If you read and enjoyed The Guncle, you must pick up this charming sequel, which takes place five years later. Patrick's brother is getting remarried to an Italian heiress, and their luxury escape wedding is taking place in Lake Como, Italy. Patrick agrees to shepherd the reluctant Maisie and Grant around Europe before bringing them to Lake Como, and he is determined to show them how important love is and to give their new stepmother a chance. Meanwhile, Patrick as always struggles to get his own head out of his ass, having broken up with Emory because he unilaterally decided he was too old for him, desperately trying to keep his place as favorite and coolest relative to the kids, and then getting ultra-competitive when there is a fabulous launt ("lesbian aunt") on the scene. There are some great laughs and a lot of heart, and I enjoyed the book from start to finish. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam/G.P. Putnam's Sons for a digital review copy.

How could you top The Guncle?! Steven Rowley does it again with The Guncle Aboard, reuniting readers with beloved characters, five years later. Sweet, tender, acerbic, funny, and heartwarming, The Guncle Abroad highlights the realities of grief, pain, and growth with humor, charm, and so much wit. Give us more!

I was hesitant to read this title since I loved its predecessor so much, but I am happy to report that The Guncle Abroad was a hit! The relationship between Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP) and his not-so-little-anymore niece and nephew was fantastic to revisit. And like The Guncle, their banter made me laugh out loud. Rowley is a talented author whose writing brings readers on a journey that will make them feel all the feels!

✰4.5 stars✰ rounded up

To summarize the blurb: Patrick is back to business with his Guncle duties, but this time it’s abroad during the lead up to his brother’s wedding. He’s single and lonely after his breakup, and trying to find his place in his niece and nephews world as they grow and get older. Not to mention the competition he feels toward the new Launt (lesbian aunt) marrying into the family. As always this is a story of growth and a celebration of love.

I didn’t realize how much I missed Patrick's character and Steven Rowley’s sense of humor until I picked this one up. The witty banter, the clever dialogue, it was all present and accounted for. It was a huge reason why I loved The Guncle so much the first time around.
I always hoped that we would get a sequel to it, and I wasn’t disappointed.

I really appreciated that we were able to see the continued growth in Patrick, and even to see the children growing up.
The background of a European vacation made it all the more extravagant for them and added a sense of “adventure” to the novel that you felt along with Patrick and the children.

I don’t really have any complaints about this story, maybe that there was slightly less of a plot driven timeline but more of a character development driven timeline. I certainly don’t think there is anything wrong with that, and it worked really well for this novel but while it centralized around Greg’s wedding and the plot points were leading up to that, it felt like it was moving a little slow at those moments perhaps.
Again though, I truly didn’t mind because it was never boring. It was always endearing and smart, and it always held my attention.
While there wasn’t anything particularly extraordinary or groundbreaking happening, it felt new and fresh and certainly not a story I’ve read before. It was like drinking cold ice tea on a summer day, it just felt good and felt right.

I will always recommend The Guncle to anyone looking for a comfort read, and now I’ll certainly be adding The Guncle Abroad to that list as well!

I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Penguin and Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was, once again, such a fun read. I always worry a little with “unnecessary” sequels, but I needn’t have worried at all. This book is just as funny, witty, charming and heartfelt as the first.

I loved Patrick and the kids little European tour. I honestly could have spent a whole book just travelling with them. Rowley captures the kids voices perfectly (and has aged them up appropriately and seemingly effortlessly) and Patrick’s mixture of exasperation and fondness is just so on point.

As much as I could have spent the whole book travelling, though, I loved the lead up to the wedding. Spending more time with Greg and Clara and meeting Livia and Palmina, both of whom I found delightful, was absolutely brilliant. I loved seeing Patrick’s relationships with these people blossom ans flourish. It shows a different side to him, once again.

I will admit to finding the stuff with Emory at the end rather abrupt, but nonetheless, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book.

3.5*
I need to say first that I really loved The Guncle, book 1. I was SO excited to get the ARC of The Guncle Abroad. Overall, I liked the story. Patrick is still hilarious, and I laughed out loud quite a few times. I wanted to love this book, but I just needed more. I felt like I was waiting for something big to happen, and it just kind of fell flat for me. It was an okay read.

