Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out: The uplifting, feel-good read of 2023

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Alongside this depth there’s a lightness of touch too as Ryan Love has his characters create memories through simple moments and pleasures, as well as through the larger events, making the narrative feel familiar and real.

After hearing Arthur’s account of being a closet gay in the sixties, being subjected to conversion therapy at his father’s request, Teddy is grateful that attitudes have changed, but still wary of coming out, given his mother’s reaction. You often see the male family members as antagonists in this genre, but that is absolutely not the case here. It's also perfectly paced - I didn't feel bored at all while reading it, and every part seemed to move the story forward. There was no guidebook for this, no one to advise a seventy-nine-year-old on how to suddenly live the life he had only ever imagined in his head. I really enjoyed this book it was so easy to read and I think it will appeal to the younger readers because it’s got a modern vibe too it.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. There are a lot of characters in the book, both in the family and outside, and some of them don't really become more than a name due to this (like Teddy's sisters, who it is hard to tell the difference between). 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!

But Teddy doesn’t feel ready to come out yet – especially when Arthur’s announcement causes shockwaves in the family. He has been living closeted for his whole life, and he is now 79, and he and the love of his life were forcibly separated amidst a violent homophobic incident fifty years before. Seeing his mum’s reaction to Arthur’s announcement sets him back, but he’s always had a lovely relationship with Arthur and confides in him. My paternal Grandfather died when I was three, so there’s also been an absence of that important Grandfather figure in my life.For fifty years, she has trained to slay wyrms - but none have appeared since the Nameless One, and the younger generation. It was a brave decision to stray away from something so familiar, and in my opinion, it works really well. I loved the idea of this book when I read the blurb, and I was super excited to receive an ARC of it, but I have to admit, I found it really disappointing.