What a delightful book. I've liked what I've read/heard by Matt Cain and this one didn't disappoint. Lovely to listen to, the accents are right and the narrator good. A story of acceptance, of sharing your story and of determination. I'm sure it will be as entertaining to read as it was to listen to. I would recommend.

DNF @ 48.1%

I gave it a good go but tbh there's just no pull or anything giving me the desire to read on. I've spent several months trying!

Thanks to NetGalley, Matt Cain and Headline Audio for an eAlc in exchange for an honest review.

I love Albert!! What a journey he has. At first I found him a bit of a stand offish character but the more his character develops as his story develops you can’t help but love him!!

Well, this book turned out to be a wonderful surprise. I was looking for a pleasant book which would pass some time, but instead, I was transported into the world of Albert and his group of friends and colleagues, and I was delighted!

While I felt that this book had a bit of a slow start, I soon found myself engrossed, and I couldn't wait to learn more about Albert.

The character development was monumental - Albert went from being lonely and a person who shied away from social interactions and friendships to quite the social butterfly. I loved the flashbacks to his younger years, which all piece together the jigsaw that makes the reader understand why Albert is so shy and wary of people.

I grew more fond of the characters in the book as the book progressed, and there was even a section which caused me to laugh out loud - much to the surprise of the people walking nearby!

Layton Williams, the narrator, was a great fit for this book. His voice is melodic, and it fits the characters so perfectly. I enjoyed listening to him reading this emotional story.

As an added bonus, we hear from the author at the end, and some stories are relayed which give us more insight into the terrible prejudices that that gay people faced back in the seventies and eighties.

All in all, a wonderful book - great characters and a lovely feel-good story.

This is such a wonderfully uplifting book with real depth. We meet Albert just as he is about to retire from his job as a postman. A job he loves, and has done all of his life, but a job that he slowly realises he's been doing as a substitute for having a real life. He is closed off to his colleagues and community but this book is his journey to opening himself up to real human connection. It's the story of being ashamed of who you are, because of society and family experiences, but then realising that things change and that there are so many people out there who will love you for who you are.

The characterisation is fantastic - I really wanted to hug Albert on many occasions. He is surrounded by a cast of bright and beautiful people who help him to realise his true self. I particularly loved his friendship with Nicole, a young single mum who also goes on her own journey of self realisation and acceptance.

It really reminded me of Mike Gayle's books, in particular I felt that Albert was so much like Hubert in All The Lonely People.

This was such a surprise and joy to read. I cannot wait to read more of Matt Cain's writing.

The narration really helped to bring the book to life and I cannot recommend it enough!

I adored this book and all the characters in it, I laughed at Marjorie when she was doing the quiz and loved the audio touches when characters were on the phone or speaking on a mic. The narrator did a fantastic job of being all the different characters and you could tell who each one was just by the voice. Loved the extract at the end too, cant wait for Matts next book. Thanks for allowing me to review this, I loved it

I listened to this on way to and from work. It was an easy listen and I found myself really tuning into the characters and routing for Albert. It was really heartwarming and so sad in places. Thanks for a great listen.

If I could have given this book more stars 🌟 I would have done. Such a beautiful heartwarming story of Arthur - a most understated hero. Both funny and sad in parts - I cried more than once - I was willing Arthur on from the start. If you liked Finding Missy and The Authenticity Project then this book is for you. Thought everything maybe tied up too neatly at the end but it did work. All the little side stories were good too.

I wanted to like this so much and it wasn't the writing that let me down but the narration as i think Layton Williams was the wrong choice for the voice. The writing was good and i loved the characters as Cain is really good at world building. The story was told beautifully and i enjoyed the overall piece, just not the narrator.

I finished listening to this book yesterday and loved, loved, loved it.

At first I was not sure, as I was not keen on the narrator. This may have been due to the fact that the narration style was totally different from the previous book I listened too.

I kept listening and about half an hour in I was 100% hooked. I loved the characters and how they changed, grew and developed. It was such an inspirational and life affirming read. At times it filled you with both anguish and overwhelming joy.

I will highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone and I can't wait to read Matt Cain's next book.

