The Castle of Stories

by Matt Cain

Stories don’t always unfold the way you expect them to…

When 45-year-old Adam inherits a rundown farmhouse and castle in Tuscany from a great uncle he didn’t know existed, he quits his job in Manchester to renovate the property. He’s thrilled his boyfriend of two years, newly divorced and out-of-the-closet Theo, is joining him. But Theo’s ex-wife says she can’t take their children for the summer, so they come too. As the temperature rises, so does the tension. The kids are hostile to Adam, immune to the beauty of the rural location – and scared of the resident lizards.

As Adam explores the crumbling walls of the castle and sorts through his uncle’s possessions, he discovers some dark family secrets. But could they finally allow him to break free from the pain of the past, start building a new family and open a life of queer joy?

THE CASTLE OF STORIES is a moving, heartwarming and uplifting novel about modern family in all its forms, what it means to love, and the importance of understanding your own story.

‘Matt Cain writes gay love stories that are universally uplifting, inspiring and utterly riveting’ – Lisa Jewell

'Bursting with pride and joy! His best yet!' - La Voix

'He’s done it again! Matt is one of our most intelligent, empathetic authors and a brilliant storyteller and these are stories we need to hear.' - Lorraine Kelly

'Nobody captures the messiness, angst and utter joy of the modern family better than Matt Cain'” – Clare Pooley

‘A relatable, funny and moving celebration of found family and the power of being seen’ – Alexandra Potter

‘SUCH a good book with themes and characters to care about. Brimming with empathy and understanding for the true meaning of family - I loved it.’ – Freya North

‘Matt Cain writes with joy, strength, truth and such a good heart’ - Russell T Davies

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, LGBT, Queer, Italy, Summer

482 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 28, 2026

About the author

Matt Cain is a writer, broadcaster, publisher and leading commentator on LGBTQ+ issues.

He was Channel 4’s first Culture Editor, Editor-In-Chief of Attitude magazine, has written for all the national newspapers, and has appeared on BBC Breakfast, Good Morning Britain, The Today Programme and Lorraine. He’s a patron of LGBT+ History Month, has received an honorary doctorate from Bolton University, addressed the Cambridge Union, and in 2025 was awarded an MBE for services to LGBTQ+ culture.

Matt’s bestselling novels include The Madonna Of Bolton, The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle and One Love. His latest, The Castle of Stories, will be published in June 2026 as the first title from Pansy, the independent publisher he's set up with his husband Harry Glasstone specialising in queer books by queer authors for all readers.

Born in Bury and brought up in Bolton, Matt now lives in London with Harry and their dog, Teddy.

Reviews

[annes_mesmerizing_books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have any of you read The Guncle? You know, Patrick in his caftans, sipping Mimosas, toothless Grant being “mythelf,” and Maisie who always knows better? If you loved that one, I’m pretty sure you’ll fall for The Castle of Stories too.

At 45, Patrick inherits a house with an old castle in Tuscany. It sounds like the perfect place to spend the summer with his boyfriend, Theo. But when Theo’s children join them, Adam isn’t convinced their Italian escape will be quite so dreamy. The kids seem to hate him, he’s barely speaking to his dad, memories of his mum keep resurfacing, his “sisters” (aka his gay friends) are visiting, and to top it all off… there’s no WiFi.

Let’s say Adam is trying to hold on, but in fact Adam fact is a mess while he tries to be nice to fifteen‑year‑old Callum, thirteen‑year‑old Mabel, and eight‑year‑old Archie. Even though the last one is the cutest, comparable to Grant in The Guncle with his Dadam, I loved the other two too. And I adored how they over the summer all grew to each other.

The Castle of Stories is a light‑hearted story that made me smile again and again while touching on heavier themes. It’s the perfect book to read on the beach or during a holiday… especially if you’re heading to Italy.

Thank you, Pansy and NetGalley, for this lovely and humorous ARC!

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[Louis Muñoz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Matt Cain brings us very relatable characters and excellent stories, and his newest book, coming out in April, did not disappoint. One of the things I liked and appreciated the most is that the main character is 45 going on 46, and while I love coming-of-age stories like the best of them, I'm grateful to see older characters as well.

I have to say that I liked "The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle" and "Becoming Ted" a bit more than this one. I gave both of those two books 5 stars, but only 3.5 stars to this one. Part of the reason had to do with length, as I felt this book maybe went longer than I felt was needed. I also felt the MC's "sisters" a bit much. Having said that, I strongly recommend this latest book from Matt Cain, and very much look forward to both previous ones I haven't read yet, and his future books.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

[Marthea · Rating 3 out of 5]

2+
Miałam nadzieję, że to będzie obyczajówka z wibracjami Gujcio (uwielbiam tę książkę 😁). I dostałam rzeczywiście obyczajówkę (nie romans, muszę zaznaczyć), ale niestety do Gujcia było jej bardzo daleko...

