📍 Thank you to the publisher, author + NetGalley for an advanced review copy. All opinions are my own. Review also posted to @redheadbookgirl (IG), Goodreads and Storygraph.

The premise of this book sounded unique, intriguing and just kinda cute and I’m so glad I read it 🥹 A touching and wholesome story with strong messages of never being too old to find love + to be yourself, the pages were filled with warmth and humour.

The characterisation of both MC’s was brilliant, but Arthur was the star of the show. I read about a third of this, then actually switching to audiobook and absolutely loved the audio version. Narrated by Bruce Alexander, Arthur was sweet, loveable, charming and a character you couldn’t help but root for. He made me miss my granddad terribly🫶🏼 The rest of the characters were probably a bit underdeveloped and less likeable, BUT Arthur made up for this entirely.

I was particularly able to connect to this story having experienced my own Father coming out as gay when I was a young child. At the time this was incredibly confusing, and it was eye opening to look back and see how my views and understanding has grown and changed since about twenty years ago.

This book does deal with some big issues, with a lot of homophobic dialogue particularly in the first half, when Arthur’s family struggles to accept his sexuality. My only complaint is I would have liked to see both Arthur and Teddy make Elizabeth take more responsibility for her harmful actions + educated her, rather than the seemingly easy forgiveness that occurred because she turned up to their fundraiser.

𝑬𝒇𝒇𝒚 @ 𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍
✨🍂

Such a wonderful story. I really didn't want this to end and would love to have a sequel. It's not all love hearts and flowers but a true reflection how hard it can be to be true to yourself and hope family and friends embrace this. The author got this perfectly. Already recommending to family and friends

I really liked this book. Following the characters Arthur and Teddy as they find their way along their own journey of coming out as gay. It's a beautiful story, and it even made me cry on occasion. A lovely hug in the form of a book. Would recommend.

This was a DNF for me but I think it was down to me, not the book. While I liked Arthur and Teddy as characters, the writing fell flat and I wasn't invested in the plot, giving me no motivation to keep going with the book. A lot of it was very on the nose for me, easily allowing you to get where the story was going and it wasn't a journey I particularly needed to see for myself.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Before I start my review I just want to say how happy I am about the Note to Readers at the start of the book that highlights all the accessibility features that this ebook has if needed, I really appreciate things like this as my daughter has dyslexia and she needs a green background to be able to read anything, thank you.

Arthur and Teddy are Grandad and Grandson and they are going through the exact same thing but Arthur tells his family he’s Gay first leaving Teddy shocked at the news but even more wary of telling his family his own news because of the reaction his Grandad Arthur got. What follows is a wonderful read that will make you emotional as they both come to terms with who they are.

I really enjoyed this book it was so easy to read and I think it will appeal to the younger readers because it’s got a modern vibe too it.

I could easily see this story being made into Netflix show, it would help so many people going through the same thing, even if you’re the same age as Arthur or Teddy it doesn’t matter as it appeals to all the ages.

This story definitely put a HUGE smile on my face and I predict it’s going to be one of the best books of 2023!.

Teddy and Arthur are members of the same family who are both gay. This books explores how they both find their way through the closet and out the other side. It’s a warm light story well told through the viewpoint of both men who have a lot of years between them.
A little bit too sweet for me, this is an easy read that many will enjoy.
I give this book 2.5 ⭐️
Many thanks to #NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book.

I really hate giving negative reviews, and it seems like I am in the minority with this one, but unfortunately I just cannot give this more than 1 star. I couldn't even finish it. Which is a real shame, because I was so excited to read this book - the premise sounded really amazing.

But there are so many issues from that start, that I simply couldn't get beyond the first few chapters. Let's begin with the pacing, which is all off. It skips from one scene to the next without properly addressing any of the issues that come up. And given this book deals with some pretty big issues, that's a problem.

Then there's Elisabeth, who comes across like a caricature villain rather than a daughter who is struggling to deal with her father's news. I write this as someone whose own wife was outed by a family member and is still dealing with transphobic views within the family, so I am not against this kind of representation. But it is handled so poorly in this story that I simply cannot continue reading.

It feels very much like a queer book aimed at the masses that is trying to throw in so much that it doesn't do justice to any single issue and simply becomes almost like trauma porn. And it's such a shame, because as I say the premise sounded so good. But it misses the mark for me.

