Read time: 3 minutes
🎧 Listened in audio | 📢 Narrated by: Steven Rowley
⏱ Duration: 10 hours
🏷️ Publisher: Books on Tape | G.P. Putnam’s Sons
📅 Published: May 21, 2024
📚 Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Book Blurb:
Patrick O’Hara is back, five years after stepping in to raise his niece and nephew following their mother’s death. Now nearing fifty, newly single, and between acting gigs, Patrick is once again called into guncle duty when his brother announces a destination wedding in Italy. Maisie and Grant, now pre-teens with opinions and attitudes to match, are less than thrilled about their future stepmother. As Patrick escorts them through Europe, he tries to help them understand love the way he once helped them process grief. Between family drama, romantic confusion, and a chaotic Italian wedding, Patrick must face growing up, letting go, and redefining what it means to love fiercely.
Let’s talk about the book:
Patrick O’Hara is still funny, still dramatic, still deeply lovable. But this time, he’s also scared. Scared of aging, scared of being replaced, and scared that the two kids who once needed him with their whole hearts might not need him in the same way anymore. As an aunt myself, this hit harder than I expected. Every quip about grown-up kids and fading “coolness” landed like a little nostalgic jab to the heart. Rowley captures that universal ache of watching the kids you love become people with their own opinions, and wow, does he make you feel it.
This round, Patrick’s surrounded by Italian sunshine, complicated family dynamics, and just enough chaos to keep the story spinning. Maisie and Grant are no longer the wide-eyed kids from the first book. They’re sharper, moodier, and forming identities of their own. Patrick, meanwhile, is clinging desperately to his role as the “cool guncle,” even as the kids gravitate toward new influences. That includes the scene-stealing Launt (lesbian aunt), whose growing bond with them sparks Patrick’s jealousy in ways that are both hilarious and heartbreaking. Watching him navigate that emotional shift is the quiet core of this novel. Patrick’s attempts to stay relevant in their eyes are equal parts awkward and tender. The humor is sharper, the emotional beats deeper, and Rowley’s narration adds layers only the author could deliver. Every sigh, every dramatic pause feels perfectly placed.
Yes, there’s Italy. Yes, there’s romance. (GUSTAVO!!!! LOL) Yes, there’s a wedding teetering on the edge of disaster. But all of that lives in the background. what anchored me was Patrick’s unwavering love for Maisie and Grant. That bond is the heartbeat of this book. This story belongs to Patrick, Maisie, and Grant. It’s about loving kids enough to let them grow, even when it hurts. I laughed, I cried, I sobbed, and I briefly considered freezing time so my niece never grows up and decides I’m uncool.
Steven Rowley didn’t just write a sequel. He wrote a love letter to chosen family, aging, and unconditional devotion.
Would I recommend it?
This book wrecked me in the gentlest way. If you loved The Guncle, this sequel deepens everything that mattered. The humor, the heart, and the emotional honesty. It’s tender without being saccharine, funny without undercutting the feelings, and painfully relatable if you’ve ever loved a child who’s growing up too fast. I finished it full-hearted, emotionally bruised, and incredibly grateful this story exists. Add this to your TBR immediately.
To continue the book mood..
- The Guncle by Steven Rowley – Start where it all began with Patrick, grief, and found family
Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy - Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes — A feel-good exploration of identity, resilience, and middle-aged reinvention.
Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary - The Celebrants by Steven Rowley — Another Rowley gem about friendship and mortality with his trademark wit.
Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Litsy - Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson – Unconventional caretaking with humor and heart
Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy - This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub — A moving look at family and time travel that tugs similarly at the heartstrings.
Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
When Did Fiction Hit This Close to Home?
Have you ever read a book that mirrored a relationship in your own life so perfectly it felt personal? Or one that made you wish time would just… slow down? Let’s talk in the comments.
Book Links:
Want to purchase this or any of your favorite books while supporting a local bookstore? Consider purchasing using the sites below. These sites work with independent local bookstore owners to fulfill your book orders. #SupportLocal
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Bookshop.org
Goodreads | Storybound | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
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