The Guncle Abroad made me want to on on a European vacation! This is another heart warming adventure with the same characters from the Guncle, just five years older. GUP is on a mission to teach Grant and Maisie about love, and why it's important. Of course, he learns from Grant and Maisie in the process and they all wind their way through Europe towards their happy ending...even though it isn't the ending they expect.

4.5 stars. I’m traveling and will write a real review shortly! I loved it. If there’s a third Guncle book, I’ll definitely read that one too.

It has been 5 years since Patrick took his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant, for the summer to help them deal with the loss of their mom while their dad, Greg, got help with his own health crisis. Now, Greg is getting remarried and the kids are not happy. Patrick offers to take them around Europe to learn about love, while also mooning over the end of his relationship with Emory. But when they get to Italy for the wedding, tensions escalate with the bride's family, Greg has some cold feet, and the kids are begging Patrick to put a stop to the wedding.

I loved this book. I love all the characters and thought the conversations and feelings of everyone, especially the kids, were so well-written and realistic. I especially loved Patrick getting his happy ending with Emory and the kids opening their hearts to Livia. I really hope there are more books coming up in this series!

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Guncle Abroad was a great and fun follow-up to Rowley's The Guncle. I love the relationship with the children and the Italian setting was the best!

This was just what I needed and have been waiting for since reading The Guncle! This little family has my entire heart and then some. Patrick’s quick wit and fun loving banter is incredible especially when trying to deal with his now teenage and pre-teen niece and nephew. The life lessons are as always superb and left me wanting more of this little trio.
Steven Rowley, you have done it again. And I thank for you writing such amazing books packed with so much love, healing and truth.

This is a sweet and charming read; it left me wishing I had a wise gay uncle eager to take me on a learning trip through Europe!

Actor Patrick O'Hara's takes his niece and nephew on a cultural journey through Europe, teaching them about life and love. He tries to help them understand and accept their widowed father's plans to marry again, but that proves to be a challenging task.

This was a cozy story filled with fun luxurious travel details and lots of witty dialogue; I loved the lessons Patrick was trying to impart. The children's surliness and bad moods while being utterly spoiled got a little tedious. I understood they were upset at the thought of acquiring a stepmother, but wished they could just appreciate a little of the effort their uncle was putting in to give them beautiful experiences.

Thank you so much to Putnam and Netgalley for this ARC!

Steven Rowley gets me. He has never steered me wrong. Every book is like a warm hug from a friend I haven't seen in ages.

In The Guncle Abroad, we catch up with GUP and his family five years following the summer Patrick had to watch the kids for the summer. Now a stroppy teen and loveable middle schooler, the kids are off with Patrick for the summer visiting cities across Europe, ending at Lake Como and the father's wedding to a wealthy Italian woman. Maisie and (to an extent) Grant are not okay with their father replacing their mom. Patrick takes this opportunity to share what he calls his love languages.

An ode to second chances at love, Rowley brought this family dealing with grief and change to life with perception and feeling. Reconnecting with these characters was such a treat!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Putnam Group for an early copy in exchange for a review.

Being back with Patrick and the kids felt so good. I loved The Guncle, and this sequel did not disappoint!


What I Liked:

Patrick, Maisie and Grant have such an easy banter that I adore. I always laugh reading their interactions. It was great reading how the kids and Patrick navigated some new speed bumps and things with the kids being 5 years older.

Palmina and Patrick’s interactions were hilarious. Gump versus Launt had me cracking up.

Rowley does such a wonderful job exploring grief and remembering loved ones we’ve lost, while making us smile and laugh.

What didn’t work for me:

The pacing in the last 25% of the book felt a bit rushed.

Teenagers. Yikes! Maisie's dad is getting remarried to a Very Glamourous Italian, which is NOT a way to a bookish teen girl's heart. Grant is eleven, doesn't really have a lot of interest in the wedding parts, but will—he thinks—definitely prefer his life without an Italian marchesa for a stepmom, since Maisie's churned those waters. The gruesome twosome turn to their truly belovèd Guncle Patrick, their Dad's big brother, for help stopping what they see as impending disaster.

Guncle ("gay uncle" if you need a refresher) has, in agreeing to "help" them, got a plan. The issue with plans is that teenagers, with their fully adult-strength emotions and complete absence of perspective, most often see through plans and get...stroppy...when they feel manipulated.

Clever Guncle...take the kids on a European tour, since he's already finishing up a film role in London, and talk to them...remember "Guncle Rules"? now they're "Love Languages"...while working through their fears about their Dad moving on from their Mom's early death. It will, not coincidentally, help him move on from his recent breakup with Emory, whom I feel sure we've all forgotten from <I>The Guncle</I>. At any rate, it's a welcome distraction from the entertainment business for a successful...again...sitcom...again...star, and a man about to turn the Big Five-Oh. Yep, the guy who found being loudly reminded by his loving niece thay he was forty-three tantamount to a hate crime is a half-century old.

