This is a really uplifting story with great characters which kept me eagerly turning the pages.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This was a very sweet book! I loved that David was there for Meg when her parents weren't. I feel like books like this are so important to read. I really liked this one.

Alex Summers has a winner in The Stand-in Dad. It was such a good book that kept me turning pages until the very end.

This novel has a multigenerational storyline covering a timeline leading up to a wedding. The first half of the book unfolded very slowly, and I did not feel connected to the characters, which seemed bland, and the relationships uninteresting. By mid-book, the tension picks up and adds a bit of drama that moved the story along to a feel-good ending.

Meg and Hannah have been together for ten years and have decided to have a non-traditional wedding. When her mother is a no-show for an appointment with the florist, Meg is taken under the owner’s wing. This kindness on David’s part lays the foundation for a wonderful friendship and, as it becomes obvious that Meg’s parents are uncomfortable with her lifestyle choice, he becomes her support system – “The Stand-In-Dad.

David has had his own issues with his now-deceased parents’ rejection of his gay lifestyle. Having fled home at age eighteen, he has created a full life with a partner of twenty years, owns a struggling florist business, and serves as a mentor to a youth group. The wedding planning offers both David and Meg the opportunity to take risks and to expand their social circles.

The book pays homage to romantic love, multigenerational relationships, and community support. Overall, I enjoyed the theme of the novel, but the slow pacing kept it from being one I would recommend with enthusiasm.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

This is one of the loveliest stories that I’ve read in a while. The Stand-in Dad has warmth and friendship, happiness and sadness, kindness and community. This is a story that truly illustrates that you are what you make of yourself and that you can do anything.
Hannah and Meg are due to get married. When Meg goes to a flower shop to meet her parents and they don’t turn up then she is devastated. But a kindly florist called David steps in and she finds a community and friendship that she could never have imagined. I loved this story and it made me feel warm and cosy.

A really sweet feel good book about found family. I loved the characters and the story line was brilliant. Really uplifting. Highly recommended.

Meg and Hannah are getting married. When Meg's parents don't arrive to help her choose the flowers, florist David steps in. He can relate to Meg's story, after his own parents struggled to accept his sexuality. The story follows their budding friendship, and the joy of a community that pulls together to help.

A beautiful story of friendship and found family. The book is funny and emotional, and very well written. An easy read, that I definitely recommend.

The Stand-in Dad by Alex Summers is a heart-warming and uplifting book about love, acceptance, and the power of found family. It beautifully explores intergenerational friendship and the importance of standing by those who need support, particularly in the face of rejection.

The story follows David, a florist who, decades after being disowned by his own family for coming out, has made it his mission to help others in need. When he meets Meg, a young woman devastated by her conservative parents' refusal to accept her relationship with her fiancée, Hannah, he steps in as her ‘stand-in dad’. Determined to make sure Meg gets the wedding she deserves, David throws himself into the role, attending dress fittings, cake tastings, and venue visits with the enthusiasm of a proud parent.

As Meg’s wedding day approaches, her parents' absence is a painful shadow over the celebrations. But with David’s unwavering support and the warmth of an inclusive community, she begins to realise that family is about love, not just blood. When an unexpected disaster threatens the big day, David’s commitment is put to the test—can he ensure that Meg’s wedding dreams come true?

This book is a celebration of love in all its forms. With a touching mix of humour, emotion, and hope, it highlights the importance of the chosen family and the idea that there is no such thing as ‘normal’. The bond between David and Meg is beautifully written, showing how people from different generations and experiences can come together to lift each other.

Filled with heart and compassion, The Stand-in Dad is a feel-good read that reminds us that love and acceptance will always triumph over prejudice.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. David and Meg, in fact all the characters are lovely. Built totally on friendships which are very heart warming. I managed to read this book in 3 days, which is very quick for me. I just wanted to keep reading to see how it all worked out. A very emotional and very well written book. Would love to read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC.

When I was offered a widget for this I gladly took it as it seemed a heartwarming story, and I was right. Both main characters, David and Meg are lovely people who have been hurt by their parents' reactions for outing themselves as gay. David has been happy with school counsellor Mark for 20 years but sees no reason to marry, while 30 year old Meg desperately wants to marry Hannah but is hurt by her parents' refusal to get involved.

When David takes Meg under his wing after he sees her crying in front of his flower shop in Milton Keynes, standing in as her Dad in wedding preparations, good things start to happen. A whole network of small business owners called Work With Pride, most of them queer (not sure how realistic that is) offer their services, and David rethinks his attitude to marriage. Then, shortly before the wedding, disaster strikes, and everyone has to work together to save the day.

I liked the strong sense of community and found family. All characters are lovely and helpful, except for Meg's parents who take too long to come around, after first behaving outrageously badly. Your jaw will drop when you discover what they do three days before the wedding. It is mostly the mother really, who is a total "how do you speak to me, you're not even grateful" harridan.