Właściwie to historia składa się z samych stereotypów. Mamy m.in.:
- Theo: geja, który ujawnił się dopiero mniej więcej w wieku 46 lat; który już nie mógł znieść tego kłamstwa i powiedział żonie, co oczywiście skutkowało rozstaniem i rozwodem;
- trójkę dzieci tegoż geja, w tym dwoje nastolatków, którzy są koszmarni dla partnera ojca, Adama (narratora historii), z którym jest od mniej więcej 18 miesięcy;
- byłą żonę, klasyczną sukę;
- posiadłość do remontu we Włoszech z ruinami XI-wiecznego zamku, którą Adam odziedziczył po zupełnie nieznanym mu krewnym;
- historię tegoż krewnego, która jest niby tajemnicą rozwiązywaną w trakcie rozwoju fabuły, a której wynik widać właściwie niemalże od pierwszego akapitu, w którym jest to wspomniane;
- wakacje, na których dzieci miały być z ojcem tylko przez tydzień, a były przez sześć i absolutnie klasyczną ewolucję od nienawiści do uwielbienia;
- ekscentryczną sąsiadkę-Niemkę, która uwielbia wszystko robić po swojemu i ma już swoje lata;
- grupę wsparcia, czyli trzech przyjaciół Adama (oczywiście gejów), którzy nazywają siebie siostrami;
- itd.

Adam i Theo są jacyś tacy pasywni, że trudno się wciągnąć w całą tę historię, choć naprawdę próbowałam.

I, paradoksalnie, to nie jest jakaś strasznie zła książka, ale brakuje jej charakteru, duszy i emocji, które zagubiły się w drobiazgowych opisach posiadłości, remontu, wyglądu po remoncie, wyglądu ruin zamku, wyglądu i ubioru bohaterów, jedzenia, jego przygotowywania, wyglądu miast i miasteczek oraz tak naprawdę co tam można sobie jeszcze wyobrazić. Gdyby ściąć to wszystko o połowę, to i tak byłoby za dużo. Pewnie miało robić właśnie klimat, ale efekt według mnie jest odwrotny...

[Books By Your Bedside · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Pansy for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

Is there anything more heartwarming than a new Matt Cain book?

There's 53 chapters which makes roughly 7 pages per chapter, which is a good length, as I don't like overly long chapters.

I'm not 100% sure but I thought I'd seen somewhere that this is based on a true story and that Matt had indeed inherited this Italian property. The only problem is...I can't find where I read it so now I'm wondering if I imagined it.

I love that our protagonists are a little older, in their forties, and are just settling down in this new live of theirs. It shows that love and dreams don't have to stop just because you didn't find them in your 20s.

I love Italy, although I haven't been to the area in this book. But it sounds idyllic and made me really want to spend my summer in the Italian countryside drinking wine, gazing out at my vineyard. Oh...a girl can dream. Here's hoping I have a long-lost uncle with an Italian castle to inherit.

I loved the blended family in this. It's not always sunshine and rainbows, but that's good. I've only become a blended family since my dad died and my mum found a new partner, but I'm in my 30s and so it doesn't feel like a blended family, if that makes sense. But I can't imagine how easy or difficult it might be for children to cope with a new family, particularly if they've only experienced the "traditional" family set-up but now they're contended with something different. And I loved how honest Matt was about that. It's not always pleasant but it's important to talk about.

I know they played their roles perfectly, but the kids in this book are so irritating, that if they weren't children I would have said "push them down the hill". They're so rude and miserable and just nasty and I didn't like them at all (except for the youngest, he was a sweetheart). I know I should have been patient and given them the benefit of the doubt but it was hard to. But they did get better as it went on.

I really enjoyed it from the start, but it definitely got even better once Adam started investigation his Uncle's past, about 1/3 through. That's when it starts to get juicy and when it turns from a good book to a great book.

It's not my favourite of his books - that accolade still remains with One Love. But it's a very enjoyable, moving, entertaining, funny, serious, relaxing, gorgeous story.

By the end of it I felt so warm and I could feel my smile getting bigger. It is so uplifting and heartwarming.

If you're heading to Italy this summer then it's the perfect read to lose yourself in.

[Rich ✧ ✭ ✧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cosy, heartwarming read with a stunning setting which unfolds in Italy.

Adam Webb unexpectedly inherits an Italian property from an uncle he has never met. With his partner Theo, and his three children - two of whom are intent on making his life a misery - they set off on an adventure to renovate and make a loving home of this property with a mystery.

This new story is released under Matt’s new publishing label, Pansy, and what a start they’ll have with this fantastic book!