I am so glad that the gang is back, 5 years later. This time, Greg is getting married to Livia in Lake Como and has asked Patrick to take the kids to help ease them into this wedding. The kids are not thrilled about the wedding and Patrick wants to show them about the language of love. I love the shenanigans they get into and Rowley did such a great job depicting Maisie as an emotional 14 year old. The addition of a nemesis with Livia's sister added such a fun element.

I lobe that there not only joy in the book but so many tender moments too. I love how Rowley keeps Sarah so much in this book too.

Thank you @putnambooks @netgally for this book.

Patrick O'Hara once again finds himself helping his niece and nephew as they navigate their dad's impending nuptuals in Italy.

This book is the sequel to The Guncle and I was thrilled when I heard there would be another book. It contained all the things I loved about the original. Patrick is such a fun character, and I absolutely adore him. His quick wit had me laughing out loud. Despite the laughing, this book covered a lot of serious topics. They were real and relatable, and it made the book well rounded. The tough stuff was balanced by humor. I couldn't even say which book I enjoyed more, both were really well done. I love living in this world with these characters.

The book takes place a few years in the future and has the kids tackling age appropriate issues. They go through a lot of growth and so does Patrick at the end. I loved the ending because I didn't expect it. Definitely check this one out if you're a fan of the first. It won't let you down!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I loved The Guncle so much and I am thrilled to get a chance to spend more time with Patrick, Maisie and Grant. This time Patrick takes the kids to Paris to teach them about love. It’s so incredibly sweet.

Patrick’s niblings are upset because their dad is going to get married. It’s been 5 years since their mom passed away.

The kids seem most upset by the idea of their dad’s fiancée replacing their mom, they don’t necessarily dislike her as a person.

So, because of this, and because Patrick wants his brother to be happy he volunteers to take the kids for a few weeks. They see the sites in Paris and Patrick tries to teach the kids about love. He thinks if they understand love then they might be ok with their dad getting married.

Patrick’s lessons are entertaining. They are both sweet and funny.

There are so many beautiful lines in this book. Whether the character is talking about grief, love, or chocolate Clauds it’s said in a beautiful way.

I smiled a lot reading this book and teared up at times too.

A beautiful story about love, family, friendship and second chances.

I received an early edition ebook from NetGalley and also a physical arc from Goodreads. Thank you! I am so thrilled to get to read this early!

This is my 3rd Rowley book (Both Guncles and the Celebrants) and I am just absolutely enamored with him. His prose is stunning of course, but my favorite thing about his books is that they literally grab you by the heart and don't let go until the very end. The Guncle series is admittedly my absolute favorite. I am obsessed with Grant and Maisie, and seeing them in a phase of "teenagedom" was so strange and even more delightful. The entire cast is hilarious and also so endearing you can barely believe it. As a future Launt, I was quite partial to Palmina, and the rivalry was so entertaining. I will absolutely be returning to this one and hope the series continues in the future!

Two snaps for this sequel. I LOVED it just as much as the first one!

GUP & the kids are back along with Greg, Clara, and a LAUNT! It’s now five years later and they are figuring out how to move on while still mourning their loved ones. Sprinkle in some tween/teen attitude, heartache, an Italian family, new Guncle rules, a sound of music moment, a movie cameo, a wedding, and a dreamy day at Prada and you get ★★★★★!!

The Guncle Abroad is sweet, emotional, full of laugh out loud moments, and has a perfect happy ending. I highly recommend this one…..but don’t forget some Prosecco or fancy hot chocolate for your reading session. 😉🍾☕️

Thank you Netgalley & Penguin Group Putnam for a gifted eARC in exchange for my honest review. 🫶🏽

👉🏻Read if you like:
•Sequels (and The Guncle specifically) •Second Chance Love •Vacation Vibes •Family Drama •Witty Characters •LGBTQ+ •Grief Journey

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Posted to Goodreads 5/3/24
Posted to Instagram 5/3/24

Thank you so much to Penguin Putnam and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

GUP is back! I read this sequel back to back with the first installment, and dare I say, I loved this one even more than the first?! This story takes place five years after the first, so we have Greg wanting to remarry, Maisie and Grant dealing with adolescence, and Patrick nearing… a very big birthday and struggling with the idea of getting older (ahem, I can relate).

