I was able to meet Steven Rowley over the summer and had the opportunity to hear him read an excerpt from his book! He was the narrator and did an amazing job on the audio. I truly loved these books! The Guncle Abroad was a fun addition to book 1 and per usual the humor was so great! I loved the Sound of Music references too! I do admit, I loved the first book more with the message that was presented in the plot, but the extension of the story was cute nonetheless!

The Guncle was one of my favorite novels of 2021, so I was very excited when I heard that Steven Rowly wrote a sequel! It was enjoyable to reconnect with these characters several years later and observe their growth and development. Patrick remains his witty self, and it was nice to see that he has maintained his relationships with Maise and Grant. The children continue to be humorous and charming, with some elements of teenage angst now that Maise is older.

However, I found the premise for their presence in Italy to be less compelling. Greg's engagement to someone who essentially represents royalty feels somewhat reminiscent of a Hallmark movie and out of place. While I did appreciate the experience overall, it lacked the same magic as the first installment. I did, however, find Patrick's story arc engaging once again; his journeys of self-discovery are consistently authentic and heartwarming.

I was anticipating this read very much because I fell in love with The Guncle. With that, special thanks to netgalley and PRHAudio for the complimentary copies for review.
I simply love the characters, it felt like having a reunion, only with a little bit older, sassier and slightly know it all version of Maisie and Grant. A time spent with the best Gunkle Patrick is worth every second. The teen years are not everyone's favorite and yet Patrick is just kicking it all! The vivid description of this extra amazing Europe tour is making me jealous. Unfortunately, I did not find this sequel as adorable as the first. Sure, it has its own charm and charisma and heart warming effects but it somehow lacks that tug on my end. Would I still be excited to read another sequel after this? I would say yes! Because the characters are who I am here for. I did not mind the "kids" having a new "LAUNT"! The more love, the better! It is still worth the read and looking forward to the next!

Gup does it again.

Rowley continues to balance hope and heartbreak in this series continuation. Europe was the perfect setting for the kids to learn and grow into a new life. I love that, even in a comedy, there is so much depth to the emotions of everyone involved and the author doesn’t back off from letting those things be difficult and take up space.

It’s been five years since Patrick O’Hara has been tasked to care for his niece and nephew Maisie and Grant. Now his brother is getting remarried to an Italian socialite in Italy and he has been asked to keep an eye on his niece and nephew again while they prepare for the wedding. While Maisie and Grant are not happy about their father getting remarried, Patrick has decided to teach them lessons in love while traveling abroad finally ending in Italy just in time for a wedding. Will his lessons in love help the kids and also help his broken heart as well?

I really enjoyed The Guncle so I was excited to pick this one up but it started it was moving a bit slow for me, but I’m so glad I kept with it. The way Steven Rowley navigates grief and love is so heartwarming. I enjoyed The Celebrants and I also enjoyed this one as well once I got through the first little bit.

First, thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. However, I started the e-ARC and then saw on Mr. Rowley's Instagram that he was narrating again and I immediately put it down and opted to wait for the audio version. STELLAR job portraying Patrick O'Hara. There is much lost in the experience if you don't experience these stories via audio.

I was a tiny bit nervous about a sequel as not every book needs a follow-up. But I so enjoyed visiting with GUP and his niblings again. I adored the Sound of Music references. Mr. Rowley has a lovely way of tying together love and grief. I shed a number of tears at the end, and now four years into my own grief journey, LOVED the line about not moving "on" but moving "forward."

Love always to GUP and his niblings.

The Guncle is back, and he is as charming as ever. However, the author spent too much time describing the glories of Europe in great detail. It’s slowed down the book a lot. It was not as interesting or fun of the first one, but it’s a nice, easy carefree read if you have the time.

After reading the Guncle I convinced a friend to visit Palm Springs - we went and enjoyed some of the places mentioned in the book.
The Guncle Abroad has made me want to visit Italy!
Another great title from Steven Rowley - I hope there are more adventures to come

Every time I pick up a Steven Rowley novel it’s like getting together with an old friend. In The Guncle Abroad, it really felt like being reunited with those cherished friends. I loved every minute of The Guncle Abroad and that we were able to see what Patrick and the kids were up to following the end of The Guncle. I highly recommend any of Rowley’s books and I know fans of The Guncle will love this newest release!

Such a good read that I enjoyed! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

Can Steven Rowley do no wrong? He gave us another 5 star novel! The Guncle is back and I loved it! This was a wonderful sequel for Patrick, Maisie, and Grant. GUP still has his quick wit that we've come to expect and Rowley had me laughing out loud several times throughout the story. This was full of witty banter, sarcasm, charm, and heart. The sequel was not quite up to the high standards of the original, but still very well-done. I frequently recommend The Guncle to friends and will be adding this one to my recommendations, as well.

As much as I LOVED The Guncle, this one fell a little flat for me. I still really enjoyed this book and I would absolutely read another Guncle book, but I think some of the sparkle was missing, especially in the first half. I missed Emory and the Launt was a highlight, so maybe I just went into it expecting too much? But overall I would recommend this series, and hope to read Steven's next book!

