After giving this one a listen for about an hour, I decided that it wasn't my "cup of tea". The character of Albert felt strange to me and I felt myself becoming less interested in the story. I was expecting something more like A Man Called Ove and got a different vibe. Really liked where it was going, but it just wasn't for me!

Thank you to #rbmedia @recordedbooks @netgalley for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts…
Albert Entwistle. Bless him.🥹 If you’re looking for a Pride Month book, this might be it! Yes, it may be a predictable story, but most books are! So, who cares. The point is, this book will tug at your heart. It charmed me and made me want to reach out and hug Albert, and tell him that it would all be alright. The secondary characters were endearing, and a great supporting cast. The narrator was fab with the emotions and pacing. It pulled at the heartstrings and left me with a smile. “…proves it is never too late to live, to hope, and to love.” Just go get it!

Albert Entwistle is a postman in the small Northern town of Toddington, every day follows the same pattern, he does his round and then goes home to his cat Gracie, named after his mother's favourite singer. However, his regular routine starts to break down, forcing him to look at his life, lack of friends and remember how things used to be when he was happy and in love.

This story caused my heart to squeeze several times, the beginning was unbearably sad, but as we follow Albert's story with flashbacks to when he was a teenage boy, through sadness and laugh out loud moments I felt for him and all those in his position. The narrator Layton Williams is excellent, bringing Albert and his friends to life. I would give this book 10 stars if I could and think it should be required reading in secondary schools. The conversations at the end were emotional, as they were true stories of men's experiences of hate in the past. Highly recommended.

It has been said but The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle is a heart-warming and uplifting read that will leave you no choice but to have a smile on your face. 64 year old Albert has been a postman his entire life. He has always kept to himself and lived a quiet life, but when he learns that he has to retire he becomes overwhelmed with the idea of the lonely future that faces him. He sees an opportunity to find something (someone 😏) that he lost many years ago, and to finally be honest about who he is and what he wants. What follows is a journey of self-acceptance, love, and finding his true self..

Overall, it’s a sweet albeit predictable story but one that will charm you. I loved the exploration of Albert’s character, as well as his supporting cast of characters. It’s a colorful novel that will suck you in.

The audiobook, narrated by Simon Vance, was excellent. The pacing was spot on and the emotion that Simon brought to his performance added an extra layer to the story. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the ARC - this audiobook is out now!

This book was just a sweet story that, I think, was too good to be true. I thought halfway through that maybe he had a stroke or something and he was dreaming everything. I mean, it seems unreal to me that so many people would not only be okay with him coming out, but would all be so joyous about it. I mean every person not only congratulated him and was perfectly cool with it, but they all threw him a party for coming out and even the people who had seemed homophobic at the beginning were apologizing and dumping their issues on him because they had seen the light and seen how wrong they were. Just none of that seemed real to me, but since I can’t speak to this experience, I only have my assumptions to base it on.

I really liked that this is an older protagonist story and that Albert finally got to live his life the way he wanted to all along. Overall, it was cute and predictable.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwisle by Matt Cain is heartbreaking, life-affirming, and ultimately hopeful. It's perfect that it published on the eve of Pride Month.

Readers who loved Hubert Bird in All the Lonely People will make a new friend in Albert Entwistle. He's a quiet British postal worker whose life includes only his job, his home, and his cat Gracie. He's friendly with some of the people on his route, but he has no friends or family. Shocked to receive his mandatory retirement notice just before his 65th birthday, Albert can't imagine how he will fill his days. When he reflects upon his life and recalls fond memories of George, his first true love, Albert decides to track him down even though they haven’t been in contact for 40+ years.

The novel is part coming-out story and part social commentary on British society's rocky road toward acceptance of gay men. The audiobook included excerpts read by the author from interviews with men who experienced ridicule and shame in their younger years for being gay - tragic yet powerful. A considerable portion of the story is told in flashbacks of Albert's teen years as he develops strong feelings for his schoolmate George until a tragic night severs their budding relationship.

In the present-time storyline, my heart was happy every time Albert made a connection with someone by revealing his long-hidden true self, was received with warmth and acceptance, and he advanced his search for George.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the review copy of the audiobook expertly narrated by Simon Vance. I’m confident Albert will make many more friends as he makes his way into the world.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle is perfect for readers who loved A Man Called Ove or Under the Whispering Door. It was a joy to pick this book up and I loved the character development as Albert went on his journey to find happiness again.