Greg has somehow wound up with a crazy rich Italian royalty-type lady, and the comparisons between her and The Baroness from The Sound of Music gave me so much joy. For my fellow Von Trapp fans, you are going to absolutely be beaming during GUP, Maisie, and Grant’s visit to Salzburg! Anyway, the wedding is going to take place in Lake Como, Italy, and the kids are really struggling with it. Patrick is currently on set in London and arranges for the kids to fly out to see him so they can explore Europe together before arriving in Italy for the big event.

One thing that really struck me in this story was how thoughtful and intentional Patrick has become with his relationships with each child. In the first book, I think I lumped them together a little bit in my mind, since they were both littler, but in this book you really see their different personalities and how they relate to their guncle! The same blend of snark and sentiment is found in this book, only, in a new setting and with an impending wedding that the kids (especially Maisie) desperately want to prevent from happening.

I expected more of the book to include the pre-wedding travels, but our trio reunites with the rest of the family about halfway through the book. At first I was a little disappointed that we wouldn’t get more travels with GUP and the kids, but the antics once everyone got together were just as entertaining and meaningful. I figured I knew how the book was going to end, but I was actually very wrong on that front - and I love how it all wraps up! It’s full of humor and heart, and it will have you smiling and humming The Lonely Goatherd all day!

The Guncle Abroad is exactly what the reader craves in a sequel with quirky, beloved characters. Rowley's putting GUP on a jet for a European vacation with Maisie and Grant, now five years older, reminded me of how excited I was as a child when The Baby-Sitters Club released "Super Specials" whisking my favorite gals around the world.

Take great characters and put them someplace new. It's practically a formula for success!

Here, the kids (and their uncle) are coping with their dad Greg's bittersweet nuptials in Lake Como. Prior to that, though, the trio traverses Paris, Venice, and beyond. It's a delight to follow them along the way, particularly since the trip is filled with the witty Guncle banter we love and expect.

Like the first book in this series, this book contains some real-life sadness, as grief remains a living, breathing thing over time. A wedding is just the thing to stir it up again. Meanwhile, Patrick is turning 50 and thinking more deeply about life and love.

The resulting narrative has the same humor and heart as the original with a splash of adventure, and it's not to be missed for fans of "Gay Uncle Patrick."

Five years after Patrick (GUP) helped his niece and nephew learn how to grieve their mother's death, he now has a new task, to teach them about love so that they can accept their father's new fiancee weeks before the fabulous Lake Como wedding. Patrick decides to take them on an enviable European vacation designed to educate on the ways of love; which is tricky since Patrick just threw away his own relationship. Once they arrive in Italy, Patrick has to contend with his brother Greg's cold feet, competition with a new lesbian aunt and his own broken heart.

I loved the first installment of the Guncle series but I think I may have liked this one better. This novel had love (romantic, familial and platonic) and the hallmark humor I have grown to expect from the author and when I closed the book I had such a heartwarming feeling as well as a few tears. Rowley is able to impart life lessons to us all through quips and humor. While I enjoyed the parts where the trio travelled through Europe it did get a tad slow at times and the book is most fun when the entire family is together. I hope there's another book in the series even though it will make me a little sad to see Maisie and Grant grow up even more.

4.25 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P Putnam's Son's for the ARC to review

I was so excited when I recently found out that Steven Rowley wrote a sequel to the Guncle. I listened to the Guncle a couple years ago and absolutely loved it. I was thrilled to get my hands on a digital advance copy of “The Guncle Abroad” a few weeks ahead of publication. This follow up does not disappoint!

“Sequels are either too bloated, too stuffed with B-team actors or characters or Ewoks—things that weren’t good enough for the original…the only time it (the sequel) works—is when there wasn’t an ending that was entirely happy, when not everything was tied up in a neat little bow.” These words are spoken by Patrick himself in this book!

Well, let me tell you, this sequel definitely works. Five years have passed since the summer that GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick) cares for his 9-year-old niece, Maisie, and his 6-year-old nephew, Grant, after their mother’s death. Life hasn’t exactly moved on for our trio, but forward.

In this sequel, Maisie, now 14, and Grant, now 11, are dealing with the impending remarriage of their father. Maisie, in particular, does not want this wedding to happen. Patrick and the kids end up on a European adventure before meeting the rest of the family in Lake Como, Italy, where the wedding will take place--if it takes place!

Like “The Guncle,” this story has hilarious moments while being touching. At its heart, it’s a story about grief, love, gratitude, family and aging. The dialogue is witty and once I began this book, I couldn’t stop reading to find out what would become of these characters.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Probably around a 85% for me. I liked a lot, but I ADORE the first. This book is set five years in the future, we are again paired with Patrick Maisie and Grant in adventures in Europe until we reach our final destination - Greg’s (Patrick’s brother/ Maisie and Grant’s father) wedding.

