Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an e-arc!

I read The Guncle and The Guncle Abroad back to back, and I’m so glad that I did! It was so fun to see what Patrick and his family were up to about 5 years after The Guncle ended!

Patrick’s brother, Greg, is about to be married to a beautiful woman named Livia, who is rich and from Italy. Maisie and Grant are really struggling with it, so unsure of what else to do, Greg asks Patrick to take the kids for a couple of weeks. Patrick has been in London filming a movie, and decides that a European vacation with their fun Guncle right before the wedding could just be what the kids need.

During their journey, Patrick is determined to help the kids learn what love is so that they’ll be able to open their eyes to their father’s marriage. Although Patrick feels conflicted about anyone being married to Greg besides Sara, ultimately he wants his brother to be happy. Unfortunately, the kids are harder to crack than he was anticipating, especially Maisie.

Patrick is also dealing with some hardships in his own life, as he’s going through a break up from someone he really cares about. He’s also jealous of the prospect of the kids getting a Launt- a lesbian aunt who is very cool and impressive.

As the big day arrives, family chaos ensues. As the kids fight to keep their dad and prevent Livia from replacing their mom, everyone learns valuable lessons about each other, love, and how to move forward after death.

The Guncle Abroad was just as charming and fun to read as The Guncle! It’s definitely a good summer read with some great messaging as well!

The Guncle Abroad is a great look back with the beloved characters from Guncle!

Love the humor, fun and heart that Steven Rowley includes in every book and definitely this book is no different! Highly recommend!❤️

It was an immense delight to be back in the world of Patrick, Maisie and Grant. This sequel kept the humor and introspection and added travel. Loved it!

I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about The Guncle before, so I’m sure you can imagine how excited I was for a sequel. I actually got access to an advanced e-copy and started it months ago, but quickly realized I wanted to wait and listen to the audiobook narrated by Rowley himself instead.

📖 In this sequel, Gay Uncle Patrick is back, but on a European adventure with the kids on their way to Italy for a family wedding.

True to Rowley’s writing style, there are moments of humor, moments of sadness, and moments of growth all rolled up together into a beautiful story.

Now, we don’t only have a Guncle, but also a Launt! I about died when he talked about how a Launt would likely throw you in her Subaru to go buy artisanal dog treats 😂. Their little rivalry was hilarious (hand jobs 😂🤦🏻‍♀️).

Steven Rowley is incredible. I love the growth of Maisie, Grant and Uncle Patrick from The Guncle to The Guncle Abroad. The attention to detail of each location that they traveled felt like I was walking back through the streets with them. Palmina quickly became a new favorite, with tons of laughs from her bickering with GUP.

The author is absolutely unmatched in creating a masterpiece that will make you both cry, reflect, and laugh hysterically out loud. Highly recommend! Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

(I also had the pleasure of meeting Steven Rowley at an author event, and I can confirm he is just as funny in person!)

Quick and Dirty
-sequel to a beloved book
-contemporary LGBTQ fiction
-all the feels (especially joy)
-better on audio

"Patrick O'Hara is called back to his guncle duties . . . This time for a big family wedding in Italy."

What Worked
What a joy this book was to read! Connecting with Patrick and the kids again was so delightful that I literally smiled the ENTIRE time I read/listened to this book. Rowley has a way of blending humor/satire with heavier emotions that is sheer genius, in my opinion. Every single one of his books feels like a reflection of the human experience: complex and overwhelming at times. The evolution of this story truly felt like a journey, with lessons, pitfalls, and triumphs along the way. Patrick's storyline felt VERY relatable, giving everyone in that 40-50 age group a character that highlights their own experience: aging, relevance, fear, exhaustion, etc. And, of course, his life lessons are spot on, mixing wisdom with the old-world charm of the European settings. This one had me missing Europe in the best way, eager to book another trip soon. Listening to The Guncle Abroad is the way to go; Rowley's narration is EVERYTHING, bringing Patrick to life in a way the written word cannot do. I tried reading the ebook but found much more joy in listening.

What Didn’t Work
While there may be a few little things (too many characters, a tad too long), nothing about this book warrants negativity.

Read This If
If you loved The Guncle you must read this. If you need a good laugh, you must read this.

A wonderful sequel to The Guncle! I truly enjoyed seeing the how the characters had grown a few years down the road, especially the children. While their grief was not as acute, we saw how love and loss become integrated into the lives of the characters and how they continue to move forward. It would have been easy to paint the picture of a stereotypical "evil stepmother," but I appreciated how Rowley did not fall into this trap and focused on the characters' development and acceptance of new love and people into their lives.

I loved this book! I was hoping it would live up to the first guncle book and it absolutely did. I think everyone needs a guncle in their life. This book had me laughing out loud and reading out parts to my husband that I couldn’t help sharing. So many lessons on love and living your best authentic life in this book. 5 stars!

An easy 5 stars… dare I say better than the first??

