This story was touching and delicate, while remaining irreverent and human. It offers a sometimes painful but also necessary perspective on the AIDS crisis by centering those who lived and loved their way through it. While filled with the flaws and imperfections that can be found in all of us, Artie and the GALS are impossible not to root for.

Four squares is an uplifting novel that follows Artie, a writer in nyc over thirty years. Artie is a gay man in nyc during the aids crisis when he meet a man named Abe at a bar. Abe opens Artie up to a new life and a new way of thinking-exposing him to new lifestyles. Thirty years later, Abe’s daughter and ex-wife come into Arties life and he must reckon with his past at 60 years old.

The characters and dialogue set this book apart as artie really comes to life. It is also an uplifting novel
And one that is equal parts funny and sad.

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC of this book! I absolutely loved this book and finishing it during pride month was definitely a happy coincidence. It took me a while to get through this book, but once I was able to get into it, I absolutely loved it, the characters, the world building, everything!

I have been looking forward to this book since Bobby started talking about it on WhoWeekly. The book follows Artie at age 30 in the AIDS crisis of the early 90s and 30 years later as he is about to turn 60s. This book was surprisingly not as sad as I thought it would be given the subject matter (but yes there are still some very sad moments). Bobby was able to craft a book that was funny, sweet, and moving without throwing me into a pit of despair.

In 1992, a chance encounter with Abe, an unlikely companion, sets Artie on a journey of self-discovery amidst the backdrop of the AIDS crisis. Three decades later, facing new challenges and the departure of loved ones, Artie finds unexpected solace and community with GALS, a group of vibrant queer seniors. Through humor and empathy, the novel celebrates the resilience of queer friendships and the importance of preserving LGBTQ+ history across generations.

Y’all. The last portion of this book had me sitting here in tears. From the get-go - I was absolutely obsessed with Artie. I loved him. He’s so witty and smart and lonely and I just felt like I could relate to him so hard. The dual timeline was absolute perfection and I found myself wanting more of each storyline, which is a great sign.

I laughed. Oh how I laughed. But my god, I could not stop crying when *spoilers* Adam and Kim died. And then he breaks up with Abe because he can’t lose anyone else!? Sobbing. Halle tells him the truth?! Tears. The horrible last time he sees Abe? Sobs. He finishes the sequel and THAT TITLE I CALLED IT!! Tears streaming down my face. The email from Vanessa had me crying out loud “I love this goddamn book.”

So yeah. Read it. And feel all of the things. This book is also endlessly quotable - I highlighted so many great lines that I want a paper copy to annotate.

*I was provided a digital copy of this book for review by the publisher - all thoughts are my own.*

I just wanted to give Four Squares the biggest hug while reading. What a beautifully touching look at queer NYC life in alternating timelines of 1992 and 2022. Artie was a fantastic character whom I felt real compassion for. His tight friendships were enviable. His relationship was passionate. His writing skills kept him employed and living in the Village through present day which is nothing short of a miracle. His later in life friends still had a lot of living to do and provided wonderful companionship. The only thing that threw me a bit was Artie’s ongoing connection with Vanessa. Halle I understood, but Vanessa was complicated and unpleasant. Staying purposefully vague! Despite that wrinkle, this is absolutely a book I can see myself re-reading. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for kindly providing this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to enjoy this book because the idea caught my eye. However, the book felt like it was dragging and I barely got through the first half. I kept pushing off reading because I didn't feel a pull to finish and have yet to finish. Maybe another time I will finish the rest of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

"sometimes life made perfect sense simply by living it."

this book made the mundanity of life feel magnificent.

set in new york against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic, we see the dichotomy of sickness for those experiencing it, and those pretending to ignore the reality. this was a reminder to love fearlessly, and that it is a privilege to experience life with your people.

a testament to new beginnings and a love letter to the complicated histories and relationships that make us, us. maybe growing old isn’t so bad, it’s never too late to make the most of what you’re given. even a story told in squares can come around full circle.

“Four Squares” is a queer story that is different from others I have read in the past. I was instantly hooked to the story of Artie and all of his friends and loved ones. The way this story is written makes me feel like I know all of these characters personally and I am sitting with them at the bar or on their movie nights with him.

What I loved most about this book was the heart that was put in behind the story. The emotion was truly there and it made me laugh, sigh, and cry all kinds of different tears. I have fallen in love with these characters and I know anyone else will the moment they start reading this book.

On the surface this book looks like it's about a young man dealing with the overwhelming loss of his birth family and chosen family. His community is ravaged by HIV and the "outside world" shuns them. In which case this book could have been about grief, loss, and loneliness, but instead it's a book about hope. About love after loss, about finding community after tragedy and continuing to live.

Beautifully written. Reminiscent of Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin.

I wanted to love this book. I love the idea of this book and I loved some of the characters but in the end the pacing wasn't right for me and I couldn't get myself to read it even as I was halfway through. It's also sad, and my life is tough right now so it could easily be a case of the wrong book at the wrong time. I can see that my review is an outlier so please make sure you read others' thoughts as well.

with gratitude to netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Real Rating: 4.25* of five

Well! Was this ever an exercise in feeling seen! I *am* Artie. I though this would be a bubbly and effervescent flute full of story-champagne. More closely resembled a mug of authentic, bean-based xocolatl as opposed to, say, Swiss Miss.

