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Bill & The Kid
A Queer Family. A Troubled Child. A Secret. A Crime.
Liam is fourteen. Until lately, he's been happy. No one understands the change. His parents are worried. His teachers have given up. His friends are dropping him one by one. No longer interested in the world, he spends his time plugged in and shut off. But he does what he's told and answers when spoken to, while sinking into the lowest profile he can find.
After many interventions, all unsuccessful, his mother, Ruth, has an idea. Why not send him to spend the summer with her two favorite uncles? The trip will be long. He'll be going alone. But she hopes that the new surroundings will help him break out of his shell. They call it a vacation, but it's a last resort. The story starts here.
Happy together, Bill, a seasoned high school teacher, and Anton, a health care professional, welcome Liam into their home. They're ready to do anything for him, but unprepared for how difficult that turns out to be.
But Bill persists. With the help of a few of his students who joyfully lighten the load, he works to find the boy he once knew. But Liam's not alone in his tortured mind. Unknown to anyone, including him, a monster lurks inside.
Yet, no matter the challenge, love will prevail because it weaves its way through every thread of the story: the romantic love between Bill and Anton; the growing affection between Bill and Liam; the maternal bond between Ruth and Liam, and the eternal friendship between Bill and Ruth.
Liam is fourteen. Until lately, he's been happy. No one understands the change. His parents are worried. His teachers have given up. His friends are dropping him one by one. No longer interested in the world, he spends his time plugged in and shut off. But he does what he's told and answers when spoken to, while sinking into the lowest profile he can find.
After many interventions, all unsuccessful, his mother, Ruth, has an idea. Why not send him to spend the summer with her two favorite uncles? The trip will be long. He'll be going alone. But she hopes that the new surroundings will help him break out of his shell. They call it a vacation, but it's a last resort. The story starts here.
Happy together, Bill, a seasoned high school teacher, and Anton, a health care professional, welcome Liam into their home. They're ready to do anything for him, but unprepared for how difficult that turns out to be.
But Bill persists. With the help of a few of his students who joyfully lighten the load, he works to find the boy he once knew. But Liam's not alone in his tortured mind. Unknown to anyone, including him, a monster lurks inside.
Yet, no matter the challenge, love will prevail because it weaves its way through every thread of the story: the romantic love between Bill and Anton; the growing affection between Bill and Liam; the maternal bond between Ruth and Liam, and the eternal friendship between Bill and Ruth.
339 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2026
About the author
Patrick Doyle
10 books196 followersI don't know why writing came to me exactly, probably a mix of too much reading and not enough sleep, but it's become my second nature. Or maybe my first. Writing is a release (the imagination, the mental travel), but it binds me too (the discipline, all those hours). Writing is more than storytelling, although telling stories is the best. Writing helps make sense of life. By having to be honest on the page, I have to be honest with myself and there's no better feeling than when my writing connects.
That said, here's my schtick. Fiction about gay men tends to be slotted into two categories: literary or MM. My novels, I hope, go somewhere else. I make no pretense of being the next Stuart Douglas or Ocean Vuong. Neither do I write with pre-fab characters or tired tropes. But I believe in happy ends or the glimmer of one. Otherwise, why write?
So far I've written nine books: a series of loosely related mystery adventures (Jordi's Day, Tony's Dream, Beau's Dilemma); the Pierre & Bill trilogy (Pierre & Bill: A Love Story, Pierre & Bill Now, Pierre Before Bill), that tells the story of a most unusual couple. Along the way, I've written a more intimate mystery (Van Alone), a fantasy/sc-fi (Seeing Sean), and a political thriller (Catching Hanif's Eye). All queer as heck.
My new book, 'Bill & The Kid: A Queer Family. A Troubled Child. A Secret. A Crime,' (due October 1, 2026) is a story about love and its opposite where love wins. In a way, it picks up where the Pierre & Bill series left off, but this is a brand new story that lives on its own.
I write fiction, meaning it's all made up. But the more I write, the closer to the bone I get. Writing always involves looking in. Sometimes, everything else is a red herring.
I live in Montreal with my partner and not far away from the child we raised. I live in French, write in English, and work in both. I try to bring that experience to my novels. All my protagonists are faced with the challenge and excitement of loving someone from another world. I’ve been there. It’s worth the trip.
That said, here's my schtick. Fiction about gay men tends to be slotted into two categories: literary or MM. My novels, I hope, go somewhere else. I make no pretense of being the next Stuart Douglas or Ocean Vuong. Neither do I write with pre-fab characters or tired tropes. But I believe in happy ends or the glimmer of one. Otherwise, why write?
So far I've written nine books: a series of loosely related mystery adventures (Jordi's Day, Tony's Dream, Beau's Dilemma); the Pierre & Bill trilogy (Pierre & Bill: A Love Story, Pierre & Bill Now, Pierre Before Bill), that tells the story of a most unusual couple. Along the way, I've written a more intimate mystery (Van Alone), a fantasy/sc-fi (Seeing Sean), and a political thriller (Catching Hanif's Eye). All queer as heck.
