I absolutely fell in love with The Guncle and was delighted to hear that the sequel would be coming out. I was a little hesitant, as most of us were, because I didn't think it was possible to release another story of GUP, Maisie, and Grant that I would love as much as the first. While I didn't love this one as much as the first, I still really enjoyed the story.

Let me start with parts that I didn't enjoy as much. The traveling aspect of it became a little boring for me, sadly. I think I just wanted more of GUP's humor and mimosa's like the first story. I know we saw a lot of GUP's one liners in this one, but parts of the traveling became slow and a little repetitive. I just wanted to feel all the feels of the first story again.

Back to what I loved. I love the relationship that GUP, Maisie, and Grant share. Five years have passed, Maisie is becoming a woman and although Patrick still likes to give her a hard time, he is there for her in more ways than she realizes, Grant has outgrown his lisp, which made me sad, I really missed that part of his character. The children are trying to come to terms with their father marrying someone new, and Patrick so tenderly tries to help them see the good in that. I absolutely adored the last half of the book. GUP and his humorous side started to come out more, I loved his raging jealousy towards the new Launt. That scene with him and her in the hotel room alone was one of my favorite scenes... an unlikely friendship? I think so! The ending was perfection, and really brought back what I loved most about The Guncle.

My book club's first pick was 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘦 back in May 2021. We all loved it and it's still a book I recommend to people constantly. When we heard about the sequel, we chose it as our April book club read, and 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗟𝗘 𝗔𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗔𝗗 was another win for me. I really enjoyed being reunited with the characters, and the story made me laugh (Gustavo! 🤣🤣🤣) and tear up just like the first one did.

4.5 stars rounded up

Thanks to Putnam for the copy to review.

This was an absolute delight. The Guncle was an all time favorite of mine so as good as a writer Steven Rowley is I had my doubts whether he would be able to bring back the same witty, heart-felt feelings that was at the core of the first. Well I can say without a doubt he has. This time the story takes place five years later and the kids are with Patrick in Europe getting ready for the upcoming wedding of their father, his brother, in Italy. The kids are not on board with this wedding and want Patrick to talk him out of it. This time instead of helping them cope with grief Patrick decides to show them about love in all its forms and languages. Needless to say there are many teaching moments for them all as they learn the importance of love, family and growing older.

This was just such a great story. I experienced a broad range of emotions—actually laughing out loud and tearing up at times. Rowley is a truly gifted writer. I only wish everyone could have a Guncle Patrick to help them navigate life. The world would be a much better place.

5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

have greatly been anticipating this book as The Guncle was one of my favorite books of 2021. The Guncle Abroad was a treat as we go back to Gay Uncle Patrick's escapades with siblings, Maisie and Grant as they tour Europe before they go to the kid's dad's wedding in Italy. The kids don't want their dad to get remarried and Patrick has his work cut out for him teaching them about love. GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick) also has to deal with the kid's future launt (lesbian aunt). This book is a hilarious and fun read! Highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and G.T. Putnam's Sons for the advanced digital copy of the book.

I fell in love with these characters in "The Guncle" - Patrick, aka "Guncle" and "Gup" - and both Maisie, niece, and Grant, nephew - and even more so in the sequel. This is full of humor, snark, sarcasm and most importantly love in so many forms. Each of their lives is expanded by the love and care they share - complicated, messy and pure. Everyone should read both of these books.

I loved The Guncle. I loved it so much that I bought copies for a handful of friends and made recommendations to everyone I knew. When I heard that another Guncle book was coming out, I am pretty sure I literally squealed.

I love the fun, lightheartedness of The Guncle. I laughed, I had all the feels. I was hoping that I would feel the same with The Guncle Abroad, but unfortunately, it fell a bit short for me. I really enjoyed the relationship GUP had with Maisie and Grant, but the trip that they had didn't really resonate with me. I didn't feel the lightheartedness that I felt in the previous book. It honestly took me too long to get into it, but once I did, I did end up enjoying the relationship between Patrick and Emory. I just wanted... more.

I absolutely loved The Gungle and was so excited to read this. However, I wasn't as impressed with this sequel. It didn't give me the butterfly's and laugh out loud moments that I had in the first book. Maybe it was just the curse of the second book slump. I still enjoyed this book but I wouldn't recommend this book as much as the first one.

Round up to 4.5 stars.

Just as much fun as the first Guncle book. I love Patrick's wittiness and his interactions with Maisie and Grant. I also appreciated the honesty with which the author portrayed Maisie and Grant getting older and all the changes that come with that, including Maisie becoming more sensitive about her body. Patrick's desire to keep them young while also attending to their present needs is something every parent/caregiver can relate to and it was handled perfectly in the book. I would readily read a third Guncle book, should one be written.

This was such a fun sequel and definitely lived up to how much I enjoyed the Guncle. The relationship between Patrick and the kids was so fun to see continue and flourish in this book. The surprise wedding was such a cute twist! This was the epitome of family love.

I wanted to read this book because I loved The Guncle for its unique voice and emotional range. This sequel didn’t his the mark for me. I felt less connection to the characters and less invested in the outcome. The conclusion was enjoyable, and the travel component was interesting but overall I felt underwhelmed by this story.

This was a sweet sequel to The Uncle with Gay Uncle Patrick still being his amusing self. I didn't find this book as funny as the first one, but the children are a little older in this one, so there wasn't so much of a target rich environment for jokes. I felt as though the ending was more extended than it needed to be, but overall I really enjoyed this book.

Wow, I am SO glad we got the chance to dive back into the world of Patrick, Maisie, Grant, and the rest of the GUNCLE gang.