This book was such a treat! Not only was it incredible to be back with GUP and the kids again, but it was so nostalgic for me because I’ve done almost this exact trip before! A few years ago 3 of us went to Europe for almost a month, and traveled through Italy, France, and Spain. On our adventures, we crashed two weddings (one in Lake Como, just like in the book!), ate at Angelina (just like in the book!), got a little lost in Venice (just like in the book!), marveled at how small the Mona Lisa is in person (just like in the book!), visited the Prada store in Milan and felt hopelessly out of place (just like in the book!), and on and on like that… So, needless to say, this was a lot of fun to read, and allowed me to relive one of the best experiences of my life.

Steven Rowley has outdone himself with this one, and wrote a sequel even better than the original—something that never happens! Chock full of his signature wit and charm, this book replicated everything I loved and felt about the first, and then took it and improved upon it! Like the first book, this one explores themes of grief and loss, but it builds and expands by also examining things like aging, loneliness, and moving on. In The Guncle Abroad, we see all the characters grow and change and come more fully into themselves, and despite the serious message at its core, the book is entirely heart-warming and hilarious. When I tell you I cackled out loud so many times, I mean it! (You’ll see when you get there, but the musical Grease will never be the same in my mind.)

Thank you so much to Putnam and NetGalley for the advanced copies of this book! It was a joy to read and so much fun to travel the world through The Guncle’s eyes. I really hope that one day we get more of Patrick, Maisie, and Grant (and even Palmina).

I would like to thank Penguin Random House, GP Putnam’s Sons, Netgalley, and the author for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Guncle Love Languages
1- Silence
2- “Finer Things. Don’t save them for a day that may never come, enjoy them with someone you love now.”
3- “There’s nothing money can buy that beats life’s free joys with the people you care about”
4- “Think of your loved one’s favorite things. And do those.”
5- “Spending time together.”

Read if you like:
😆 Witty banter
🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Family centered stories
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQIA2s+ rep
🥹 Stories of healing

The Guncle is back for a big family wedding in Italy! Patrick’s brother Greg is getting remarried 5 years after the death of his wife, Patrick’s best friend, and Maisie and Grant’s mom. Greg is worried about the kids and asks Patrick to take care of them while he and Livia finalize the wedding plans. Patrick takes the kids on a European adventure and tries to teach them how people show their love using the Guncle Love Languages. Meanwhile, Patrick is coming to terms with his impending 50th birthday and his recent breakup with Emory.

I adore these characters. Patrick is perfectly snarky with a big heart, the kids are smart and adorable, and the new characters are cool and fun. The relationship between Patrick and the kids is so sweet and I loved seeing his growth and vulnerability. I also really liked that we have a new take on the love languages as Patrick tried to get the kids to see the love between Greg and Livia. I laughed a lot and cried, as I with all Steven Rowley books. This is a beautiful love story.

I was not a fan of Patrick in the first one; I found him immature and annoying. In this one, however, he has grown up, and I loved him! He was snarky when needed, with fun references that Gen Xers will get, and sweet and understanding when his niece and nephew needed him to be. This book was funny and heartwarming. I loved visiting different cities in Europe with them as he teaches them about love and relationships. A perfect summer read!

The Guncle was one of my top books when I read it in 2021 and I was so excited to be back with GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick). Luckily, this sequel did not disappoint. This book picks up a few years after the first book ends. Now, Patrick’s brother is getting remarried in Italy, Patrick is single, and Maisie and Grant are older and very unhappy about their dad’s new relationship. As they all travel to Italy for the wedding, Patrick tries to open the kids up to love and get them on board with their dad’s marriage. This book is filled with the same humor and heart I fell in love with in the first book. Steven Rowley writes incredibly complex and beautiful family dynamics and I loved seeing the characters in this new stage of life. This book was a warm hug and left my heart feeling so happy. It was definitely another winner!
Thank you to Putnam Books for the advance copy.

The Guncle Abroad picks up 5 years after the prequel., Patrick's career is thriving, coming off a sitcom run. Maisie and Grant are 11 and 14, and their dad is about to get re-married. Leading up to the wedding in Lake Como, Patrick travels around Europe with the kids and tries to teach them about love, while revisiting his own recently failed relationship.

The novel is structured around the various destinations the trio visits, from the romantic streets of Paris to the historical marvels of Rome and the bustling energy of London. Each location is vividly described, not just in terms of its physical beauty but also in how it impacts the characters. Rowley uses these settings to explore deeper themes such as grief, identity, and the meaning of family. Patrick's journey is not just geographical but also emotional, as he reflects on his past relationships and contemplates his future.

One of the standout elements of The Guncle Abroad is its humor. Rowley has a knack for balancing laugh-out-loud moments with scenes that tug at the heartstrings. Patrick's sharp tongue and penchant for dramatic flair provide plenty of comic relief, while the children's antics add an extra layer of fun. Yet, beneath the humor, there is a profound exploration of love and loss that gives the story its emotional weight.

I didn't love this quite as much as I loved The Guncle, but it felt like an appropriate and fitting revisit of the first novel.