Whilst Adam is our main character, there’s so many other brilliant, relatable characters who add such value and heart to this story. You’ll recognise a friend, a neighbour, colleague or relative somewhere within one of these well-written characters making it a relatable read.

The story tackles some hard themes which are handled with care and told with truth. Grief, divorce, resentment, homophobia… and love. This one’s got it all. It’s real life and much like the characters, there’s something somewhere for people to relate to.

The location is brilliantly atmospheric. Matt often writes the setting with such care that it really sets the scene of the warm Tuscan Countryside so lovingly. The house, the castle and their surroundings felt so real and I loved being there in these pages.

Whilst I found myself wanting the teenagers resentment toward Adam’s to develop and grow past this a little sooner, I still understood the intention of building firmly on this story to add to the emotion and narrative. It’s all so brilliantly executed.

The ending is heartwarming and left me smiling from ear to ear. It’s beautifully written and one I throughly enjoyed. Highly recommend and this is some of Matt’s best work. Congratulations.

[Alyce King · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous summer read. Reminding us family can be made of who you choose, to listen and to try to understand others, you never know the weight that they carry.
Well done to Matt Cain for writing a complex family structure with such heartfelt and soft moments throughout. ❤️.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Castle of Stories is a delightfully delicious story, with a huge sense of uplifting joy weaved throughout each and every single page!

I absolutely devoured it from beginning to end, leaving me fulfilled from the beautiful character Adam and his army of mismatched friends and family who somehow fit together exquisitely.

I was enamoured from the start of the story, quickly falling for Adam and Theo's love for one another and rooting for their strength despite the crumbling problems surrounding them!

It was heartfelt and heavy in places, with a keen representation of gay rights and history, but always followed closely by humour and wit especially by Adam's wonderful sisters - Ian, Dom and Gloria, some of my favourite characters in the book! However my most treasured person has to be little Archie, his constant cheeriness and lust for life seems to match the epitome of the story itself.

I adore all of Matt's books, his writing is relatable, joyous and addictive, but his latest stands out as being my new favourite! Not least because I now need to fly out to Lucca and follow in Wilf and Arnaldo's footsteps, as their story has captured a new sense of adventure and love in life.

[Jae Xuân · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to snuggle into a cozy queer story, but this was a huge disappointment. Every character is a stereotype and there is way too much attention on looks and bodies, and it seems that's the only way to describe any of the people the MC knows.

Lots of overexplaining in the prose, and not enough trust in the readers to figure things out for themselves.

The "surprise" about the uncle was hardly that (so much over-the-top foreshadowing), and everything in the plot is so predictable. Forced myself to finish because I got an ARC, but I wish I had DNF'd.

Thanks for Netgalley, RB Media and the author for the audio ARC.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

"the castle of stories" is just the book i needed.
it's heartfelt, it's scenic, it's pure joy, it's full of acceptance to be who you are!
to say that i was horrified at the start about how the kids acted around the main couple would be an understatement. thankfully, that got resolved along with a few inner struggles adam had. i cried a bit too, because stories about families (as non-traditional as they can be) and their members finding their way to one another are always so dear to my heart.

the only two things that bothered me were: (1) the sex scene (it was unnecessary imo), (2) the constant use of 'superb' and 'brill' (it really got on my nerves).

thank you netgalley and kensington publishing for this arc.

[Britt ⋆.˚ ☾⭒.˚]

DNF on page 22 because it's all telling, no showing. The main thing the protagonist seems to like about his boyfriend of over a year is that he's tall and has good hair?

[Jude · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF.

I had high hopes for this book - I love a renovation! Unfortunately I only made it to page 33. It’s absolutely full of information we did not need to know. So many unnecessary descriptions.

“His white skin only needs marginal exposure to the sun to acquire a tan, and he has thick hair, an equally thick moustache and a smattering of chest fur that are the colour of dark chocolate. He also has a deep voice, chunky wrists and as a former football player - calves like hams.”

This is less than half of the description of a side character - it goes on to talk about how his being deaf in one ear makes him seem more attractive as without this ‘flash of vulnerability’ his looks would be too intimidating. Again - this is a side character. The descriptions of Adam’s three friends takes up three and a half pages. Maybe they all play incredibly important roles later in the book and I’ll be really glad I know all about their collection of checked shirts and how girthy their wrists are. But it doesn’t seem likely.

The same can be said for his Aunt’s partner. His house in Manchester - that he’s renting out on Airbnb for the summer while he’s in Italy, renovating.a house / castle - (why do we need to know that Adam bought it five years ago, aged forty and was a first time buyer?!) and many, many other examples.

The mysterious Uncle Wilfred - leaver of surprise castles in wills - has been set up to have a big reveal later in the book - but unfortunately has been so clumsily signposted from the beginning that I do not need to finish the book to discover.

