I j’adored this book (see what I did there?)! I actually think I enjoyed it more than the first one. The kids are older and have sassier banter, there are downright hilarious scenes, I loved the rivalry between Patrick and incoming “launt,” or lesbian aunt Palmina. There is so much of the sweetness between Patrick and the niblings from the first guncle book, but expands on it so much more in this one. I’d love to hear more antics from this dynamic family in the future. For now, this book is out TODAY so go get it!

I am a big Steven Rowley fan and The Guncle is one of my favorite books. This sequel follows Patrick, Maisie, and Grant as they take on Europe, and specifically Lake Como. I’ve always wanted to visit Lake Como and the descriptions in this book made my wanderlust hit hard. I love Patrick’s snark and pop culture references and I laughed a lot while reading this one. I think this is the perfect Summer read, it’s fun and easy to read while also having a lot of heart. But definitely read The Guncle first to get the most out of the story.

The Guncle Abroad is that rare sequel that completely lives up to, and in some instances outshines, its predecessor. I loved The Guncle so much, and I couldn’t wait to be back with these characters. Returning to their world felt like coming home in a wonderful, heart-soaring way.

It’s five years after the events of The Guncle, Grant and Maisie are pre-teens, and their father Greg is getting remarried to an Italian marchesa named Livia. Grant and Maisie aren’t thrilled about the forthcoming nuptials, so it’s GUP to the rescue! Gay Uncle Patrick sweeps the kids off on a whirlwind tour throughout Europe, teaching them the Guncle Love Languages and trying not to think about all the ways that he has ignored his own advice and failed at love.

Stephen Rowley writes such special books that strike the perfect balance between hilarity and poignance. With wit and wisdom, he explores the intersections of joy and grief, the inescapable realities of aging, the bittersweetness of moving on, the infinite iterations of love, and the complexities of family dynamics. I’d read a passage that had me welling up with emotion, and then one immediately after that would make me laugh out loud. The combination of humor and heart is flawless, a marvel.

Rowley writes characters that feel so authentic: vulnerable, messy, complex. The plot allows for the introduction of several wonderful new characters – including Livia’s sister, the effortlessly cool Palmina, who Patrick is afraid will take his place as the kids’ “launt.” The rivalry between Patrick and Palmina provides some of the book’s funniest moments (two words: “hand jive”). The dynamic between Patrick and the kids is conveyed so perfectly; time passes as it does, they’re growing up, and everyone has to adjust to a new and different way of being with each other. Rowley perfectly conveys how bittersweet it is to love a child who is growing up, who wants to be treated like a grown-up, but who in many ways needs the adults in their lives more than ever.

The Guncle Abroad is a book that feels like the first bite of a warm chocolate chip cookie, or like a fuzzy, soft blanket, or perhaps like a cup of the world’s richest, most decadent cup of hot chocolate at Angelina’s in Paris. I hope we haven’t seen the last of Patrick O’Hara & Co. Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the early reading opportunity.

LOVED IT! I'm so happy Rowley decided to make a sequel and I could definitely see these characters being strong enough to have an entire television series around them (which I would watch all day...and on repeat). Patrick, Maisy, and Grant are back, only this time traveling through Europe for Greg's wedding. Five years past the first novel, Patrick must impart his guncle wisdom and teach the kids his rules of love as they are not totally thrilled about the arrival of a new step mother. The only thing that made this Guncle even better was the new inclusion of the launt (lesbian aunt). The Guncle Abroad featured the same humor and heartwarming anecdotes as the first making it a wonderful sequel. While you could read this as a stand alone, I would recommend reading the first novel anyways to get the back story on all the characters. Such a touching group of characters and a wonderful story!

GUP is back!!!! Literally all I needed to hear to know I had to read this was that Patrick would be returning. I absolutely loved The Guncle and was so excited to return to this world. With all the heart and humor of the first book, The Guncle Abroad was the perfect follow up. I hope we will get to visit these characters again.

The Guncle Abroad is the perfect follow up to the first book in this series. It was a very enjoyable read, including some serious life growth moments and many funny moments. I love getting to know the kids in this series and seeing Patrick grow through his interactions with them. I love the family dynamic with Patrick and his siblings and the growing extended family. I would recommend to anyone looking for a light read that also has actual substance to the characters.

I enjoyed this follow-up to The Guncle, but it wasn’t the 5-Star read I was hoping for. I missed Maisie and Grant’s innocence and their Palm Springs pool days. I wasn’t super interested in learning about their travels and it seemed like all of the characters had something to complain about. The last third of the book was really sweet which brought my rating up. I’ve seen a lot of people love this book, but I’d recommend adjusting your expectations knowing that the characters are all about 5 years older and have changed quite a bit!