Synopsis: Albert’s career as a postman is coming to a close and without any family or friends, he wonders how he will spend his days after retirement. He thinks back to earlier times in his life when he was truly happy and decides it’s time to start living again. Albert’s plan includes being honest about who he is and searching for someone he loved and lost, but never forgot. Along the way, he makes new friends and learns that it’s never too late to live, hope and love.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to the advanced audiobook of this new release. It’s charming and hopeful and one I will definitely recommend to others!

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle AUDIO by Matt Cain is a story about a 65-year-old man who, when faced with retirement, realizes he must fix his life, as he didn't have one. His cat had just died and she was all he had. He was very shy and this would not be easy. He also remembered George, the boy he had loved when he was 16, and resolved to find him. This is a rather lovely story about a man coming out of the closet: admitting and sharing that he is gay, and admitting and sharing that he is lonely. He was a boy in the 70's with a prejudice policeman father and probably not as prejudiced, but certainly closed-mouthed mother. What he discovered is that people wanted to like him; the people were very accepting of his gayness and the Gay people in the world; and that the world had changed in more ways that he could number. The Internet, for example, was wonderful and opened a new world to him, but he needed help navigating it.

Albert had been a postman for over 50 years and yet never spoke to any of his customers, in fact avoided them when possible. Once he forced himself to interact, he found he enjoyed it and hungered for more. While he thought he was being subtle, those around him knew more about him that he suspected. It was a wonderful story of a man coming into himself: a coming of age story, of sorts. The recent history of being gay is a sad one, thankfully coming to rights for Albert.

The Secret Life was narrated by Simon Vance and his voice embodied the gentleness that was Albert Entwistle. A better narrator could not have been found and it made listening an experience reading would not have been.

I was invited to listen to a free e-AUDIO of The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by RB Media, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #rbmedia #mattcain #thesecretlifeofalbertentwistle #simonvance

This book is just what it says it is. Reading it gave me quite a feeling of deja vu. There is no new ground. A lonely, old guy gets his life upturned and has to make a go of it. It was sweet, if not predicatable.

When I first started this audiobook I immediately got a smile on my face, this narrator had the best voice ever and I loved them!

On top of the fantastic narrator the story of second chances was way better than I expected. Albert Entwistle was just going through life and not really living it until he finds out he will have to retire from his job in a few short months.

It was so easier to fall in love with Albert and the other characters we are introduced to throughout the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advance copy of this audiobook. This is my honest voluntary review.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle is the fourth novel by British former journalist and author, Matt Cain. The audio version is narrated by Simon Vance. At almost sixty-five, Albert Entwistle has worked at Toddington’s Royal Mail Delivery Centre in Lancashire, for forty-nine years, and finds his unvarying routine reassuring: he cycles to work, sorts his mail, delivers to the odd number houses before his break, then the even numbers, does his paperwork and goes home to a quiet evening with Gracie, his elderly cat.

It all entails the minimum number of interactions with people that he can manage: getting involved with people seems unnecessarily complicated; he keeps himself to himself. But then, a few things happen to upset his applecart: he’s told he is required to retire at sixty-five, Royal Mail policy; he is dragged into organising the Secret Santa for the work Christmas Party (something he would normally not even attend); and his beloved cat Gracie dies.

The thought of retiring spins Albert into an identity crisis: who is he if not a postman? The party forces him to interact more thoroughly with his colleagues. And without Gracie, he realises how terribly lonely he is. It sets him thinking about the time in his life when he was truly happy, and the person who made him so happy.

Someone Albert regularly delivers to is Nicole Ashton, a single teenaged mum with a toddler. While she’s stuck in a dingy council house on the insalubrious Flowers Estate, Nicole is not content to depend on others, determined to make something of herself. On her own since Reenie’s dad left, she now has a new boyfriend, Jamie, who is studying engineering at Leeds.

He’s caring and loving, good with Reenie, but his parents disapprove of their relationship, and Jamie seems unwilling to upset them for fear of losing the allowance they provide. He asks for patience, but Nicole hates the feeling that she’s his “dirty secret”.

After a sad and lonely Christmas and New Year, Albert vows to stop living an empty, grey life. He now understands that “…he’d used work to stop living, to fill in the gaps left by the one thing that made him feel alive.” Back then, he gave up the chance for happiness; now, he decides to track down the person who was the source of that happiness.

He’s going to stop hiding his true feelings. He’ll need help, and he’ll need courage: he’s rubbish with tech, and he’s going to have to admit to the sexual orientation he has hidden for almost fifty years.