Editing is so important. I cannot wade through any more of this.

[C. Scott Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book, but ended up absolutely loving it! A pure joy to read and a great perspective on blended families.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars: Adam and Theo are a relatively new couple, with Theo recently coming out of the closet and leaving his wife. They have three children together, but they are staying with their mother as the older two are having a hard time dealing with everything. When Adam finds out that he has inherited a house complete with an old castle on the property in Tuscany, they think it will be the perfect place to spend the summer. Theo's children are supposed to join them for the last couple of weeks, but plans change and they are with him for the full summer. 15 year old Callum and 13 year old Mabel, are not happy. There is no wifi and they seem to hate Adam. They are curt with their dad and ignore Adam completely. The saving grace is 8 year old Archie. He is adorable and wants to have a wonderful summer with his dad. He has no animosity toward Adam, which is nice. When Adam's "sisters" visit, Mabel begins to thaw a bit. Of course the dilapidated house has issues of it's own and living in it while renovations are ongoing adds some humor to the story. Can Adam hang on to his sanity with the house, and the way the kids are treating him? Will he and Theo stay together? Will the kids accept their dad as a gay man?

I loved this story. It was very realistic to me. I know men who married and had children, although they were gay, and eventually came out of the closet as they could no longer live a lie and I see a lot of familiarities. As the summer wore on, and they spent more time together, the children began to accept Adam in their dad's life. There were some homophobic incidents, and the kids actually spoke up to support their dad. I saw a lot of personal growth. There is a mystery surrounding Adam's great-uncle, the man who bequeathed him the house, and as they meet people in the area, he begins to piece together his life. With an archaeological dig at the castle, and major renovations on the farmhouse, there is a lot going on that they need to cope with. I don't think I could live that way, even for a summer. When Adam and Theo's "sisters" aka their gay friends arrive, they bring humour and fun with them. Theo and Adam meet others from the gay community and they relax a little. There are some hilarious antics at a club that made me laugh. This is a story of acceptance, identity, healing, dealing with past trauma, friendship and blended family. I like the way Matt Cain showed the generational shift in acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community, yet the lingering feelings toward them as well. Overall, I enjoyed this well written and characterized story. I did a read/listen and enjoyed both formats. Simon Vance narrates the audiobook and does an amazing job. With all the various ages, personalities and accents, you would think there was more than one narrator.

[Helen_t_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

Imagine inheriting a Tuscan castle and its estate from a great uncle you know nothing about. That's exactly what happens to 45 year old Adam Webb.

He and his partner Theo plan to spend the whole summer together in Tuscany renovating the farmhouse, when their plan is hijacked and they have to take Theo's three children as well. Children who are very hostile to Adam.

Adam simultaneously has to navigate the challenges of project managing the building work, and integrating into the local community, all whilst nurturing his relationship with Theo; getting to know and understand Theo's uncooperative children; discovering hidden family secrets; and dealing with his own abandonment issues.

No relaxing, easy holiday for Adam. This is a lot to deal with. However, despite Adam juggling more problems than the wasps swarming his garden, the issues are all handled with a delicate touch and great sensitivity. This is a novel full to the brim with charm and humour, and it truly delights the reader with the sights, sounds, tastes, aromas and textures of a summer in Tuscany. It is rich in evocative detail and so beautifully observed.

The characters are all well drawn and relatable, and I especially enjoyed Adam's "sisters", and his new friend Angelika. I also loved the way Adam's relationship with the three children develops as the story unfolds.

As in his other novels Matt Cain highlights historic and current attitudes to LGBTQ issues and relationships, showing how we've moved forwards significantly over the decades yet still have some way to go.

This story also explores and celebrates the modern definition of family with all its evolving iterations, including found- and nontraditional-family, but its main theme is the importance of knowing, and owning, your own story. If you dont understand how past events and experiences have shaped your present, how can you move forward into life's new chapters, it asks, whilst showing that one's past doesn't have to define the future.
As Dom learns from the very wise Ian, "just because something was my story before, it doesn't mean it has to be forever". Important lessons for us all.

A moving, heartwarming and completely joyful novel, which I absolutely loved, and I'd recommend a visit to Castello Montemagno to everyone!

[Liam Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the UK publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this story. It was so full of heart. So heartwarming by the end, but so raw and honest for so much of it. It tackled subjects which aren't often dealt with in books, about the realities of becoming a stepparent and the difficulties that can come with it.

I loved the story of the past and how it was weaved in through what was happening today. Everything felt addressed by the end, and it just felt like the book left me with one big warm hug.

I loved all the characters. The sisters. The people around Pisa that they met. I obviously loved the kids and their relationship with Adam. That was really the golden jewell of the story, and i can't recommend it enough.

