The Golden Boy

by Patricia Finn

An unexpected letter sends a man and his wife into their pasts – and offers them both a shot at redemption

After an involuntary retirement from his high-flying Hollywood career, Stafford Hopkins has retreated to a luxury estate on Maui, along with his wife Agnes, both grimly resigned to life in a paradise where neither feels fully at home. Stafford is ready to retreat into himself, too, when a letter arrives with shocking news.

Stafford has been named guardian of four children he didn’t know the grandchildren of his late childhood friend, Bobby Shepherd, whose ghost Stafford can no longer ignore. Returning to both the hardscrabble farming town and the dark secret he’d tried to forget for decades, Stafford is forced to confront his past in order to rebuild his future – and to redirect the fates of his family and the four young people suddenly in his care.

Slyly funny and deeply moving, The Golden Boy is a captivating debut about love, mercy, and second chances.

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication March 10, 2026

Reviews

[Seawitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.

I’m a sucker for family sagas and I did like a lot about this one that meanders all the way from small town Canada to LA to Hawaii and back to Canada again.

There is childhood trauma (little t and big T) involved for most of the characters and the trauma underlies much of the “plot” and the behaviors of the characters.

Sometimes the story’s meandering is a bit distracting especially when the author gets wrapped up in lengthy descriptions about weather and such.

At times the meandering gets the reader to wondering where is this all going? There is an underlying connection/structure to ancient philosophy and personal histories repeat themselves. It feels as if the author has tossed out a jigsaw puzzle onto a table and then manages to put the puzzle pieces back together first slowly and then suddenly. The ending feels just a bit quick and too neatly fit and highly improbable. Also, confusing? What exactly was the lineage of this family? I wanted to see it all mapped out somewhere but wondered if it was deliberately convoluted.

All that said, I was rooting for everyone in the story. I loved the joke where Stafford corrects Agnes’s grammar and she reminds him she has a gun and they both laugh. 😊

(And I was happy about the swimming lessons and time in the water for the kids. Water is so healing…)

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Ashlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is why I wish Goodreads had ½ stars. 2.5. Good writing style so I’ll round up.

Well. This was a book. The author is talented. This book really did have great writing style. It just was not my kind of book. I feel like every new character, or side character, or even rando walking by, was given a huge detailed description of just how ugly they were. Or how people didn’t like them. Or all the negatives about them. It was weird.

The narrator was listed as Jason Culp. I have to say, this narrator was very talented. He had a very specific style of reading and a very distinctive voice. In looking over his resume, I can 100% see why he was selected for a number of other books. But not this one. I don’t think this was the right fit for his voice.

I really wanted to love the banter in this book. I kept reading about there being banter and humor. However, it didn’t always feel like fun banter. Sometimes it felt like resentment or angry bitterness. It made it impossible to like any of the characters.

Not a win for me. However, I always love a new book and to read/listen to something new. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC, it is always an adventure.

[M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit, I was probably a bit irritated by the characters for the first 100 pages 😅 and I thought about DNF-ing, but it's not really my style. I hate doing that because I have been pleasantly surprised in the past. I still didn't feel the need to 4 or 5 star the book, but please do not take that as a bad sign not to read it. It was so much better learning about the characters in more depth and what shaped them. It's a family saga of love, loss, regret, and maybe even redemption.
I could see this book doing really well.

