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

Product Information

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.

This story is perfect for you if you love queer romances and are in need of a great book that you'll finish in no time because of the writing style and story itself. An] absolute delight of a novel. Life-affirming, warm and so full of love.' Chloe Timms, author of The Seawomen Too often, queer literature is enjoyed only by the LGBT+ community, but this is a novel ready to be loved by the masses.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Even Madeline, the grandma and Arthur's wife, is a trope. She's a saint. She is constantly kind, does the household, takes care of Arthur (which is sweet but also???), and is so involved in the community that it feels like the entire town is her. She's on every committee and has founded a million clubs or whatever. And because all that obviously leaves so much free time, she also cooks and bakes and generally 'keeps them fed'. Which, anyone who's ever had to keep a household running knows that that's a full-time job even with the kids long out of the house, so when does this almost 80-year-old woman sleep???A joyful, big-hearted story about family, friendship and finding your place in the world’ Freya Sampson, author of The Last Chance Library The second thing, if you’re still here reading this review, was about Elizabeth, Teddy’s mother and Arthur’s daughter. Both times someone comes out to her, she manages to make it so totally about herself it’s almost impressive. She accuses Arthur of ruining their lives, and cuts him off almost completely. She outs him to the entire town shouting about it in the convenience store! And Arthur, much more nice than I would be about it, is willing just to wait for her to come around and forgive him! Like, sorry, but Elizabeth should be on her knees begging for Arthur’s forgiveness.

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). Similarly, with a lot going on in the plot and the need for everything to feel resolved due to the necessary happy ending of the genre, the ending is quite rushed and a lot of things suddenly happen with time jumps that don't quite feel fully realised. Teddy in particular gets quite a confused ending where it feels like the book just ran out of space. I liked Teddy's eventual romance plot, but again, I felt like the payoff was rushed and didn't quite give enough space to a narrative that is familiar to a lot of queer people. I don't tend to read this kind of genre much, unless it features queer characters and might be doing something interesting, so the writing style was also not quite for me, with some forced, cheesy dialogue, but I imagine some fans of the genre will probably enjoy that more.

Arthur and Teddy have always been close, and now they must navigate first loves, heartbreak, and finding their place in their community. Arthur And Teddy Are Coming Out is the first novel by British author, Ryan Love. Twenty-one-year-old Teddy’s first day as a trainee journalist at The Post isn’t ideal. His mother, outspoken journalist Elizabeth Marsh called in a favour to secure him the spot, and everyone seems to be aware of that, including his competition, a dishy fellow trainee called Ben. Teddy genuinely just wants to work and learn, but Ben King seems resentful.