Does his wiliness now exceed his willingness to be there for his family? Close-run thing if you ask me.

Well, Rowley's still got his humor vein open. I loved this bit:
<blockquote>“Sequels are either too bloated, too stuffed with B-team actors or characters or Ewoks—things that weren’t good enough for the original. A cash grab to profit off something that was probably a fluke in the first place.”

Cassie glanced at the surrounding patrons, perhaps wishing she could dine with one of them.

“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?”</blockquote>
Thus Patrick to his long-suffering agent...and Author Rowley tipping his hat to the audience. It's not the first time I've been here, so pay me the respect of telling me you're aware of that fact. I appreciated it, and was simultaneously amused by it. It joins the host of amusing moments that this whirlwind tour of Europe that must be completed in time for the destination wedding on Lake Como...shades of Patrick Dennis and <I>Around the World with Auntie Mame</I>, another sequel that has to undo a happy ending...and you get a fun, funny summertime escape in book form. That is a wonderful lot.

Of course, this is not the first time we've met these characters, so there's a lost sparkle that can't be recreated no matter what one does. In its place is a luster, the warm burnished glow from a fine silver samovar, one that always spills its tea warmed to perfection into your perfectly prepared cup. Sweet...the return and humanization of oldest sister Clara in her latest reinvention of self...bitter, Patrick's jealousy of the marchesa's lesbian sister who woos her way into Maisie and Grant's affections...fun, the comical nightmare rehearsal dinner like something from The Philadelphia Story, only...um...earthier, and honestly <I>de trop</I>. Tropes. Well polished, gleaming tropes that most story-loving readers want to read because they are familiar and dear and relatable. What story about a wedding that deserves one's attention at all doesn't feature some concatenation of mishaps?

The utter charm of how the world rights itself in romantic fiction is a source of delight.

Come be delighted. (But dear GOD, the w-verbing has got to stop!)

Huge thank you to @gpputnam and @netgalley for an advanced gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Guncle is back!! This time he’s on a globetrotting journey with the kids while still doling out life advice along the way. Some of this life advice is literally life changing and others are bits of trivia
that had me chuckling. Patrick’s brother, the dad of Maisie and Grant is getting married and the kids are struggling. Patrick has a big task at hand teaching the kids about love. I was crying laughing as he mused about how he could teach them about love. See below.

“There was a person named Big?” “Yes! Well, Mr. Big. Big was his last name. He rescued Carrie after she was kidnapped by Mikhail Baryshnikov.” “Was he a pirate?” Grant asked. Patrick took in their blank faces. How would he get them to understand love if he couldn’t get them to appreciate Carrie and Big?“

My favorite thing about Rowley’s writing is his keen attention to detail, his humor and wit, while consistently making me feel all the feelings. Yes, I’m always wiping away tears at the end of his books but his books are truly heartwarming and this definitely is!
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This book felt like a hug, plus gave me travel envy. If you liked the first one, you'll like this one. It miraculously retains all the charm.

Even better than 'The Guncle'!

Patrick and the kids are back and this time they're going to Europe (for Greg's wedding!) I didn't want the book to end. Grant's cuteness, Maisee's angst and Patrick's humor were like warm cocoa on a rainy day. I couldn't get enough of them.

The first book dealt with more heavy topics like grief, this is lighter with laughter and wit. But there are important topics here too like the very poignant conversation with Palmina (who I loved) about being a young woman.

I laughed so many times and I loved these characters with all my heart. This isn't something I can say for many books of late. I highly recommend it to everyone!

Thanks to Netgalley and Putnam Books for the advanced e-copy!

So many people just love this series. Unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. I found it too chatty and odd.

"You dole out life advice and your little rules for living like candy and you don't follow any of them."
"That's not true," Patrick protested, "I always wear pants to get bottomless mimosas."🥂

I'll started by sayin that The Guncle is a book I absolutely loved, so I was very excited for this sequel - and it had a lot to live up to. The story jumps five years into the future and all the delightful characters are back. Just like book one, the wit, humor, and love in the midst of grief are there. However, I was nowhere near as invested in the will they or won't they get married saga as I was in the plot of The Guncle. It's a solid second act, to be sure, and so much of what is lovely about the first book is present in the second.

Thanks to Netgalley and Putnam Books for the eARC!

⭐️ 𝔸ℝℂ ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎 ⭐️
The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

mᥡ rᥱ᥎іᥱᥕ:
Patrick is my favorite human ever…I truly wish he wasn’t fictional. I fell in love with the bond between Patrick, Maisie and Grant in The Guncle and this sequel gave me just the dose I needed. I can’t get enough of this family! And I’m wanting more books in this series. 🤞

The way that Patrick has helped these kids through some of the toughest times of their lives makes my heart so warm. He is a constant in their lives that they can count on and confide in. Although the kids are getting older and going through some different phases, Patrick loves them unconditionally and makes sure they know that. His relationship with his niece and nephew is truly so special, they are lucky to have him.

