This book exudes happiness, wholesomeness and inclusion. It tells the story of a grandfather and grandson both grappling with the coming out process and the prejudices that still exist in our society. But there is so much more here....excellently well thought out family and friendship dynamics and a bit of a subversion of expectations when it comes to happy endings. For me, the hero of this story is Madeline, who was the epitome of grace and forgiveness. Maybe more focus could have been put on her, but ultimately this wasn't her story. Teddy is a privileged, self-absorbed, incredibly unreflected ass who spends most of his time complaining about the fancy journalism traineeship is very established (and terrible) mother 'forced' upon him - you're 21, asshole, if you don't want the job leave it to someone who does 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.

Double coming out story with a grandfather and grandson. Grandfather Arthur's wife knew all along he was gay, she also wanted to get married to escape pressure to marry someone horrible, so they made the marriage work and she's completely supportive of his desire to come out at 79. Along with his coming-out journey (which inexplicably takes place mostly in the national media) there's also his grandson Teddy who ends up in a love triangle with his best friend and boyfriend. I’m not embarrassed to admit, that Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out by Ryan Love had me in tears on more than one occasion. Don’t worry, happy tears all around. Prepare yourself for a cosy and uplifting journey of self-acceptance and a new fictional grandad you’ll fall in love with from the very first chapter…Love gives his protagonists insightful observations and wise words: Arthur tells Teddy “Life is full of sacrifices, Teddy. We’ll make good and bad choices, but we shouldn’t let regrets define us. I’m not perfect, but I hope when I’m not here that the people I love will remember me for the good things and know I did my best for them.” A heart-warming and thought-provoking 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. The characters are brilliant in this story. I adored Arthur - I can really imagine him being real. He provided some really poignant and emotional moments for the book, particularly the parts highlighting his past, as well as his constant love and support for Teddy and his family. I enjoyed his relationship with Madeleine too - she is such a strong lady, and the kind of ally we all need. I can't think of any other story I've read with a coming out story for a character of his age, but it's one that needed to be told.

I enjoyed spending time with this family and found the book to be a very comforting read. Characters explain their feelings clearly, and there are enough supportive characters that the homophobia explored isn’t too traumatic. The plot isn’t the point - you know where the journey will end from early on but the pleasure is joining Arthur and Teddy on their journey, speed bumps and all!

The multiple relationship threads running through the story come together beautifully at the end and the book is a joy to read from start to finish!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A joyful, big-hearted story about family, friendship and finding your place in the world’ Freya Sampson, author of The Last Chance Library I just think the author had a great idea but churned out something predictable and without any real depth or meaning. Sadly a miss from me. What an absolutely beautiful book! Dealt with sensitive subjects really, really well and brilliantly descriptive characters.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