Love me some Guncle shenanigans...⁣
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Super Brief Summary⁣
Patrick O’Hara is called back to his guncle duties . . . This time for a big family wedding in Italy.⁣
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That's all ya need.⁣
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I absolutely loved The Guncle so when I saw this on netgalley, I knew I needed it. While it wasn't quite as magical as the first, it did have a lot of the same enchantment. Only real gripe was the the traveling through Europe felt repetitive and a bit of a slog (which was pretty surprising) but once they reached Italy all of the magic was back -- humor and heart-warming moments a plenty!⁣
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Big thank you to @netgalley for this free copy in exchange for my honest review. The Guncle Abroad is out May 21, 2024!!⁣
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Have you read The Guncle?? Is this one on your list?

This was such a fun, heartwarming, escapist follow up to the Guncle. I loved seeing the cast journey around Europe, learning about love, and the new characters were a joy!

I didn’t love the plot, it felt like the first half dragged on but the last half, when everyone finally met up, started to feel more like the first one. What makes this series so special are the characters- Maisie, Grant, GUP, Greg, Emory…they are all so lovable and relatable in their own ways and it’s that group that keeps me coming back for more.

Steven Rowley always delivers a fast paced and clever story. I was so excited to read his sequel to The Guncle and it delivers! Full of colorful characters, heartfelt moments and corny laughing-out loud jokes, The Guncle Abroad covers the full range of emotions.

Five years have passed, Patrick is single again and looking at an approaching birthday. When Greg asks for his help with Maisie and Grant, Patrick quickly realizes that he’s not the only one who has grown older. His antics and jokes aren’t working quite the same way as when the kids were little. Faced with their father’s coming marriage, Patrick takes them on a journey through Europe in hopes of teaching them about love, just like he taught them about grief.

The references to contemporary pop culture and music combined with the detailed descriptions of Europe make this novel a pleasure to read. Readers will love picking up on the lives of Patrick and his family. The Guncle Abroad should definitely be added to your summer reads list. Thank you to the publishers and author for the opportunity to review this title before its releas

Cute and touching. A tad bit of beating a dead horse, but utterly readable. Perfect beach or pool book.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

GUP IS BACK! And up to the same antics with his two favorite side kicks. Getting used to the way Patrick 'talks' through the first few chapters is frustrating, but then you come to expect the unfinished thoughts, or talking in circles that he does best. Different location, new family antics and players and big life changes on the horizon have Patrick a little out of his depths for helping Grant and Maisie navigate. In the end, as only family can do, they all end up helping each other and just like with The Guncle, I was left in tears as the story wrapped up. It was good to reconnect with this family and see where they are now and this felt like the perfect ending for them. Fans of The Guncle and Rowley in general, need to add The Gunnel Abroad to their TBR.
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Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group and G.P. Putnam's Son for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Guncle is back! This story was like a heartwarming, embrace wrapping you up in warmth, love, and laughter while navigating through some of the harshest realities of life. Rowley took me on a beautiful journey of self-discovery and growth that resonated deep into my soul. I loved the scenic setting of Italy as well as the references to songs and movies that definitely made me feel my age. The laughs were more contagious in this book, in my opinion, and I enjoyed laughing out loud like a maniac. GUSTAVO!! (IYKYK) There were so many powerful messages received from this book, and I feel like everyone would reap the benefits of having a GUP in their life. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a third book. I would be extremely disappointed if my journey with GUP and his family has come to an end. I fell in love with these characters and want more! I highly recommend this story to all! You should definitely read The Guncle first in order to receive the full experience of Gay Uncle Patrick.

Thank you to the author, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and NetGalley for granting me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

I just adored the Guncle, so was thrilled to be able to read this second installment. Being able to look into their characters lives 5 years later was such a treat. Rowley tackled themes of grief, love, adolescence, and family with his wonderful humor. Loved all the European adventures mixed with Guncle life lessons!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Arc!

A truly wonderful follow-up to The Guncle, this novel lets you explore the complications of grief as it ages, and the way that Patrick's relationship with his niece and nephew has changed as the kids grow up and become more of themselves is so touching.

