Let me start by saying I lovedddd THE GUNCLE when I read it a few years ago and became a big fan of the author, Steven Rowley, as a result. The screen adaptation (I hope!) is still in the works and I hope they cast the best actor to play Patrick.

Back to the sequel: this was a cute extension of the original, but it was missing a bit of the magic that made the first one so spectacular. The funny banter was still in the mix as was the fun side characters, but there were times where things felt forced 🤷🏼‍♀️

The ending felt like it got back on the right foot with the charm we were missing in the middle section, but not enough to dethrone its predecessor. Overall this was still a fun and delightful addition to the Guncle universe! And we now have a rival Launt (lesbian aunt) fighting for all the kids attention that should be fun to see transpire in possible books to come 😏

I loved the scenic journey we went through in the book. It made me want to book a European getaway pronto! 🛫

Thank you to @netgalley and @putnambooks for allowing me to read this story a few months early 🥰

5 shiny, full stars for this heartfelt, hilarious sequel to The Guncle! I’m both sad and thrilled to just now be discovering the talent that is Steven Rowley. He has a quick wit and beautiful way with language to make me laugh out loud (very loud), pause, and blubber within the same paragraph. I am so thankful to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review an early copy of The Guncle Abroad. If you enjoyed the first, you’ll devour this and enjoy it even more!

The book begins five years after we left Patrick, Maisie, and Grant - and our other beloved secondary family, which we only grow to know and love more in this book. While the trio navigate their way through grief in the first book, this time Patrick navigates them (literally) through Europe, exploring different love languages and the kids’ trepidation to a new family dynamic: their father Greg plans to remarry. If you enjoy scenic escapes, you will revel in this first part, where you can almost taste the hot chocolate at Paris’ Angelina’s and devour the best pasta in Italy (without spoilers, I will confess I enjoyed the Austria visit best!). These adventures feel like The Guncle 2.0 - Palm Springs’s upgrade to Europe.

We spend the second half of the book in Italy with Greg, Clara, and other fun new family members in the days before the wedding. The hilarity escalates, as do the emotions as the kids process their dad remarrying. What surprised me in this second half is seeing a flawed, vulnerable, and imperfect Patrick realizing his own ways for self improvement. I love the representation of a gay protagonist, and I also love the authentic imperfections and judgments he makes about women, even the ones he loves most (Maisie and Clara). How important and wonderful to have this realization and surprising representation captured through Patrick.

I can’t wait for this book to be released, as I’m buying copies for all my friends. I can’t wait to continue exploring Rowley’s work, and I am waiting with bated breath for any announcements of a film/TV adaptation and/or a third book about the O’Haras!

Guncle Abroad is a delightful and heartwarming sequel that successfully captures the essence of its predecessor while delivering a fresh and entertaining storyline. As with the first book, when I finished the book, I missed the characters like they were old friends. The characters are charming and relatable, so much so the reader grows to love them!

The witty dialogue and hilarious situations will have you laughing out loud, while the tender moments tug at your heartstrings. This perfect balance creates an engaging narrative that keeps you invested from start to finish.

Guncle Abroad tackles important themes such as family, love, and self- acceptance. It explores the complexities of relationships and celebrates the power of chosen families.

This book will leave you eagerly anticipating the next installment. Which I hope there is one!

Years ago, The Guncle found me when I was deep in grief and it was the exact book I needed at the time, making me cry and laugh in equal measure. Making me feel seen and understood while reminding me that healing isnt easy but we owe it to ourselves and our loved ones to find a way forward. It’s sequel, The Guncle Abroad, has found me in a similar way. As Patrick debates the nuances of love and aging and reinvention, so am I. Steven Rowley’s writing always finds a direct route into my heart and burrows in deep. I was hesitant when I heard there was a follow up to one of my favorite books since it’s a rare thing to have a sequel that can hold it’s own against the original in both quality and heart but The Guncle Abroad truly does. There may have been less tears this time around, but there were just as many laughs and for that I am so thankful.

The Guncle is back and this time he's taking the kids to Europe. GUP is a bit downtrodden, freshly off a breakup but working again and in the best shape of his life. Greg has fallen in love with not-quite-Italian-royalty so they are all gathering for Greg's wedding... and this kiddos are not too pleased with this.