I absolutely loved the inclusion of troubled teenager Benji and his mates, not only showing how great David and Mark are as mentors but also that you should never write someone off who seems to have no potential. Benji's social media contribution is instrumental in saving David's florist shop "Savage Lilies" (so obviously a hommage to Lily Savage that it didn't need spelling out).

This is an uplifting and joyful story about love, acceptance and overcoming adversity, incoporating a kind community coming together to organise a very personal wedding (and who doesn't love wedding preparations?), while not neglecting how devastating outdated views on gay people still are and hurt people. Heartily recommended as a queer pick-me-up. The punny names of all the street food vendors are hilarious!

This book started off charming, with mostly really likeable characters. As I kept reading, it got better and better. David and Meg are too of the nicest characters you could ask for, and it is heartbreaking to read about the prejudices they face. I recommend this book to anyone and I would like to force some of the bigots I know to read it. It’s a real shame Meg’s parents hadn’t read a book like this.

I really enjoyed this book and will be looking out for others by this author. Very impressed.

The Stand-in Dad by Alex Summers is a feel good book that highlights the importance of community, found family and of course true love.
Meg is newly engaged to her fiance Hannah and is starting to get ideas for her upcoming wedding when she plans a visit to David's flower shop with her Mum. Unfortunately her mother does not show up and it turns out that this is just the latest in a series of things that has shown her parent's disapproval of the wedding. They have never really accepted that Meg is gay and her marrying a woman seems to be too much for them to handle. Of course Meg is devastated and finds herself in floods of tears. David understands only too well, as a gay man his family rejected him decades ago and though he is now happy with Mark, his partner of many years, he can't just stand by and see Meg struggle so he offers to help her out with the wedding planning. Through David Meg finds a community of people who love and support her, while David starts to build a network of support for his flagging business and also begins to rethink his fear of marriage. As the wedding draws closer it seems like everything is going to work out, the only unknown is whether Meg's parents will turn up, but when disaster strikes it will take a whole community working together to save the day.
As I said, this is very much a feel good read with a happy ending but it does tackle some difficult and upsetting topics, most notably the rejection that both Meg and David faced from their families, and some readers may find that upsetting. The characters were what kept me reading this book, I could feel Meg's hesitation and struggle and I loved seeing her grow in confidence and strength so that she was finally able to face her family on her own terms. David is such a kind and empathetic character but at times I found it a little frustrating that he was so willing to ignore his partner's needs and concerns, so I was pleased to see growth in his character too. This book is a timely reminder that kindness builds community and that is something the world needs more than ever at the moment.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

This was just beautiful
Literally my heart hurts
I adored it and couldn’t put it down read it in one sitting.
I absolutely loved the characters
This will forever live in my mind
Absolutely stunning

Everything feel a little terrible lately so I was very happy to get to dive into this feel good book.
Meg is getting married to the love of her life, Hannah. But casting a rather dark shadow over what should be one of the happiest days is her parents and the general sense of disapproval they have for Meg and her “lifestyle”. After her mum stands her up at the florists Meg breaks down in tears on a bench outside. David has been running his flower shop for years, and loves people. When he sees a young woman crying outside his shop he tries to help. Meg’s story about her parents disapproval hits a nerve from years back when he came out to his own parents. Deciding Meg deserves support for her wedding he offers to be her person as she plans her wedding. As the wedding draws nearer Meg will find joy in planning her special day while also struggling with her family. David will see some of his own fears and insecurities play out in his new friend and will possibly have to confront some of his own skeletons.
This was a beautiful book about love. From romantic love to friendship to community. The strength of found families plays a huge role in this cozy novel. This is the kind of book I needed to read right now, it beautifully showcases that love wins, and kindness build community.
Thank you so much to @netgalley and @avonbooks for letting me have an advanced copy for review.
Look for #thestandindad April 24, 2025
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Gosh what a read and it gave you plenty to think about. Meg and Hannah are getting married and you follow their story and a community . Prejudice in any form is just terrible. It was a lovely read. Told in chapters between two of the main character, not my favourite way of reading but it worked.A lovely ending.

A lovely and heart-warming book about intergenerational friendship, chosen or found family, and an inclusive community. Indeed, just because someone might be slightly different (for want of a better word) doesn't make them other, or even a hassle. There is no such thing as normal.

That said, with the current state of the world, it is easy to feel less or not welcome even if you know you are not. Therefore this book deserves to be on my being-good-enough shelf here on Goodreads.

Indeed, of parents you expect them to be the adult, they are the grown-ups who should be looking after their children, to have their back when facing difficulties. But you don't have to put up with being treated poorly, because no one deserves that - no matter the reason of a disagreement (in my case being ill with ME turning my life upside down).