Five years have passed since Patrick took care of Maisie and Grant, his niece and nephew, following the death of his sister-in-law, who was also Patrick’s best friend. During this time, Patrick has relaunched his acting career and moved to New York City, while the kids are back at home in Connecticut with their father, Greg.
When Greg decides to get married to an Italian woman, he once again enlists his brother’s help, because the kids—particularly Maisie—are vehemently opposed to the marriage. Patrick agrees to travel with the kids through Europe, with their final destination being Lake Como, where the wedding will take place.
“That was the thing about grief, none of us wanted to travel with it, exactly, but the suggestion that we would or should be over it was somehow an even more unwelcome passenger.”
As they make their way through London, Paris, and Salzburg, en route to Venice and Lake Como, Patrick tries to provide Maisie and Grant with more “Guncle Rules” to help them process the changes coming to their lives. At the same time, Patrick is dealing with his own questions about his recently ended relationship as well as the grief he still feels for Sara. But most of all, he wants to make the kids happy—mostly with him.
There are some uproariously funny moments in this book with several of the supporting characters. There also are moments of true poignancy which made me tear up. This is a book about all kinds of love—romantic, filial, familial—as well as the balance between moving on and holding on to memories. I loved this so much!!
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