A tender, heartwarming story that is filled with love and hope. The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle has true spark to it, and the audiobook narration adds a lot to an already wonderful story.

Albert Entwistle led a secret life, all because of who he chose to love. It was so sad to listen to how he lived such a lonely life because he felt like he had to, he felt like he had to keep all of his cards close to him. It wasn't until he received notice that he was being forced to retire, that he decided to open up more and find "the one that got away". It was interesting to listen to his journey and find lasting friendships along the way and how well they received Albert and his story. I almost DNF'd this story, but keep pushing and it's worth it! The narration was great to listen to! I would recommend this audiobook!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC for my honest review.

I had to DNF this book and I found the narrator very hard to follow and be gripped. I would try this book physically or via ebook as the synopsis sounded great. Unfortunately I just couldn't gel with the narrator

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really like how Simon Vance brought this story to life! He was the perfect narrator for the character of Albert and even did well with the female characters, which can sometimes be difficult. The story itself was so sweet and definitely pulled on my heartstrings. I felt not only for Albert and George, but the community as a whole and the struggles many of the older generations have felt much of their lives. It was really eye opening and a must read for those looking for acceptance, or even a special someone from the past!

With thanks to NetGalley, Matt Cain, and the publishers for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle has been one of my favourite books of the year. I looked forward to reading it every day, only begrudgingly pausing for irritatingly necessary intervals like work, meetings, and the suchlike.

It’s sweet and endearing while being slap-in-the-face real. The very real things experienced by the characters in the book despite being a work of fiction are heartbreaking and infuriating.

The writing is great and the plot is amazing, but the characters are the shining stars. I don’t just want to be friends with Albert I feel like I already am. I want to know how Nicole is, visit her and get my nails done!

The narration by Simon Vance was exquisite. I loved his bringing of Albert to life with a voice I actually miss now I’ve finished the book.

I will freely admit that this is one of the few books that made me genuinely tear up in public.

In short. I adore this book and will be rereading it in the future.

Please note: My standard audiobook disclaimer applies, I listen to almost all audiobooks at increased playback speed, but always listen to a portion at regular speed to get a feel for the narrator.

3.5 stars

Albert has kept to himself his entire adult life for fear that he won't be accepted (or worse, that he'll be attacked) because he is gay, even though social norms have changed significantly. He's incredibly lonely—with no friends or family. With his forced retirement looming, he's at a loss as to what he'll do with himself, and he decides to finally experience life. Albert starts to take an interest in his coworkers and neighbors, and he embarks on a search for the boy he lost 50 years prior, when they were teens.

The story is quite predictable and somewhat formulaic, but the journey is pleasant. When Albert shows the least bit of attention to others—asking after their loved ones, sometimes sharing advice, and delivering treats—they feel good, he feels good, and relationships blossom. Especially notable supporting characters include Nicole—a black, teenage, single mom to toddler daughter Rini; and neighbor Edith—in her 80s—who used to design costumes for the local theatre. Also appearing are Nicole's boyfriend and his parents, various of Albert's coworkers, a new (and gay) couple in the neighborhood, someone from Edith's past, and a motley crew of people who aid in Albert's quest to find George.

There is an excessive amount of internal dialogue on the part of several characters, which is somewhat awkward and disconcerting. The book is occasionally repetitive, giving an almost-verbatim description of certain characters or situations several times. Simon Vance—who has narrated an incredible number and variety of books—does a fine job on this work (better with male voices than female, but not horrid even with the latter).

Content warnings include homophobia, violence, racism, isolation, emotional abuse from a parent, and death of a beloved pet.

Thank you, NetGalley and RB Media, for the audio ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review. Publication is expected May 31.

First, I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for granting me digital ARCS of the book and audiobook. And now for the review itself:

How my heart broke for young Albert! He grew up in the 1950s and his father was a homophobic policeman who took sadistic pleasure in arresting gay men who frequented cruising spots. When teenage Albert falls in love with a boy from his schools the odds are definitely not in their favor.

It's not until the book is almost over that readers learn exactly why Albert and George's relationship ended, but in the meantime we meet 64-year-old Albert and see how his internalized homophobia created a lonely old-man who was afraid of being himself with anyone. He has been a postman for all his adult life and is being forced to retire; this inspires him to search for George, which, in turn, inspires him to start coming out to different people in his life.

Albert is an unforgettable protagonist, but the supporting cast is no less lovable. It was easy to get lost in their world and while away an afternoon listening to Simon Vance while reading along on my Kindle.

