After Hours at Dooryard Books

Beautiful and heartbreaking; funny and depressing; an amazing portrayal of 1968 and a surprisingly similar portrayal of 2026. Set in 1968 NYC and centered around two gay men and a mother to a newborn whose husband just died in Vietnam, this book is a look at a slice of life that’s full of heartbroken characters trying to find their way through the day to day. But as they do, we are given layers of compassion, ambition, and hope. In addition to how Cat Sebastian captured a small ray of hope and happiness in an otherwise depressed and broken world, I loved all the characters she brought to life. Not just the main characters (who are great), but also all the side characters who build out the community. Hector and Iris, the teenagers willing to fight the government, even if only in their small acts of rebellion. Mrs. Kaplan, the elderly widow who ‘takes in strays’ and helps people get back on their feet (and finances the bookstore itself). And Susan, Patrick’s sister-in-law and famous folk singer who has always accepted and supported him. I both read and listened to this book and loved both. JJ Hawkins and Joel Leslie did a great job as Patrick and Nathan, capturing their emotions as well as voices for when other characters are talking on page.

This book is just superb! It is often bittersweet, poignant, and melancholy. It's also a journey of grief and healing. It a pathway to all kinds of love. It nails the time period exactly right without seeming like a documentary of the age. Historically, we can look back, knowing what comes after and what is happening now, and feel glad that these people had their moment in time and eventually found lasting family. The romance between Nathaniel and Patrick is tender, real, and you just know it will be lasting. At times, it was difficult to read of this era. (I remember as a child sitting around the dining room table each evening, as the news reported how many soldiers died in Viet Nam that day.) I'm glad I did read it, though, as it shines hope and love between the sad times. Highly recommended!

I have not read any books by Cat Sebastian until this book. This book held my attention all the way through. To me, it brought back a huge amount of memories both good and bad. If my math serves me right, I estimate my age to be just a few years younger than Patrick. I remember well the Vietnam War and being terrified of being drafted. If that happened, I would have surely told them I was gay. This war was so totally wrong! We should never have been there. I also remember older guys talking about some of the incidents that happened to them in the 40' and 50's. I was in a raid at a gay bar in Philadelphia as a teen and was terrified what would happen if my good, Mass everyday Catholic parents had to come bail me out of jail for being in a gay bar and also for being under age. Fortunately, the raid ended up that the cops got paid off and lets us go, not without degrading us and calling us names. I was glad that was the worst of it. Through my years I have met many men like Nathaniel. Such a shame how society has screwed up so many men AND their families. So many gay men had to marry back in those days had children and ended up finally getting divorced, and being estranged from their families after realizing they were unable to live the lifestyle society thought they should live. In this story, luckily Nathaniel met someone like Patrick to gently guide him and show him the ropes of the gay lifestyle. The most enjoyable part of this book was the idea that Nathaniel had those…

Ohhhh what a beautiful book. I actually was given this one in e-ARC but (as has been my way this year, sadly) didn't read it on time, so the edition I read was the final, published book that I bought for myself - and I'm so glad I did. It was just exactly what I needed to read during a rough month - it's so full of kindness and compassion and a grounded hope that feels true even in the worst of times. Cat Sebastian's writing is always beautiful, and this book in particular was just a perfect mix of vibes-with-plot for me, with a deep coziness around the beautiful found family built across the book in a used bookshop in 1968 New York City. Obviously I was not alive at the time so can't speak personally to the accuracy of the setting, but every detail felt vivid and lived-in, and I loved every single bit of it. Every adult member of the found family is dealing with some kind of tragedy in their past, and that's treated with gravity and depth, but it's never treated gratuitously, and the way they build their new life together is just beautiful. This ranks for me as one of my very favorite novels by Cat Sebastian (up there with Hither, Page), and I know I'll be re-reading it many times in the future.

After Hours at Dooryard Books is one of my favorite books of 2025. Cat Sebastian creates amazing characters who form the strongest found family around while managing to thrive no matter what the upheaval of 1968 throws at them. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It’s 1968, and Patrick runs Greenwich Village’s Dooryard Books. Like the store’s owner Mrs. Kaplan, he has a habit of picking up strays and helping them get back on their feet. The latest arrival is Nathaniel Smith—no way that’s his real last name—who can’t seem to walk outside the door of the book store without panicking. Patrick gives him a job at the store, and a place to stay in the apartment upstairs. Then Susan and baby Eleanor arrive from California, and somehow they form an unconventional family unit, even as they each deal with grief and unmentioned feelings. Soon Patrick has a tough time imagining life without Nathaniel around. But once he finds out what Nathaniel is running from, will Patrick still want him to stay? I’m on the record as a huge Cat Sebastian fan. After Hours at Dooryard Books is just another reason why. I love found family in a story, and Patrick creates an amazing one here, full of disparate parts that thrive together. I adore the way he immediately makes Nathaniel feel comfortable without knowing what’s going on with him, and offers him trust that Nathaniel doesn’t believe he deserves. The connection that develops between the pair is obvious to everyone around them, and it’s a treat to watch them finally…