Uncle Patrick "GUP" is back in the sequel to The Guncle. In this book, Patrick is asked to take his niece and nephew for a few weeks and hopefully cheer them up, then meet Greg, their dad in Italy for his wedding. Greg's first wife passed away 5 yrs ago and he is getting remarried. Maizy and Grant, the children, are not happy at all about this. They voice this to GUP when they see him and make a deal. They will endure his European trip, and learn about the love languages, in return for his promise to talk their dad out of marrying again.

I love the way Steven Rowley writes both this story and the original. When reading it, you can almost hear the characters voices talking. There are parts of this one that are extremely sad, with the kids missing their mom, and parts that are really funny.

If you loved the first novel "The Guncle." I would guess readers would like this one was well. I don't think it is a 5++ rating, which I would give the first book, but I definitely rate it a 5. Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC in return for my honest opinion.

Our favorite guncle is back and this time he's taking on Europe! Patrick's brother, Greg, is getting married in Italy and Patrick decides to take his niece and nephew on a tour of Europe before the big festivities. Maisie is now a hormonal angry teenager and she is not happy with her dad getting married. Grant is growing out of his little boy phase and trying to figure out what it means to be a pre=teen boy. Patrick has his hands full with these two.

I loved The Guncle so the bar was set very high for the sequel and it did not disappoint. The first half with the adventures around Europe felt a little rushed and chaotic. The second half was everything I absolutely loved about the first novel. The lessons, the family drama, the love. It was perfection. Definitely a must-read if you love the original (which I also highly recommend).

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC of The Guncle Abroad.

This one paaaaaaaaaaaaaains me to rate. But I had to DNF around 30%.

I don't know why. It felt forced. It felt slow. It felt like a different Guncle book. I can't put my finger on exactly why it wasn't grabbing me, but that's my problem :(

The narration was great and I laughed a few times, but I think there was no plot for a majority of what I read. I wasn't super interested in hearing about each spot they were going to... I don't know. I think I'm in a book slump and this came to me at the wrong time. The Guncle is one of my favorite books ever, so this sucks to know I didn't care for the sequel.

A lot of readers said the ending is amazing and it makes up for a lack of plot, but I just couldn't force myself to get there. I might spoil it for myself and see how it ended.

But thank you for the ARC. Sorry I suck and wasn't invested.

I really enjoyed this story. The time jump was interesting, and without reading the first story, I felt like not only did I know the characters at the current point in time, but I knew them in the first book as well. I rarely find books that explain so easily the first book without being incredibly obvious about it, but this felt so natural and connected that it really fit together.
THESE CHARACTERS. I love them, I love them so much, I want only the best. I felt like I was truly sitting with a believable family. The kids were so well written it felt like I could feel them growing up and I could feel their pain.
I LOVED the introduction of Palmina. I felt like she was a very nice compliment to Patrick, along with giving him just a little competition for the kids affection.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story and I am eager for the next adventure for this lot!

📱 The Guncle Abroad 📱⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Genre- Contemporary Fiction. ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Length- 320 pages. ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣My thoughts- The Guncle was my favorite book of 2021, so when I heard there was a sequel coming, I was over the moon! Thankfully, this book delivered and felt like I was hanging out with old friends! ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Patrick, Maisie and Grant are back… and this time they are traveling through Europe on their way to their father’s wedding- an affair the kids want to stop. Patrick decides to teach the kids about love- much like he did about grief. ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣This book was just lovely. The banter is witty and entertaining. The relationships are sweet and I just loved being back in Patrick’s world! Parts of this book felt a little slower, but near the end I found myself crying and then giggling a few pages later— which automatically equals a five star read in my book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Thank you to @netgalley for an ARC of The Guncle Abroad. It is out now.

I loved The Guncle and was really looking forward to The Guncle Abroad. Unfortunately this sequel did not hit the mark for me. In this book, Patrick has been filming a movie in London when he learns his brother, Greg, is getting remarried, in Italy. Patrick offers to travel around Europe with his niece and nephew, Maisie and Grant , ending in Italy in time for the wedding. But from the moment Maisie and Grant arrive in England, it is obvious that they are not happy or excited about the upcoming nuptials. Patrick takes this opportunity to teach the kids about love languages in hopes of helpIng them to see the importance of their father’s happiness.
I had high hopes for this one but I just felt like it didn’t live up to the hype of The Guncle. The kids’ behavior felt much younger than their actual ages in book. A lot of the storylines were cringy to me. I just couldn’t wait to be done reading.

It was wonderful to be back with Patrick, Maisie, and Grant. I really enjoyed the storyline but have some conflicting opinions about out the ending. The last 15% or so seemed unnecessary, everything culminated at a good ending point but the story continued on. The final portion did have some good wrap up moments for Patrick but I was just completely satisfied with the way things ended while at Lake Como. 4 stars for most of the story, but the end portion brought it down to 3 stars for me.

Thank you Putnam Books and Netgalley for my e-arc! The Guncle Abroad is out now for you to try it too!