Below is my original review for the book version - listening to it made it all the more realistic than the book as the characters almost come alive.


This was a beautiful book to read. I loved Albert, I thought he was a great character and the story of his lost love and his decision to allow people to get to know him was such a heartwarming story. What I particularly enjoyed was the back story of George and Albert. Their love story was told with sensitivity and it went a long way to explaining the difficulties being gay was back in the 50's. There was nothing smutty about it, it explored first relationships and what happens when you are torn apart and don't find each other again for over 50 years. Albert has got so used to being alone that when he is ill he realises he has nobody. He finds out he has to retire at 65 and wonders what the hell his life will be. So he becomes friends with people on his postal round and friends with work colleagues. This is one of those books that will stay in my memory.

The Audiobook is a dream to listen to. You really get to know Albert Entwistle and the narrator Layton Williams really brings him to life. The pacing is excellent and so is the way Albert's story is delivered. I went out walk

Albert Entwistle is a postman, a pretty ordinary one at that and one that I was interested to know more about, even with the pang of sadness that he appears to have no life outside work, which poses a challenge when retirement is on the cards. 

I especially enjoyed getting to know Albert, George and Marjorie, as well as Nicole and seeing their lives unfold and how they are connected.

This is a very beautiful book that's so quick to get into. It's uplifting, with a cosy warmth. It also bridges the gap between younger and older generations, in some ways in the attutudes that and secrecy were around at certain times. It's quite hard to put down as you uncover great characters and a life with secrets that may not be quite what you're expecting and reasons why Albert hid part of his life for a time.

There are reunions and a love story that starts to play out and it is so lovely to watch it unfold. There's travel and theatre and such life drama. There's also a cat and an very emotional story unfolds that leaves you rooting for Albert more than ever.

There are discoveries made and life can be more than what you think it might as no one can predict the future. It is so poignant and touching in parts. The journeys that are taken, both deep, personal ones and the actual moving around from Toddington to Blackpool add to the great life affirming adventure, that so easily reels you in.

The book is entertaining to read/listen to and just projects so much joy and also so much emotion, with pinpoints of humour. There is strength of character and courage, which is absolutely fabulous!

This novel has been hugely popular and I was greatly looking forward to listening to the audiobook version.

Alfred, in his sixties, is a postman, has been all his life. He keeps himself to himself and is held together by daily routines ..rarely engaging with others. As the novel progresses we learn that he was forced to repress his sexuality because of public attitudes and laws…laws which prosecuted homosexual men. He lost the love of his life….Gradually Albert reconnects to the world through little contacts, conversations and friendships and begins to look for George..

I had mixed feelings about this book. There’s a huge story in here which I felt for me might have benefited from a more serious touch. The story feels rather light, sentimental, rather cliched…and I wanted it to be less frivolous…It also feels incredibly long. This is without doubt a heartwarming and uplifting story and I can understand its popularity with people seeking a hero and a feel good story with loveable characters and a search for love…This is a story with big messages about love and freedom, about speaking out and courage.

The audiobook narrator is well matched in accent and tone to the geography and mood of the book, however, for me it reinforced the sentimentality and light heartedness of the read. What I really loved was the interviews at the end of the audiobook..interviews with men who had lived through this period of history, unable to be open about their sexuality. These accounts were darker, more shocking and contrasted to the narrative of the story.

With many thanks to Headline Audio and Netgalley for a copy of this audiobook.

Albert Entwistle, you sweetheart!

Oh! This saccharine dripping, warm and joyously uplifting book stole my heart!

A perfect read for Pride Month, I am glad to have received an audiobook copy by NetGalley and Headline Audio. Thank you!

Synopsis –

Albert is a small town postman. He is an introvert, socially awkward & likes to lead a quiet little life keeping to himself & his cat Grace. He has done nothing but work for the past 50 years & now he is on the brink of retirement. The prospect of nothing to fill his days with, scares him more than anything. It is then he realizes that, the only things left for him to do are - to let his “secrets” out in the open & go look for the love of his life.

Review –

I can only say - READ THIS BOOK! Or even better if you LISTEN to it!