[High Lady of Delulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

What made The Castle of Stories such a good book for me was the amount of layers and nuances it managed to include. It’s not a terribly heavy read in terms of emotional triggers but it’s also not just light-hearted.
It’s messy and chaotic and finds joy in unexpected corners. It’s real life.



PLOT
So much happens in this book, so many side quests and details find space in it that I am grateful for the framework set early on, bracketing the colourful chaos within the confines of summer holidays.

The plot is littered with conflicts, and none of them felt artificial or constructed. They didn’t need to be. The social experiment that is putting these characters together into a castle under construction, in a country that easily loses its romantic flair when the summer heat hits harder than the lack of funds, made for inevitable conflict arcs.
It was also the perfect setting to amplify the preexisting dynamics and the difficulty that comes with a relatively new couple dealing with the age old drama that is cruel teenagers that are still loyal to their other parent.


Within all of this, the author managed to address evolving dynamics of patchwork families, very time relevant issues. Like how difficult it can be to be a teen in the age of social media. Or what it means to reshape identity as an adult finally acknowledging their existence under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. Or what it means to protect one's boundaries with children who feel like their family has been ripped apart, knowing the new partner is a package deal.



CHARACTERS
I just love books that find ways to manoeuvre the pain and weight of life in such a realistic way by finding solutions and happy endings that aren’t one-size-fits-all. Just like real life isn’t. And amidst this, where it is so easy to forget the good parts, the author managed to make this a read filled with humour and joy.

This is the kind of book where I love that the characters act entirely different than from what I would’ve done. There is no binary right or wrong in how the characters resolve their issues, and while some of their decisions and reactions had me anxious or stressed, it is precisely this absolutely human behaviour - unpredictable yet on character - that made this such a good book.

Unpredictable yet on character, uncomfortable in the way that feels most normal because that’s just what life is like. And still undeniable on route towards the happy end that feels so real, despite being scripted, that it fills real life with hope.



WRITING
On top of all this, the writing was amazing. I loved the style, the narrative choices of what is being told and what isn’t, the conversations and tone that so naturally developed with the characters. And as a huge plus, the narrator did an amazing job and was, in my opinion, the perfect choice for this.


--


Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media and Matt Cain for an ALC of The Castle of Stories

[Katey Lovell · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gorgeous book! Matt Cain has captured the beauty of community, found family and romance in The Castle of Stories and I loved it! The Italian backdrop brought the sunshine and Adam was a character that was easy to cheer on. It was lovely to see a romance with M/M representation that centred around children from a previous relationship. A hopeful, joyful novel that left me wanting more.

[Martin J Saxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect summer story that you want to carry on and on

Characters and story that wrap you up and carry you along brilliantly

The setting becomes a place you know well, the adventure evolves at pace and there's even a secret room

You couldn't ask for more from a book

[Guillermo Perez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Under the Tuscan sun meets THE GUNCLE in this story about a couple who move to Tuscany over the summer to renovate a dilapidated castle. Adam has inherited an estate from an estranged uncle but is the restoration worthwhile? He does have a new relationship with Theo and is bringing Theos kids along a good idea? Overall the premise was promising and seemed like a nice take on a popular trope. I did lose interest about halfway through as all the beats seemed too predictable, the kids were painted as overly unbearable with no redeeming qualities and the better part of the book was filled with cliche moments. Still enjoyed the lgbtq representation especially of a late out gay men merging his family with his new partner.

[Shaz Mcdill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, a heartwarming story beautifully written with a perfect ending I would definitely recommend this one and look forward to his next book

[chapter1.page1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️ 5 ⭐️

It’s no secret that I’m a massive fan of Matt Cain’s work. After falling for Albert Entwistle in 2021, I’ve read and loved the rest of Matt's brilliant books.

The Castle of Stories is superbly written, and the chapters flow smoothly from one to the next. Matt is a master of character development; each believable character is well-rounded and fully fleshed out. I particularly liked Theo's youngest son, the adorable Archie.

The spectacular Tuscan countryside setting provides a stunning backdrop to the entertaining story, a character in its own right. Matt’s beautifully detailed descriptions made me want to visit for myself.

I thoroughly enjoyed my Tuscan escape with Adam, Theo, and the rest of the supporting cast. Castle of Stories is a charming, uplifting, heartwarming read. It's a story of love, friendship, and belonging.

A touching love letter to Tuscany.

Many thanks to Matt Cain and Pansy Books for my proof copy.

[Zoe B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been a huge fan of Matt ever since I read the wonderful The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle, so I was extra excited to read his latest novel, The Castle of Stories.
This book also feels extra special as it’s the first title published by @Pansy, the independent publisher founded by Matt and his husband to champion LGBTQ+ stories.

