Oh GUP. I really enjoyed The Guncle and found it really fresh so a sequel? I went in with doubts. I give Rowley props for recognizing sequels often reek of a money grab but also this didn’t charm quite the way book 1 did. I was out off by a few things including: the dad, why is he always skipping town and not dealing with his kids? GUP Is a bit too quippy. I don’t know that it read like a sequel as much as a Dan Levy spin off coke to life. Entertaining but won’t be a fave.
3.5 stars rounded

I loved this follow-up to the Guncle! Five years later, Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP) takes his niece and nephew on a European adventure leading up to their father's wedding to a wealthy Italian woman, whom the kids despise.
Patrick is his usual witty self, steering them through the finer things in western Europe.
Some of the book read more like a guidebook, and could have been less detailed while still capturing the ambiance.
I loved the interactions between the characters. I highly recommend!

Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP) is back again with life lessons for his niece & nephew. It's been 5 years since losing their mom in The Guncle, & they are preparing for their Dad's new marriage. GUP takes them on a European trip and teaches them all about love languages. This book has all of the hilarious banter & humor that we got in The Guncle. My husband commented that I smiled a lot while reading this, but l also had one really emotional moment near the end.

You will want to read The Guncle first for the full experience, & l've heard it is a great audiobook.

read if you like:
witty banter • quirky comments from kids • european travel • 80s pop culture references • tweens & teens

Just an all around delightful follow up to The Guncle. Patrick, Maisie and Grant are back and more endearing than ever. The humor, banter and quick wit of each of the characters makes the pages of this book fly by. Add in a European vacation capped off with a Lake Como wedding & you have the recipe for the pretty perfect book. I loved every second!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

Reading this made me happy to be back in GUP’s world for a little while! I realized early on that I listened to the first book and I missed the narrator’s ability to deliver Patrick’s jokes better than I read them, but soon I was immersed in their travels and wondering what advice would be doled out next. It was nice to see that the kids had grown up a few years and to see where everyone else’s lives had taken them. If you enjoyed The Guncle, then definitely add this sequel to your TBR!

A satisfying sequel to The Guncle, and a joy to travel throughout Europe with Uncle Patrick and the family. Highly recommend!

Such a heartwarming story. I loved all of the movie references, especially The Sound of Music. I only wish I had listened to the audio version. 4.5 stars

2SLGBTQIA+ Literary Fiction following an actor, who may have “un-stalled” his career, finds at fifty he's single and lonely travels to Italy to reconnect with family, rediscovers himself and love.

4/5 stars: This is the second entry in Rowley's Guncle series, which is a 2SLGBTQIA+ Literary Fiction novel that features an actor, who may have “un-stalled” his career, but finds that as he's about the turn fifty he's single and lonely after breaking up with his longtime boyfriend. When his brother announces he's remarrying and that his niblings are having a hard time accepting the idea of a step-mom and are still grieving their deceased mother, he agrees to take care of them for a couple weeks before the event. Traveling across Europe, hitting England, Paris, Austria and Venice, along the way, he tries to teach them his version of the languages of love and that those we've lost may be gone but are always with us and reconnects with his family, rediscovers himself and love along the way. Rowley's writing and character work is stellar; the characters are well-rounded, complex and yet remain incredibly likable. Patrick is a gem and shows that even at almost fifty we're all still growing and learning. It's great to see Grant and Maisie again and how much they've grown up after five years and yet how much they remain the same. Rowley's humor is sparkling and cutting and hits me in just the right spot. So good! Rowley tackles some sensitive subjects, so take care and check the CWs. While you could read this as a stand-alone, I wouldn't suggest it as you'll gain so much more by reading book one, The Guncle, first.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick) is back! We are reunited with the gang 5 years later. Masie is a now pre-teen and Grant has outgrown his lisp. The family is in Italy for their father’s wedding (gasp!), but the kids are on a mission to put a stop to it, with a little help from Guncle of course. Patrick still makes me (equal parts) laugh and roll my eyes. We get some new characters, including a Launt (get it?!). There were some sweet moments, but sadly it didn’t have the same spark as the first book. I found it dragged on and the Euro trip with the kids in the first half was a bore. Read the original and Lily & the Octopus from Steven Rowley instead!

2 stars ⭐️ ⭐️

thanks net galley for my ARC!

Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons for early access to this book on NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I'm not sure I can recommend a better vacation read! I gobbled this up on my first beach day in the Caribbean, giggling aloud at the movie references and Guncle Love Languages (instead of Guncle Rules) named with song lyrics. I revisited The Guncle via audiobook last month, allowing Patrick's voice to remain fresh in my mind while reading this one. I can imagine the author will do a great job narrating this book, too!
The Guncle Abroad picks up five years after The Guncle ended, hilariously referencing how sequels are too bloated or filled with things not good enough for the original 🤣 None of that here - this is everything I hoped for in a sequel, and then some!
Patrick is filming a movie in London and invites Maisie and Grant to join him on set (even as extras in the film) and then travel around Europe, ending in Italy for their dad’s wedding. The wedding is set to take place in Lake Como, and the descriptions made me want to book a trip there immediately! Maisie and Grant have matured since the last book, but they maintain a special relationship with GUP - and now they will gain a launt (lesbian aunt, duh) after the wedding.
While there is plenty of Rowley’s signature humor, the book is also extremely touching - I teared up throughout the last two chapters! My love for Patrick and his journey, as he continues to surprise himself, is immense. The book left me feeling full of hope, not only for its characters but for the general public, especially those who get the opportunity to read this book. My advice? Read this one as soon as it comes out. If not - “Big mistake. Big. Huge.”

Steven Rowley has done it again!

I was completely charmed by The Guncle when I read it a couple of years ago. In fact, it is one of my most recommended gifts. Steven has a real knack for writing about sadness and grief in a real and humorous way, and I was very impressed with how he balanced a child and an adult's differing perspectives.

Set five years after The Guncle, the kids are older, and their father is getting remarried. Once again, I felt that he really captured the difficult feelings that this will bring up in all family members after a family member has passed away. The kids, Maisie especially, are struggling to accept that letting another woman into their hearts does not mean erasing their mother. Naturally, they try to enlist their Guncle to help them!

I think this book is a bit lighter and fluffier than The Guncle, but it encompasses the same spirit of tackling difficult issues, and it was a joy to spend time with this family again.

Ultimately, this is a book about love, in all its forms. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. (And I agree with Patrick - launt is never going to catch on!)

GUP GUP and away with Gay Uncle Patrick and his niblings, Grant and Maisie, as they travel Europe and learn about love and family on their way to the wedding of Grant and Maisie’s father to his second wife.

Sequels, especially when they follow a brilliant and beloved first book, are often found wanting, and sometimes rightfully so. That’s not the case with “The Guncle Abroad.” While it’s just as good, it’s good in different ways. The charm of “The Guncle” was the fish out of water uncle taking care of his young niece and nephew after the death of their mother, while grieving her himself. It took a man who had pretty much turned his back on the world and gave him new purpose.

The premise in the sequel is that, five years after the events in the first, Grant and Maisie enlist Patrick to derail their father’s wedding. Patrick is turning 50 soon, has broken things off with his much-younger boyfriend, and doesn’t really want to take on the challenge.

But take on the challenge he does, and as the trio visits various European sites, Patrick guides them into thinking about what love means and how, just maybe, there’s room for another person in their lives. Each experience builds on the others, and by the time they reach their destination, Patrick hopes the family will be able to move forward.

There’s the same wit and banter as in the first book, but of course, since the children are older, it’s not as cutesy. There’s also a contender for top favorite relative in the form of a Launt (lesbian aunt), who becomes both nemesis and foil for Patrick.

Just as the children learn about love and what it means for individuals and families, so does Patrick. He’s grown, too, and it’s good to see an older and wiser guncle.

Why you should read this book: It has all the warmth and wit of the first book. The story is a natural progression of the lives of each of the characters. You’ll laugh and love and be clamoring for the next adventure.

Why you might not want to: If you’re looking for a book that’s exactly the same as the first, you may be disappointed. It’s just as good, but in slightly different ways. I’ll admit, there were a couple of times the sniping between Patrick and Palmina was a bit cliché, but it worked for the story.

4.5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

I received an advance copy from Penguin Group Putnam via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

What a great second novel to The Guncle! I think Steven Rowley's writing is so good. He makes us love and hate the character of Patrick at the same time- you want to cheer for his love story and yet get so annoyed with how self-centered he is, which is the definition of a well written character. I loved the setting of the Italian resort and the dilemma of the children's father getting remarried. We see such much growth in Maisie and Grant compared to the first book. I can only hope that we continue to get more of their story. While I didn't think the book was perfect, the end definitely had me in tears. 4.5 stars for sure! Thanks to netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the e-book arc!