- GUP teaches the kids about love.
- GAP (Gay Aunt Palmina) teaches GUP to let loose.
- SAC (straight aunt Clara) brings an exciting new layer to the sibling dynamic (with Patrick and Greg)
- Fun and heart warming with a rich Italian flair
- Grant was great, Maisie was a mess

All in all, a sweet sequel - it was fun to explore Europe with GUP and the family; always jokes cracked and sentimental moments to coo about, but it didn't pack the same punch as the first book. However, I will go anywhere and everywhere with GUP and I love reading his stories.

Steven Rowley has joined my auto-buy author list; I've read each one of his novels and I know they will always make me laugh and cry and laugh some more. The Guncle Abroad did not disappoint. Was it quite as charming as the first? Maybe not. But it was a fun, emotional read nonetheless--one that made me want to rewatch The Sound of Music and stay in a fabulous hotel on the banks of Lake Como. I'm sure this won't be the last we see of Patrick O'Hara and Maisie and Grant.

The Guncle Abroad is as fabulous as the Guncle. It’s five years later and GUP and company are back this time heading to Lake Como Italy for his brother’s wedding. Before Italy, he flies Maisie and Grant to London where they start a tour of Europe. Oh, and Maisie wants GUP’s help in stopping her father’s wedding. Adventure, lessons, and some hijinks ensue. Guncle Abroad is funny and heartwarming where all characters are likable.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Penguin Group for ARC.

Book 5 of 2024-#TheGuncleAbroad by @mrstevenrowley . I was extremely fortunate the get an ARC of this from @netgalley. “The Guncle” was my favorite book in 2021 and I was thrilled that there was more story to tell.
This book takes place five years later when Maisie and Grant’s dad is going to be remarried in Italy and GUP, “gay uncle Patrick”, is asked by the kids to stop the wedding. There is more to the story, but we get introduced to a “LAUNT” (lesbian aunt) and we see how Patrick is able to help the kids understand that even with a remarriage, their family will still be intact and make more memories. I fully enjoyed the book and was thinking 4 stars until the ending chapters which made me laugh and cry more than usual and it went straight to a 5 star read. These characters are so likeable and I want to know more of their stories. If there is another sequel to this, I’ll be first in line to read.

What can you say about Steven Rowley that hasn’t already been said- he is a masterful storyteller who touches your heart when you don’t expect it in ways you never see coming. This sequel to The Guncle brings characters we know and love ( well some we love p, some not so much) together with new characters to tell an age old story in a fresh, new way. Get it, the minute you can!

I am so thankful for NetGalley for a free copy of The Guncle Abroad. With the new, exciting locale, I was hoping for more excitement, but it just fell flat for me. The relationships felt brittle, and the jokes felt forced. I was happy to see movement and evolution of characters that I fell in love with in the first book, but the whole thing just lacked umph that I wanted.

What a joy of a read!! Preorder it now so you can experience it as soon as it comes out. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read it early!

This was such a fun, delightful read! I loved The Guncle so much and couldn’t wait for this sequel! With Rowley’s signature witty banter and top notch, lovely characters, this book definitely lived up to the first!

Taking place a few years after the last book, GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick) and his lovable niece (Maisie) and nephew (Grant) are at it again, journeying abroad, meeting an array of characters and seeing all the beautiful sights. After learning that their dad is remarrying and after an especially difficult breakup, the trio decides to take a monthlong vacation across Europe. It is here that GUP decides to teach them all about love, adding to the Guncle rules. Along the way, GUP is forced to compete with the future Launt (lesbian aunt) in order to be his niece/nephew’s favorite again. This wacky trio learns from one another about life, love, loss, moving on, and what it really means to be family.

I will read pretty much anything Steven Rowley writes, and I am rarely disappointed; this is no exception. I definitely hope for another! I absolutely loved Maisie and Grant - especially getting to see them grow up, including all the teenage attitude that comes with it. The Love Language Rules were so adorable and heartwarming. Overall, this was such a fun, emotional read!

