Review: The Third Act of Theo Gruene by Talya Tate Boerner

🎭 Overview
Talya Tate Boerner’s The Third Act of Theo Gruene is a tender, witty exploration of reinvention in the golden years. When 72-year-old Theo Gruene’s meticulously planned retirement unravels after a health scare, he embarks on an unscripted journey—part pilgrimage, part rebellion—that challenges his notions of legacy, love, and what it means to truly live. Boerner’s prose sparkles with humor and heart, weaving a narrative that celebrates the messy, magnificent possibilities of life’s “third act.”

✨ Key Strengths
👴 Unforgettable Protagonist – Theo’s curmudgeonly charm and gradual vulnerability make him instantly endearing and deeply human.
🌱 Thematic Resonance – A poignant meditation on aging, purpose, and the courage to embrace uncertainty.
🍃 Nuanced Relationships – From strained family ties to surprising new friendships, every interaction feels authentic and layered.
🎨 Balanced Tone – Boerner masterfully balances levity and gravity, ensuring the story never tips into saccharine sentimentality or bleakness.

⚠️ Considerations
⏳ Pacing Patience – The introspective first half may test readers craving immediate action, but the payoff is rich.
🎭 Familiar Tropes – Some narrative beats (grumpy protagonist softened by adventure) will feel comforting rather than groundbreaking to seasoned literary fiction fans.

⭐ Score Breakdown (0–5 Stars)
✍️ Prose & Voice → ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) (Like a late-afternoon sunbeam—warm, golden, and lingering.)
🎭 Character Depth → ★★★★★ (5/5)
🌿 Thematic Impact → ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
💫 Emotional Payoff → ★★★★ (4/5)

Overall: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
A love letter to the unfinished symphony of life.

🎯 Perfect For Fans Of
📚 A Man Called Ove’s grumpy-yet-endearing hero meets The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry’s reflective journey
🍂 Stories of late-in-life awakening and intergenerational connections
🎨 Character-driven narratives with equal parts humor and heartache

🙏 Gratitude
Thank you to NetGalley and Talya Tate Boerner for the advance copy. The Third Act of Theo Gruene is a testament to Boerner’s talent for crafting stories that nestle into the soul—a novel that reminds us it’s never too late for wonder.

This is a 2025 release poised to become a book club darling and a balm for anyone navigating life’s unexpected chapters.

This book snuck up on me. At the start, I felt cranky when I realized the story was set during the covid lockdown. And then I felt cranky again at the precocious tweeness of the child character. And yet, I ended up falling in love with the entire cast of characters, the lovely story of growth and redemption and found family, and the plot twists that made the choice of setting it during lockdown perfectly suited. Theo, a retired botanist and lonely widower, has his quiet and predictable life upended when a little girl appears at his door during a thunderstorm and asks to come inside. Penelope is a larger-than-life character, and she and her mother Ivy open up Theo's life in unexpected directions. Thank you to NetGalley, Talya Tate Boerner, and One Mississippi Press LLC for a digital review copy.

Inspiring story of finding friendship in difficult times😷

This novel was lovely, a true pleasure to read and become acquainted with a lonely, widowed senior citizen; an energetic, precocious young girl; and a beleaguered and desperate mother. All are caught up in the pandemic as it hits Fayatteville, Arkansas and forces them to reach out and form bonds of support and friendship to weather those scary times.

The author does a stellar job of capturing the atmosphere of the lockdown, with school closures, takeout only dining, overworked hospitals, and creating such endearing characters, particularly young Penelope who remains eternally curious, open and hopeful despite her history of hand to mouth living conditions. The story of her ubiquitous green raincoat really moved me. She's fiercely loyal to her hard-working mother and finds a way to break into Theo's solitary existence, making him a more caring individual and more involved with his neighbors and community.

Can't recommend it enough.

Thanks to One Mississippi Press LLC and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Review shared on 5/13/25 on Goodreads and Bookbub, and with Barnes & Noble and BAM.

I was so looking forward to this book. I loved Bernice Runs Away by this author. Although I really liked this story so much, the political views thrown in by the author (as a character's views, but I think the author's) really upset me to the point that is what I will remember about the story. That is a shame.

I read to escape life. I do not pick up a book to read which I think is political or will have it interwoven in the story. It does not matter if I agree or not with the view, I just do not want it in a book that is not political in nature. I am thinking as I write this, perhaps that is why I like to read UK authors so much. They rarely have an opinion of US politics in their books.

I love books with older characters, especially if they interact with a younger person. The plot of this book is not unique in the use of an older, wiser, grumpy person as the main character. I do think it has a special twist to it that I have not read in a book prior to this. The young character is a whoot and she was a joy to get to know.

