The Prospects

A Novel

By: KT Hoffman

Narrated by: Shaan Dasani, KT Hoffman

“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

AN ELLE AND PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

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.

©2024 KT Hoffman (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“It may come as a shock to learn that this is KT Hoffman’s debut novel since it captures all the perfectly frustrating magic of a great enemies-to-lovers romance.”—Marie Claire, “The 18 Best Romance Books of 2024 (So Far)”

“Endearing and tender . . . We’re right there with Gene as he struggles with going from almost enough to more than plenty, as he stops letting life happen to him and learns to actually reach for something.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Hoffman’s debut is entertaining, sexy and delivers a much-needed joyful tale of queer love.”—USA Today

Touchdown

Well written and heartwarming. I appreciate that it didn’t fall into some of the classic, tired, and depressing trans tropes. Felt true to my personal experience of gender. Characters are well developed and relatively multi dimensional. Steamy sex scenes but perfectly written; not too much but just enough. Warms the heart and floods the basement. I wish all books were like this book.

A book full of heart

A great book with characters you truly want to see succeed. The zest with which gene lives his life is infectious.

Must Read

yall have to read this im not joking like it should be legally required reading

Acquired a lot of baseball terms in my quest for gay trans content

I am decidedly not interested in sports generally and baseball specifically but I can’t turn down a good story with trans rep and a love interest. You will learn a lot of baseball terms, especially in the beginning but it levels off after the first couple of chapters.

My biggest issue with this story was something that tbf, IS mentioned in the author’s note at the beginning, but it was still jarring. Gene uses female anatomical terms for his genitals, not in conversation with anyone, but when describing the sex he is having. I was warned and cannot dock stars for this but wanted to note it here for others. As someone who is uncomfortable with those terms for a transmasc body, it immediately took me out of the hot sex scenes. On a related note, while representation of gay trans men who are bottoms is important and relevant for plenty of people, I was disappointed that this story replicated the trans men are always/mostly bottoms trope that is pervasive in transmasc rep. Where is the rep for trans men and transmascs who are tops or lean top?

Despite the criticisms, I devoured this story and definitely enjoyed it. Maybe some of the lines were cheesy at times (saying each other’s names back and forth during sex was kinda cringe), but most of the interactions felt authentic and I enjoyed the inner monologues about optimism and being willing to let yourself want something.