The Guncle Abroad was a strong follow up to The Guncle. It was always going to be hard for this book to top The Guncle for me because The Guncle is one of my favorite books. Abroad is a lot more lighthearted than its predecessor (I cried throughout The Guncle and merely teared up once or twice in Abroad) but still has the same amount of heart.
There was a bit of the book that I wasn't as much of a fan of- sometimes I feel like our main character Patrick doesn't have the best of thoughts about the women he interacts with, in this case the kids soon-to-be aunt. He redeems himself by the end but I still wish it wasn't as big of a plot point. I loved this book and would love to visit these characters again in the future.

This story is packed with so much humor, and also so much heart and soul. I want a guncle! Patrick’s relationship with the kids was heartwarming. You’ll laugh and cry (probably at the same time) while reading this amazing book that’s filled with love of many kinds- family, friends, and partners.

If you love feel good stories, and stories filled with wanderlust inducing travel, you’ll love this one.

The Guncle was everything I needed when I read it and this sequel was equally as wonderful.

GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick) is the flawed hero we all need in our lives to give us sometimes terrible sometimes decent advice on life. I enjoyed being able to prance around Europe with Patrick and the kiddos on their way to Lake Como for the wedding and seeing more glimpses of Patrick's past.

This is a book that needs the context of the first book to understand and I don't think is something you could pick up as a stand alone, but also......both books are so good!

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 5/5⭐️⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝: I was such a huge fan of The Guncle in 2021 and was cautiously optimistic about this book because I knew that a sequel would have an uphill battle to live up to my expectations of the first. Thanks to the audio narration, I was instantly transported back into the world of GUP, Maisie, and Grant upon picking this up—and despite being absent of one very sweet lisp, it felt like picking up where I left off with old friends.

What I love most about Rowley’s books is that he explores the topic of grief with humor and heart. I still remember a comment he made last year on tour for The Celebrants: that despite approaching these heavy and complex topics, his readers can always trust him to bring us back to the surface. The Guncle Abroad will take you on a journey of love and self-acceptance, and you can rely on Patrick (GUP) to be as witty and snarky as ever. The transformation of Maisie and Grant into pre-teens really brought their characters to life, and you can clearly see that these characters have grown in Rowley’s heart since the last time we stepped into their world.

To repeat my thoughts on the original book, I’m so blown away that this series is narrated by the author himself. Each character’s unique voice will immerse you into the story, and I’m twice as impressed by Rowley’s writing and voice acting talents. I highly recommend that you experience this one on audio.
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𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞: The sweet reflections on Sarah toward the end completely caught me off guard and left me sobbing in bed late at night—so don’t forget to pack your tissues friends!

YES YES YES!
I loved this one and getting to return to GUP!

In my opinion, sequels can be very hit or miss. It's hard to go back to a beloved set of characters and do them justice. However, Steven Rowley knocked it out of the dang park. His writing blew me away! The story is beautiful with so many great life lessons.

Absolutely recommend this series!!!!

This was a sweet sequel to The Guncle! 💖 I loved how it showed the family's growth over the past few years and the struggles they work through together. Their adventures through Europe, especially the Sound of Music Tour, were delightful. It's such a sweet, happy book with funny moments and a wonderfully dry sense of humor. 🌍🎶

adore the Guncle books! I would eagerly read 10,000 more of them, and I'm pretty sure I would love every single one. The book's characters feel like family, and I find myself craving their warmth and comfort every time I dive into the story!

In The Guncle Abroad, Patrick wants to teach Maisie and Grant about Guncle’s Love Languages as they waltz across Europe on their way to Italy for a family wedding. Along the way, Patrick reflects on his own relevancy, aging, and loneliness.

As expected, the pages light up with subtle humor while coexisting with lingering grief. These characters have changed because of their grief but also have learned to move forward despite it. Patrick, Maisie, Grant, and the rest of the crew show us how resilient they've become as the family navigates change, second chances, and acceptance.

Other highlights: ✨song and movie references in daily conversations, especially the Grease references ✨Maisie’s speech✨surprise twist

Thank you to Penguin Group (Putnam) for the gifted copy. The review contains some spoilers for the book. I was a big fan of the first Guncle book and read it in one sitting. I was so delighted to return to these characters and “world”.

Rowley has a very special talent of highlighting complexities in human experiences but in an incredibly humorous and personal way that leaves impact but still manages to entertain in a genuine way. He was a way of doing almost a “bait and switch” on his characters - there is the facade that Patrick (“GUP”) is humorously shepherding Grant and Maisie through their anxieties about their dad’s upcoming wedding, but really (or additionally) the real depth in growth is his grappling with his brother moving on (his sister in law was his close friend before his brother married her) and continued trauma from the loss of his former partner Joe. It is a parallel scaffolding to the original book but with new types of grief (the bittersweet happiness after loss), which made the story feel fresh but had the same coming-of-age charm as the original.

Though much of the humor very intentionally relies on hyperbolic tropes, I did find some aspects of Patrick’s rivalry with Palomina to be a little overdone (the overemphasis of guncle vs. luant), as well as the European backdrop and following Patrick and the kids on their perfect jaunt through Europe. I enjoyed the fresh setting but at times it felt almost too outlandish that it was hard to continue to suspend disbelief. However, nothing beats Rowley’s hilarious storytelling and one liners that once again had me laughing out loud - “feelings are like treasures…they should be buried” fully took me out.