Set in beautiful Tuscany, this was such a pure escapist read. The setting felt so vivid that I could completely imagine myself there amongst the sunshine, and the renovation chaos. When Adam unexpectedly inherits a farmhouse and castle from a relative he never met, he quits his job and moves to Italy with his partner Theo and Theo’s children to restore the property and start a new chapter.
I absolutely loved the renovation come to life and seeing the family dynamics unfold. Adam and Theo had such a lovely relationship both dealing with their own struggles while still supporting each other throughout. Theo’s teenage children were realistic (and definitely stereotypical teenagers at times!), while the youngest child completely stole my heart.
Adam’s “sisters” brought the humour to the story, and Gloria in particular was fabulous. honestly, (Everyone needs a Gloria in their life!)

Alongside all the charm and escapism, there was also real emotional depth. I loved Adam uncovering more about the uncle who left him the property, though it was heartbreaking to read about the homophobia he experienced and what he missed out on.
With all of Matt’s books, I always get the sense that pieces of his own experiences and heart make their way onto the page, but The Castle of Stories felt especially personal and heartfelt. It also feels like a slight new direction for him, bringing children and family life more centrally into the story and it worked perfectly.

A heartfelt, uplifting escapist read that I absolutely adored. ❤️

[Christine Fitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another stunner from Matt Cain; he did a great job of revealing depth and layers to the characters throughout, even ones that started out flat from the MC's point of view. I love seeing MCs from a working class background who have to think about things like money while they're off on their glamorous vacations, and that's definitely a part of the narrative here that really keeps things grounded. There was a just-right dose of conflict and issues for the MC to work through in terms of the house, his relationship, and his past, but overall the story was uplifting and I got pretty emotional towards the end (of course). Plus there are great food descriptions and beautiful landscapes. It really made me want to go back to Italy and eat my little heart out.

Netgalley gave me a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

CWs - Bullying, Homophobia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Suicide, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Animal death, Physical abuse

[Tim Stuff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love Matt Cain's work. The Castle of Stories does not disappoint. His work reminds me of my favorite author, Armistead Maupin. His characters are beautifully drawn and the stories are intriguing and engrossing, while also being comforting. Cain's books feel like a hug.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderfully warm and charming story! This is my first of Cain’s books, but it won’t be my last.

It did take me a while to get into. The story tackles a variety of themes, experiences and perspectives, and takes a little while to find its rhythm. At first it felt heavier, and the familial relationships felt quite hopeless. However about midway the story hits its stride, and the initial conflict starts to evolve into something thoughtful, nuanced and heartwarming.

Cain captures the layers of guilt, shame, identity, loss and the shifts in the experience of being gay across generations in a way that feels honest and complex without feeling gratuitous. I came to understand and respect the characters, and enjoyed the experience of gradually unravelling their perspectives, particularly Matt and Wilf. The Italian castle setting elevated this story of a new family forming, and I closed this book with a full heart.

The narration for the audiobook version took this up a star for me. The narrators voice felt perfect for Matt, capturing his maturity, and placing the reader within his perspective. The gentle pacing and cadence of the narration felt perfectly aligned with the Italian countryside setting. And despite such a large cast, each character had a distinct voice, making their individual experiences easy to follow.

Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved this author's previous book The secret Life of Albert enwhistle and so I had fairly high expectations for this book

It's about this man named Adam who inherits a Italian Villa with a castle from his late uncle that he did not know and so he decides to fix it up and rent it out but first he and his boyfriend are going to spend the summer there while the work gets done.

His boyfriend Theo has three kids and after a little upset turns out all three of them are going to spend the whole summer with them.

This book took me a significant amount of time to get into. If I did not have this as a netgalley title I probably would have dnf'd. I am glad I didn't because by the end I really did like our two characters and the kids but I also had some significant problems as well.

Cis gay men love to think that they cannot be misogynistic but I fear sometimes it is the worst. This book tries and it's really interesting because the main character has four best friends who he calls his sisters and to me that was a little bit off-putting but then there's a scene where they explain why they call each other the sisters to Theo's daughter and there's this big talk about reclaiming femininity and showcasing how families can be all sorts of things. And that's great in all but then our main character is uncomfortable around periods and calls his boyfriend's ex-wife a bitch.

I just fear that they don't even grasp how that comment and that lack of knowledge about a fucking basic bodily experience is lined in misogyny.

My other issue with this book is that the only queer people right are cis gay men and I'm so tired of it. I'm sure that a lot of people are going to love this book specifically fans of the guncle but for me I was a little bit let down on any sort of lack of diversity within queerness and a lack of accountability about the misogyny from our main characters.

There's discussions about homophobia but only about gay men.

It's not to say the book was bad but sometimes there's a reason that I don't like to read queer books written by cis gay men.