With a unique and touching love story at its heart, the author presents the journey of Albert’s self-discovery as he sets off on a mission to find his estranged and long-lost love.

What is amazing is that, I absolutely loved every single character here. The small town vibes and Albert’s limited interaction with his colleagues - and friends sets the tone initially.

Though I took some time to get used to the narrator’s accent and style, I began enjoying it soon. The pacing and voice adaptations were handled brilliantly to suit the characters.

Albert is one of those characters who will live forever in your hearts. Gentle, kind, and shy I adored him as he embarks on the most significant milestone of his life. It was a great pleasure to witness his transformation – as he begins to open up more with his friends, unveiling his real personality bit by bit, finding that the only way to live is by being true to who you really are.

With Albert’s primary POV, the narrative also follows Nicole’s perspective. I loved how she came to associate with Albert, guiding and supporting him – her character added so much value in terms of projecting the struggles of a black girl and the challenges she faces as a young, single mother.

The audio’s music effects worked well to transport us back to the 70s often, as Albert reminisces his teenage years and how his love got derailed – giving us glimpses of what it was to be gay during those days.

I found myself overcome with pure bliss - as to his disbelief, Albert finds happiness and the sense of belonging with his townsfolk, learning to let go of his past and embrace the future whole-heartedly.

I rooted for this wonderful little community coming together to celebrate their love, laughter and friendship.

64 year-old Albert is quite content with his life as a postman, and has kept himself to himself ever since his mother died. But with retirement looming in a month's time, Albert has to come to terms with the fact that perhaps he's a little lonelier than he thinks he is. Now is the time for drastic change, and part of that change means finding the man he fell in love with many years ago...

I'm only a third of the way through at the moment (thank you NetGalley for randomly deleting all the books of my shelf) so this is only a partial review really, but so far I've found Albert to be incredibly sweet, and a real protagonist you can route for. I'm very eager for my paperback version to arrive because I've just reached the point where it's all gone pretty wrong for poor Albert, and I'm eager to get back into the action and join him on his hunt to find George!

The paperback version published this month and its an excellent read for Pride, but if you're interested in audiobooks then it's worth considering picking up an audio copy. It's narrated by Everybody's Talking About Jamie and Bad Education's Layton Williams, who does an excellent job capturing the spirit of the book; uplifting, tender, and full of characters you'll really root for.

I adored Albert's story when I read it last year & loved the chance to listen to it again, expertly read by @laytonwilliams

We meet 64 year old postman Albert as he's nearing retirement and has nothing to look forward to - his world is small and he has kept himself shut away from everybody all his life. His only adult relationship was a tender and loving gay relationship as a teenager with his schoolfriend George, but that ended suddenly. Albert hasn't ever spoken about it or accepted that he is gay himself.

A gradual change of heart & a realisation that he is utterly lonely means that Albert starts building friendships with people around him, slowly opening up about his sexuality and he quickly finds that what he was most afraid of was all in his head and that everyone is dealing with their own issues and hidden pain. We all need to reach out to one another rather than hiding away waiting for someone else to make the first move.

Matt Cain has built a beautiful community with wonderful heartfelt characters who will stay with me for a long time and Layton reads it perfectly.

The audio book also includes exclusive interviews by Matt Cain with gay men on their experiences growing up which helps put Albert's reticence into context. The world has luckily moved on but the stigma and fear can last a lot longer.

Huge thanks to @headlinebooks & @mattcainwriter for asking me along.

Albert is 65, he has been a postman all his life, but when he receives a letter from HR saying he is to take retirement on his next birthday he feels his life spiraling out of control.
Instead, he must make a decision that he has kept a secret for many years.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this. I felt the narrative was predictable and boring and the characters were all exaggerated stereotypes, that were ticked off to be able to fit within this novel.

The major theme that runs through this novel with the main character is intriguing, however, the side character of Nicole I found more interesting. And my favorite character was Gracie, the cat; who isn't even in the whole book.

So in all, I understood the narrative, I just wish it was better executed.

I received this as an ALC however it was definitely the narrator that made it, as if I had to read this, I would not have finished.

