The Prospects
Ratings12
Average rating4.2
Minor leagues. Major chemistry.
Hope is familiar territory for Gene Ionescu. He has always loved baseball, a sport made for underdogs and optimists like him. He also loves his team, the minor league Beaverton Beavers, and, for the most part, he loves the career he’s built. As the first openly trans player in professional baseball, Gene has nearly everything he’s ever let himself dream of—that is, until Luis Estrada, Gene’s former teammate and current rival, gets traded to the Beavers, destroying the careful equilibrium of Gene’s life.
Gene and Luis can’t manage a civil conversation off the field or a competent play on it, but in the close confines of dugout benches and roadie buses, they begrudgingly rediscover a comfortable rhythm. As the two grow closer, the tension between them turns electric, and their chemistry spills past the confines of the stadium. For every tight double play they execute, there’s also a glance at summer-tan shoulders or a secret shared, each one a breathless moment of possibility that ignites in Gene the visceral, terrifying kind of desire he’s never allowed himself. Soon, Gene has to reconcile the quiet, minor-league-sized life he used to find fulfilling with the major-league dreams Luis inspires.
This triumphant debut romance reveals what’s possible when we allow ourselves to want something enough to swing for the fences.
Reviews
Popular Reviews
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Narration: Third person present tense, single POV
Diversity: transmasc MC and author, mlm romance, anxiety, ADHD.
This was such a cuuuute romance! There's rivals to lovers, there's secret dating, there's so much pining! there's mental health discussions, there's washing each other's hair, there's holding while crying...
If I summarized this book in one word it'd be hope. Letting yourself hope, and having the courage to reach for the things you want.
I loved Gene, the MC. He's a ray of positivity for everyone but himself and wants to make sure everyone else is happy, while struggling with letting himself be happy. There were some parts in the book where he talks about the difference between hoping and wanting, and what he will and won't let himself do. It felt so precious and real.
Luis, is a sweetheart of a love interest. He is a bit shy and keeps to himself, especially because of his anxiety. But despite that, it felt like he was a lot more open to love than Gene was. I loved how even though they both cared for one another, Luis felt like he was ready to commit fully from the get go.
And I loved these two together. It's possible it got a bit codependent at times, but like I'm more okay with that in romances? There was just so much love and support between these two. I pointed out a few instances at the very top, but believe me, they're really cute together.
I also thought the third act breakup was done well and made sense within the story. It didn't make me angry at all!
3.75 rounded up
Okay it was SO cute & I was smiling like a dang fool through a lot of it but I think I'm lowkey such a romance hater overall lmao I have to be very specifically in the ~mood~ to read romance & I *was* when I first started the book, but it took me a while to get through thanks to my varied disability issues (exhaustion + pain, mainly) so by the 70% point I was kind of like, pushing myself through to the ending bc the 'mood' had passed 😂😭
Still really liked it, though! Most of the baseball stuff flew right over my head cause I'm not really a baseball girlie, but it wasn't really over the top and was still enjoyable for someone who doesn't know anything about sports.
It had pretty good ADHD/mental health rep, fun friendships, realistic conflict between characters, cute gays doin cute gay things & plenty of Trans joy ofc
(Was also a tad spicier than I was expecting lol not a bad thing, it just surprised me) 🥴
One thing that was kind of odd to me (and I'm just nitpicking here) was how dodger was just casually allowed to go everywhere with Luis. Only mentioning this because he is described as his emotional support dog - which is, legally speaking, different than a service dog.
I loved this book. Full of hope and optimism. Stories like this often start to feel cheesy and contrived. This one, got it right. The characters felt deep and real. I loved the ADHD rep because I related to it so much. It was just a part of life, but not a driving part of the story. Highly recommend.
