I really liked the first Guncle book and was very excited to read this one! The relationship between the kiddos and the uncle is adorable and I love how they learn from each other in the relationship. This book had be laughing out loud. Very good summer read!

What a feel good book! So fun to revisit these characters after reading The Guncle three years ago. I sure hope there is a third installment in the series coming in the future. Love love love.

The Guncle Abroad was a great read, and brought back a lot of the flair of the first book! GUP now contends with his growing niblings, especially a teenage girl, as they grapple with the big life change of their father getting remarried. Not only that, Patrick is finally seeing success in his career which makes him come to terms with his own path in life.

The closeness of the relationship between Patrick and the kids still really drives the book. The author does a good job showcasing how the relationship changes as the kids grow — and in turn, how Patrick changes — but that the crux of their bond remains unchanged. Patrick’s siblings and their evolving relationship adds an extra dimension to the storyline while the new characters introduced, especially the new Launt, add spice to the story.

The story rambled on at times, especially in the middle part of the book where it seemed to slow way down before speeding up at the climax, but overall this was a great follow-up to the original Guncle! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley is the hilarious and insightful sequal to The Guncle.
We meet up with Patrick again, affectionately known as GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick), and his witty niece and nephew, Maisie and Grant, as their world is once again turned upside down. Their dad, Patrick's brother, Greg, is getting remarried five years after the death of their beloved mother. This leaves the kids angry and with feelings of betrayal for their mom, Sarah.
Patrick offers to take the kids on a vacation through Europe before the wedding, so Greg and his fiancé can plan the wedding. Patrick uses the time to teach the kids about love, love languages, and life. Secretly, Patrick is struggling with his aging body and missing his ex-boyfriend, Emory.
Soon, it's wedding time and the kids are forced to face a new addition to the family...as is Patrick... is it too late for a second Chance?
Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for early access to read The Guncle in exchange for an honest review. It was truly a delight, and Steven Rowley is a literary gem! When can we expect #3??

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of publication! My review will appear on my blog on (5/9/24). I will also feature the review on Instagram that same day and post my review to Goodreads, The Storygraph, Fable, and retail sites.

Review:

I first met Patrick, Grant, and Maisie (oh, and Greg and Clara) when I read "The Guncle" last spring. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I laughed, I cried, and when I turned the last page, I felt it was wrapped up nicely. I admit that when I saw that there was a sequel, I was a little torn. I loved the characters and definitely wanted to see what they had been up to, but I couldn't help but wonder if we really needed a sequel. After reading the book, I'm happy to say that, yes, we definitely needed it; it is every bit as funny and heartwarming as the original!

This time around, Rowley takes us on a whirlwind adventure across Europe to Lake Como, Italy, where Patrick finds himself navigating the sometimes choppy waters of family, love, and self-discovery. Five years have passed since we last saw our favorite characters, and a lot has changed. Patrick has found renewed success as an actor since leaving California and is overseas shooting a movie when his younger brother, Greg, calls in another favor. Greg is getting remarried, and Grant and Maisie (now 11 and 14, respectively) are having a tough time with it. Greg would love it if Patrick could take the kids for a couple of weeks so that they can finish planning the wedding and then meet Greg and his new fiancée in Italy for the nuptials.

When the kids show up in London, Patrick is ready to wrap his movie and then spend a few fun-filled days with his favorite kids, but the kids - especially Maisie - desperately want Patrick to help them stop the wedding. Patrick does his best to toss aside their worries, but the kids are insistent, and this is when Patrick decides an extension of the Guncle rules is in order. Over the next several days, Patrick and the kids spend time in London, Austria, and Vienna, and with each new adventure comes a new lesson - this time in the form of a love language lesson as he tries to help the kids understand how and why people fall in love. But he has his work cut out for him, and he can't help but wonder if maybe he could learn a lesson or two about love himself.

With his trademark blend of humor and heart, Rowley expands on this cast of characters readers loved so much in the first book. Patrick's witty observations and self-deprecating humor are in full effect as he grapples with a failed relationship and turning fifty. Through Patrick's journey of rediscovery and growth, Rowley reminds us that it's never too late to redefine ourselves and find happiness in unexpected places. I loved seeing Grant and Maisie move into their awkward teen years. The kids Patrick was able to mold and help heal in the first book have grown up, and his old tricks no longer work on them. I also loved the addition of Palmina - the lesbian sister of Greg's fiancée. The kids love her, and Patrick feels a little threatened by her presence - who needs a launt anyway?

While the novel is filled with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, Rowley also tackles deeper themes such as aging (gracefully, of course), grief, loss, and moving on. Several passages had me tearing up, and others really hit a chord. As a gay man in my 50s, I related to several passages in this book - some hit especially close to home. Reading this was, in some ways, just as healing as it was entertaining.

