Review: The Guncle

The Guncle by Steven Rowley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

🌅I was so looking forward to this book from the cover and description alone. From the moment Patrick O’Hara—semi-retired sitcom star, caftan enthusiast, and kid christened GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick)—reluctantly agrees to care for his young niece and nephew for the summer, you know you’re in for a story that will make you laugh until your cheeks ache and tear up when you least expect it. What begins as a short-term arrangement after the loss of the children’s mother (Patrick’s best friend) and their father’s stint in rehab becomes a transformative season of unexpected family, unfiltered humor, and tender healing.

Patrick’s Palm Springs lifestyle—equal parts martinis🍸, snark, and Oscar Wilde-worthy one-liners—is hilariously ill-suited for two grieving kids, yet it’s in this clash of worlds that Rowley finds the novel’s magic. Through “Guncle Rules” that range from irreverent (“Rule number five: If a gay man hands you his phone, look only at what he’s show you”) to surprisingly wise (“Rule sweet sixteen: I want you to really live. To live is the rarest of things. Most people merely exist.”), Patrick teaches Maisie and Grant about joy, resilience, and the art of living fully. In turn, they force him to confront the grief he’s been avoiding since losing his own partner years before. The result is a perfect balance of biting wit and genuine heart💓, with every quip underpinned by deep emotional truth.

The supporting cast—nosy neighbors, an overbearing sister, and two whip-smart kids who ask questions no adult is prepared to answer—adds layers of warmth and chaos. The banter sparkles, but Rowley doesn’t shy away from the hard parts: the loneliness of loss, the disorientation of sudden caretaking, and the awkward ways love sometimes stumbles before it stands steady.

The Guncle is more than a feel-good comedy—it’s a reminder that family can be chosen as much as it is inherited, that healing rarely follows a straight line, and that sometimes the best way to face tragedy is with a martini 🍸 in one hand and a kid’s sticky fingers in the other. I didn’t want it to end, and when it did, I wanted to go back and read it again. 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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