While I loved the first book in this series The Guncle this one just didn’t hit the same way for me. I still enjoyed the characters but now that the kids were older that original charm of the story was lost.

Our favorite Guncle is back and is spending time with his niece and nephew abroad as they deal with the upcoming nuptials of their father. Maise is having an exceptionally hard time and it’s up to Patrick to help her and Grant navigate their feelings.

I was pretty undecided about this book until about halfway through. The first one was laugh out loud funny, but this didn’t start that way. The kids are older and not things aren’t as humorous. By the end I had brought in fully. I laughed some, cried some and enjoyed this sequel!

I adored The Guncle. However The Guncle Abroad fell a little flat for me. It was missing the magic of the first book. The story still had its heartfelt moments and spots that made me laugh out loud. But I found myself putting the book down a lot and not really wanting to pick it back up again. Maybe it was me?

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦."



Drama follows Patrick around wherever he goes, and I. Am. Here. For it. 👏🏻👏🏻 And this time, the drama is following Patrick all through Europe!

Plus, as mentioned when I read the first book... Patrick is pretty much my real-life best friend @disneyrunner13 😅😅 so it's SUPER easy to hear and imagine Patrick's words and corresponding facial expressions.

I also truly loved seeing the kids grow into actual people!

🧳 Travel Through Europe
💖 Gay Uncle & Lesbian Aunt
🧳 Understanding Grief and Loss
💖 Remarriage/Stepmothers
🧳 Second Chances
💖 Teenage Angst

Thank you so much @putnambooks and @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for this review!
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#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #theguncleabroad #stevenrowley #book42of2024 #whatsnikkireading #europeantravel #guncle #launt #lgbtqiap #griefandloss #remarriage #stepmothers #secondchances #putnambooks #netgalley #advancedreadercopy

I’m going to be totally honest and say that I struggled a bit with this one.

Last year, Lily and the Octopus was one of my favorite books I read. It found me at just the right time when I needed it the most.

Back in 2021, I read The Guncle and laughed out loud SO many times.

I was really excited for this sequel, but as I was reading it, I kept thinking, did we need it? This novel takes place five years later, the kids are older, and their dad is about to be remarried.

This book felt like it had too many things going on. We have new characters mingling with the characters we know and love, which is fine, but the first half of the novel Patrick takes the kids on a trip and it all just felt so rushed, to which we then get to Italy for the wedding and it’s like a whole different book in the second half.

There were some really wonderful, funny, heartwarming sections, which you expect from this author and they are well done and welcome. But I got the feeling that maybe there wasn’t a clear vision on where this should go? I would have loved the whole novel to be about Patrick and the kids just going on the trip, tackling them growing up, how they’re still managing their grief, tie in his relationship with Emory. I think that would have been enough for one book? Maybe a third book for the wedding. Just keep the series going 😂.

Overall, I felt like this was fine, but I personally didn’t love it as much as the first book or some of the other’s written by this author. This is a good beach read with some feel good moments.

Thank you @netgalley and @putnambooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Another five star read for me from Steven Rowley. Truly, I love every single word he writes. I've been in a bit of a slow reading cycle, work is just busy, I'm exhausted, and just not able to devote time to reading like I normally do.

This book would almost not let me put it down. The O'Hara family is just a lovely group of people and I would be honored to be one of them. Honestly, I might even bribe my way into the family if that was a thing. Is it? A thing? Can I do that?

If you've read The Guncle, read The Guncle Abroad. If you've not read The Guncle, WHY NOT? It's so good. It's extraordinary. And you will be a better person for reading it.

Thank you to Steven Rowley for gracing us with his books. We are better people for having read your words. I promise.

The sequel to The Guncle picked up 5 years after the first book. Maisie (14) and Grant (11) go on a trip to Europe with their Guncle Patrick. There they try to convince him to help them interfere with the wedding.

This one is funny, while also emotional. If you loved The Guncle you’re sure to love this one too.