What stuns him is how accepting of his admission, and how everyone he involves wants to help in his search: his gossipy manager, the lonely old spinster with an astonishing past, and the newly arrived gay couple: all offer suggestions and advice when he despairs. Albert discovers he has real friends.

His champion, without a doubt, is Nicole: advice on tech and grooming and clothing, as well as moral support at gay venues. The parallels between their stories are clear, and Albert is able to return the favour in some small way.

Cain’s research into the awful treatment of gays in the 1970’s is apparent in every chapter, and supported by the transcripts of his conversations with men who experienced it themselves, at the end of the book. There is plenty of humour in this moving, thought-provoking and uplifting novel.
This unbiased review is from an audio copy provided by NetGalley and RB Media

This is a beautiful book about queer joy and finding community.

Albert in the start of this book is very alone and shy and it’s beautiful to see him coming with terms of being gay and finding himself along the way. Due to his age it’s easy to have a book where a lot happened in a character's life without it seeming too much and this is what happens in this book. Albert has an amazing and inspiring story that was a joy to listen to and even the saddest parts of his story brought me joy. Albert’s story is one that a lot of older queer men can relate but it isn’t a story we see a lot in today’s media so I was vary happy to seee this book with his story instired by a lot of people who have come before us.

This is a really sweet book and I enjoyed the reading of the audiobook. I love a book about an older main character. I really appreciate the non romanticized version of LGBTQ history.

Albert Entwistle has been a postman for decades, known as being a quiet man who lives with his cat, Gracie. Three months prior to his sixty-fifth birthday, he receives a letter from the Royal Mail, thanking him for his service and congratulating him on his upcoming retirement. His life unravels - he has no friends, no family, and a past that hurts too much to talk about. Albert refuses to live out his life sad and decides to form a plan to start truly living.

🚨Ok…this is not a drill…stop everything and get a copy of this book…tomorrow, if you’re in the US! 🚨 You can thank me later. 😘

This is easily my top book of 2022 so far! I laughed, I cried, I cried while laughing. I fell deeply in love with Albert’s story and hugged this book, when I was done.

This is such a lovely evolution of a curmudgeon into a man truly living life to the fullest with a chosen family around him. I could gush about this book for hours, but I don’t want to give anything away about Albert’s tale. So, pick up a copy ASAP, ditch your TBR to read it, and DM me so we can gush about it together. ❤️

"The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle" by Matt Cain is a journey in discovering your truest self!

Imagine having a life like Albert Entwistle's working your whole life, since you were sixteen-years-old, for the same company. Then three months before your sixty-fifth birthday you receive a letter stating you're being forced to retire. Albert loves his monotonous days as a postal worker, it's one of the things that sustains him. Now he can't imagine what he will do with the rest of his life.

Albert doesn't have any family or friends. He doesn't have any interests, outside of his job, to fill his time. What he does have are regrets for a life he could have led, but didn't. Now he has three months before retirement to figure out how to start living his life as he always imagined it to be. Will he be able to begin sharing his true self with others for the first time in his life?

I love the character of Albert the minute I meet him. I wish he was my dedicated postman and I would love having him as a friend or a neighbor. I quickly began to care about Albert and beyond the fact that he's lonely, a bit set in his ways, a little disagreeable, I felt he was in dire need of a great big hug. And, I wanted to be the person to give him one!

The secondary characters in this book are colorful and well described. I loved the eclectic mix of differences and enjoyed the extra texture it brought to the story. The back stories that connect all the dots for the reader are well constructed and creative. Despite the ending being predictable, I wouldn't want it to end any other way.

This audiobook is expertly narrated by Simon Vance and a pleasure to listen to. He gives life and breathe to the character of Albert and the essence of this book. He speaks the authors words with eloquence and emotion that adds to the richness of this story. Listening to this audiobook is 'pure delight'!

I always enjoy people who are a bit north or south of center. This applies to characters, too. Being different is something to be proud of and to celebrate, in my humble opinion. This beautiful story about opening your life and your heart to those around you by offering up your truest self hit a sweet spot for me! 4.5 stars rounded up!

Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media, and Matt Cain for a free ALC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.

I was drawn in by the comparison to A Man Called Ove and other than an older man who’s being forced into retirement and feeling a little unloved, I don’t really think they’re that much alike. Albert sets off on a journey to rediscover an old love, learning a lot about himself and friendship.

