Arthur and Teddy are Coming Out by Ryan Love

336 pages

Publisher: HQ Publishing

Release Date: April 13, 2023

Netgalley

Blurb

When 79-year-old Arthur Edwards gathers his family together to share some important news, no one is prepared for the bombshell he drops: he's gay, and after a lifetime in the closet, he's finally ready to come out.

Arthur's 21-year-old grandson, Teddy, has a secret of his own: he's also gay, and developing serious feelings for his colleague Ben. But Teddy doesn't feel ready to come out yet – especially when Arthur’s announcement causes shockwaves in the family.

Arthur and Teddy have always been close, and now they must navigate first loves, heartbreak, and finding their place in their community. But can they – and their family – learn to accept who they truly are?

 

Review

There is much to love about this story. For starters, there’s the setup. Imagine being a 21-year-old trying to work up the courage to come out to your family, only to have your thunder stolen by your 79-year-old grandfather. And, to make matters worse, your mother doesn’t take her father’s revelation well at all. For Teddy, it’s enough to decide he’s better off in the closet for at least a while longer. Arthur, while relieved to at last be able to live his life without hiding who he is, is worried about his relationship with Teddy’s mother. To complicate matters, Teddy finds himself falling for a young man he’s competing with for a job with the newspaper.

What follows is a romantic tale filled with wonderful tropes. We have a little angst, some jealousy, characters being oblivious about what’s obvious to those around them, first-time experiences, and a long-lost love, to name but a few. In fact, there’s so much going on in this story that keeping up with developments kept me on my toes. Since it also kept me fully engrossed in this tale, I can’t and won’t complain.

I absolutely adored Arthur. His patience and ability to forgive and forget was truly heart-warming yet never too good to be true. Teddy exasperated me as much as he endeared himself to me. Then again, he’s only 21 so his actions and reactions are only to be expected and, while it may take him a while, he does learn as he goes along and eventually makes all the right decisions.

The cast of secondary characters, while large, was varied and kept the story lively. And the same can be said for the story itself. There was quite a lot going on, apart from the (expected) romantic development and it kept the story moving along at a fast pace.

Overall, this was an adorable story as well as an easy and comfortable read. Should Ryan Love decide to write more books like this one, I will definitely read them.

And finally, in case you’re curious, here is a link to a post by Ryan Love on the Dubray Books Blog about what inspired him to write this story: https://blog.dubraybooks.ie/2023/04/11/arthur-and-teddy-are-coming-out/