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A review by botal93
Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out by Ryan Love
4.0
4.5* Stars
'Arthur And Teddy Are Coming Out' is an incredible and addictive debut from Ryan Love.
The book is completely unique in a genre that can often feel repetitive. It features a very clever split narrative. It jumps between Arthur, a 79 year old grandfather who has just come out to his family, and his grandson Teddy, who is also gay and struggling to find his place in the World. In this genre, you would most often see the two love interests sharing the narrative. Having grandfather and grandson sharing the spotlight instead, this book has torn up the rulebook completely. It was a brave decision to stray away from something so familiar, and in my opinion, it works really well.
Covering around a year of their lives, it's full of interesting twists, characters that really pull you in, and a brilliantly crafted plot. I found myself gasping more than once, laughing at some parts and feeling emotional during others. This story is hard to put down once you get going. It's also perfectly paced - I didn't feel bored at all while reading it, and every part seemed to move the story forward.
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.
Teddy will feel really familiar to a lot of young gay people I think, with his struggles to come out highlighting how hard it can still be even now. His part also perfectly covers young love and all the drama and hormones that come with it. I loved that it wasn't all mushy and fake - the romance plot is full of lovely moments but also packed with angst, and I enjoyed how things ended up. It wasn't something I'd expect from this genre, and I liked how real it felt.
What really makes the book shine though, is the bond between Teddy and Arthur. They really helped each other grow as characters and into their own identities as the book went along. You often see the male family members as antagonists in this genre, but that is absolutely not the case here. I'd love to have read something like this when I was younger and finding myself. This is a fantastic debut and deserves a lot of success.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC. This is my honest review.
'Arthur And Teddy Are Coming Out' is an incredible and addictive debut from Ryan Love.
The book is completely unique in a genre that can often feel repetitive. It features a very clever split narrative. It jumps between Arthur, a 79 year old grandfather who has just come out to his family, and his grandson Teddy, who is also gay and struggling to find his place in the World. In this genre, you would most often see the two love interests sharing the narrative. Having grandfather and grandson sharing the spotlight instead, this book has torn up the rulebook completely. It was a brave decision to stray away from something so familiar, and in my opinion, it works really well.
Covering around a year of their lives, it's full of interesting twists, characters that really pull you in, and a brilliantly crafted plot. I found myself gasping more than once, laughing at some parts and feeling emotional during others. This story is hard to put down once you get going. It's also perfectly paced - I didn't feel bored at all while reading it, and every part seemed to move the story forward.
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.
Teddy will feel really familiar to a lot of young gay people I think, with his struggles to come out highlighting how hard it can still be even now. His part also perfectly covers young love and all the drama and hormones that come with it. I loved that it wasn't all mushy and fake - the romance plot is full of lovely moments but also packed with angst, and I enjoyed how things ended up. It wasn't something I'd expect from this genre, and I liked how real it felt.
What really makes the book shine though, is the bond between Teddy and Arthur. They really helped each other grow as characters and into their own identities as the book went along. You often see the male family members as antagonists in this genre, but that is absolutely not the case here. I'd love to have read something like this when I was younger and finding myself. This is a fantastic debut and deserves a lot of success.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC. This is my honest review.