Thank you Net Galley for an audio ARC of The Secret Life Of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain. This is a gem of a book and is my favorite of the year so far. This book emotionally hit me in the heart. I listened as tears streamed down my face. To feel as though you have to hide yourself is a shame in itself because everyone has a gift in them to share with others. No matter the reason you hide.

5 star
This is a charming book that hits all the right notes. A great and diverse cast of characters, and a roller coaster of emotions. An adventure I did not want to end.

Albert Entwistle lives a quiet, private little life, safe in his comfortable routine – going to work, delivering the mail along his postal route, saying hello to the people of his small English town (in a way that is polite but does not invite conversation), and going home to his cat Gracie. But when he’s forced into retirement, he finds himself at loose ends, and thinking more and more about the man he loved and lost when he was younger.

Albert is painfully shy, partly due to social anxiety, but also because he was raised having to suppress his true self (and maybe just a little because he’s extremely British and reserved.) Albert was closeted and his father was extremely homophobic (along with his classmates, and the rest of 1970s society in general) and he’s still dealing with the effects of that trauma more than 50 years later, afraid to even think about his sexuality and his lost love, let alone tell anyone about it. But when he decides to make a change in his life, he finds the strength to overcome his fear and open up to people, and it’s lovely to see. Nearly everyone meets his tentative, frightened attempts to socialize and live his truth with love and open arms. His friendship with Nicole, a young single mom along his route, is especially touching, and meaningful to them both. I love a good intergenerational friendship, and Albert and Nicole care so much about each other and truly have each other’s backs. It’s adorable.

I really enjoyed this book! I am including a lot of content warnings at the end of the review, because horrible things happened to Albert in his youth, and other horrible things are said in passing (not toward any of our major characters, but just generally stated bigotry) but I don’t want them to scare anyone off because overall, I found it to be a very uplifting read.

Representation: Lots of LGBTQ+ characters, gay main character, main character with anxiety, black major characters, trans minor character, drag queen character

CW: homophobia, child abuse, pet death, expression of racist, sexist, and homophobic views, mild fatphobia

Heartwarming and sweet! If you liked The House in the Cerulean Sea, this has a very similar feel. 4 stars!

This was a really heartwarming story that I really loved and flew through! It's about an older man facing retirement and deciding to finally embrace who he is by coming out to the world. I love that it tackles a lot of really complex yet relatable themes throughout with an uplifting message behind it all.

This book was absolutely beautiful. While the major plot points were largely simple and fairly predictable, I really enjoyed being along for the ride and it allowed all of the little details and personal growth to really shine through. As a character-driven story, the depth and genuine sweetness of the writing was so heart-warming and refreshing. I think I cried at least 3 times while reading and was surprised at how much of an emotional punch certain moments delivered.

Albert starts off the story as a shy, closed-off, lonely individual who is hiding himself from the world, and has been hiding himself for. almost 50 years. The way that Albert's internalized homophobia was dealt with, and his story slowly unfolded through the series of flashbacks, was perfectly paced and heartbreakingly real. Even though it was not surprising that he had dealt with such negative attitudes about gayness / queerness when he was young, it didn't stop his experiences from being any less devastating. I loved how his relationships with those in the community (especially Nicole, but also Daniel and Danny, Edith, and Marjorie) helped him grow, change, and develop, not only to accept his sexuality but also to stand up for what he believes in and become invested in other peoples lives.

I think although the core element of the plot is Albert's search for George, the real heart of the story is Albert's relationship with Nicole and Reenie. I wasn't expecting Nicole's prominence in the book (as she wasn't mentioned in the synopsis) but found I really appreciated her perspective and felt her journey throughout the book served as a really great foil for Albert's. I loved her giving him a make-over and teaching him how to use social media (I laughed out loud at her string of emoji texts that Albert didn't understand), as well as showing him the love and trust that he really needed to see that he was worth caring about.

The only things that I was a bit bothered by in this book was using the term "mixed-race" without specifying which races the people in question were-- I'm not sure if it's more common to use this term in the UK for folks who are mixed Black & white backgrounds, but as a mixed Asian & white person, I was left trying to figure out what the people described were meant to look like (unless that was the point, in which case, that's fine!) There was also a moment at a party where someone dressed up as the Native American in the Village People with a headdress where I felt like... maybe that wasn't entirely necessary, since it's pretty widely understood that that costume is offensive & cultural appropriation.

On the whole though, I really enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a heartwarming read. 4.5 out of 5 stars from me. I'm so happy to see other LGBTQ+ stories featuring adults coming out later in life- I feel like this was a really beautiful missing piece to a lot of the queer and trans focused books I've been reading lately.