I hate, hate, HATE the review I'm about to leave. BUT. I have to start by saying I went into The Guncle (book 1) because I'd heard people saying it was good. And it absolutely was, I loved it! It had brains and laughs and so much heart. So obviously when book two was announced I was overjoyed, because yay - more GUP and the niblings!

That being said. I DNFed around the 44% mark, and NO ONE is more devastated by that than I am. You know how when TV shows go flat, they "jumped the shark"? This is that, in book form. It was just awful. I'm not going to give details - but these are not the same characters, especially Patrick, from the last book. I miss THEM, not....this. Two very, very sad stars.

I read this book and the first one back to back! The story was so cute and funny, but then there were some really good moments of depth and emotional conversations I didn't expect. This book had the advantage of taking place in Italy which gave way to some great descriptions.

This is such a good sequel to The Guncle. I loved seeing Mandie and Grant grow up! Did I kind of hate Patrick and Emory’s break up? Yes yes I did. But it lead to a beautiful ending and that’s what matters.

I can’t say enough amazing things about this book. I had high expectations coming from reading the Guncle earlier this year and it being one of my favorite reads this year and this book lived up to all my needs and wants in a sequel. I loved it. Steven Rowley makes me feel like these characters are a part of my life and it is as if I know them. I adore every character, the development of them, and the storyline. This is charming, heat felt, loving, and has multiple messages that I will cherish throughout my life raising my girls to be exactly who they are meant to be. Steven Rowley has become one of my absolute favorite authors.

I loved the Guncle and was really excited to jump back into GUPs world! And while I still liked it, it fell short of my admittedly very high expectations this time around.

It’s been 5 years and while Maisie has definitely aged into a surly teenager, Grant is 11 and it kinda felt like he was still written to be much younger. Him asking why they spoke French in France didn’t feel like something a kid his age would ask, nor him asking about GUP and LAUNT getting married because they are both gay. Cute and funny jokes, but more fitting for a younger kid to ask.

I think what I struggled with most was that the issues in this that the family had to overcome just felt a bit forced. In the first book, there were serious problems being addressed and it had more of an impact on me. In this, there were some selfish issues, like Patrick’s instant jealousy and dislike of Palmina which was shallow and petty. I wanted it to tug on my heartstrings and I just wasn’t as invested in this one.

The pacing was off for me - the early and middle sections dragged a bit. Once they all arrive for the wedding things pick back up and the last 25% was fantastic. I still enjoyed it and love the characters, it just was missing something. It’s good and I’d definitely recommend it, but start with the Guncle first which has my entire heart still. It’s a 3.5⭐️ for me, rounded up on NetGalley.

Thanks @putnum and @prhaudio for the DRC/ALC.

I wanted to love this book so much because I ADORED The Guncle. This seems more of a travel guide of sorts and I found myself getting bored. The kids were the best part for me and I loved the witty convos that reminded me of the first book! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

𝓐𝓾𝓭𝓲𝓸𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀 🎧📙
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
@mrstevenrowley you made me fall in LOVE with this family all over again. Every child needs a GUNCLE Patrick 🥰.
If you haven’t read book one I highly recommend it before reading this one. It’s a continuation of the adventures of this family. Years later mazie and grant are still healing from the death of their mother. To add to things their father is in love and getting married in Italy to an heiress. I mean she has to be this woman got to the Prada flag ship store to open just for them. I wish!!!! I wasn’t sold on Olivia in the beginning but by the end I felt she truly loved the children. The story follows Patrick and the kids journey abroad as he tries to teach them about the love languages which is hilarious in itself. The goal is to abort their mission of sabotaging their dad’s wedding. There are plenty of interesting secondary characters. My favorite was aunt Clara. I didnt care for her in book one.
BUT honey divorced life looks great on her! Oh an we get a LAUNT in this book (Lesbian Aunt, aka Palmina) who is Patrick’s nemesis and fabulous. I really loved everything about this book. This family all healed in their own way.

Fᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ǫᴜᴏᴛᴇ:
“The only time it maybe works—and I mean the only time—is when there wasn’t an ending that was entirely happy, when not everything was tied up in a neat little bow. Otherwise you have to undo someone’s happy ending to create more drama for your characters, and no one likes a happy ending undone. And what stories these days don’t have happy endings?“

𝐅𝐘𝐈: A Reader couldnt ask for a better ending 🥰.