This is a debut novel I’d highlighted at the start of the year in my “Looking Forward” post. I was admittedly nervous as it is being promoted as “the feel-good novel of the year”, this means for me it could go either way with too high expectations leaving me disappointed. I do think this description is just about appropriate and the author demonstrates good skills at keeping readers entertained with his first publication.
At the age of 79 Arthur has decided to come out to his family, wanting to live the time he has left as a gay man. At the same time his 21 year old grandson Teddy is contemplating doing the same thing. The strongest aspect throughout is this intergenerational bond, the obstacles posed by their new situation and their coming to terms with themselves and one another provide the best moments in the novel. The woman between them, Arthur’s daughter and Teddy’s mother creates a significant number of these obstacles. Her reaction to her father’s revelation pushes her son back into the closet.
In reality, nobody here has it that difficult, considering. The London suburbs where Arthur lives seems surprisingly antiquated in its views and Teddy already has his life mapped out if only he will follow the plan set by his celebrated journalist mother. In alternating narratives focusing on Arthur and Teddy we seem them coming to terms with aspects of their lives and the focus is very much on what they expect to get out of things. Arthur, although much older, seems the most optimistic.
The emphasis is on feel-good yet I felt it lacked slightly the laugh-out-loud set pieces which would really make it memorable and I would have liked a greater share of the limelight given to Arthur’s wife of many years, Madeleine. I know that this is not her story but I felt she needed a little rounding out as a character as she gave her husband a very easy ride. She had had decades to come to terms with things but I felt even a scene depicting a conversation between her and Teddy’s mother where their responses were explored openly would have benefited both characters.
When a new character who has accepted his sexuality is introduced, the octogenarian Oscar, I had high hopes for some more riotous moments but he also felt ultimately under-developed which is a shame.
I did really like the tensions of potential office romance and the adage of “you’re never too old” which runs through Arthur’s story but is definitely the strength of the bond between Arthur and Teddy which will have readers praising this. The title advertises the book well- you certainly know what you will be getting as a reader and if you are not prepared to be drawn into these characters’ worlds you are unlikely to have chosen to read it in the first place. A good debut.
Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out is published in the UK by HQ on 13th April 2023. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

Arthur has made a decision, it’s one that has been a long time coming, he is going to come out. But Arthur is 79 years old and is married to Madeleine, they have two children and three grandchildren. Madeleine has known for a while and is incredibly supportive, but to say the rest of the family is shocked is an understatement. Their daughter Lizzie all but disowns him and neighbours they have known for many years gossip and ostracise him.
This unpleasant situation makes it all the more difficult for Teddy, Arthur’s 21-year-old grandson to make his announcement. When his mum is behaving so appallingly to his grandad, how can Teddy announce he is also gay?
Teddy is finding things much more difficult than Arthur, and they become closer as they share their experiences of dating and life in general as gay men. Whilst Arthur is a very determined person, Teddy is more wobbly and unsure, but comes into his own by the end of the book.
I loved this warm-hearted book. Telling the stories of Arthur and Teddy in the same situation, but with vastly different experiences. It has many aspects which draw on your emotions, both with highs and lows. The characters are so warm, and you really feel as though you get to know them and see the situation from their perspective.
This is a brilliant example of why it’s worth leaving your comfort zone and trying a book by a new author once in a while.

Smile-inducing, uplifting dual Coming Out family story.

Those in the UK reading this might be reminded of a fairly recent TV presenter when seeing Arthur - who comes out to his family unexpectedly, after a lifetime in a happy marriage, with children and community shocked.

And while it crossed my mind, and made me sad for both the fictional and real lives this story encompasses, my heart was also with them both. For their own reasons, people hide their real selves. And in their own time, maybe they can manage to scrape together the courage to reveal who they really are, with - fingers crossed - acceptance and love the result.

Arthur is 79 when he and his wife Madeleine sit down their adult children to announce that Arthur is in fact gay. Daughter Elizabeth is upset, forbidding her children from speaking to their grandfather. But Teddy is far from upset himself, as he too has been holding onto the same secret, avoiding coming out to Elizabeth after the death of his dad and now even more worried how she'll react.

