just absolutely KILL on audio. Her descriptions and the way she plays with emotions translate perfectly to this medium, and this book is no exception. This is a lovely story that could tentatively be described as a sunshine/grump romance, but I don't want to downplay the complexity of Sebastian's characterization by shoving this into a strict category. This is a generally lighthearted romp about two men finding their way to love in a time and place where queer people were just starting to come out of the shadows in popular culture. She alludes to The Charioteer a lot in this story, and I can see the similarities.

No one does Sebastian's books better justice on audio than Joel Leslie. He's so insanely good. Besides a few slips, he manages to nail a Brooklyn accent (in another book, he does a Tennessee accent so convincingly I felt like I was listening to one of my cousins talk, so no surprise there) and his female characters never have those irritating, cliched voices that many male voice actors feel like they need to put on when reading female lines. I'm here for American!Joel and all his variations. Cat Sebastian/Joel Leslie books are an insta-buy for me now.

Crying happy tears

Another amazingly sweet and beautiful book by Cat Sebastian. The characters come to life with the writing and I found myself fully immersed in every scene like I was watching a movie.
Nick and Andy are a perfect match and the inner struggles they both faced to be together were heartbreaking. I adored this book.

Match made in Audiobook heaven!

Cat Sebastian and Joel Leslie are a perfect combo and insta buy for me. This title is no different. The author and narrator both outdid themselves.

The story was solid and appreciated that it wasn’t sexually explicit.

I didn’t like the reader voice very much. I found it distracting because it cracked a lot.

What a great book!

The characters are very well crafted and it is a pleasure to accompany them on the journey of their relationship. It is also a good look into what it was like to be gay in the late 50’s.