Member Reviews
Thank you so much to the publisher, the author, and netgalley for sending me an e-ARC to read. I gave this book four stars.
The premise of this book had me intrigued and hopeful as someone who came out in my teens to unaccepting parents and later as an adult in regards to my gender. No matter your age, it's a fearful experience even if you're surrounded by support so Arthur and Teddy's story spoke to me.
Unfortunately, the story was lacklustre and I was left feeling that a story that could have given both insight and hope to people of any age who are wanting to come out to others, was wasted. Arthur's story was especially appealing because it's rare in an LGBTQIA book to have the focal character be an older character - Arthur's a 79 year old grandfather with children and grandchildren and a,wonderful wife; Madeline. The acceptance of Madeline in regards to Arthur's sexuality was refreshing and beautifully told but you don't see very much of their journey from her side and I think it would have added so much to how the two move forward as best friends. There's also the sad story of just why Arthur kept his sexuality secret and it felt as though the author didn't give the situation the care that was necessary.
I honestly could have just read Arthur's story without Teddy's if I'm honest.
Teddy's story is absolutely infuriating and I hate both the way he acts throughout the story as he desperately needed someone to simply put him in his place. Whether it be in work and abusing his position, or dismissing someone he's supposed to care about needs. If your partner is saying someone is repeatedly treating them badly, and you yourself can see that happening - you don't blame your partner for the love of God! He maybe twenty-one and fair enough, he's immature for his age but his behaviour resembles some of my son's friends and they're fifteen and there's drama 24/7.
The homophobia from family members and the friends of Arthur is awful to read and far too stereotypical for my liking. I especially hated how Arthur's daughter (who is Teddy's mother) acts and wanted to scream at her through the pages to grow up as she's about the same age as me but again? Acts like a tantruming child who needs a time-out. I fully understand that she's hurt but it's petulant and reactionary and of course, she's the victim in the situation.
I could go on… but the general gist is this could have been a wonderful story of acceptance, of love and finding and loving your true self. A reminder also that families now, more than ever are changing and evolving.
In the end, Arthur was easily walked over, Teddy needed to be thrown into a cold shower and reminded that the world doesn't revolve around him, as does his Mom.
This is my book of 2024. I took a while reading it and I think that was mostly because I didnt want it to end. A must read!! READ IT.
Sweet, wholesome, family drama, lovely and cute. My only criticism is that it's very predictable. But loved it! Very vivid and heart-warming characters.
This is well written with well developed characters. The characters are brilliant. This is such a great debut
Overall I enjoyed this book, I LOVED Arthur, at times it was a little bit of a push to get through Teddy's chapters. Generally though it was such a sweet story and a good ending. I just wish I could read more of Arthur's story!
I really liked the premise of this book, and I enjoyed the story. But the writing felt very simplistic and one toned.
A fantastic plot!
But very quickly it turned into a cheesy not very well written story. I kept putting this down and picking it back up again. The plot like I said is absolutely fantastic and I really think it could have been an amazing book but it just isn’t what I was wanting.
I enjoyed this book, but I didn't especially love it.
It's such a mixed bag of emotions reading this book. It took me quiet a long time to read, as It just didn't hold my attention.
However that being said, it was a Heart-warming story about a grandfather and his grandson both coming to terms with revealing to the family, that they are gay. Being accepted by them, dealing with big changes, moving on, and finding themselves.
It's a story of fractured relationships, new blossoming romances, change, finding oneself, and proving you're never too old to grab life by the horns.
I would recommend this book to others. It's definitely a plot I've not come across before.
I'm interested if you do decide to read the book, which story you was more invested in... Arthur or Teddy. (For me it was Arthur).
I just loved this book. A cracking debut. It hits all the right places in all the right ways. Feel good without feeling schmaltzy. Will definitely be looking out for more from Ryan Love.
Interesting storyline that captures your attention from the beginning. Realistic characters, well written flaws which are important to this story given the subject matter. An enjoyable read.
A heartwarming, feel good story that was both uplifting, poignant and engaging. A coming out story from two perspectives both the grandfather and the grandson. Both characters created with warmth and kindness. Don't miss this one!
There are so many good things about this book: how Arthur's and Teddy's stories mirror yet differ fom each other; the engrossing push and pull of Teddy's relationships; the well-crafted nuances of people's reactions and attitudes. It's a great read.
At times it felt a little clichéd, but that can be comforting. Some parts frustrated me, but that's the sign of a good story, right?! I was certainly invested in the outcome, which didn't disappoint. More to the point, this book shows how reactions to someone's sexuality or coming out aren't always supportive; it's honest about the homophobia and anger that can ensue, and that's important to represent and to challenge. Overall, this is an enjoyable and compulsive contemporary LGBTQ+ read.
Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out is a very sweet, somewhat predictable but always heartwarming story with an eye-catching cover about two men; elderly gentleman Arthur and his 22 year old grandson Teddy, both of whom are gay and are finding the right moment to come out and live as their true, authentic selves.
Despite the story being a little twee, I really enjoyed it and I would recommend it if you're looking for a comforting read that will tug at your heartstrings. While some of the characters show bigotry towards Arthur and Teddy, most show only love, support and compassion to them as they embark on a new chapter of their lives.
The book deals with some heavy topics (suicide, suicidal ideation, bigotry, discrimination) but with the lightest of touches and some of the characters are cartoonishly villainous at times (not looking at anyone in particular, Ben and Elizabeth!). The overarching theme of the book however is acceptance, kindness, forgiveness and love so while this might not be everyone's cup of tea, fans of well-written, easy, contemporary fiction will love it. 3-3.5/5 stars
A feel-good family read, made even more immersive by the audiobook with two narrators, one for 22 year old Teddy and one for his grandad, 79 year old Arthur, both of whom go through some extraordinary life experiences in the book.
The title seems like a spoiler but we know from the beginning what the other characters don’t. Both Arthur and his grandson are gay, but they haven’t shared it with anyone. Yet.
The book follows Arthur’s mission to finally come out and be accepted in his community for who he is, and Teddy’s quest to make his own place in the world as a journalist under the shadow of his mum’s own writing fame.
This is a great read especially if like me you love books with senior characters.
This one reminded me of Mike Gayle’s All the Lonely People for the community spirit, Beth O’Leary’s The Switch for the grandparent/grandchild dynamic and Matt Cain’s Arthur Entwhistle for a protagonist fighting the demons of his past to finally be proud of who he is.
OMG I loved this, the beautiful relationship between Arthur and Teddy was just the sweetest. Truly heartwarming and also an easy feel good read.
A really sweet, if not naive in parts, story of a family and their truths. I really liked Arthur’s story in particular having had a mother who moved to Texas to be with her lesbian lover in her sixties. Highly recommended.
I’m disappointed with myself for the DNF.
I really wanted to love this book and I think that is what let me down.
Unfortunately, it just couldn’t keep my attention.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
I read this a while back now but it was just so heartwarming and endearing. We meet Arthur and Teddy both at different stages in life but both tackling similar feelings. Their bond was lovely to read about and getting to follow on their individual journeys as they discovered themselves and finding their own true happiness was lovely.
This is just the sweetest book! I love the relationship between Teddy and Arthur, and the help and support they offer each other. It was a real joy to read despite dealing with some tricky issues. It really is such a heartwarming story and it's one of those where you just know everything is going to turn out ok. A real dose of happiness in a book :) I wish I had a granddad like Arthur. Thanks to Ryan Love, HQ and Netgalley for the ARC.