I'm always excited by the idea of sequels, but ultimately end up feeling disappointed by them because they don't capture the one-of-a-kind magic of the original. In order to warrant a sequel, there has to be the right *story*. And Steven Rowley really managed to nail it with THE GUNCLE ABROAD.

Not only did re-entering the world of the GUNCLE feel like a familiar, joyful coming home, but it also felt like a brand-new adventure that as a reader, I felt lucky to get to experience.

It had everything we loved about Steven's first installment -- the laugh-out-loud humor, the memorable cast of characters, the meaningful look at grief, family, and representation -- with new moments of touching connection and smart, hilarious writing. I would read 10 books in this universe!

An absolutely stunning continuation of Rowley's work, and a story I'll be coming back to again and again.

Thank you to Putnam and Netgalley for the e-ARC, and Putnam for the finished copy in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. THE GUNCLE ABROAD is out now!

I was a big fan of The Guncle, so this sequel seemed like it would be a perfect summer read. Unfortunately, it was just ok for me. While we do see the main characters from the Guncle return in this sequel, I felt like everything I enjoyed about the first book — the heart and sarcastic humor — fell flat in this book. The story dragged, the jokes felt forced and honestly had me rolling my eyes by the end, and the ending seemed a little too saccharine. While there were moments that were touching and reminded me of the talent Rowley has as an author, overall I thought this book was just okay.

If you haven’t read The Guncle, I highly recommend picking it up this summer! But personally, I’d leave it there and skip the sequel.

I adored the original Guncle book, so naturally I was thrilled about the opportunity to read another adventure with the world’s best gay uncle Patrick. .

The first thing that you need to know is that this is not one of those sequels that you can pick up and get the gist of the narrative thus far. You need to start at the beginning with the first book to fully appreciate the journey thus far.

For everyone else: Patrick is back and better than ever! This time, he’s in Europe, shepherding around Maisie and Grant while they all process their complicated feelings about Patrick’s brother/the kids’ father remarrying. It’s been five years since the kids lost their mom and Patrick lost his best friend, but it still feels too soon.

Yes, there are some heartwarming and poignant moments, but overall, this book is zany and fun. The wit is razor sharp, and it’s so fast paced that it almost seems better suited to audiobook (or screen!) because the timing is so crucial for the jokes. Even with reading, when one can “rewind” and re-read, the jokes are landing at blink-or-you’ll-miss-it speed. And that’s actually the beauty of the narrative as a whole because you’ll be in the midst of some sort of zany caper and then they’ll hit you with something super poignant.

I would absolutely recommend The Guncle Abroad. Patrick is a flawed protagonist, but he knows he’s flawed and he owns his flaws– as long as they aren’t related to aging– haha. Patrick is also one of the most hilarious protagonists of all time, so that balances out the flaws. Sequels often fail to live up to the original, but this book matches the frenetic energy of the first book. If anything, taking Patrick out of Palm Springs and dropping him in Europe, home to the City of Love and the Sound of Music. This is definitely one of those books that I end up owning in physical form, e-book, and audiobook.







I received a digital ARC of this book from Penguin/NetGalley.

A delightful sequel with one of the most enjoyable, entertaining main characters I've come across in quite a while. This book is laugh-out-loud funny, but with a much deeper thoughtful undercurrent related to loss, love, fresh starts, grief, and healing. Highly recommended.

💍✈️👨‍👨‍👧‍👦🇮🇹

The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley is a heartwarming and amusing sequel. Patrick steps back into his guncle role, this time amidst the scenic backdrop of Italy for a big family wedding. Five years after the summer spent caring for his niece Maisie and nephew Grant, Patrick faces new challenges as he juggles his acting career, personal life, and family dynamics. As they journey through Europe, Patrick navigates his brother’s pre-wedding jitters, teenage angst, and his own quest for love and self-discovery. Truly, an adorable and lighthearted read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group/Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for the digital advance reader's copy.

If you haven't yet read Rowley's The Guncle, definitely read it before picking this one up. This is not a sequel you can read and enjoy completely without having read the first book.

It is five years after the first book. The children are five years older, now 11 and 14. Their father is now five years sober and getting married in Italy. Patrick's acting career is going strong again, although he's recently separated from Emory, and he's been asked to watch Grant and Maisie in the weeks leading up to the wedding.

It's fun seeing small glimpses of Europe with Grant, Maisie, and Patrick. I particularly enjoyed the Austrian portion.

Maisie is trying desperately to persuade Patrick to stop the wedding, and Patrick is trying to decide whether or not his brother's new fiance is a good choice for him, while fending off the newly arrived "launt."

There are some very funny scenes, a few that miss the mark, some touching scenes about how it feels to keep moving forward after loss, and a lot of Patrick being very himself - amusing and caring, but also very self-centered.

All in all, if you enjoyed the first book, you'll enjoy this one too. It's fun to see how the characters have grown and where they are in their lives.

*language, some adult humor

Dare I say I love this book more than the first one. Yes, I did. I loved the relationship growth. This book had me crying into my sleeve at the end. Happy and sad tears. What a beautiful story. I need to buy this copy for my shelf!

I ended up listening to the audiobook version of this because I loved the audiobook of The Guncle so incredibly much. Rowley does an absolutely phenomenal job of bringing his characters and stories to life in his own voice. These characters are so raw and real that it is impossible to not absolutely fall in love with every single one. I will read 10 more Guncle stories if Rowley writes them!

The Guncle is back! In the true spirit of the first book, and with all the warmth, humor, and heartache, the story of Patrick and his niblings Maisie and Grant continues to evolve as they grow and change. Exploring the theme of dealing with change even while acknowledging that grief never leaves you- the Guncle leads his charges across Europe to the culminating wedding which has its own twists and turns. A thoroughly enjoyable ride told with depth and heart.