I am grateful to Goodreads and Grandcentral Publishing for this ARC copy

[Tara Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is not often that I am less than a hundred pages into a book, and so enthralled by the writing that I check to see if the author has more books for me to read. I was shocked to learn that this was Patricia Finn’s debut into the fiction world, and just know that I will be first in line to get this book in physical copy and to read anything else written by the author. This book was a journey, a complex world of characters and family and history. I cried, I gasped, I had the full reading experience including staying up late to read because I couldn’t stop thinking about this book. The prose is beautiful, with wonderful descriptions. The dialogue is unlike most, but when I connected it to the way you would read dialogue for TV it all made sense. In some books ongoing exposition and information about the past can feel mundane, but not here. As we travel through the events of the current day, we also learn about the past and I’m left wanting more from both. If I could give this 6 stars I would. Thank you so so much to the publisher for the e-arc, I truly feel changed by this book and can’t wait to share it with everyone.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of the book "The Golden Boy" by Patricia Finn, from NetGalley. at the beginning of the book Stafford, who has a very successful career in showbusiness, has been informed he has inherited four children who were the grandchildren of a childhood friend. Stafford lives in Maui with his wife Agnes. one of several homes they own in different states. Stafford is shocked since he does not know these kids or the father of the kids who is the son of Bobby his friend who has been deceased for years.
Now the book goes back in time when Stafford and Bobby were kids in Canada. they has their ups and downs as friends. we see them as kids in the book. The Golden boy meanders around a lot in this book which can be a bit annoying at least to me. Stafford does decide to fly to Canada to meet the kids he never knew existed. this is a good book for the most part. I wish it had not gone all over the place but a good story. I would give this a 3.5.

[Dawn H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing and narration are both wonderful in this debut novel. The main characters, Stafford and his longtime wife Agnes have an unusual relationship. It seems to consist mostly of bickering about unimportant matters. They are living in a magnificent home on Maui, one of many homes they own and neither one is happy.

This is a dual timeline novel. Stafford’s childhood and then the more current period of his life. The novel meanders a bit and I sometimes wondered where it was going but it all came together in the end. Overall it’s an enjoyable novel with interesting characters and events. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

3.5 out of 5 stars rounded up to 4

Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest feedback.

[Sonja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I am usually not fond of rich, showbiz type stories, but that part is more in the background here. What I liked most is the complex history of the wealthy couple's families, and their upbringings. There are multiple stories that unfold over a century entailing childhood traumas, and yet there is a sense of humor. The setting is mostly in rural areas and small towns. Especially the Canadian family history is very interesting.
Although the characters are not all likable they are very relatable. The writing of this debut novel is great. Thank you for the ARC, and I hope to read more from this author.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stafford Hopkins should be enjoying life. Once a high-powered television executive, he is now retired in Maui. He and his wife, Agnes, have everything they could want, money, power, prestige, and a child. However, both feel as if they are missing something. A letter arrives and Stafford has been named the guardian of the four grandchildren of his childhood best friend, Bobby Shepherd. All of the memories of growing up on a Canadian farm that Stafford has been trying to outrun come rushing back as he tries to decide if he has what it takes to raise these four children. Incredibly moving and at times very funny novel about love and building the life you want.

[Heather Metz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as an ARC. I felt it was really promising at first but it didn’t really come together for me.
The writing was well done but the story dragged in places. I would have enjoyed more of the story towards the end of the novel. The middle third of the book did not really intrigue me.

[Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story and characters were well-written and it probably deserves a better rating than what I'm giving it but the characters just didn't click with me until the very, very end of the book. By then it was a bit too late for me.

[Jessica Rickert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of friendship, love, loss and second chances. It is rare the ending of a book makes you cry but this one will!


I won this on the Good reads giveaway

[Austin Soper · Rating 1 out of 5]

started off great then about half way through just got boring.

[Viviana]

I won a paperback copy from the sweepstakes from Grand Central's Club Car newsletter. I got a copy from Maris Tasaka at Grand Central Publishing.

[Judy Bettencourt · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Jenny Silber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe 4.5. Very very sweet. I wish I didn’t read the description before reading!

[Shari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed to sit on this a bit before writing my review. I enjoyed the central storyline very much. I enjoyed the writing, humor and dialogue, especially the dialogue between Stafford and Agnes. I didn't care for the character Callie, the daughter of Stafford and Agnes. I think I would've liked more glimpses of Callie's childhood to connect with her character better. The story strayed at times then reeled me back in. Good, interesting family drama. The story ending was satisfying. Left me with a smile.

Thank you to the publisher, Hachette, and to Goodreads for an advanced readers copy of this book!!! It was a joy to receive it.