Teddy's own story, that of the intern at his mother's newspaper, vying with another young man for assignments, respect and ultimately a job, competes with the plotline of him and his granddad both coming to terms with their own selves and their place in the world.

Both men's stories are equally enjoyable. Senior online dating. First love. Lost love. Unrequited love. Council meetings. But mostly various loves. It was wonderful to see caring and supportive familial relationships between the generations and coming out stories for such different characters with different histories.

For those enjoying this, I would also recommend Matt Cain's The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle.

Ryan Love gives this family story the warmth and humour it needs, and it's a feel-good tale that I was sorry to see end but glad to see end as it did.

It's never too late to be yourself.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

Such a lovely heartwarming story of Arthur and Teddy coming out. At times I was literally laughing out load at it. Really well written and I couldn't read it quick enough! I'd love to hear more from them both to check in.

A typical l ove story with a big difference. Boy loves boy, boy loses boy and then things work out in the end. A sweet story which does address issues of sexuality. The first couple of chapters set the scene and are quite clunky, but the book definitely improves as it goes on . The issues of homosexuality across different generations are well described, the attitudes of family and acquaintances is portrayed perhaps a bit too black or white. Small town life seems somewhat claustrophic and gossipy and some of the about turns do not seem realistic.
However the book is entertaining and left me with a feel good feeling. Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review .

— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Arthur & Teddy Are Coming Out
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Ryan Love
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: LGBT Romance
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 13th April 2023
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 3.5/5

”It’s been strange since coming out. I didn’t really think about how I would feel after it. You forget that it’s not just one moment. It’s a moment you have with every single person after that too.”

Category is: wholesome!!

The main vibe I get from this dual POV debut novel is gay pride realness. Teddy is struggling with his identity as a gay man whilst his grandad, Arthur, has taken the step to live his life as his true self at the age of 79 and comes out as gay to his family. Ensuing this is plot filled with the impact Arthur’s brave decision.

Although much of the wholesome atmosphere also stems from the supporting characters, particularly Madeleine, who is a queen, and Oscar, who is a king.

I looked more forward to reading Arthur’s POV than Teddy’s, I found that Arthur as a character is what made this book a triumph for me. I bet not many characters can admit to being outshined by their 79 year old grandad.

There were some truly sad and poignant moments that hit really hard, but also there’s a lot of happy moments that were incredibly heart warming. This book definitely has a good balance to provoke the most strongest emotions. There was some homophobia in this book, particularly due to the small town setting, but I found that the love and support far outweighed the hate.

𝑲𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉 @ 𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒉 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒚
🧚‍♀️🤍

It’s hard to read a book when you find yourself so thoroughly at odds with almost all of it that you start to wonder if maybe it’s your beliefs about how to treat people are the ones which are wrong. Maybe this sounds dramatic! But I truly felt like I was going out of my mind for about half of this book (Teddy’s half).

Let me back up a little bit and tell you what this book is about. The story opens with Arthur, Teddy’s 79-year-old grandfather, coming out to his children. They do not take it well (another point of contention I had, but I’ll come back to that a lot later). Teddy, having seen this, mutually comes out to Arthur, even as his mother (and Arthur’s daughter) forbids he sees his grandfather again. (He’s 21, mind you.) Anyway, most of this book is them individually and together fighting bigoted views in their hometown and finding (or refinding) love.

So. The gripes.

They’re twofold really, the first relating to Teddy and his treatment of Ben (apparently his boyfriend but you wouldn’t know it) and the second to the story’s narrative and its easy forgiveness of Elizabeth’s homophobia (YMMV on this one). Let’s start with Teddy and Ben because I have a lot to say about it and there will be spoilers (so stop now if you don’t want them).

Teddy’s narrative goes something like this: the little nepo baby is as nepo baby does and, apparently having “caved”, allows his mother to pull some strings and get him a job at the same newspaper she worked at. He’s a trainee there, but not the only one. Except everyone seems to have forgotten about the second trainee, Ben, too excited as they are about nepo baby being there. Ben, for obvious reasons, is less than impressed by this, since he’s had to work hard and pull himself up by the bootstraps to get here (he later reveals he was disowned by his parents for being gay. Double whammy). To which, Teddy’s response is basically “woe is me, this man hates me, I didn’t ask to be treated like this”. Except you did, nepo baby, when you asked your mum to hook you up with the job. What exactly did you think was going to happen? Teddy’s best friends’ responses to this are basically to massage his ego, call Ben a dickhead and tell Teddy not to trust him. Can someone please explain what Ben is supposed to have done to deserve this except fight tooth and nail for the single job that’s there at the end of it all, that he’s worked hard for the opportunity to get? Oh, boo hoo, he hurt Teddy’s feelings!