I'm nearly finished with this one thanks to NetGalley and and really enjoying it. This follow-up to The Guncle is a bit more lighthearted but not without conflict and emotion. The European setting is fabulous, and I just adore the experience of reading the heartwarming stories of Patrick and his niece and nephew. There's even a wink in the text alluding to sequels that create conflict in order to justify themselves, but this one feels fitting.

Ugh. The Guncle. I just adore you!

The first book forever has my heart and I’m happy to report that I loved this one almost just as much. I usually hate sequels so congrats to you 😂

This one takes all the things I loved from the first (the witty charm, the heart warming moments and just overall a fun enjoyable read) and takes it abroad! France, Italy… that travel itch will come out full force if you pick this one up!

Keeping this one short so I’ll just say there was so much to love about this book from the settings to the cast of characters. I laughed, I teared up… sometimes at the same time which I didn’t even know was possible 😂 I just really really enjoyed it. The perfect pool side read for this summer 🙌

“The Guncle Abroad,” by Steven Rowley, is the second book in the duology “The Guncle.” It has been five years since Maisie and Grant—now fourteen and eleven—stayed the summer with Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP) after the loss of their mother to cancer. Forty-nine-year-old Patrick O’Hara has left Palm Springs and relocated to New York. Patrick and Emory have been dating for five years, but their sixteen-year age gap leaves Patrick panicking as he prepares for his imminent dotage. Not wanting to date a caregiver, Patrick ends his relationship with Emory.

Back in Connecticut, the niblings (nephew and niece siblings) are dreading their father Greg’s upcoming nuptials to Livia, a wealthy Italian marchesa. In the weeks leading up to their wedding in Lake Como, Italy, Greg pleads with his brother to take his children for a few weeks. After his second successful sit-com comes to a close, Patrick is happy for the distraction from his heartbreak. Hoping to reverse the children’s resentment towards their father’s wedding, Patrick takes them on a multi-country trip through Europe. He teaches them the components of love and the different love languages, in hopes of healing their hearts as he previously helped to do during their period of grief after their mother’s death.

Similar to his infamous “Guncle Rules” Patrick creates “Guncle Love Language” axioms in the form of famous song titles to help the children learn the true meaning about love.
1. “Silence All these Years”
2. “The Finer Things”- Don’t save them for a day that may never come, enjoy them with someone you love now.
3. “Don’t Need No Credit Card to Ride this Train”- nothing money can buy beats life’s free joys with the people you care about.
4. “Simply Remember Your Favorite Things”
5. “Together Forever with You” –spending time together. And wanting to move heaven and earth to make that happen. With the right person, time flies. Forever goes by in a blink.

As the children embark on their journey through Europe (a portion lasting about a third of the novel) trying Parisian hot chocolate, listening to the Sound of Music lore in Austria, and tasting gelato in Venice, Maisie, the ringleader of the niblings, becomes more determined to find a way to stop the wedding and makes Patrick promise to talk to her father. When they arrive in Lake Como at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Patrick meets his rival, Livia’s sister Palmina, the prospective new “launt” (lesbian aunt). Patrick finds himself overextended, managing his brother’s cold feet, his sister Clara’s man-eater obsession, and controlling his fears that Palmina (Paloma), will overtake him in his niblings affection and adoration.

As a fan of Rowley’s first installment, I was disappointed with the dull, lackluster portions at the beginning of the novel. The best portions of “The Guncle” were the back and forth banter between the children and their GUP, but this section lacked that vibrant prose that Rowley is known for. The novel picks up in both pacing and entertainment when everyone arrives at Lake Como for the wedding festivities. The “hand jive” teasing banter between Palmina and Patrick is hysterically funny, and the Gustavo mute dubbed “Groot” is laugh-out-loud hilarious—both scenes are Rowley’s finest to date.