This was so, so good.

Team Guncle is back and better than ever.

The Guncle Abroad picks up five years after The Guncle. Patrick's wrapping up filming a movie in London. His niece Maisie and nephew Grant are upset because their Dad/ Patrick's brother Greg is getting remarried, and they've asked Patrick to try to stop the wedding. He agrees… kind of.

We follow the journey of love, loss, and growth of this family. I again, laughed, cried, and was warmed by the family’s story.

I’m already for another one!

5 big, lovable stars.



Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Group for sending me an ARC of The Guncle Abroad in exchange for an honest review.

✩4

✦What to Expect✦
•LGBTQ+
•All the feels
•So many lol moments
•Family
•Grief
•Love
 
✦Characters✦
•Patrick O’Hara
•Grant O’Hara
•Maisie O’Hara
 
✦Fav Quotes✦
“There’s a special place in hell for people like you.”
“Yes, obviously I’ll be in VIP.”

 “The trouble with men is they think everyone wants to hear what they have to say.”

“You can’t change the past. But some people come into our lives to give us a second chance and set some wrong things right.”

✦Thoughts✦
I was so excited about this sequel to The Guncle and this lived up to all my expectations! I was cackling non stop, there were so many lol moments. There also were some moments that got me completely in my feels especially at the end. It was fun to see Grant & Maisie getting older and how much they’ve changed too. The rivalry with Palmina had me cracking me up, honestly get we get a book from her pov?!?!

So recommend this one!

The first book of this series, The Gungle, was extraordinary so I wanted so bad to read this. My expectations was really high but this book didn’t disappointed them. Yes, the first book was better, but this was cute and funny. There are lots of really good banters.
The characters continue their journey (in every sense, because the book is setting during a journey) and it’s like a Linus’ cover, comforting and warn. This book is a hug and I liked it a lot!

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

I loved “The Guncle” and so I absolutely couldn’t wait to read this sequel, “ The Guncle Abroad.” This was a fun, travel-inspired summer read. There were laughs and poignant moments. This was an entertaining book to start my summer reading season. It’s impressive at how Rowley can cover the topic of young kids attempting to heal following the death of their mother along with the humor of a gay man attempting to handle middle agedom. I enjoyed this one, although a tad bit less than its predecessor. 3.5 stars ⭐️ rounded up to 4 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy for review.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I truly loved The Guncle so of course I was excited for the second book! I think that because book 1 was sooo good, this one had a lot to live up to and while it was still good, it wasn’t nearly as good as the first. In this book, the children are traveling with GUP across Europe on their way to Italy for their dad’s wedding. They’re learning about love languages and trying to accept their father’s fiancé. While I love traveling across Europe, I thought a few bits of it focused more on the place than the message (especially Salzburg). I was more interested when they finally arrived in Italy at the hotel and met their future “launt”, who really spiced up the story! I also thought the ending was good but not groundbreaking.

I think I’d still recommend it for fans of The Guncle because there are some good jokes and good banter.

This book is as cute as the first! The relationship between Patrick and his niece Maisie and nephew Grant is a bit different now that the kiddos are older but you can still feel the love between them. Patrick is every bit the character we met in the first book and his one liners are still are hysterical as I remember.

So there’s a lot of traveling in this book. I’ve never been to Europe so I liked it but also kind of glanced over them because I’m really not all that familiar with some of the places.

The story itself was cute. Patrick is back with his set of rules. Some were a bit of stretch which was to be expected he was basically flying by the seat of his pants. I loved the addition of the new characters. They definitely added to the quirkiness of this book.

If you’ve read the first book, I would recommend this. If you haven’t read the first book, definitely start with the first.

However you felt about the original Guncle, I expect you'll feel about this one. It was a complete delight and thoroughly entertaining. Perhaps the best part was the jetsetting and living vicariously through the kids and their Guncle! There is a new challenge at hand that GUP is trying to help his niece and nephews through. Always the kind and favorable uncle he helps the kids work through big things in their life.

A great summer read!

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the gifted e-copy.

4.25 ⭐️. I loved being back with GUP, Maisie and Grant, this time on their European adventures! This did a really good job of connecting back to the first book but growing with new themes and looking at the continued relationship with grief as time goes on. While I read the first one physically, I’m glad I did audio this time around. It’s narrated by the author and so wonderful!