I love the way Steven Rowley paints a scene. I took my time with this because I love these characters.
One thing I struggled with is because of Rowley’s writing I wanted to envision places referenced, so I found myself in the first part often grabbing for my phone - and while I liked having the mental picture it took me out of the book a bit.


I wonder if we are done with the family - it feels like we may not be and that we may be in store for more Guncle lessons or love languages.


I received an ARC copy via NetGalley. I did a little dance in my driveway when I leaned I’d been granted early access. 👀

I love the Guncle so I was super excited to dive into this one. I waited until I was on vacation so I could have a book where they were traveling while I was traveling. ( at let me tell you it was a chore to not read before I left). I love a good road trip book and the places they visited were so lovely. I loved the hot chocolate of France, the Sound of Music stuff was so amazing, and the scenery of Italy was breath taking. I adore Patrick (GUP). I loved being back with him and I loved that he got reminisce about his relationship with Sarah while they navigate the potential new Stepmom. He is a character that if I could know it real life, I would love to meet him. He just so witty with the snide remarks, the funny thoughts and sayings and his just overall amazing GUPness. I was really excited to see that he had moved on from the last book and was working again, really following his passion for acting. I loved seeing that his relationship with his brother and the niece and nephew were so close. I loved seeing the kids grow and start giving him a run for his money with their questions.
The premise was so heartwarming, learning about love languages and different types of love and maybe it is ok to make mistakes because love is what is important. I love that these books make laugh out loud at the over-the-top shenanigans and cry and the heartfelt moments.
I love books about family, and I loved the first book, but I actually think I liked this one better probably because I relate so much to have a teen girl. Maise's struggle with her father's new relationship, with being a little awkward in a time in life where appearances and differences are not highly regarded. I love that she has an amazing family that is there to support her and really sees her.
The writing is almost whimsical, and the dialogue is really just amazing. I would highly recommend to those that love family coming of age stories. For those that love good humor, good wit and great love stories of all kinds.

The reunion with the characters in "The Guncle" was something I didn't realize I needed so much until it happened. Missing them greatly, especially the witty and sarcastic Patrick who speaks my language, made the experience even more enjoyable. The developments in Maisie and Grant being older added depth, though it was bittersweet to see them so grown up. Patrick's humorous rivalry with the kids' new Launt provided hilarious moments, showcasing his petty side. The journey through different settings, culminating in Italy for Greg's wedding, added a picturesque summer vibe to the story. This book, like its predecessor, charmed me with its entertaining and endearing characters, cute plot, and overall delightful experience from beginning to end.

Content Warnings: Loss of a Parent (Offscreen); Period Embarrassment (Mild), “Casual Misogyny”

Note: Technically, readers can pick up this sequel and understand it as a standalone book. However, as I discuss later, reading it as a standalone is not advised.

Rowley is a strong author, and there are moments in the novel that I enjoyed. The overall messages about different forms of love, how to process grief, loss, and new love, and aging are all solid. There are some heartwarming moments with the presented family, especially with Maisie’s maturation and exploring gender expression and Grant’s developing to the point he can express opinions that differ from his sister.

However, the book has several weaknesses. While characters and events from the prequel needed to understand this book are described in this book, engagement still suffers if readers haven’t met these characters before. There are moments that are clearly callbacks, and we see characters “five years later” – continuations of their former characterization, in other words, rather than just describing as they are in the novel. As someone who hasn’t read the prequel, it always feels like I’m just “not in the know.”

A lot of the book also relies on liking the Guncle, Patrick. Mostly, I did, but I often found him annoying. Usually, the moments that annoyed me where directly addressed – like how he gets called out on his “casual misogyny” by a lesbian or uses ableist language and actively tries to fix it. However, there were other things that persisted, like pulling books out of Maisie’s hands to get her to stop reading.

I think those that read the prequel and fell in love with its characters will probably like this book. However, it ultimately wasn’t for me.

Five stars simply for the joy and fun I had reading this. I absolutely loved the Guncle, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting reacquainted with these characters while on a jaunt through Europe. The quips and humor are still there as well as the heart that made me fall in love with the first book. Highly recommend!