I’m speechless. I don’t have the right words to accurately describe how much I loved this book. Matt Cain does an incredible job showing the struggles Albert and other gay men dealt with in the 60s and 70s.

I received an advanced audiobook from Kensington Books and Net Galley to read and review honestly and voluntarily.

This is a super sweet curmudgeon story following Albert, a British postman on the brink of his forced retirement. Parallels to TJ Klune and Fredrik Backman are definitely close, though it felt even more like The Reading List meets All The Lonely People.

If adorable and happy-endings are your jam, then this will DEFINITELY be for you, and all the musical/period references are entertaining. It may be too sweet for some, so make sure you are in the mood and know what you are getting.

A great addition to the above mentioned curmudgeon stories, and the audiobook was especially great with all of the various accents.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced audio copy!

Recently I’ve been on a roll of books that I thought I. would like but I was wrong. Sad to say but this is another one.
I’ve only finished about 25% but I really can’t take any more. After the episode with the cat, I give up. From other reviews it seems this book is supposed to improve but I cannot stick with it that long. Had to DNF.
As always, Simon Vance is an excellent narrator.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle is a splendid book with engaging characters, a timely story of love and discovering and accepting one's true self. I think the narrator of this book did a wonderful job of reading and delivering the humor the lines need.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle tells the story of Albert, a 65 year old postman. He's closeted gay and grew up in a homophobic environment. During the course of the book he starts to accept and embrace his identity as a gay man.

While the beginning of the book is a little bleak, it turns into a feel-good book rather quickly. The story does get too cheesy occasionally, but I wasn't overly bothered by it because it was lovely to read about queer characters simply being happy.

I found the audiobook well narrated.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will probably read more books from the author.

Oh Albert. Oh this book. I was totally and utterly hooked. It was so sad but also hopeful and lovely. Albert was a wonderful character. His growth across the book was amazing, and the thawing of his heart absolutely beautiful to listen to. The cast of characters were all so full of life and colour - I could picture this little village, the post office depot, the moors, the council estate - all so clearly in my mind.

The story of Albert - an extremely shy, reserved 64 year old postman, alone in all the world except for his cat. We learn his backstory and the reason why he has shut himself off from the world, and then we get to slowly watch him undoing this as he begins to open himself back up and allow people in.

It reminded me in parts of The Hearts Invisible Furies, and I couldn't help but compare it to Heartstopper and how much the world has changed for gay people (mostly) - just imagine Albert watching Heartstopper - oh it would make him so happy and probably completely blow his mind. It makes me smile to think of it, but also so so so sad for all the men and women who had to live through those awful times.

A wonderful book. I would definitely recommend it to others.

Mention a comparison to the works of Fredrik Backman and TJ Klune and I'm instantly intrigued; add a promise of an older main character and a charming story about second chance love and there was simply no way on earth that I was going to resist this story. I've been wanting to read The Secret Life Of Albert Entwistle ever since I first heard about it last year... In a way I'm glad I waited until the audiobook though, because I ended up having a fantastic experience listening to Albert's story.

I know that I'm basically still an audiobook newbie, but The Secret Life Of Albert Entwistle has once again proven to me that I can really enjoy an audiobook when the timing is right. This book has two different POVs, but is told by one narrator: Simon Vance. While having a female narrator for Nicole's POV would have added a little something extra, I do like how the narrator gave the characters their own voices and it was easy to tell the two apart. His voice was great to listen to and easy to understand despite the accent. I especially liked how he brought Albert to life!

As for the story itself: it definitely has that Fredrik Backman feel with a (seemingly) grumpy older main character, the right dose of humor and what is basically mostly a feel-good story with lots of character growth. Albert Entwistle is of course the star of the show, and he is probably the main reason this story works so well. His character shows a lot of growth during the story; after his private and quiet life is turned upside down by the letter that announces his forced retirement when he turns 65, he decides to search for his long-lost love George and finally show the world who he is. The young Nicole and her daughter make for a great balance POV and I loved seeing the unlikely friendship with Albert blossom.

Besides the two present POVs, there are also flashbacks to 1969-1970 where we learn more about how Albert and George first met and what their relationship was like. It also helps shine a light on just how difficult it was for gay men in the seventies; being hunted down and thrown in jail for simply being themselves. Both their story and what Albert discovers about George's life after they were separated gives us an idea just how much of a struggle it was for gay men and how some people (like Albert) felt they had no other option but to hide this part of themselves.