Anyway, they set aside this animosity eventually and start dating, at which point, the real travesty happens. Shakeel, Teddy’s best mate, is quite clearly in love with Teddy. The reader knows this, their other best friend knows this, Ben knows this. The only person who doesn’t is Teddy. And Shakeel, in his jealousy, treats Ben like shit. Teddy, in his supposed capacity as a boyfriend (ha!), seems more interested in defending Shakeel than he is telling Shakeel not to treat his (supposed) boyfriend in this way. Sure, Ben isn’t perfect. He, arguably, pressures Teddy a bit to come out, so he doesn’t feel like a dirty secret (which, they do come to an understanding on) and he’s hardly concerned with trying to be friends with Shakeel. Although, can you blame him, when the first time you meet the guy, he spends the night being an absolute dickwad to you, unprovoked? Like we get it, Shakeel is in love with Teddy himself, but that doesn’t allow him to go be so awful to Ben about it?

So this continues, and it’s clear to the reader at least that Ben is struggling with feeling insecure about his job (because Teddy, being a nepo baby, has obviously got the end position all sewn up) and insecure about his relationship (given how much Teddy’s best friend hates him and how Teddy’s always telling Ben to try get along with Shakeel, and never confronting Shakeel about how he’s treating Ben). You can probably tell by now who exactly I’m siding with here.

I will allow that Ben then does something pretty bad (although, you can understand where he’s coming from with it, even if our resident nepo baby refuses to). He takes Teddy’s grandfather’s story, which Teddy had shared with him, asked him to look into and then asked him to stop, and writes it up as an article anyway. The reason I say you can understand it is because he’s obviously desperate. He’s clearly falling behind Teddy — who, by the way, doesn’t even seem to want the job he’s been given — and he feels he needs to do something to get back on track. Like I say, regardless of your stance on whether it’s forgivable, you can see why he got here. Thus, they break up because Ben has broken Teddy’s trust (fair enough), but there’s hardly mention of how badly Teddy had been treating Ben up to this point. The one thing Ben says about it is only in the sense that Teddy must have known earlier than this how he felt about Ben, but he kept stringing him along (fair!). Does Teddy ever apologise for this? Does he ever apologise for how he treated Ben? Does Shakeel ever apologise either? No! Of course not! Ben is the villain here, remember!

There’s also brought up how Ben’s dickhead ex-boyfriend, who he’s also still friends with, refers to Teddy as a mummy’s boy and somehow this is another charge laid against Ben. I mean, firstly, it’s not wrong, nepo baby! And secondly, if you’re going to blame Ben’s friend for hurting your feelings, perhaps Ben is justified in blaming you when Shakeel treats him like dirt. If you spend your whole time never listening to how your boyfriend’s feelings were hurt by your best friend’s behaviour, is it any surprise you break up?

But don’t worry! At the end, our little nepo baby oh so magnanimously turns down the job at the newspaper so that Ben can have it! How civic-minded of him!

Teddy and Shakeel deserved each other, basically.

The second thing, if you’re still here reading this review, was about Elizabeth, Teddy’s mother and Arthur’s daughter. Both times someone comes out to her, she manages to make it so totally about herself it’s almost impressive. She accuses Arthur of ruining their lives, and cuts him off almost completely. She outs him to the entire town shouting about it in the convenience store! And Arthur, much more nice than I would be about it, is willing just to wait for her to come around and forgive him! Like, sorry, but Elizabeth should be on her knees begging for Arthur’s forgiveness.

Does she learn, though, when Teddy comes out? Ha ha ha, pull the other one! She accuses him of making it up, of coming out to spite her personally, of attempting to take the spotlight away from his uncle’s engagement, anything but recognise that he’s being vulnerable to her and hoping, despite knowing how she reacted to her father’s coming out, that she might be kind to him. And then she kicks him out.

