This book follows the events of his book The Guncle, where Patrick, our main character, takes care of his brother’s kids after his wife (and also Patrick’s best friend) passes away. Now, it’s been 5 years, and Patrick’s brother is getting remarried in Italy, and his Guncle-duties are needed again as the family copes with this new change.

Believe me when I tell you I was laughing out loud within the first page of this one, and this story has just climbed into my heart to make its home alongside his other works!

Oh how much I love GUP, Maisie, and Grant! This was so fun and they got to travel around the world. I loved how emotional this was at times and also how entertaining it was. I love Patrick and I loved the little rival with Palmina. Great on audio, too!

Ahhh...Patrick the Guncle, Italy, and lots of hilarious banter...what's not to love? I still loved the original more, but the travel adventures in this book included so many places I personally want to travel. I loved it for that aspect alone. Also, the characters are so lovable and fun. I'm looking forward to the next installment. Here's to hoping for more Emory! The Guncle Abroad was such a palate cleanser after some heavy reads.

Thank you Netgalley and Steven Rowley, for the e-arc. This review is being left voluntarily, and all opinions are my own.

This was such a cute sequel to The Guncle! This was almost as good as the first. This had me laughing and heart melting throughout the book.

Picking up not long after the first, I loved how we got a peek into how the characters grew but still needed one another. I found the beginning a little slow and empathized with Patrick’s struggle to reconnect with the kids after a few years. The book really picked up in the last quarter and the author did a fantastic job really making you feel everything the family was experiencing in trying to balance happiness after loss.

I loved Steven Rowley’s The Guncle and was so excited to read the sequel. Uncle Patrick is taking his niece and nephew for a tour of Europe - and I wish I could go along. Dream trip! The kids, still mourning their mom and not too happy about their dad’s upcoming wedding, aren’t exactly appreciating the trip, but their Guncle has planned more of his life lessons to help them embrace the marriage.

The scene in Austria and Sound of Music references were probably my favorite of the trip!

Once they’ve reached their final stop at Lake Como in Italy, Maisie is intent on stopping the wedding, and Patrick encounters his new rival, the Launt.

As an aunt to five kids, I adore the relationship Patrick has with Maisie and Grant and can relate to wanting to spoil, comfort and teach my “nibblings.” This book is funny, sweet and just as much fun as the first book. And the ending is perfect. Love this one so much!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this title. I adored The Guncle and really enjoyed the sequel! The relationship with the kids, the European setting, the personalities of the growing kids. Perfection.

Happy to report that this is one of the times when the sequel is every bit as charming as the original! Patrick is still ridiculous and hilarious (mostly to himself), but as with the first, it's his relationship with niblings Maisie and Grant that makes the book so special. Thoroughly enjoyed this and would gladly keep reading more in this series.

While I didn't love this one as the first book. It was still the same Patrick Masie and Grant. Patrick's much needed wisdom was still there. Even though Maisie is a bookish moody pre-teen. And dealing with their dad remarrying and not liking it. Which to be fair is every kid no matter the age real fear when they lose a parent that the remaining one will remarry. Maisie being at the age where her mom being gone hits her hard again. But like the first book this one shows you again that grief is not a straight line. And comes in waves. It is a good look at grief a few years down the road.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

The Guncle makes me so happy! This is the second book where we get to read about the antics of Patrick and his niece and nephew. The traveling abroad portion of the book added a lot of fun to the story. What I love most about the Guncle is the way hard subjects or sensitive topics around grief, and love and parent loss and children growing up is handled. Plenty of humor and lots of life lessons in this one. Highly recommend!

I’d like to thank NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the advance readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

I didn’t like this one as much as the first one. Loved the growth of the kids, especially Macie. Patrick was very annoying this trip. Loved the Launt! She was the best.

A great follow up to the The Guncle, The Guncle Abroad follows Maisie, Grant and Uncle Patrick five years later through Europe. With some beloved past characters and some new ones as well, we continue to feel the love and fun and grief of life with family. Steven Rowley strikes the perfect balance of light-hearted and the hard things of life.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #PenguinGroupPutnam for a free copy of #TheGuncleAbroad by Steven Rowley. All opinions are my own.

I loved The Guncle, but this is my absolute favorite of the two books. I hated that everyone kept suggesting The Guncle as a funny, lighthearted beach read, when it was really a book about grief. The Guncle Abroad isn't about grief, it's about happiness and love.

As usual, there's a lot of funny dialogue and funny situations. The two kids, Maisie and Grant, are now teenagers, and are even more of a handful. It's a whole new ballgame for Patrick, herding two teens. The rivalry between him and the "Launt" is really funny. GUP is as sarcastic and goofy as ever.. I was cheering for all the characters to have happy endings.

