The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
Publisher: Putnam / Random House
Pub Date: 5/21/2024

Thank you to Random House and PRH Audio for the free copy in exchange for my honest review. 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Patrick O’Hara revives his acting career with a new sitcom after his time taking care of his niece and nephew. While at his brother’s wedding in Italy, Patrick navigates family tensions and reflects on his own life and happiness.

I’ve read all of Steven Rowley’s books and loved The Guncle so I was looking forward to reading The Guncle Abroad. The story picks up five years after The Guncle ended, making it a true sequel. It was great to revisit beloved characters like Patrick, Maisie, and Grant, and to meet new ones as well. Steven has a talent for crafting heartfelt, meaningful moments and sprinkling nuggets of wisdom throughout his stories which I really appreciate. I found the first half of the book a bit slow, particularly the travel sections. The second half truly stole the show though I wish some parts had been explored more deeply or that there had been flashbacks to the intervening five years for better context. Overall, it was an entertaining read! I would give this 3.5 stars but rounded up to 4 stars.