Is there any sort of reckoning for Elizabeth? Does she crawl on her hands and knees and grovel? No, of course not! She decides to show up at their charity fundraiser and that manages to earn her forgiveness immediately. The reason I said your mileage may vary on this one is that some people, like Teddy and Arthur for example, might be a lot more forgiving of her behaviour than me. But why should gay people forgive this kind of behaviour? She made a moment of bravery and vulnerability from them all about herself, not only once but twice. She might not have been overtly homophobic about it, but she sure as hell skated close.

In conclusion, by writing this review I have talked myself down from giving this book 2 stars, and now I’m rating it just the one. My two-word review: fucking infuriating.

Arthur and Teddy are coming out does what it says in the title. We alternatively look at Arthur - a grandfather who has come out and his wife of decades is fully supportive of him. And Teddy, the grandson, who has yet to come out and with the reaction Arthur gets, wonders if he should.

I found the book ok, but I think this is due to the genre it was. I found it a little too predictable and some of the characters were jarring. Elizabeth really ruined it for me. Her reactions were so out of kilter based on the open, honest parents she had. How did she end up so homophobic?!

The ending was also a little rushed for me, lots and lots happened between last chapter and epilogue which didn't match with the pace of the rest of the book.

Sensitive subjects are discussed really well within this book. Characters are great and the story is well written.

I received a free copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Wouldn’t call this a feel-good more both a heart warmer and a heartbreaker because there are some ROUGH bits. But the message shines through in this page-turner about a grandfather and his grandson coming out and the ups and downs that follow. I read it all in one go. I remember every sad, scary, or downright heartwarming moment. But when following two stories at once, one tends to shine more than the other and Arthur’s story stands out a lot more than Teddy’s to the point I was skimming Teddy’s indecisive love life and focusing more on Arthur’s taking a chance to be himself at long last [I especially love how they made his wife not exactly the beard but someone who was participating from the start, very nice change] with a heartwarming ending that made me honestly choke up.

This was just a really heartwarming read. The parallel of someone in their 20s and 70s coming out at the same time, in the same family? It was always going to get me. Despite some tough moments, it really is one for those of us who are soft-hearted.

I will say the epilogue felt disjointed, I felt like I had missed something. And there were a couple of things that didn't sit right with me around Teddy's mum that never really get addressed. But overall this was a lovely reading experience.

A lovely, heart-warming read!
I really liked following Arthurs story after he comes out at 79 and goes on quite the journey to find himself and acceptance with the people he knows and loves. His story runs alongside that of his grandson, Teddy, who is also gay and finding the strength to tell people and live his life how he wants.
I really liked the switch between the two characters, seeing the different ages represented was great but I have to confess I enjoyed Arthurs side of the story the most.
Sadly for me I found some parts a bit slow and predictable but I still enjoyed the story overall it just wasn't as fast paced or funny as perhaps I thought it would be!
Perfect for fans of Grace and Frankie as it has a similar feel to it ..

TW: homophobia, conversion therapy, suicide, cancer, death of a parent.

Huge thanks to Net Galley and HQ Stories for letting me meet Arthur and Teddy early.

These charming characters documented both the joys of discovering yourself and sharing who you are alongside the more negative sides. The relationship between Madeleine and Arthur was so beautiful, the love between them and the loyalty after decades of marriage is something to aspire to. Madeleine is Arthur’s staunchest supporter as he navigates coming out in a town that is overall very judgemental and incredibly nosey. My heart hurt for Arthur, facing the harsh reactions from his neighbours, friends and even his family. He was so generous and understanding, excusing people’s reactions to his revelation when I was ready to leap into the pages and defend him.

The closeness of Teddy’s relationship with his grandfather was so heartwarming and it was lovely for Teddy to have Arthur’s support as he battled with whether or not to come out to his family - especially in light of his mother’s reaction to Arthur revealing he’s gay. I felt such sympathy for Teddy and admired both his and Arthur’s bravery in owning who they are after feeling as though they had to hide their sexuality for years, or even decades.
This wasn’t a smooth ride but there were a lot of happy moments amongst the sadder ones. This story looked at the pressure from yourself and others to open up about your sexuality, the struggles of dating, dating in secret, the aggression, violence and bigotry from strangers, and so many other difficult topics in a sensitive and honest way.

This is the perfect read for fans of The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.