When Grant and Maise's mom passes away of cancer and their dad has to go to rehab, they are shipped off to their Uncle Patrick's house for the Summer. Patrick is a has-been television star who has been laying low for the past four years in Palm Springs, ever since the tragic death of his partner, Joe. The book details the children's Summer and Patrick's transition from single man with no responsibilities to primary care provider for his niece and nephew.

I went into this book looking for a silly palate cleanser from my usual spooky stories. I didn't realize the emotional range that would be exhibited throughout, and how big of a connection I would feel to The Guncle as as result. Grief is a major theme throughout the book and we get to see that through different lenses as the plot unfolds. First, the obvious being the children grieving for their mother and more surprisingly, Patrick's journey as he begins to truly process the loss of his boyfriend, Joe. Rowley doesn't showcase this through rose colored glasses, and instead uses these losses as a chance to show the truth of grief, no matter how dicey and hard it gets for his characters. Because this is obviously super heavy, I loved that these portions were counterbalanced with silly situations that GUP and the kids got into, as well as the heartwarming moments that happened along the way. The Guncle is witty and has more depth than meets the eye. Recommend.