Thank you to @prhaudio and @netgalley @putnambooks for the free ALC & ARC.

#guncle #guncleabroad #stevenrowley #italy #love #lovelanguage #instagram #netgalley #prhaudioinfluencer #prhaudio

Pros: It was lots of fun to revisit the characters from The Guncle, five years after the events in that book. I loved the European settings in this book, which mostly takes place in Italy. However, my very favorite part was when they went on the Sound of Music tour in Austria! The puns and clever dialogue throughout keep this book feeling light even when it addresses deeper topics like grief.

Cons: I can’t think of any specific cons—this book does exactly what it sets out to do and will be enjoyed by readers who loved The Guncle. Three stars because I liked it but did not love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for the opportunity to read this book.

I love these characters so much and am so grateful to be pulled back into their world! Just like the first book, it has all of the signature quips and jokes blended perfectly with emotion. It was a beautifully written reminder to honor the people we have loved and lost by not moving on, but by moving forward.

Welcome back the Guncle!

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5 years after the first book Patrick is in London filming a movie and his brother Greg has finally met someone and is getting married. This doesn’t sit well with Maisie and Grant. Greg sends the kids to GUP while he finishes wedding planning and Patrick takes the kids all over Europe to teach them about love. This trip ends in Italy for their dad’s wedding. Patrick tries to get the kids on board and to know if he succeeds you’ll have to read the book.

I read the audio and adored that Steven Rowley narrated his own book. While this wouldn’t work for every author he did amazing and totally brought the characters to life.

Just like the first book this one is so funny, but also so deep. It deals a little with grief but so much more about love and how we can love anew while still loving someone we’ve lost. The travel element was also really well written. Anyone want to take a trip?

<b>My rating: </b> 3 out 5 --> The original Guncle is an almost impossible book to follow up. You still get the charm of the characters (except the kids have grown up and have a more of a typical teenage disgruntled attitude which is funny in a different way), but the whole time I was just wishing for the first book. The author even calls it out in the second chapter how hard it is to make sequels which I thought was funny.

<b> Novel's Intention/obstacle: </b> The brother is getting remarried in Italy and the uncle takes the kids on a trip beforehand.

<b> When did I get hooked? </b> I am hooked because of the characters established in the first book

<b> What I liked </b>
the characters and final message of the book

<b> What I didn't like </b>
If you recently read Guncle, there is a lot in the first 10% of the book that is just a summary of the first book. The middle drags a bit as you anticipate the wedding scenes

Probably could be a standalone, but would 100% recommend reading book 1 first! The Guncle Abroad is such a wonderful book. It constantly made me laugh out loud and as usual, it made me cry! Such a heartfelt family story. The conflict is a typical family one, but you love the character so much that the dialogue and relationships keep you engaged. From “lants” to “al dente”, The Guncle Abroad is a must read gem! Such a unique type of humor. Loved. Would buy, would recommend, would check out from the library — etc!

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What’s not to love about GUP?! While I think readers could pick up the Guncle Abroad and still love the story, I absolutely recommend reading the Guncle first!

We pick up 5 years after the original Guncle has ended, and things have changed. Patrick is living abroad, and filming - he’s quite famous again. Brother Greg is GETTING MARRIED to an Italian marchesa (like royalty), and they’re having a very swanky Italian wedding. Patrick takes the kids for the weeks leading up to the ceremony, so Greg can handle pre-wedding stuff. The kids aren’t too convinced that this wedding should happen, and enlist Patrick’s help to put a stop to it.

And thus begins Patrick’s quest to teach this kids about love, while on a grand European adventure. But Patrick is much better at giving advice than taking it.

He befriends an unlikely person, and makes some pretty big life decisions in The Guncle Abroad.

It was absolutely heartwarming, and while it seems like a perfectly happy ending, I’m hopeful for a third book!!

* I received an ARC via #NetGalley for review