I enjoyed his life lessons and showing there is no age limit on growing as a person. I thought the characters seemed real and Simon was an excellent narrator that really set the tone for the story. And I was able to fit a book in for pride month.

This was such a special book. I don't know that I've ever read a book that spoke so accurately to the experience of internalized homophobia and way that can effect your self-esteem and self-worth. I feel like a lot of people overlook or don't understand the way that queer people have been taught to devalue or feel ashamed of their queerness. It was wonderful to see a story told so matter of factly about this issue. It was also very interesting to see the different stages of self-acceptance and community acceptance that Albert went through. This is just such a rare gem of a book and I am so glad it exists.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain was a well written and heartfelt novel that reminded me of Fredrick Blackman’s works. I listened to the audiobook that was well narrated by Simon Vance. It was a coming of age story but so much more. I really enjoyed the character development of the main character, Albert Entwistle. How many times, over the course of a lifetime, has there been at least one regret that was experienced? Have we all hoped at some time in our lives that things could have turned out differently if we had handled things better or made different decisions? Albert Entwistle struggled with those thoughts now that the life he had known for so long was about to change.

Albert Entwistle had been a postman in northern England since he was sixteen years old. His life revolved around the routines he had established for himself. People might have described Albert as shy and a man that kept to himself. Albert had no friends or any living family. He had no hobbies or interests other than his desire to deliver the mail and take care of his cat named Gracie. His parents had both died and he had no siblings. He resided in his childhood home. His daily routine was predictable. Only his cat, Gracie, held a special place in his heart. A long time ago, though, there was a boy named George who owned a big piece of Albert’s heart.

Three months prior to turning sixty-five, Albert received a letter from The Royal Mail. It informed Albert that the Royal Mail had a policy that required forced retirement when a worker turned sixty-five. Albert panicked when he received the notification. His sixty-fifth birthday was just three months away. What was he going to do with his life with the absence of his postal route? With this harsh reality, Albert’s life began to unravel. Then Albert started to come to terms with the man that had been hiding within himself for so long. He began to allow himself to make connections with the patrons from his mail route. Prior to this time, Albert kept a respectful distance between his patrons and himself. He never allowed time for conversations or to learn anything significant about them. That all changed when Albert came to terms with his new reality. They slowly became his friends. Probably the most significant thing Albert did was to accept who he was and search for his one true love even though it had been over fifty years since Albert had last seen him. Retirement allowed Albert to reflect upon his past, make changes and admit that he wished he had done things differently.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle was endearing, inspiring and even funny at parts. The author, Matt Cain, wrote The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle to celebrate the acceptance of gay men in British Society. Matt Cain took the reader through the decades of how being gay was viewed by British society. He explored the slow transformation of acceptance for gays and portrayed the shame, ridicule and need for secrecy they shouldered along the way. I fell in love with Albert’s character and routed for him throughout his complex situations. The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle was a very enjoyable book and great audiobook. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Recorded Books for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Are you coloring yourself in with the colors other’s use for you? Or are you coloring yourself with the beautiful vibrant colors you see and want in your life. In this book we meet Albert a postman who is 64, about to turn 65 and is being forced into retirement. For years he has worked his job and gone home to his cat and never really talked or let anyone in. Not because he doesn’t want to but because of the fear he has of people knowing who he is because he is gay.

This book is beautiful. I am so thankful I was given an opportunity to read this book. This book while telling Alberts coming out story and finding the love of his life. It also shows you the traumas that people in the LGBTQIA community have endured as people are still fighting for rights to just be who they are.

Pride month starts soon but really we should celebrate everyone and their differences everyday. Please if you have not read this book please run, do not walk and read this beautiful and emotional story.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle is a charming story about lost love and second chances that provides a valuable insight into LGBTQ+ history. Reminiscent of The House in the Cerulean Sea and The Midnight Library, this book offers a hopeful reminder that it's never too late to pursue joy and connection to community. The early scenes between Albert and Gracie were heartwarming, and stayed with me throughout the remainder of the book.

As a queer high school educator and LGBTQ+ student affinity group leader, I'm always looking for books to recommend to my students. I will happily recommend this book to high school juniors and seniors looking to break away from YA titles, as well as my adult colleagues and friends. The book's messages about the importance of building community and self-acceptance are incredibly valuable, and the book itself was enjoyable and fun.

As a side note, at moments it felt like the book would have benefited from a sensitivity reader, specifically in lines of dialogue meant to take place in the present day. It's possible that these small missteps were meant to be reflective of the age and mindset of the characters.