Overall a wonderfully written book. A reader not as sensitive to political views will thoroughly enjoy this story.

Thank you to One Mississippi Press LLC and NetGalley for allowing me to read the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

This is an unusual book, with themes we encounter less than we should. The characters are very much that: characters, each in their own unique way. They are deep, complex, interesting, but totally convincing. I wasn't sure whether I'd become engaged at the start. It seemed improbable and unlike many books I couldn't envisage where it might go. Often the trajectory and outcome are entirely predictable, and sometimes there's a level of pleasure in that, if the book is well written. But with The Third Act of Theo Gruene, each revelation came as a surprise, but once seen made perfect sense. The satisfaction came in the weaving together of the past and the present, the coming together of all the characters and the growth, healing and love that lay here. Once I became engaged and wanted to know more, particularly in the relationship between Theo and Penelope, it was compelling. That it was placed in the pandemic years was also valuable. I believe many of us would benefit from revisiting and processing it. I'm delighted I came upon this book and hope to read more from this author in the future.

I challenge anyone to read this book and not fall in love with Penelope Pie. This is a character that you are instantly invested in and stays with you after you finish the story. The writing is exquisite and the story flows along so nicely that you never want it to end. Setting this story against the backdrop of the COVID pandemic allowed me to revisit this unprecedented time and be reminded of the impact on daily life. I was totally unprepared for the ending and really had not even considered the possibility of how these characters might be connected. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and appreciate the ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Wow! First book I’ve read by this author and it won’t be the last. What a beautiful story with incredibly well written characters. Love it!

This is a heartwarming story with lots of unexpected turns and past secrets. I always like reading about senior characters like Theo Gruene in this novel and it was really interesting to see his character development as the story unfolds. I loved the other characters, too. Penelope Pie is an exceptional child although she can be a handful, and Ivy and Nita are both really loveable.
I was happy to see how they find a future together.

When Penelope appears on Theo Gruene's doorstep one morning, he has no idea how much his life is going to change, or how fast it's going to happen. Theo has experienced far more than his fair share of loss throughout his 70 years and is now quietly accepting of his pretty solitary lifestyle: going on long hikes, preserving and cataloguing plant specimens for the university and meeting his friend, Winn, for lunch on a Friday.

When Penelope turns up, Theo becomes - unwillingly at first - an important part of her life and the lives of others around them. Penelope has a way of drawing people in and making Theo confront thoughts and feelings that he has been all too content to ignore for many years.

I absolutely loved this book. Yes, it's all a bit convenient and neatly tied up at the end but it's so refreshing to read a book full of nice people, just doing their best and being kind. It isn't sickly sweet though, there are upsetting parts, particularly for anyone directly affected by loss during the COVID 19 pandemic, but it is so gently, kindly written that it doesn't feel as difficult to read as it probably could.

Throughout the book, there are references to real things and I thought this was done really effectively. Penelope talks about To Kill a Mockingbird and "Boo Radley Holes" feature heavily. With the book being set during such a significant and unusual time, I also think it would have been strange to not include certain events, such as the death of George Floyd and subsequent protests. The way that the characters react to this tells us so much about them, in a way that wouldn't work so well with a fictional event.

All in all, this is a great book and one that I couldn't put down at times. Theo and his newfound community are brilliantly written characters and a joy to spend time with.

Great for fans of Frank and Red by Matt Coyne, Swimming for Beginners by Nicola Gill and Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian.

A perk on NetGalley is a Read Now feature where you can get a book before its published without requesting it. I am so happy I grabbed this one -- I am still thinking about the characters since reading it! Its sweet, funny and endearing with a few plot twists that kept me enthralled.

I really loved this book. A senior man lives his quiet and orderly life, until a young, precocious neighbor girl shows up, showing him that sometimes shaking up your life is the very thing you need.
Covid happens, and all of their lives are changed.

I loved the characters...all so different, all well done.

Thank you to Mississippi Press, LLC and Netgalley for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #TheThirdActOfTheoGroene #MississippiPressLLC #TalyaTateBoerner

I did not like this book. It was not a good book. The characters did not resonate with me. I would read another book by this author.

This talented author has written a page turner. I could not out this book down. An elderly man…a sweet neighbor girl with her mother…a hopeful romantic…the recipe for a cannot put down story. Secrets…red herrings…guessing…realistic characters keep this story moving quickly. This book is unique…there are many avenues to explore….i would give this book plus five. I can’t wait for more from this author. Thanks Netgalley