Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP for short), has always loved his niece Maisie and nephew Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits, or when he heads home to Connecticut for the holidays. But in terms of caretaking and relating to two children, Patrick is overwhelmed. So when tragedy strikes and Maisie and Grant lose their mother and Patrick’s brother has a health crisis, Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian. Despite having a set of “Guncle Rules” ready to go, Patrick has no idea what to expect, having spent years barely holding on after the loss of his great love, a somewhat-stalled acting career, and a lifestyle not-so-suited to a six- and a nine-year-old. Quickly realizing that parenting—even if temporary—isn’t solved with treats and jokes, Patrick’s eyes are opened to a new sense of responsibility.

Full of heart and humor, this book was a wonderful read about family, grief, identity, and healing. This book is binge worthy and full of delightful characters! They all experience a rollercoaster of emotions pad they deal with their grief together and individually, and they all felt so raw and real. Grief can be a challenging subject to both read and write about, and Rowley handled it so beautifully in this book. There was so much warmth and the perfect amount of humor mixed in with the more somber moments. The children Maisie and Grant were so adorable and hilarious, and I loved how they grew throughout the book and also challenged Patrick to grow as well. All around this was a great feel good story about family and moving on, and I definitely recommend it!