By the end of the book it is heartwarming and you like the kids and you're rooting for them and it's fine. I definitely liked the author's other book better but I know this will find its audience. I just hope that gay men can continue to learn and grow and be a little bit more open and understanding about their own biases.

2.5 stars

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy emotional roller coaster, Batman! This story was like a suckerpunch to the gut while also being so cozy, heartfelt, and inspiring!

I went into this book blindly expecting a gay, older, romance- and I got that and SO much more than I bargained for. Each character has so much depth that it was impossible not to appreciate all of the thought and care put into the creation of The Castle of Stories.

The story follows our main character, Adam, who struggles with what might be misplaced abandonment issues as he navigates a new relationship with Theo- a man who has just divorced his ex-wife upon coming out as gay to his family. Adam has recently inherited a home and "castle" in which he and Theo planned to renovate throughout the summer, only taking the kids for the last week of summer. But, everything gets flipped around when his ex-wife Kate pushes the kids on him for the full summer.

Callum, Mabel, and Archie, the children of Theo and Kate who want nothing to do with Adam, are now stuck with them throughout the full summer, renovating his new home in Italy.

At first, I was so annoyed with these kids. They tried to sabotage EVERY moment they could with Adam, openly hating him and siding with their mom at every turn. But the further into the story I went, the more I felt for these kids whose parents are freshly divorced and learning to accept that their father is gay and has already moved on with Adam. They softened up to Adam, and I really softened up to them, too.

I don't want to dive too much farther into the plot, but the name of this book truly captures the essence of each person having their own story- the one they share, and the one they keep close.

I laughed, cried, and truly enjoyed my time with The Castle of Stories. I'm so grateful Kensington sent me an ARC. This story will stay with me for a long time.

[Alex Doenau · Rating 3 out of 5]

England has, as history has borne out, taken for granted its access to Europe. There’s probably a baseless claim to me made that Brexit occurred solely to present homosexual men from traveling to the Italian countryside to “go find [them]self or whatever”. Matthew Cain’s awfully named The Castle of Stories is about what happens when a man approaching middle-age finds himself propertied, saddled with three children and in love with a man who never stands up for him.

Upon learning that the great uncle that he never knew he had has died and left him an estate in Italy, Adam Webb decides to spend six weeks of summer renovating it for both use and renting it out. When Adam's boyfriend Theo's plan for his three children to visit for one week turns into the entire break, Adam finds himself constantly beset by ingratitude, open rudeness, and mosquitos.

The Castle of Stories is a book that offers few surprises except for how much a man with low self-esteem and abandonment issues can tolerate before he snaps completely. This is a book of only two acts, rather than three, and they're delineated by how poorly Adam is treated. People who don't have the contractual obligation to be the narrator of a book would likely remove either themselves or the offenders from the scenario where they're facing consistent abuse. For that reason, half of The Castle of Stories can be construed as deeply unpleasant, and often Adam offers phantom dialogue that he should have offered to the people who are either attacking him or failing to defend him.

When the characters realise that maybe Adam deserves a break and that it's not his fault that the kids' father had been living a closeted life for decades, The Castle of Stories turns. The reader will no longer want to everyone to suffer for their crimes, but that means that the rest of the novel has essentially no conflict because Cain forgot to replace the backbiting with anything more serious than building standards maybe not being up to code. 

This is marginally uncharitable because the back end does go into Adam’s extreme fear of abandonment, the largely unexamined matter of his mother’s death and subsequent distant relationship with his father, and the mystery of who great-uncle Wilfred is. Wilfred’s identity is unsurprising to anyone even marginally smarter than Adam, who often refuses to put two and two together. The maddening construction of this book is that Adam frequently finds letters and artefacts of the past and sets them aside to read “later”, and then keeps setting them aside so that Cain can drop them into narrative as carefully detonated bombs. These documents never require the hours that are set aside to consume them, so it does not make much sense to drip feed them to us. The incurious nature of this protagonist is more likely to kill him than a battlement falling off his castle and crushing him to death.

Harsh though this may sound, The Castle of Stories legitimately rallies into something pleasant. It’s a long hike to get there, and it really reads like a non-threatening gay book for right-on straight people to read to feel better about themselves. Cain goes far enough to provide an actual spectrum of the rainbow in Adam’s friend group, although Gloria’s relationship to gender is more complex than an English author in his country’s current dark age is willing to explore, and the experience is overall more sunny than not.

The Castle of Stories is not going to be most peoples’ idea of essential reading, but there is an audience for this sort of novel. It’s the first book from Cain and his husband Harry Glasstone’s publishing company Pansy, and potentially the first of many. LGBTQ+ people deserve all kinds, and while this might not be the best it can still be encouraged.

A review copy was provided by Pansy.

