I fancied something a bit lighter than my recent fare to read so requested this book and got it almost immediately. I am not one for humour and I am a 70 year old child-free (not child-less) woman. I loved this book. Red is a great character and it is obvious that the writer has intimate knowledge of young children and their behaviour patterns and endless questions and comments - and mad plans. I found out later that he has a popular blog on such matters. Frank is grieving and agorophobic. He needs Red as much as Red needs him. A great story with a good ending. Really enjoyed it.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. I absolutely loved it, it was a fabulous story from beginning to end, it made me laugh out loud more than once and also reduced me to tears. I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

Frank and Red is the book you didn’t know you needed.
Frank is an elderly gentleman who is grieving his wife, is estranged from his son, and finds it harder and harder to leave his house. His anxiety is turning him into a recluse.
Red is a 6 year old boy who has just witnessed his parents split up, and now he has had to move away from everything he's ever known. New house, new school, new friends, and new neighbours.
Matt Coyne captures Red perfectly. He's chatty, inquisitive, annoying, innocent, helpful and naive. He just can’t understand why his new neighbour doesn’t want to get to know him.
I won’t give away the storyline, but it’s an absolute delight to read. It’s one of those books you think about for days after you’ve read it.
I read this is just two sittings, pretty much ignoring my family as I couldn’t put it down! My husband looked confused as one minute I was giggling away , the next I had tears in my eyes.
“Frank and Red” by Matt Coyne is published on 01.02.24 and is available for pre-order now on Amazon, Waterstones and all good book stockists. Order yours now!

Oh, this book. It brightened every day I was reading it. So funny and yet with a heartwarming, touching theme running through.

Two fantastic characters in Frank and Red. Frank widowed and missing his wife had become something of a recluse. Anxiety coupled with grief made him too anxious to leave the house and couldn’t venture beyond his front door.

Enter Red. Six year old Red moves into the house next door to Frank with his mum, after she splits up with Red’s Dad. The author Matt Coyne captures a typical six year old boy perfectly. Inquisitive, innocent, very chatty, he’s a lovable character who makes the perfect double act with Frank a little later in the book.

I’m not going to go into the plot as this is most definitely a book you just have to read yourself but I promise you this, it’s an absolute joy of a book to read that will have you laughing out loud most of the way through, but occasionally there could be tears. I loved it, a fabulous story that brings with it lessons in the spontaneity of youth and the stubbornness stemming from the older person who has had ‘a bit of a falling out’ that’s gone a little too far, and where pride stands in the way of reconciliation. If only as we age, we could recapture some of that simplicity of thinking that only a six year old does so well, we might all be a little happier. Fab book. Go read it!


**to be added to my blog around publication date**.

Brilliant! I absolutely loved pretty much everything about this book. I especially loved the characters and the attention to detail that makes Red, in particular, so real.

I was frequently reminded of several books as I read this, but I don't mean this in a negative way at all. These are some of my most favourite books and it will be lovely to add this one to the pile when it is published. If you have enjoyed About a Boy - Nick Hornby, Dog Days - Ericka Waller, Lost and Found - Tom Winter or Swimming for Beginners - Nicola Gill, this is definitely a book for you. It's a proper feel-good story. It's comfy. You kind of know where it's probably going but the characters and how they're going to get there will keep you wanting more. As with some of the best books, I couldn't put it down but I didn't want it to end, not necessarily because it was fast-paced or high-action, but because I wanted to stay in that world with the characters for as long as possible.

This was a really good read- it got the balance right in my opinion- between being too twee or too sugary- this story deals with deep grief and how to start living life again- and on the other side- providing love, stability and friendship. I found this charming. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

Frank is an older widower, whose life has gone to pieces since the death of his wife Marcie. Nor is he making any attempt to put the pieces together.

Estranged from his son, shutting out all of his friends, refusing to leave his house, and letting his once beloved garden descend into anarchy, Frank is more or less in freefall.

At this point, 6 year old Red moves in next door with his mother. Red is dealing with his own problems, not least the loss of his childhood home as his father has left them for "Tits and Teeth", and his mother has decided to move across town to a less than impressive new home for a new start. In addition to all this, Red ends being brutally bullied at school.

Despite this unpromising situation, Red develops an unlikely interest in Frank, perhaps because there is so little else to engage his interest and vivid imagination in this new location. Be that as it may, when circumstances create an enforced proximity between them for a week-long period, their relationship blossoms.

This is a heartwarming story - if not on a particularly original theme. For Frank, who has had little company in the last two years, other than the ghost (or imaginary presence) of his wife Marcie, Red turns out to be a gamechanger. The same is true for Red, struggling to adjust to more than any child should have to.

Themes of grief, bullying, loneliness and loss of a loved one - through death or abandonment - are nicely covered here. Recommended for those looking for a story that will make them laugh and cry and end up smiling. I give it 3.5 stars.