I need more of The Guncle!! I HIGHLY recommend this book, I haven’t been able to stop talking about this series!

It was so much fun to be back with Patrick, Maisie and Grant. Even better they were traveling around Europe. It was fun to read about places I’ve been and seen in this story.
This is a fast paced heartwarming story that picks up five years after The Guncle finished. I hope Steven Rowley keeps going with these books. They are fun. I liked this as much as the first.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for a honest opinion. 4⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and PRHAudio for the early access to this book. The author narrates it himself and brings exactly the voice I envision for main character Patrick O'Hara.

Blurb:
Guncle Part 2, five years later. Maisie and Grant's dad Greg is getting remarried in Lake Como, but first the kids will do some sightseeing through Europe with Gup (Gay Uncle Patrick). He needs to show them the sights, while also convincing them to get on board with future Italian stepmother Livia... and deal with his own insecurities about aging... and survive a host of family members causing more drama. No sweat.

Mood Reader Guide: for when you want to travel across Europe in style with your snarky older gay uncle, who also has nuggets of sincere wisdom to dispense when you're least expecting them

Thoughts: I went into the first volume of The Guncle not realizing how much emotion and heart would be packed into a candy-colored book, and really loved it. The Guncle Abroad is a similar mix of funny and feelings, but the emotional punch isn't at strong. I still really liked it, but more of the enjoyment came from revisiting the characters we loved from Book 1. The first third of the story feels a little like we're spinning our wheels, but the real adventures start when everyone arrives in Lake Como for the wedding and I found myself reading / listening much faster in the second half.

The early tongue-in-cheek rant about sequels between Patrick and his agent are hilarious. I'm also still laughing about the Sound of Music bus tour, and the "tea a drink with jam and bread" tshirt friends :) The faux rivalry with Launt (lesbian aunt) is great, and I loved seeing how Maisie and Grant have grown up. There are lots of touching moments and insights in terms of how all the characters are dealing long-term with grief, and how the sibling relationships evolve. It's really sweet how everything ends up working out and feels nicely wrapped up at the end.

I am always in awe when authors can write a sequel with the same character quirks and personality traits as the original and this is no different. GUP, Maisie and Grant are written as if they're real people; they are no different in this book than they are in book 1. I loved the addition of the overseas traveling and the family dynamics of adding new people. I would give this more stars if I could!

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Oh Steven Rowley - how I love thee - let me count the ways:
1) Your characters just jump off the page and come to life and I never want to leave them
2) Your wit and humor makes me literally laugh out loud throughout your novels
3) You always add so much heart into your stories and I find myself wiping tears from my eyes while also having a smile on my face
4) You make me want to live inside your books

The Guncle is one of my favorite books to recommend to anyone and everyone - so I was so excited to be with Team Guncle again and see what Peter, Maisie and Grant were up to. I was always slightly scared - what if it didn't live up to my expectations? Well it was silly to even think that because THIS IS STEVEN ROWLEY! I just can't say enough about this amazing writer and the way he writes these larger than life characters that are also so rooted in reality - I just want to wrap them up in my arms and hug them!

I was so happy to be back in this world and to be back with my favorite Guncle & see his adorable niece and nephew growing up - Grant's lisp is gone! Maisie is a sassy and sometimes sulky preteen! Peter is back with his witty banter and new version of Guncle Rules! - I was here for every minute of it.

I especially loved the European setting, the peek into Peter's revival of his career and subsequent lifestyle, and the introduction of some new characters - especially Peter's new archenemy, the kids villainous(?) soon-to-be LAUNT (Lesbian Aunt).

Rowley does a great job setting you up if you haven't read The Guncle - but my question is WHY HAVEN'T YOU! These books truly make me heart smile so much and I will forever read anything and everything that Rowley writes!

(Check out his awesome husband too - Byron Lane - and one of my most loved romcoms of last year Big Gay Wedding featuring one of my favorite animals of all-time, Elaine!)

Thank you to Netgalley & Penguin Random House/Putnam Books for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest & glowing opinion!

It’s been 5 years since the events in The Guncle solidified a relationship between Patrick and his niece and nephew. Now they are spending several weeks together traveling in multiple countries before ending up at a wedding. Just a few chapters cover the weeks of travel time, and most of the chapters happen over the few days around the wedding. I would have enjoyed it more if the balance had been flipped and we got to experience more of the travel time with the kids.

The funniest parts of the story are the interactions between Patrick and the kids. Most of this book is about Patrick’s internal thoughts/emotions/growth, so it’s not the humorous book I expected. Overall, I liked it but didn’t love it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.