Thank you Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC!

Gay uncle Patrick is called upon again to help his niece and nephew, Maisie and Grant, through more rough times. This time their father has found a new partner and is preparing to marry her. Patrick's personal life has taken a downturn with his breakup from Emory, and therefore, a change is in the air. Patrick sets out with the kids to tour Europe before arriving at Lake Como, the site of the upcoming nuptials. Patrick and the children are mutually needy and all need pampering, and need to be able to accept and learn how to deal with a new normal.

While the book was humorous, sometimes the humor felt forced. Perhaps this is the way recovery from grief looks. Put on a good front and people will not realize how deeply you are affected by the grief and by all the changes coming in life.

I’m hesitant to even write this review because I know my words will not be able to fully express how truly perfect this book is, but here goes.

This book is an adventure. It takes you on a European vacation. It’s an escape. I love travel, and that aspect is so much fun.

This book is hilarious. So witty and clever.

This book will make you cry. That letter. Wow. But it doesn’t make you sad. It makes you feel warm and fuzzy.

This book is about love, family, grief, moving forward, growing up, learning about yourself. There are so many meaningful and memorable quotes from this book. The Guncle was very good. The Guncle Abroad is even better. I didn’t think that was possible. But oh, it is. I want to be a part of Patrick, Maisie, and Grant’s world. I just wish the book didn’t have to end. Hopefully, there will be endless more Guncle books because I will read them all.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the advanced copy. And thank you to Steven Rowley for writing this and bringing me so much joy.

Patrick O’Hara, aka GUP, is back alongside his niece and nephew Maisie and Grant! It’s been years since the events of the first book, and everyone is moving on. Patrick is newly single, and the kids’ dad is getting remarried in Italy. Of course Patrick decided to step in and take care of Maisie and Grant who are struggling to come to terms with their dad’s remarriage. But what does Patrick know? He’s almost fifty, single, and lonely! But with this family, it’s hard to feel so alone, and there is so much for Patrick to teach and learn.

This was such a cute book! I’m so glad we got to revisit this family again, even after the first book got a happy ending. We all know happy endings don’t always last, so coming back to Patrick, Maisie, and Grant as they’re all growing up was so sweet. If you read the first one, you’ll hopefully love this book too! If you haven’t read the first book, what are you waiting for?! 😉

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5 stars)
Release date: May 21st, 2024

What a delightful follow up to Patrick, Maisie, and Grant’s story! The love language lessons were cute, the new characters, especially Palmina, were well-suited to the story, and the quippy dialogue remained.

3.75 stars rounded up. This was a fun, lighthearted book, much in the vein of its presescessor. Several years after the first book, Patrick is coming to grips with aging, Grant’s lost his lisp (mostly) though is still cute and endearing, and Maise is finding her voice as a young woman but is struggling with her father choosing to move on from their mother’s death to marry a new woman. The trio—Guncle, niece, and nephew—travel around Europe before settling last in Italy for the wedding, where Patrick meets his nemesis—his brother’s future sister-in-law—a fabulous lesbian who competes with him for the attention and spotlight he is so accustomed to bathing in.

What carries this is the love Patrick has for his family and his quick, witty jokes. I enjoyed the banter between the Guncle and the lesbian aunt or “Launt.” I especially liked the lines at the end where Patrick talks about the relationship between lesbians and gay men. I also thought the author did a great job aging up the niece and nephew, while still keeping the same dynamic between the three that we all loved.

Overall, this was a good sequel. Would I read another installment? Of course! Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group, and Putnam for providing me with a free e-ARC in enchange for an honest review.

What a gift the Guncle series is. I have truly grown to love Patrick, Maisie and Grant and feel like they are family. I love the bond that they have kept through the years, and I love the maturing banter that they share and the ease with which they share their problems. Although a few parts of this latest novel, The Guncle Abroad, moved a bit slowly, all in all it is a wonderful story that I’m sure will delight many.

I love these books! Great writing and fun characters. I love a good sequel!!

Thank you NetGalley and Steven Rowley!

When I saw this was coming out, it forced me to finally read The Guncle. Both books are sweet, funny stories. Good lite reads. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.