The Guncle Abroad was one of my most anticipated books of 2024–I loved the original and enthusiastically recommended it to everyone. This one fast forwards five years from when the original ended, and we’re on our way to see Greg get married in Italy. Meanwhile, Patrick’s been charged with taking care of the kids while Greg and his fiancée are getting ready for the wedding, and teaching Maisie and Grant a few lessons about love and why they should accept Greg’s new wife. The easy dialogue, heartwarming scenes and fun characters (including new ones like Palmina) made the book a fun read. I loved the lessons taught, in Patrick’s GUP-ish way that made us fall in love with the first book. But I did feel a bit of nostalgia for where we were five years ago — everyone seemed a bit more worn now. There were a few parts in the middle that dragged a bit, but I was glad to be back in Patrick, Maisie and Grant’s world again.

Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Putnam and Steven Rowley for the ARC.

BOOK REVIEW 🌎 The Guncle Abroad - I throughly enjoyed the Guncle and really appreciated his take on grief and could really relate to his feelings on losing his best friend. Again, I related to Patrick and his grief journey and I loved revisiting Patrick’s guncle antics. However, the conflict didn’t seem to hold my interest as well and felt silly at times. Overall, this was as a ⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me. OUT TODAY, May 21st. Thank you @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley #theguncleabroad #books #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam as well as the author for this ARC.
#NetGalley #PenguinGroupPutnam #StevenRowley #TheGuncleAbroad #TheGuncke2

Title: The Guncle Abroad
Author: Steven Rowley
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Penguin Group Putnam
Publication Date: May 21, 2024

Guncle Patrick is back! He’s back for a new book as well as back as an actor in a new sitcom, “Guncle Knows Best”. His experience with Maisie and Grant has reopened his heart and changed his life for the better, so when their father, Greg, announces his second wedding, Patrick flies to their side. Here, he meets lesbian aunt, or Lant, and argues with his sister, Clara. Hopefully, he can help his niece and nephew adjust to their new stepmom.

Another endearing and emotional book from Steven Rowley. I loved every minute of it. The relationship between Guncle (Gay Uncle) Patrick and Maisie. It was sweet in the first book and sweet in this one. Patrick was very reluctant to share space with his brother’s kids in the first but, obviously, came around to love his status as their GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick). His love for Maisie and Grant consistently leap off the page and into my heart over and over again. I loved the addition of Greg’s fiancee’s sister, lesbian aunt (Lant) Palmina. She and Patrick have a delightfully catty conflict is a hilarious treat.

The rich imagery of some of Europe’s famous sites added to the beautiful experience that was reading this novel.

Mr. Rowley is truly an amazing author. I’ve loved every single book he has written. He has taken on many heavy subjects such as grief, loss, love, and sexual orientation. Each of his books are very different but they’re all wonderful. This one is no exception. Read both of these books. You won’t regret it.

The Guncle Abroad is a heartfelt and witty sequel that explores the weight of love and moving forward after grief. Full of warmth, sarcasm, and insight, this sequel shows that the human heart is capable of holding onto love, remembering beauty in grief, and moving forward in hope.

Five years after Patrick O’Hara, or GUP, as his niece and nephew refer to him, takes care of Maisie and Grant after their mother’s death, he finds himself embarking on an international adventure with them. This time, it’s in preparation for their father’s upcoming wedding in Italy. The kids are adamant that Patrick needs to stop the wedding, so Patrick moves from his Guncle Rules to sharing his Languages of Love (all from famous songs), in order to teach the kids how to embrace love after loss. But through it all, he realizes that he needs to listen to his heart as well.

I absolutely loved The Guncle and this was such a wonderful sequel. I was living vicariously (and reliving memories) at each destination they visited along the way. Venice was my personal favorite and I want to go back someday! Patrick’s Love Languages complemented his Guncle Rules (although his Guncle Rules can never truly be topped), and I loved the overall progression of the two books from dealing with grief, learning to hold onto memories but not be held back, and then moving forward to love and hope again.

A huge thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

my heart is full. First of all, The Guncle was my favorite book of 2021 so there was a lot of pressure on this sequel. Second, this book lived up to all of my expectations and exceeded them. Patrick, Maisie and Grant are all back for Greg’s wedding in Italy. All of the same hilarious banter filled with that perfectly timed dry wit and all of the melt your heart into a puddle sweetness between Patrick and his niece and nephew are back. Patrick teaching the kids about love was just the greatest thing ever. I could gush about this book for hours. It just brought me joy during a long, stressful work week. Pure joy and happiness. Life is stressful, times are tough, read this book to make you smile and laugh through your tears. The most huggable book ever.