Today is my turn on the Audiobook Blog tour for this book with thanks to Isabelle Wilson at Headline for sending me a copy of this book to review ,

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO START YOUR LIFE’S BIG ADVENTURE . . .

Albert Entwistle was a postman. It was one of the few things everyone knew about him. And it was one of the few things he was comfortable with people knowing.

64-year-old Albert Entwistle has been a postie in a quiet town in Northern England for all his life, living alone since the death of his mam 18 years ago. He keeps himself to himself. He always has. But he’s just learned he’ll be forced to retire at his next birthday. With no friends and nothing to look forward to, the lonely future he faces terrifies him. He realises it’s finally time to be honest about who he is. He must learn to ask for what he wants. And he must find the courage to look for George, the man that, many years ago, he lost – but has never forgotten

This audio book tells the story of Albert who has worked as a postman for Royal Mail since leaving school as he is 64 years old he receives a letter saying that he will be forced to retire at his next birthday, he enjoys when he isn’t at work spending time with his cat Gracie for company.

Albert is very lonely in his life and suffers from anxiety.

During Albert life he spent many years looking after his mother who has passed away,

Albert one day finds something in his mothers bedroom which will change the course of his life and makes him opening up to people about who he really is after hiding who is really is for so long .

Will he find George the love of his life ?

Without giving away any spoilers what follows next is an outstanding book which made me cry lots but also made me laugh lots .

if you haven’t read this book I would highly recommend you do.

Wow what an outstanding audio book this is this audiobook is going to stay with me for a very long time .

with thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the arc of this book in exchange for this review

⭐️ 5 ⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Bloomin’ ‘eck, what an emotional rollercoaster ride that was!

I read The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle last year and absolutely loved it. I’ve just finished listening to it on audiobook and adored it just as much — it’s brilliantly narrated by Layton Williams, who brings the lovely Albert to life.

Matt Cain has crafted such a beautiful, poignant, uplifting and completely captivating story; a story of self-discovery, optimism, friendship and above all, love.

Sixty-four year old Albert Entwistle is a wonderful, endearing character, a true gentleman. A character so real, you just want to steal him from the book and envelop him in the biggest hug — obviously taking care not to crush his Crunchie in the process!

The story is heartwarming, and at times heartbreaking. My eyes leaked tears of sadness but mostly of sheer joy. With laugh-out-loud moments and gentle humour throughout; Albert and his fabulously diverse supporting cast kept me entertained from start to finish. I slowly savoured the final few chapters, because I genuinely didn’t want the journey to end.

Albert has captured a piece of my heart; his special, life-affirming story will stay with me for a very long time.

I originally read and reviewed this wonderful book last year for its release date. Now, thanks to the publisher, I have had the pleasure of listening to the audio book for the blog tour to coincide with both the paperback publication day and the start of Pride Month. I hope many more readers and listeners meet Albert. The audio book is brilliantly narrated by Layton Williams who brings the characters to life so well.

How do. Grab yourself a Crunchie bar and join Albert on his emotional, funny, life changing journey to find the long lost love of his life.

Albert is a postman. He is a loner, keeps himself to himself and is terrified of actually having to talk to anyone. He has his well practised excuses to get away, should any of his customers try to start a conversation.

He has lived alone since his mother, who he cared for, died almost 20 years ago.

He is due to retire in a few months on his 65th birthday.

He has regrets about his life but comes to a monumental decision. He is going to do whatever it takes to find the love of his life. The thing is that it is a man and no-one knows he is gay.

As he begins his search he becomes friends with Nicole, a young single mum, who has her own challenges. He needs help with all this social media stuff!

As he begins to come out of his shell and reveal the real Albert he gains more friends and more support than he could ever have imagined.

Will he find the love and happiness he deserves and live happily ever after? You will just have to read it and find out.

Have tissues ready!


I just loved this book. I fell in love with Albert immediately. What a gentleman. The other characters are very well written and relatable, most are going through some personal trauma or difficulty in their lives just as we all are.

I highly recommend this book. It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling similar to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I know it is going to stay with me for a very long time and was my top read of 2021!