As a whole, The Secret Life Of Albert Entwistle is a well balanced story that mixes more serious topics with moments of hope and joy, and the dose of humor is just right. The writing is wonderful and the character development and growth simply spot on: Albert Entwistle is without a doubt the reason this story worked so well for me. The audiobook itself is excellent too, and it was a true pleasure to be able to listen to Albert's story.

A heartwarming story about finally being honest with yourself and learning to accept who you are. I loved getting to know Albert and watch him transform from the lonely, miserable civil servant on the verge of retirement, scared of the unknown to a confident man who is comfortable with who is he, reveling in the friendships he has created. This was such a sweet story about love and forgiveness.

The audio was well done, no issues.

I was able to listen to the audio book courtesy of NetGalley and Matt Cain. The story was sad and delightful at the same time. I knew that there were terrible times for gay men but not as late in the century as I thought. Albert's life was so difficult and sad. until he had an awakening as he approached forced retirement. The changes were lovely and maybe a little predictable but it was fun getting there.

TW: Homophobia, internalised homophobia, pet death, Racism, miscarriage, child death, cancer, bullying, abuse
Let me just start by saying, the audiobook is absolutely amazing. I listen to a lot of audiobooks, and rarely find narrators that get stuck in my mind and feel the need to slow and savour the audiobook. My normal speed is 1.5 to 1.9 but I kept this one at normal speed so I would enjoy every minute of it. The voice and accent of the narrator definitely made the experience much more enjoyable.

Despite the trigger wanings above, this is such a wholesome book.
Albert is an introverted 64 year old, who doesn't have a life outside his work as a postman. When he recives his retirement letter 3 months before his 65th birthday, and suffers a tragic loss, he starts questioning his life choices. A 50 year old flame gets revived when he starts to look for his first love.

It started by getting some laughs out of me when we were introduced to each of the characters. It started a lot like A man called Ove (which I loved btw) but soon enough I found myself crying. This is a story with found family, trauma unpacking, queer history, drag and finding oneself.
It was interesting to see each of the side characters' back stories, including Nicole, a Black 19 year-old single mother who bacame very close with Albert over the course of the book. I especially loved how supportive they are to Albert, even if, at times, it felt too much.

As someone who is living in a country where homosexuality is criminalised, I think this narrative is important. Nto only it's important to give older LGBTQ+ people their share of representation in books and media (where they find happiness) but also to acknowledge that it was not so long ago that people where persecuted for who they are and that today there are still people who are living the same things as Albert in his teenage years.

The author's interviews with gay men who lived through the 50s to 80s at the end of the book were the cherry on top.

🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

When I was done with this, given that it was an audiobook beautifully brought to life by Simon Vance gave me so much feels.

Gloriously told, you felt for every characte, not just Albert. It gave me peppered vibes of writers like Fredrik Backman, Alexander McCall Smith, and of course, ultimately the essence and talent of an author I will be looking out for @mattcainwriter

I could not put this down and whenever the specialists and nurses gave me downtime, I kept listening and listening and literally hugged my iPad after.

Thank you for blessing the world with your masterpiece @mattcainwriter i hope many more people discover you. This book covers LGBTQIA+ themes but balances it out with straight people issues.

For me, it didn't even matter. It was a beautifully told story about people searching for love, filling the void, that regardless of you are, we all just want to find happiness. That in itself is why this book was just a masterpiece - the ability of this brilliant author to show that whatever your inclination, we are all the same.

I received a complimentary audio copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Albert has been a postman for 50 years, and in all that time, he hasn't made any friends except his beloved cat. His secret past still haunts him, no matter how hard he tries to escape into work. When he's forced into retirement, he realizes he needs to do something or his life will have no meaning. For so long, he's been afraid to admit that he's gay, but perhaps it's not too late for him to find love.

This book opens rather like A Man Called Ove or Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, which is good because I love both those books. Based on that, I was expecting the theme of coming out of one's shell and finding friends and family, but this book adds in so much beautiful understanding of the history of injustice toward homosexual individuals and what it means to accept someone. I cried a lot both at the beginning and at the end. This is a sweet story with a lot of heartache on the edges. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the aforementioned books as well as folks who are interested in how attitudes toward LGBTQ+ individuals have changed since the 50s.

I started out really liking this one. There is something about lonely older people trying to change their lives that I really enjoy. However, I thought this one focused a lot on the negatives. There was constant fear of homophobia and being disliked for being gay.I get that those are the experiences the author may have gone though, but for a book being written in 2022 I was hoping for more of an uplifting, empowering read with less focus on the negatives.