Description

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“A queer sports romance and a triumphant debut . . . a heartstring-pulling tale of two minor-league baseball rivals who realize they play much better together.”—Elle, The Best (and Most Anticipated) Romance Books of 2024, So Far

“I completely adored it.” —Casey McQuiston, author of Red, White & Royal Blue

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.

About the Author

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KT Hoffman is originally from Beaverton, Oregon and currently lives in Brooklyn. He received his bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing from Stanford University. If he isn’t writing about trans hope and gay kissing, he’s probably white-knuckling his way through the ninth inning of a Seattle Mariners game. The Prospects is his debut novel.

Praise For…

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“A queer sports romance and a triumphant debut from KT Hoffman, The Prospects is a heartstring-pulling tale of two minor-league baseball rivals who realize they play much better together.”—Elle, The Best (and Most Anticipated) Romance Books of 2024, So Far

“Tenacious, sexy, effervescent, doggedly hopeful, and endlessly charming, with characters to root hard for and an irresistible voice . . . I completely adored it.”—Casey McQuiston, author of Red, White and Royal Blue

“In KT Hoffman’s debut The Prospects, [teammates who] haven’t the foggiest idea how to communicate during a game . . . find a surprising amount in common in the dugout—including an attraction neither can ignore.”—Paste Magazine

“The queer romcom I’ve been waiting for . . . The Prospects is a love letter to baseball, the Pacific Northwest, and trans joy. I adored every second of it!”—Alison Cochrun, author of The Charm Offensive

“This book is optimism and grit, dedication and unbridled joy. I fell in love with baseball, Gene and Luis, and the earnest beauty of KT Hoffman’s writing. An absolute delight.”—Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of The Ex Talk

“A gorgeously written tale of queer joy and trans possibility, a heart-stealing romance and a loving tribute to the art of baseball—particularly the beauty, struggle, and camaraderie of the minor leagues . . . ”—Anita Kelly, author of Love & Other Disasters

“The Prospects is a beautifully resonant appeal to a future where gay and trans people are celebrated, and even expected, in sports. . . . My heart beat fast, my feelings soared, and then I got tickets to a minor league game.”—Sabrina Imbler, author of How Far the Light Reaches

“Funny, tender, and hot, this book made me feel like I could dream bigger for myself. KT Hoffman’s debut is, pardon the sports analogy, a homerun. If you liked Ted Lasso, you will love The Prospects.”—John Paul Brammer, author of ¡Hola Papi!
 
“The Prospects is the book I will reread every time I want to go back to a world where I feel safe, and loved, and like big-hearted underdogs can rule the world. I can’t even express how much I adore this beautiful, joyful book.”—Alicia Thompson, author of With Love, from Cold World

“Every corner of this book shines, from the tender love of Gene and Luis to the charming found family that surrounds them and the game that brings them all together. The Prospects is about dreaming big, finding love and blowing the roof off simply by existing. It’s a debut so good it’s in a league of its own.”—BookPage, starred review

“Hoffman hits it out of the park with his feel-good queer frenemies-to-lovers debut. . . . This hopeful story of triumphant underdogs and blossoming love is a home run.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review