The Guncle Abroad is the sequel to The Guncle so if you haven't read that yet I recommend you do before jumping into this one.

I was so happy to be back together again with Grant, Maisie, and Gup. You get to see what they are up to five years later and who doesn't wish for that with all our favorite characters?
This time they are traveling and it was so fun to tag along. I love Patrick’s jokes and I love how the kids are processing the changes in their lives.

Rowleys heartfelt writing will always be some of my favorite of all time and he never disappoints

“That was the thing about love; even its harshest critics were not immune, love finding its way into even the darkest spaces.”

Grab this one out 5/21

4.5 stars

I was so fond of the GUP's first story that I was eagerly awaiting this one. Five years have passed, and Patrick is pressed into guncle service again. This time, he's to entertain the kids in Europe before meeting his brother Greg and Greg's fiancee Livia for their wedding in Italy. Patrick's nephew Grant is eleven and not so easily amused. Maisie, fourteen, is livid about the wedding and implores Patrick to help her stop it. She is determined to be unimpressed with anything she sees in Europe.
Patrick decides it's time to teach the kids about the Guncle Love Languages instead of Guncle Rules. He hopes to show Maisie and Grant that their father's love for Livia is a cause for celebration, not rebellion. Sightseeing through London, Paris, Salzburg, and Venice, Patrick wonders if he's up to this particular challenge while wrestling with his own love regrets.
This follow-up to The Guncle is humorous and fun while tackling serious issues. The new character of Palmina, a "launt", as Patrick's nemesis is genius. I enjoy the tenderness Patrick shows the kids and how much he mines his own pain in order to assist the "niblings" with theirs, even when they push his patience. The glorious descriptions of the European cities they visit are a bonus to the novel. Fans of the original Guncle story will want to rush out and grab this next installment. You won't be disappointed!

I didn’t realize how much I needed to be reunited with these characters until I actually was, I missed them so much 🥹 If you somehow haven’t read The Guncle yet, first off what are you waiting for?! Secondly, these really do need to be read in order to get the full picture. Patrick just really speaks my language, he’s so witty and sarcastic and I can’t get enough of his humor. Maisie and Grant are five years older than they were in the first book so that was both delightful to see and also sad because they’re SO grown. Patrick having a rivalry with the kids new Launt was hysterical and it was Patrick at his petty best. The setting takes you on a journey as Patrick and the kids do their own jaunt before settling in Italy for Greg’s wedding and nothing says summer read louder than an idyllic setting. I was just as charmed with this one as I was with the previous book, the characters are entertaining and endearing, the plot was cute and the entire thing was a blast from start to finish.

I loved the sequel to this series!! There was the same amount of funny and I loved the interactions between Patrick and Palmina. It was an interesting dynamic to see how both kids have grown up and their struggles with growing up as well.

I could always have more Guncle! I absolutely love Patrick and his sweet sarcastic family. I was so happy to get an eARC to devour!

This is 5 years after the first book and Patrick’s brother Greg is getting married. The kids are not on board so Greg ships them to Patrick, who is filming in London, to help get them on board with this new family dynamic. GUP decides to take the kids around Europe to teach them Love Languages.

It was fully of quippy dialogue and hilarious snark. I ate this up. It feels written for the fans. Like not overly necessary but if you loved the Guncle you get to continue your love in this book.

Thanks to netgalley and PENGUIN group for an eARC.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

GUP is back and he's overseas in this hilarious and heartfelt sequel to "The Guncle." I LOVED the first book, and found this to be such a fun and enjoyable addition to the storyline. The whole family goes off to Italy so Greg can finally remarry and the kids have grown a little, but still have plenty of time for laugh and hi-jinks. I love how Rowley has written Patrick up to an age where we don't typically see many characters and still makes him incredibly relatable and funny. GUP feels like one of your family members and to me, that is such a testament to how strong these characters are. I found this sequel to be well-timed and thoughtful, and I truly enjoyed it.

I loved the first Guncle book so I was really excited about this one. It was really funny and heartwarming. I love Maisie and Grant's relationship with Patrick and was glad they had an adventure of their own for the first part of the book. The kids are 5 years older in this one, so it wasn't as much silly humor but it was still laugh out loud funny at parts. I liked the new characters that were introduced and I thought the ending was really sweet.