What a lovely story that felt so fresh. I can’t recall the last book I read that focused on LGBTQ elders in a beautiful way. The way the author used age as a catalyst vs a turn down of life events really made this book into a page turner.

This was a really sweet book. I definitely got attached to the characters, and thought the background information about growing up as a gay person in England several decades ago was really interesting and important. I did think in some parts it was a bit cliche/too neatly resolved, though, and the writing, while charming in some sections, didn't always work for me. On the whole, I didn't love it, but I did like it, and am glad to have read it!

Sweet as pie, heartbreaking as always. The end brought tears to my eyes. An absolutely perfect book on what it means to be LGBTQ, to be a member of humanity. Albert stole my heart and ran for the hills. And then George stomped on my hand when I tried to get it back. There's no one else I'd rather trust with it, though.

When I started Albert Entwistle, I was completely enchanted and engrossed. It felt like reading some mixture of A Man Called Ove and Eleanor Oliphant, with the added heft of forbidden queer love. I was charmed by Albert and the way he interacted with and viewed the world. He's the type of character you endlessly want to hug and be around. But the longer things went on, the more everything felt a little too storybook. There were times where I could picture it being narrated by a Christmas/Hallmark movie character. Or maybe it felt like something out of a kids book or video game. Like, 'today I will decide to change my entire personality, okay, done, what's next??' Albert spends a lot of time really digging into his past and trauma and isolation, but the realizations he had felt like too-fast 'aha!' moments, rather than realistic. And while I loved Nicole and her family and her friendship with Albert, I think the attempt to make their stories play off each other was a bit of a stretch. All background characters were also deeply defined by gender roles in a way that felt cheap and unfortunate. But that doesn't mean I didn't have a smile on my face for the vast majority of this book, and that I don't adore Albert, and that I didn't love a really real story of being gay in the 70s.

I feel as though there is a lot to like about this book - but I'm not the kind of person who would find it amusing. I was intrigued by the type of story this was. There's definitely a need for stories to be written about folks coming into themselves later in life. I hope that publishers continue to support books along these lines.

I think that possibly for me, it was just a bit too cliche if that makes sense. Every supporting character was a bit too much, too diverse and things began to seem a bit unrealistic.

That being said, this book is well-written and entertaining to a point. I'm sure there will be a very large audience for it.

First, Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reading copy of this. This was a 5 star read for me-absolutely delightful. It was like Man Called Ove meets, well, I forget what else.
A man who's spent his whole career (since he was a teenager) being a postman is told he must retire. Without the routine of that his life looks pretty empty. His crippling shyness has always prevented him from making friends or really any personal connections. The impending retirement seems like a life ender but then in the most heartwarming of ways he begins to make connections. Most importantly, he opens up about who he actually is (it's not really a surprise) and sees the possibility for love and happiness. Realistically this may not have been the most realistic story. Everyone always says the right thing? Just open up a little and wonderful things happen? But really it was so touching and sweet and you really root for Albert (and rage against the terrible behaviors of the past.) And speaking of the past, don't skip the afterword with older men recalling gay history. It's heartbreaking and eye opening and really so recent.


Highly recommend.

Cozy queer book fans, this one's for you. While some parts of this were substantially more serious than I expected, the overall story was warm and comforting, with so many touching moments. It's about learning to live life on your own terms and finding happiness outside of your comfort zone (but within your limits). Albert is an instantly lovable main character, and he grows so much over the course of the book.

CW: homophobia, pet death, terminal childhood cancer and resulting off-page death, mentions of past miscarriages, discussion of AIDS epidemic, racism, fatphobia, sexism

I wasn’t a fan of another book I read similar to this, Less, but this one was so well executed. I felt everything with the characters, and (with more than a few tears) understood deeply what they went through. Loved this so much <3

I really loved this book! I enjoyed reading from the perspective of an older MC and I really liked the writing style. The beginning could be difficult to get through if you are not a reader who enjoys slow narrative style but if you do like that, then I highly recommend it! I also want to note that the portrayal of the UK postal system was very similar to how the US postal service is and was very accurate. I think the inclusion of these details added a lot to the story. I related strongly to Albert even as a young American girl. I enjoyed getting to know him through his journey of relearning to express himself and his search for George.

This was an extremely sweet book that caught me by surprise with how much emotion I was able to feel given how relatively short it is. Albert is a soon to be retired postman, painfully shy, and just finally crawling his way out of the closet. I have never encountered a book that was written as a coming out story from an elder’s POV. I think that’s something I loved most about this book. I did enjoy Nicole’s part of the story although I wish she had felt less like a caricature of a single mom if that makes sense. She felt a little one dimensional given how important she was to the story. The romance that was central to this book is not a physical thing. It is an emotional journey for the main character as he deals with it both present-day and in the past. I really appreciated the author including interviews with older gay men that he spoke with to give more perspective on what it was like being a gay person when it was barely legal.

