We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian

We Could Be So Good (2023) by Cat Sebastian is a romance set at a large New York newspaper in the late 1950s. Veteran reporter Nick Russo is a closeted gay man whose fear of being outed keeps him from developing any close friendships… until he meets Andy Fleming.

Andy, Nick’s boss’s son, is being groomed to take over the paper one day, but in the meantime he’s learning the ropes by spending a year in the newsroom. Andy is hopelessly scatterbrained, but he’s so friendly and earnest that Nick feels the urge to look after him.

The two become instant friends, and soon their feelings develop into something more. But they both know that society at large would be hostile to their relationship. If they want to have a future together, they need to decide if they’re willing to fight for it.

Told in a series of vignettes that take place over a period of a couple of years, this book doesn’t have too much of an overarching plot. What it does have is well-drawn, endearing characters, witty banter, and a wealth of historical detail. It brings the political issues of the 1950s—gay rights, civil rights, the communist scare—to the forefront. And though it has its sad moments, there is a happy, hopeful ending.

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