In case you were wondering, yes, this is a sequel that we needed, and honestly, I think I may have loved it even more than the first book. It is as charming and heartwarming as you would expect. Whether you're a fan of the original novel or new to Rowley's work, "The Guncle Abroad" is a must-read that will make you laugh, cry, and fall in love with Patrick O'Hara all over again.

I absolutely loved The Uncle when it came out, and was hesitant to pick up the arc for this sequel for fear it wouldn't live up to the original. Since I'm writing this with tears in my eyes, it's safe to say that fear was baseless. This was lovely.

If you loved The Guncle, you'll love this book too! I really liked that this book takes place 5 years later, so all of the characters have had a lot of changes in the time period since the last book.

I really enjoyed The Sound of Music part as a lifelong lover of that movie.

This book deals with grief and growth and has a lot of humor sprinkled in.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Witty and fun while also diving deep into what it means to love and be a family. The Guncle continues his teachings, this time about love. I love the relationship with the now teenager Maisie. I loved seeing Europe, especially Lake Cuomo through Patricks eyes!

Sequels usually aren't my thing, but the Guncle taught me so much about grief in the first book that I knew I had to read the second one. Dare I say it, I loved this one just as much maybe even more. Get ready to feel everything, I laughed out loud, cried, cheered, I think felt every emotion throughout the span of this book. The Guncle 5 languages of love, showing the kids Europe was just spectacular. The banter between the older siblings. The other characters, the final setting of Italy. And of course, the lessons of grief and love. Just a beautiful story all around!

Thanks to Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review as always, all words are my own.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group, and Putnam Books for this advance copy of The Guncle Abroad.

I really wanted this to be a five star read for me. At some points it felt like a history lessons but there were definitely some really great parts. I thought Palmina and Patrick’s relationship was really funny to read about. I wish we got a little more backstory or anything with Livia. I absolutely loved seeing Emory, Grant, and Maisie again. The ending was A+ though!

I think writing a sequel to The Guncle is a no-win situation; that book was unique and hilarious and heartfelt. This sequel felt forced, to me. The first half was tedious; it does get going when GUP and the kids get to the dad’s wedding, but still didn’t find the magic for me.

Sequel to a charming Guncle, which takes place 5 years after the last one, so the kids are older and wiser. Greg, their dad, is ready to re-marry to Livia, a wealthy Italian woman. Patrick, GUP, is yet again in charge of the kids and takes them on a European tour to learn different love languages. Maisie is a teenager now, and sceptical about the new dad's fiance.

At first, I wasn't sure if the sequel was necessary, but I am glad I read it. It was funny and heartwarming, and like seeing good friends that you did not know you missed so much.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for an early access to this book for an honest review.

This takes place five years after The Guncle. Grant and Maise may be five years older but they’re still children. Children that have had to grow up too fast.
GUP is here to teach the kids love languages instead of Guncle Rules - but there are some good throwbacks to the classic Guncle Rules!
I loved this second chance romance. Personally, I do not know what it’s like to be a child and watch your parent remarry, but I imagine that it feels a lot like what this book described. I thought it was handled beautifully and continued building on everyone’s journey through grief.
I feel like we got a lot of time with Maise in this one and it felt very relatable to being a tween/teen. I know Grantelope is still a young kid, but sometimes I forgot there were five years between him in the last book and this one. He still felt very young to me, but maybe that’s just his personality. I think I was just able to connect and relate to Maise more.
I’m very proud of Patrick for embracing his fear of loss and loneliness. Not just loss through death but also loss in new relationships, changing relationships. That fear of not being someone’s favorite person anymore.
Honestly, I thought the Launt rivalry was kind of weird in the beginning, but you get to understand that Patrick just really doesn't like losing people or change in relationship dynamics.
The ending was so sweet and had tearing up! It's not the ending I expected it, but it wrapped up really nicely.

“There are a thousand ways that love ends, but there is only one way it begins and that’s by opening your heart to another.”

The Guncle Abroad by Steve Rowley is reminiscent of a road trip back home — you’re not sure if you should head back given everything happening but when you do you’re glad you did. Sorry for the metaphor; The Guncle Abroad is sweet and full of characters that you’ve learned to love and adore even if you don’t enjoy the *whole* experience.