[Yvonne (It's All About Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

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Finished reading: March 23rd 2026

"I've learned that just because something was my story before, it doesn't mean it has to be forever."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and A John Scognamiglio Book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

REVIEW

I usually enjoy Matt Cain's writing and I do love an Italian setting, so I couldn't resist adding The Castle Of Stories even though his previous book was a miss for me personally. The premise of this newest story sounded intriguing, with the main character inheriting a farmhouse and castle in Italy from a great uncle he never even met... It also prepared me for the upcoming drama along the way, which I was grateful for. And while there were a couple minor blips along the way, as a whole I ended up having an excellent time reading about their adventure in Italy.

The Castle Of Stories is mainly set in Tuscany, and this Italian setting was one of my favorite things about this book. There are so many descriptions of the Italian countryside, and it makes it feel as if you are right there along with the main characters... Or at least it makes you want to travel there yourself. I enjoyed the incorporation of a couple Italian words as well, and the many food descriptions without a doubt made me crave Italian food.

Another aspect I really enjoyed reading about was the renovation of the property itself as well as the escavation of the castle ruins. Both added a little extra to the plot and also helped balance out all the personal drama that flared up at times... I could appreciate that both elements weren't without hurdles, as it made the plot feel more realistic. The fact that they have to 'survive' the summer in the middle of a building site with three children adds a little tension to the plot as well, as it isn't the ideal situation in the best of times (let alone if two out of three children don't even want to be there initially).

As for the characters... While Adam's insecurity could get a bit annoying, I can't deny that I could appreciate his growth over time. Theo was easier to like, but little Archie was without doubt the true star of the show. I adored him! The other children behaved like typical teenagers and are hard to like in the beginning, but in a way their reactions are also understandable and do feel realistic. I enjoyed watching their growth and developing bond over time, and most of the secondary characters were great as well. I do have to say that the way the teenagers spoke was highly annoying and slowed down the pace. I get that this is how teenagers speak nowadays, but the slang really distracted (even if most of the words were explained).

As a whole, The Castle Of Stories can be considered a lighthearted read and perfect for those summer months, but I do have to warn that it also incorporates plenty of heavier topics including homophobia, death, bullying and infidelity. These elements are well incorporated though, and the result is a well-balanced plot that is both reflective and ultimately uplifting. Recommended if you enjoy emotional contemporaries with an Italian setting.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Just because something has been your story for a long time doesn't mean it had to be forever."

Uplifting, witty, heartfelt and moving, I absolutely adored this glorious second-chance romance. Italy is my favourite place in the world and I am already a fan of Matt Cain’s storytelling, so I couldn’t wait to lose myself in this book. It was everything I’d hoped for and more. Brimming with love, laughter, tension and secrets, Matt held me in the palm of his hand from start to finish. A love story wrapped within a love story, this book will pull on your heart strings, make you laugh, make you angry and fill you with joy. And that ending was so beautiful.

The story follows Adam Webb, who is shocked to discover that he has inherited a run down farmhouse and castle in Tuscany from a great uncle he didn’t even know existed. After traveling to Italy with his boyfriend, Theo and falling in love with Castello Montemango, Adam quits his job and the couple make plans to spend the summer renovating the property. But the couple’s idyllic summer plans come crashing down when Theo’s ex-wife tells him she can’t take their three children this summer and he’ll have to take them to Italy. While the youngest child, Archie, gets on well with Adam, the two teenagers are openly hostile and unimpressed that they are being forced to spend the summer in a run-down house with no Wi-Fi. Further complications arise when Adam comes across some letters whilst sorting through his uncle’s possessions and discovers a dark family secret. Can Adam uncover the truth and finally deal with the heartache he’s tried to bury for decades?

This was the perfect escapist summer read. Evocatively written, it transported me from my back garden in Derbyshire to Tuscany so vividly I could feel the heat on my skin, see the cypress trees, smell the ripe tomatoes and taste the gelato. Also leaping from the pages were the charismatic, messy and compelling characters. Adam is a great protagonist. He’s flawed, riddled with insecurities, but he’s also kind and just wants a happy-ever-after with Theo. I loved him and Theo together and could relate to their problems trying to blend their family. Matt brings truth and relatability to this part of the story, perfectly capturing the heartache, joy and stress of trying to build a relationship with a partner’s children, especially when teenage hormones and spiteful exes are involved. But my favourite characters have to be Adam’s sisters (his trio of friends). These gals are a hoot and lit up any page they were on. I could have read an entire book about their exploits (idea for a spin off maybe?).

But while there is fun, the story also explores some serious topics, including grief, trauma, self-confidence, empathy and homophobia. Matt writes with honesty, compassion and pride, educating his reader about the harrowing things the LGBTQ+ community have been forced to endure while reminding us of the power of love and kindness.

A gorgeous and heartwarming summer read, this is a must for your TBR.