My only last criticism for this book is while I hugely appreciate the attempt to break down toxic masculinity through the character of Jack I felt it was very heavy handed both before Albert came out and after. In that same vein many of the other characters such as coworkers neighbors etc. were very overwritten but it did not distract from my enjoyment of the story overall.

Rep: multiple gay men characters, black female MC, trans side character

TW: homophobia, mention of transphobia, police brutality, death of pet (omg was not expecting this one and it really hurt)

Thanks Netgalley for this ARC!

What a sweet love story. While it was a bit of a slog in the beginning, once Albert learns of his retirement and begins his coming-out journey, this book really takes off. Albert forges so many new friendships in just a short time, making his character even more endearing. The reader is led on a journey to find his first and only love, George, and I’d be lying if I said I never doubted for a moment he’d find him.

To Matt Cain, thank you for telling a story that is often overlooked. The LGBTQIA community still face many battles, but it is through telling stories like this that we see the change that is possible. We’ve come a far way, but the fight isn’t over.

**I received this advance copy free from Kensington Publishing Corp. via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and Matt Cain for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
This was an enjoyable story.
Not only do we see Albert search for his long lost love but also get a historic background to what it was like to be gay and how he eventually comes to accept himself and be proud of himself

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle should be the blueprint novel for all those wishing to write a book about queer joy authentically, without erasing the traumatic history the queer community has faced. Following a 65 year old gay recluse, this novel tells the story of second chances, healing from trauma, and discovering a new life at an old age. I loved watching the main character follow his journey back into a world more accepting than he grew up in, and would highly recommend.

The most important aspect of this novel, to me, is the way the author seamlessly wrote about the vitriolic homophobia gay men received in 1900's Britain and beyond while basing the story around queer joy and discovery. Albert rediscovering a new world which is kinder to the queer community than the one he grew up in, and gaining stronger relationships with those who celebrate his queerness was so endearing to read about, and made the book feel like a warm hug. In a world where we've lost so many queer elders to the AIDs pandemic, stories like this one are very underrepresented.

The book doesn't shy away from discussing racial inequality as well as homophobia, though I wouldn't say its as much of a /huge/ part of the novel as it is passing comments. As a white reviewer, I won't comment on how well I thought the representation was done for various minority groups as I lack that perspective, but wanted to note that it is in there!

My only complaint with the novel is the pacing; it's usually very good, but the beginning starts off a bit slow. There's a particular chapter or two near the 20% mark that I think could've just bee taken out altogether, and would not change the story at all. For the most part, however, the pacing is pretty good and makes sense--I just worry some will put the book down early in the novel due to this drag. 4.5 stars :)

This gets the full slate of stars from me for its handling of one basic message: you are never too old to start something new; you are never too old to make new choices in how you live your life. This may seem a ubiquitous message but being now in my mid-50s, I’ve found that it seems less and less of that messaging is directed to my generation and those older than me. The strength of The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle is that the book unpacks everything that goes along with making a wholesale change of perspective, brand new choices, late in life – at the age of retirement in Albert’s case.

The story starts with Albert realizing that he even wants and needs to make a change. He’s comfortable and content in his life and life choices. However, those choices made through the years, and the associated comfort, come from decisions made when he was considerably younger. Those decisions have not been re-examined for decades. Doing so is decidedly uncomfortable and downright scary for Albert. He looks around and feels that perhaps most of his peers dealt with all this internal muck when they were considerably younger. The fundamental internal struggle is accompanied by practical, external challenges-new technology must be learned and embraced for example. Through the story, Albert learns he must be persistent in pushing away the siren’s song of how comfortable it would be to revert to the choices and life he lived for 50 years. He must resist his habitual way of thinking and doing things. It takes a book to explore that type of growth, that experience of “you’re never too old to start something new”. That phrase fits nicely on a poster; it’s a good inspirational quote. But it’s only a single thought initiating a process that will take a lot of work, sometimes work at which one will fail.

So five stars to the author for the character of Albert Entwistle. The curmudgeonly side of me has a couple observations of the book as well. It’s a bit too cozy for my taste. A bit too warm and treacle-y in that Hallmark holiday move/after school special way. Sometimes the character of Albert came across as a sleeping beauty – frozen in time 50 years ago as if he were not even an observer of the changes in society during his lifetime, as if he hadn’t witnessed or absorbed any of it. It became a little hard to swallow at points. I would also say his relationship with his mother was emotionally abusive-a topic that Cain doesn’t ever directly address.

Would gladly recommend this book to others. Thank you to the author and #NetGalley for the electronic ARC.