As with the first, the novel is filled with several redeeming, memorable quotes, but below are my favorites:

“Love is something special to be protected. Because if you don’t protect it, if you don’t honor it as something rare and precious, it’s easy to walk away from.”
“You’ll never know what you want until you know for certain who you are.”
“A brave face is not the same thing as being brave.”

Thank you NetGalley, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and Steven Rowley for this ARC! I look forward to reading more books by Rowley in the future.

I could have given this five stars for the Sound of Music scenes and Gustavo alone, but it’s so much more than that. Patrick is taking Maisie and Grant on a European tour before ending up in Italy for their father’s wedding. This time around he’s teaching them Guncle Love Languages, rules about love that he has stolen from song lyrics. As with the first book, it’s laugh out loud funny in spots, heartbreaking in others, and just a tidge over the top. This one isn’t quite as much of an emotional ride as the first, but this one is more about living with grief when it’s not as sharp and moving forward with life. We have new characters, including the kids’ new launt, and deeper sibling relationships between Patrick, Greg, and Clara. Overall, this was a great sequel - even if Patrick thinks that sequels are just a cash grab too bloated with stuff that wasn’t good enough for the original 😜

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy and a chance read this early. All opinions are my own.

As a new reader to Steven Rowley, I was excited to receive the ARC of this book, since his first book Guncle received so much positive feedback. Rowley takes the reader on an unforgettable journey. His ability to blend humor and heart, along with humanity, in this novel should be celebrated. "Guncle Abroad" takes the reader on Patrick's latest journey. Steven Rowley's description of Patrick makes him so loveable. As Patrick tries to figure out the ups and downs of his new surroundings, readers are treated to a rollercoaster of emotions, from laugh-out-loud moments to emotional reflections on love, loss, and the complications that go along with family

This novel is a celebration of friendships, family, and the power of love. Rowley' is able to make his characters leap off the page and come to life before your eyes., This story takes the reader on an adventure with realistic characters, who you wish you were friends with in real life. I hope we see more of Patrick's antics in the future! Whether you're a fan of Rowley's previous work or new reader of his work, "Guncle Abroad" definitely needs to be on your TBR list!

I adored the original Guncle book and could not wait to read this when I saw it become available! Thanks to #NetGalley and #Putnam for the ARC!

GUP does it again - and shows the kids how to love through all of his quirks, quotes and adventures. The characters are relatable, the scene realistic and the adventure palpable. You find yourself rooting for characters you didn’t originally love!

But, overall it was just lacking for me. It felt predictable and I didn’t love that it went back and forth in time. I can’t exactly pinpoint what I didn’t love - but mainly the predictability.

Five years after ‘The Guncle’ takes place, Greg (Patrick’s brother) is set to get remarried. Maisie and Grant are hesitant about the upcoming nuptials and losing their memories of their mother, so Patrick takes the kids on a European adventure. The group visits London, Paris, Austria and Venice, with Patrick teaching the kids about different love languages, before reaching Lake Como (where the wedding is scheduled to take place). The Guncle Abroad is a fun and witty read about family, love and grief. It features some of my favorite locations on Lake Como, which brought back good memories as I was reading. I liked the addition of Palmina (the kid’s future ‘launt’) and the growth of each of the characters since we left them in The Guncle. Additionally, the ending felt appropriate, based on earlier events. Overall, I enjoyed every minute of this book and would definitely recommend to those who enjoyed The Guncle!

5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Happy to spend time with GUP and the rest of his family. A wonderful romp through Europe. And a thoughtful look at how we show love and understanding with those closest to us.

I laughed, I cried, I loved every page. This was a wonderful follow up to the first, a delightful romp through Europe and Italy, and a fitting exploration of emerging from grief and finding happiness moving forward. This sequel did not disappoint!

Another great read from Steven Rowley! The Guncle Abroad is the sequel to The Guncle and we get to read all about our favorite cast of characters again at 5 years later.

The Guncle Abroad is laugh out loud funny one minute and then has you in tears the next. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

NetGalley ARC - overall a satisfying sequel! Patrick’s witty humor had me laughing the whole book and I enjoyed the kids aging