Frank and Red is the debut novel from the author and I found it to be a beautifully written, warm and empathic read.
Six year old Red moves in next door to 60 something Frank who is grieving the death of his beloved wife Marcie. Frank doesn't leave the house, he's estranged from his son and his friends and his only company is the presence of Marcie. Red has his own problems, he's moved home with his mum after his parent's separation and is being bullied at his new school.
This is the story of the developing relationship between Frank and Red- it's not an original idea but it is done so well and I found myself completely immersed in the lives of Frank and Red who are characters that will stay with me for a long time. The author covers issues such as grief and loss, loneliness and bullying with sensitivity and empathy and so avoids making this a cliched read. I adored both characters and loved the flashbacks to the younger Frank and Marcie which helped my understanding of Frank and his grief.
A recommended read. 4.5 stars
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Frank hasn't left the house since his wife passed away and has fallen out with their only son. He's your typical grumpy old man and is predictably irritable when a six-year-old boy called Red moves next door. Red's parents have just split and he's had to move schools and away from his friends. After a series of events, he has to spend more time with Frank and the two form an unlikely friendship. I'm wary of books that label themselves as 'heartwarming' but this really is a lovely read. I finished it really quickly and became really attached to the characters, would definitely recommend!

Red is a 6 year old boy who moves to a new area of London with his mother after her break up with Red's father. His next door neighbour is grumpy, reclusive Frank, who has retreated into bad tempered solitude after the death of Marcie, his wife. Red takes a shine to Frank who unexpectedly ends up having to look after him for a week. The relationship, and Frank's emergence from profound grief, develops from there.

In some ways this is a very familiar, perhaps overworked plot line. I was reminded of Little Lord Fauntleroy, another cheerful young boy faced with, and changing, a curmudgeonly old man. But this is written with charm, and does explore the depths of grief, as Frank constantly speaks to his dead wife, whilst knowing that her appearances must be an extension of his consciousness. Or are they? The reader is left guessing or believing what it suits them best to believe. And the descriptions of the tough time Red has at his new school are terribly believable. Coyne really captures the trapped feeling that comes with being bullied, and the impossibility of successfully conveying this to an adult.

Overall a feel good read, with a bit of bite, but not too much.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy.

Frank and Red is Matt Coyne's first fiction novel following his very funny non-fiction books Dummy and Man Vs Toddler.

I read this book in 2 days. It's well-written and, as you would expect from Matt Coyne, very funny. It's the story of widower Frank, who prefers his own company and that of the 'ghost' of his dead wife Marcie. Red is 6 and dealing with his own issues; his parents have split up and he's moved to a new house and a new school. Red is intelligent, curious and delightful in that way of 6 year olds. He is friendly and endearing, and when Red and his trampoline don't go down well with his curmudgeonly neighbour, this doesn't phase Red.

It's a rather lovely story, easy to read, laugh out loud and charming. There are real life issues - bereavement, family dynamics, bullies, loneliness - all sensitively navigated. Personally for me there was a little too much swearing and cursing involved for my own preference, which probably won't bother other readers.

All in all a cosy warming mug of hot chocolate of a book. With marshmallows.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic read and very warm insight into a beautiful relationship.
Red moves next door to Frank.
Frank has recently lost his wife and finds comfort imagining she is still here. Red starts by annoying Frank always pestering him.
Love how this book explores the budding relationship between Red and Frank .
Brilliantly written

'Frank and Red' is an assured debut novel of an unlikely friendship across generations.

Frank is a surly widower who wants to be left alone by everyone, but is accompanied by the ghost of his dead wife Marnie. Red is the 6 year old who has moved next door with his mum when they had to leave his childhood home on the other side of London.

Frank doesn't want to have anything to do with anyone, let alone a chatty inquisitive 6 year old, but Red is persistent and optimistic, drawing pictures for Frank and inviting him to join him at various occasions. Slowly, Frank has to come to terms with the loss of Marnie and the fallout that this caused in his wider circle whilst Red has to learn to navigate new friendships as well as bullies at his new primary school. The burgeoning friendship between the two of them is so tenderly written, and with great humour; both of them learn more than they ever thought from the other one. I loved Marnie's character too, she treated Frank with such love and tenderness whilst steering him in the right direction, and constantly reminding him that he shouldn't shut himself off from everything forever.

I have been following Matt Coyne's parenting blog for a while so I was keen to see how his writing would translate into a longer story. He has written a great book; 'Frank and Red' is a fantastic debut which is light-hearted without being slapstick and still packs an emotional punch. There were parts of the story that had me welling up and a page or so later, I was laughing out loud or wanting to shake Frank in frustration.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Don't get me wrong, this trope has been done to death. Old, grumpy, recently bereaved man meets young child who slowly brings meaning back into his life. This isn't groundbreaking by any means however what it is, is a stunningly well-written, warm hearted, incredibly funny and moving story which, whilst it won't surprise you, will definitely leave with a smile on your face and feeling very warm.

I read the first couple of chapters last night and have spend a rainy Scottish Saturday curled up on the couch finishing this book off.

For anyone looking for a light and charming read should look no further. Thanks to Netgalley and Headline, Wildfire for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.