I will read every Steven Rowley book I can.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read and review a digital copy of this book. All opinions expressed are mine and freely given.

THE GUNCLE ABROAD - 5 ⭐️ - I Loved It
❤️ for my LOVERS of GUP & his life lessons, books that transport you to EUROPE, idyllic settings, lovable CHARACTERS

❤️ this book completely TRANSPORTED you to so many places - NYC, Venice, Milan, Lake Como…had me dreaming of my travels last year

❤️ the CHARACTERS felt super special in this one - the found family, new characters, loved it all!

This is a wonderful follow-up to the first book. We find Patrick relocated to New York and newly single. Greg has fallen in love and is getting remarried. Patrick is tasked with bringing the children to the wedding in Lake Como. Maia is and Grant are less than pleased about their future step-mother or the wedding in general. Add in a Launt and several Gunkle lessons on love languages and you have a fun and delightful book.

Patrick O'Hara is back! Steve Rowley has given us another amazing Guncle story that once again delivers all the humor and heart! I loved GUP's dynamic with Maisie and Grant remained front and center. The addition of LANT added an interesting layer to the story and while I wasn't a huge fan at first I grew to really like her. I can't wait to see if Rowley will go for a 3rd!

Since first publishing back in 2021, one of the great things to come out of the release of THE GUNCLE has been my friendship with author Steven Rowley. Never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate that I would connect on a personal level with some of my favorite authors and content creators, but here we are. And while befriending the authors who inspire you might seem like a great idea in theory…nothing puts said friendships to the test like the author writing a sequel to your favorite freakin book of 2021. What could go wrong…⁣
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Lucky for me, Steven is not only a good friend, but he’s a GREAT author. And THE GUNCLE ABROAD is 5-star fantastic. Like…as good, if not better than the original book. Infused with all the heart and humor one expects from Rowley, this book is a poignant, more mature read, and while I promise that you won’t have more fun with a book this summer, it’s also worth pointing out that TGA does an excellent job exploring themes of grief and aging and parenting and the idea that it’s never too late to make big life changes regardless what age you are. Personally, I really loved the deeper connection between Patrick, Maisie and Grant (the 5-year time jump only deepens these character relationships and the readers’ connection to them), not to mention the exploration of Patrick relationship with siblings Greg and Clara. Additionally, giving Patrick a foil in the form of lesbian Aunt (Launt!) Palomina helps drive Patrick’s a strong narrative arc, and there are several moments in the book that will take your breath away they’re so emotionally powerful (still thinking about the bachelorette party scene with Maisie).⁣
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So book friends…take a breath, big sigh of relief. I’m here to tell you that one of the best books of 2024 has officially arrived. THE GUNCLE ABROAD is available now.

I can't love this enough. I feel like these characters are family. I love the double entendres, the snide jokes, and even the tearjerker moments. I need more stories with this family. It is a continuation of the authors first book but filled with more adventures, and a great ending.

REVIEW: The Guncle Abroad
“You will never know what it is you want until you are certain of who you are.”
― Steven Rowley, The Guncle Abroad

The Guncle Abroad is the sequel to The Guncle. I absolutely loved The Guncle, so I was really excited to dive in. Once again, the author, Steven Rowley, is the audiobook’s narrator and adds so much to the story.

The Guncle Abroad happens five years after the first book. This was a great choice to show growth with the characters. This time, the crew is in Europe on a vacation before Greg remarries an Italian woman. The setting was so much fun, especially seeing it through the kids’ eyes. Patrick, Maisie, and Grant first travel together, exploring different European areas. The kids are struggling with the idea of their dad remarrying after the loss of their mom, so Patrick’s goal was to teach them different love languages to help them be more understanding, hopefully.

Like the first book, The Guncle Abroad is like a warm hug. It is heartfelt and funny at the same time. Throughout the book, there’s a fun competition between the guncle and the new lant (lesbian aunt). In addition, Patrick’s fun quips still make you chuckle. I liked how Rowley explored love in many forms, such as platonic, family, friendship, and romantic. Rowley also showed different family members’ struggles with the loss of Sarah and how they each were processing it differently.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Guncle Abroad. There were some moments that were a little drawn out more than they should have been, but this never distracted me from the story. The Guncle series is perfect for funny and warm reads.

Thank you, Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam’s Sons, for the free advanced copy for my honest review!

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Another perfect light hearted read, this is the perfect book for everyone to enjoy this summer where the adventures continue. The sequel we all needed.