Artie did what I've done with this life, cocooned himself in search of safety in a world he does not like interacting with all that much. He's been lucky, relate to that, he's got a solid basis for his existence at last, relate to that, and the family he's made takes the place of the non-family of origin, relate to that. All of this is balanced on a knife-edge, of course...all of life is, we just don't think about it until the balance is upset. Way big relate to that! So I vibrate like Annie Dillard's struck bell to all of these story points...what could possibly keep this from being a five-star read?

GALS.

I did not love these big, loud people anywhere near as much as I'd need to for me to rate the book five stars. I think the reason I don't adore them is that I felt unable to buy into them as people. They're perfect *characters, of the sort we see actors create for film or stage roles; they're the kind of characters I'd love to see a film about, in fact. I was expecting to be given a more nuanced and investment-able character in a novel, where there is so much more room to develop them. Artie, as a superb example, is developed to a solidity and dimensionality that demonstrates the author's considerable command of the skills needed. His found-family gals were also briefly but memorably limned...I understood they felt deeply their effect on Artie, and still had reasons for the action they took that hurt him.

So it wasn't lack of skill, then; what happened? I don't know. I also don't think I've seen any other reviewer bring this up as an issue, so permaybehaps it's just me being crotchety...? A very real possibility, not to be discounted or dismissed. I don't know how to test for it, or I would.

None of which is meant to be a warn-off, or even much of a caution. Bobby Finger writes good, solid stories, told in deft, enjoyable prose. I think the book belongs on your TBR if you liked his previous book, or of you liked The Guncle, or Nearlywed, or...does it need saying out loud that the world we live in is so immensely superior to the world we grew up in, fellow oldsters? We're able to choose from a huge variety of ways to feel seen and entertained that were, simply put, impossible to find in our youths.

Which is why the great haters so badly want to gain control of society's levers. If you see yourself as you could be, you'll try to become that; this means you won't be like them, and that is an existential threat.

Good. I've said it often, will say it often in future: Whatever it takes to make the great haters feel threatened and unhappy deserves our support.

i cannot recommend this book enough. it reminds me a bit of a little life -not as intensely. but just as human. Yes, i shed a tear. yes, it made me value aging as we watch this individual go from his thirties to sixties. it changed my brain chemistry i fear. 4/5 stars

This was an amazing journey through Arties life, full of the ordinary and the important, that managed to bring me to tears while also instilling me with hope. Absolutely beautiful.

The idea of this story is so good but I think there is a issue with the execution. The story is about Artie in his 60s and his 30s and I failed to connect with neither and also often got lost in what was going on with the plot. It is a very emotional story and might hit with slightly older audiences much better.

I really enjoyed this one! This story situates itself between the early 90s and 2022, detailing the story of Artie, a queer writer who found refuge in his found family as he adjusted to life in New York. The jumps to 2022 show him as a man in his 60s whose life has been shaped by loss and grief. This is a melancholic story about growing up queer in NYC during the AIDS epidemic, surviving the deaths of friends, and still finding hope and happiness during his 60s and beyond. It was sad, but not sobbing kind of sad. Mostly, it was heavy in topics, but still managed to be full of humor and love. Definitely recommend.

Four Squares centers on Artie, a gay man navigating life at age 60 while reflecting on his experiences at 30. The novel alternates between these two periods, painting a poignant picture of his journey. However, the shift between these two periods ended up being somewhat confusing as to which period the story was actually in.

Artie’s life, though seemingly mundane, serves as a canvas for exploring deeper themes. The story delves into the challenges he faced as a gay man in the 90s and today, capturing the loneliness and societal pressures of the time. This historical context adds depth and emotional weight, making Artie's personal struggles resonate. Artie leads a somewhat uneventful life, making the story's pace rather slow.

I just adored this book. So much so, that I took my time with the last 10% because I didn't want to leave Artie behind. The dual timeline worked so well in explaining the importance of love, loss, friendship, found family, aging...I could go on. Such excellent character exploration and development. Finger did such an amazing job of tackling some heavy topics with grace and humor (the rent controlled conversation was a particular favorite of mine).
I will be recommending this book to anyone in need of a heart squeeze. I loved it. 5 stars!

Thanks so much to Putnam Books and Net Galley for the copy. Now I'll be getting my own physical copy for my bookshelf.

This story situates itself between the early 90s and 2022, detailing the story of Artie, a queer writer who found refuge in his found family as he adjusted to life in New York. The jumps to 2022 show him as a man in his 60s whose life has been shaped by loss and grief.

This is a melancholic story about growing up queer in NYC during the AIDS epidemic, surviving the deaths of friends, and still finding hope and happiness during his 60s and beyond. It was sad, but not sobbing kind of sad. Mostly, it was heavy in topics, but still managed to be full of humor and love.

If you still have some space in your Pride Month TBR, consider adding this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for the arc of this book!

Four Squares is outside of my preferred genre so I was a little surprised by how much I enjoyed it. This book was the perfect combination of heartwarming and heartbreaking. I fell in love with all of the characters but most especially with Artie (of course). The story is complicated in the best way. Reading about a main character in his 60s was really refreshing. I can’t wait to see what else Bobby Finger writes.