DNF. I am so disappointed by this book. It sounds so good and wholesome, and I was so excited for it. Unfortunately, the two MCs are the only likeable characters. Everyone else in their lives are horrible. I understand that this is probably a relatable coming out experience for some, and I don't want to invalidate that. However, from what I saw, the book doesn't get better, and the characters remain horrible. I really don't recommend this one. Justice for Arthur and Teddy! Thank you to NetGalley, HQ, and HarperCollins Canada for the e-ARC in exchange for my review.

A multigenerational romcom about Arthur and Teddy, a grandfather and grandson, who are both dealing with coming out as gay simultaneously. While the premise sounded great, the writing style and clunky dialogue turned me off. It was very touching at points but needed a bit of fine-tuning.

I loved the premise and Arthur's story was perfect. Teddy's story dragged a bit in places. For me this one was overall enjoyable and cute with important subject matter but was a bit too long and not the best writing. I think it could have benefitted from some more editing.

A contemporary novel about a grandfather and grandson who both come out as gay, with all the ups and downs of family, friends and swirling gossip in between. It was a quick, charming read held aloft by sweet, elderly Arthur finally living his truth, while his grandson Teddy finds his footing in the same vein.

Overall lighthearted and ending on a distinctly sugary note, Arthur & Teddy was a sort of multi-generational rom com. I was surprised at how the book glazed over some moments I thought would be particularly key, like Arthur’s big fundraising feat, which was a little disappointing as I couldn’t relish in the moment for those characters.

I'd first like to thank the author and publisher for the arc I received of this book! Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out is a lovely and wholesome queer story about a grandfather and grandson who both come out as gay around the same time. It's a story of discovering oneself and being authentically who you are despite what others think. I was so excited for this one as the description intrigued me right from the start. That being said I think the execution fell a bit short. I would have loved to see the story a bit more fleshed out. Specifically the ending. It was quite lack lustre for me and felt unsatisfying for the characters.
Overall I really loved the concept but unfortunately it fell somewhat flat for me.

Arthur and Teddy are Coming out is the story of a 79 year old man, and his grandson who are both navigating what it means to come out at the same time. I loved the concept of the story. I loved Arthur and Madeline’s relationship and I would read a whole book about them and how they got where they are. I also enjoyed the relationships between Teddy, Lexie and Shakeel. It was a fun read, that I could see playing out in my mind like a movie.

At times, I found Teddy’s section a little slow - because it was pretty obvious right in the beginning that his best friend, Shakeel, was into him I spent the whole time waiting for the other shoe to drop in his situationship with Ben. The parts with Teddy’s mom were emotional and definitely hit close to home but didn’t completely fit into the plot.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC :)

I found "Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out" by Ryan Love to be an engaging read, although it didn't quite capture my heart as much as I had hoped. The narrative unfolds as a rollercoaster of emotions, presenting a heartfelt tale of a grandfather and his grandson navigating the complexities of revealing their homosexuality to their family. Despite its gripping premise it didn't quite land the execution.

Nevertheless, the story delves into the challenges of acceptance, coping with significant changes, and the journey to self-discovery. It explores themes of fractured relationships, budding romances, personal growth, and the timeless message that it's never too late to embrace life wholeheartedly.

In general, the book could benefit from being marketed as Young Adult Fiction. The characters, especially Teddy's mother and Ben, exhibit extreme reactions that can be jarring - the sudden shifts in characters' attitudes, from extreme homophobia to immediate forgiveness, felt inadequate and shallow. Although the book is easy to read, it attempts to tackle too many themes, and I wish it had focused more on the compelling relationship between Arthur and Madeline, which stood out as a strong point in the narrative. Overall, while the book presents a great idea, the execution left me wanting more depth and coherence.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Canada (HQ) for the Advance Readers Copy (ARC).

I requested this title in error. I thought the release date would line up with my episode of All the Books, but it releases on a date that I will not be cohosting the podcast.

2.5 stars
79 year-old Arthur has been married to Madeleine for more than 50 years and together they have two children and three grandchildren including Teddy. Arthur realizes that it's important that he lives as his true self during whatever time he has remaining and decides to tell his family that he is gay. An unfortunate incident results in Arthur's coming out becoming public knowledge in their small town and a great deal of bigotry and homophobia comes to the surface.

Shortly after Arthur's announcement, his 21 year-old grandson, Teddy, confides in his grandfather that he too is gay but has been struggling with coming out as he is afraid of how his mother will react (with good reason). Chapters alternate between Arthur's point-of-view and that of Teddy who is working as an intern at a newspaper (a position arranged by his mother) with Ben, another intern who is pressuring him to come out so they can be public with their developing relationship.

Arthur & Teddy Are Coming Out has a great premise and Arthur's story is particularly touching but, unfortunately, the writing style of this book just didn't work for me.

Content Warning: past suicide attempt discussed and a side character dies by suicide.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Canada/HQ for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I wanted to love this book…sigh…but I didn’t.

A story about a 79 year old man who comes out to his family after 50 years of marriage, with his very supportive wife by his side had me intrigued.

The grandsons story about coming out to his family as well & the relationship between the grandpa (Arthur) and grandson (Teddy) sounded interesting & heartwarming to me.

Unfortunately, it was slow & kind of hard for me to get through. The last quarter of the book was excellent - I just wish it wasn’t such a struggle to get there.

Arthur & Teddy Are Coming Out was a 2.5 star read for me but I rounded it up because I liked how it ended.

There were two things that stood out to me - that aren’t remotely about the story - but that kept annoying & distracting me.
1. Perhaps I am old & not the least bit cool but when did starting a chapter without capital letter but then randomly sticking them in through the first few words become a thing? oH it’s nOt A tHInG? Good. Because it’s dumb.
2. I have never read a book with such confusing dialogue!! There would be one person talking, then another in the same paragraph then back to the other person and only that bit of wording gets a “he said” or whatever.
Let me give you an example:
“I’m ok, Teddy” she said softly. “It’s all happy tears today!””We’re all in awe of you, you know what don’t you?””Not as much as I am of you, young man.” Madeline said.
And it is written JUST like that. This was throughout the book and I found myself having to re-read bits to try to figure out who was speaking. I don’t expect a “then she said” or “he replied” after every sentence spoken but breaking it up a bit would have made things so much more clear.

Overall the story itself was good - it was the execution of it that was lacking.

Thank you NetGalley & HarperCollins Canada for sharing this book with me for my honest review.

So yes this is a big important topic, people dealing with a lack of acceptance from the people closest to them when they come out! But I just thought these characters were so adorable and I was glad they had each other’s support when navigating this sometimes difficult revelation! The characters are lovable and the story is unique and inspiring!!

I was excited by the idea of this late coming out story since there aren't many of those out there, but unfortunately I didn't find the story itself as fulfilling or as fun as it is being sold as. The story unfolds slowly, which can be rewarding with a good payoff, but unfortunately this novel suffers from too many shallow characters and characterizations.
In fact, several characters are shown to say or do drastically homophobic things, only to suddenly have a change of heart and be immediately forgiven. Overall, I just wish there was more here as I think the core character and idea are good, but the rest needed to be developed further.