At first, I wondered why a sequel was even necessary. Rowley ended the first one perfectly. However, the more I read the sequel, I’m glad we got more time to spend with Patrick, Maisie, Grant, and the rest of the gang. However, that’s where my most critical thoughts lie — some of the new characters aren’t as easy on the eyes as the cast from the first one nor are they written as three dimensional. I wish I could have loved Paulimina as much as the kids but I found her to be annoying. Maisie, given her age in this one, is also fairly rude and full of angst but we are now dealing with a 14 year old filled with hormones and fury so I’ll allow it!

They’re brought together as Greg, Patrick’s brother and father of Maisie and Grant, is set to marry Livia, an Italian heiress (or as Patrick likes to call her, a “marchese”) and hilarity and aforementioned angst ensues. Patrick is still able to add a new style of Guncle rules but they aren’t as hard hitting as the first go around (inspired by love languages, they just don’t tug at the heart strings or make you lol like the set in the first novel.)

Ultimately, I’m glad we get to spend more time with these characters — we’re seeing a loving family and LGBTQ+ characters that aren’t put through the wringer but are loved by their family. And, given the world we live in, that makes up for any misgivings I had about the book. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group and Putnam Books for the ARC.

In 2021, when I needed a bit of feel-good escapism, I read The Guncle. The characters of Gay Uncle Patrick, a 40-something actor in a bit of a slump, and his nine-year-old niece Maisie and six-year-old nephew Grant, stuck with me, and now here they are again, with five years having gone by.

Patrick’s career is back on track and he’s wrapping up filming a movie in London when his brother Greg tells him that in a month he will re-marry. His fiancée is Livia, a very wealthy Italian marchesa, and wedding plans are overwhelming. Patrick decides to take the kids on a European tour, ending up at Lake Como for the wedding. He needs that time with the kids to get them to be OK with the idea of their father remarrying. And also to treat them to his favorite Guncle things, like going on the Sound of Music tour in Austria and drinking fabulous hot chocolate in Paris.

The tour is fun, the tour is fraught with emotion, a lot of wine is drunk (by Patrick), and then they arrive at Lake Como with four days to the wedding. Four days filled with opulence and family, old and new. Patrick has a particularly tough time with Livia’s lesbian sister Palmina, who has a way with the kids but seems to find Patrick particularly tiresome. All those Guncle rules Patrick taught the kids five years ago don’t seem to be doing the trick of keeping him as their favorite and getting Maisie to move off her determination to interfere with the wedding. The rehearsal dinner and the wedding day are filled with drama—and comedy.

It was a delight to spend time again with Patrick, Maisie and Grant. It made such a nice break from the more serious books I usually read, and from real life. It was also a lot of fun to vicariously enjoy traipsing through Europe enjoying first-class hotels and amenities.

I seriously want Patrick AKA GUP to be my Guncle! I read the first book of this series and I loved this one as much as the first one.

Uncle Patrick is requested to take care of Maisie and Grant for a little bit before their dad’s second wedding in Italy. He tries to teach the kiddos about love and show them that he is still their favorite uncle. This is super cute and a little emotional in a good way.

I loved the characters minus a couple of them. They were funny and sweet.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I absolutely loved this book. This was a sequel to The Guncle. The man character Patrick is the gay uncle to his brother’s children, Maisie and Grant. This follows him trying to help them make sense of the fact that their dad has decided to remarry in Italy. The main character is so deliciously sarcastic and funny. The bedlam that ensues is heartwarming and heartbreaking. I totally recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Steven Rowley for allowing me to read this wonderful book in exchange for my review.

I had JUST finished The Guncle (5 stars, AMAZING book) and got wind that there was a sequel coming out and I was absolutely thrilled to be approved to read an ARC.

However…this book is precisely why I don’t like sequels. If there isn’t a clear cut path of where the author wants the story to go, it just doesn’t work and this one just didn’t. It had little bits and pieces of that cuttingly witty dialogue from the first book but I kept having to skip over great chunks of book because I felt like I was watching the discovery channel. I came here for Patrick and the kids, not to be described the Austrian countryside in painstaking detail. It was giving ‘I need to meet a word requirement’.

I wanted to love it, I really, really did. The little bits we got of Patrick and the kids being themselves was great. Everything else just fell flat for me. The Guncle will forever live on as a masterpiece for me but I’m gonna pretend this one doesn’t exist.

Re-entering the world of The Guncle with Maisie, Grant, and GUP was enjoyable. Just like the first book, The Guncle Abroad was funny and heartwarming. The adventures they took, all while trying to instill the joys of love, was well written. I hope there’s another book added to this series.

I loved The Guncle very much, and was excited to learn there would be a sequel. But, to me, this book fell short of my expectations. Everyone seemed so angry—Patrick, the kids, and the other characters brought me down instead of lifting me up. The sequel was missing the heart of the first book, the jokes felt forced and fell flat.