My new book, 'Bill & The Kid: A Queer Family. A Troubled Child. A Secret. A Crime,' (due October 1, 2026) is a story about love and its opposite where love wins. In a way, it picks up where the Pierre & Bill series left off, but this is a brand new story that lives on its own.
I write fiction, meaning it's all made up. But the more I write, the closer to the bone I get. Writing always involves looking in. Sometimes, everything else is a red herring.
I live in Montreal with my partner and not far away from the child we raised. I live in French, write in English, and work in both. I try to bring that experience to my novels. All my protagonists are faced with the challenge and excitement of loving someone from another world. I’ve been there. It’s worth the trip.
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September 15, 2026Reviews are coming in and I'm so glad the book connects. Something that intrigues me is how some readers refer to the story as 'quiet'. I'm not saying they're wrong because readers are often onto something, but the comment comes as a surprise. The story didn't feel quiet when I wrote it. There's a horrible core. There's passionate sex. There's raucous laughter. There's primal rage. Maybe what readers are referring to is my need to tell a story about trauma without putting trauma in the book. As always, love is the answer and love works in quiet ways — although having an attitude can come in handy.
October 4, 2026
Patrick Doyle confirms the importance of his ‘Pierre & Bill’ sequence in contemporary gay literature with its latest instalment, ‘Bill & The Kid’. The title probably deliberately invokes Old West outlaw Billy the Kid, as Bill and Anton must face down some truly sinister forces that threaten their new-found family.
Yes, this can be read as a standalone novel, but then I urge you to seek out the earlier books, as it will greatly deepen your understanding of, and love for, these characters. What I appreciate about Doyle as a writer is that he is unafraid to challenge his readers and take them on unexpectedly dark journeys.
‘Bill & The Kid’ eschews the broad comedy and pathos of ‘Pierre & Bill Now’ for a more constrained, claustrophobic and spare tale of Bill and Anton inviting Ruth’s son Liam to spend a summer vacation with them. They open their home and their hearts to the teenager and what he represents in Pierre’s ongoing legacy. Little do they know it will be the first real test of their newfound love and life they have been carefully nurturing in the face of recent tragedy and loss.
Never has the contrast between Anton and Bill been stronger: the former a caregiver for the terminally ill, and the latter a now retired high school English teacher who tutors privately. He remains enmeshed in the lives of his former students and the vibrant community he and Anton are now indelibly a part of.
There is a wonderful scene when Liam decides to take in the sun and a book on a chair in the back, and Bill suggests he use the hat that has been left behind in Pierre’s old room, where the latter made his last valiant stand against entropy and ageing, on his own defiant terms.
Liam is staying in that same downstairs room that was converted into Pierre’s last stop towards the end. That it is a memorial and a safe space for the next generation is a wonderful entanglement of grief, memory and hope. However, the idyllic vacation quickly turns into a nightmare that even strains the newly forged, yet still precarious, bond of Bill and Anton’s relationship as they realise Liam is fighting a host of demons, including inter-generation trauma.
Despite Bill and Anton’s fight for normalcy, and turning their home into a beacon of love and acceptance, Doyle reminds us that the villagers with burning pitchforks are always lurking at the edges, ready to march and destroy on the behest of even darker societal forces using them as a foil and a smokescreen.
This is a tough but worthwhile read. Whereas I gulped down the previous novel, I had to take this one at a much slower pace and even pause on occasion to reflect. Doyle has solved the puzzle of how to continue his series once its most assuredly alive character has exited stage left. The answer is not what readers would have expected, I wager, but it clearly signposts Doyle’s growth as a writer and his deep and abiding investment in this motley crew of valiant survivors.
[I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.]
Yes, this can be read as a standalone novel, but then I urge you to seek out the earlier books, as it will greatly deepen your understanding of, and love for, these characters. What I appreciate about Doyle as a writer is that he is unafraid to challenge his readers and take them on unexpectedly dark journeys.
‘Bill & The Kid’ eschews the broad comedy and pathos of ‘Pierre & Bill Now’ for a more constrained, claustrophobic and spare tale of Bill and Anton inviting Ruth’s son Liam to spend a summer vacation with them. They open their home and their hearts to the teenager and what he represents in Pierre’s ongoing legacy. Little do they know it will be the first real test of their newfound love and life they have been carefully nurturing in the face of recent tragedy and loss.
Never has the contrast between Anton and Bill been stronger: the former a caregiver for the terminally ill, and the latter a now retired high school English teacher who tutors privately. He remains enmeshed in the lives of his former students and the vibrant community he and Anton are now indelibly a part of.
There is a wonderful scene when Liam decides to take in the sun and a book on a chair in the back, and Bill suggests he use the hat that has been left behind in Pierre’s old room, where the latter made his last valiant stand against entropy and ageing, on his own defiant terms.
Liam is staying in that same downstairs room that was converted into Pierre’s last stop towards the end. That it is a memorial and a safe space for the next generation is a wonderful entanglement of grief, memory and hope. However, the idyllic vacation quickly turns into a nightmare that even strains the newly forged, yet still precarious, bond of Bill and Anton’s relationship as they realise Liam is fighting a host of demons, including inter-generation trauma.
Despite Bill and Anton’s fight for normalcy, and turning their home into a beacon of love and acceptance, Doyle reminds us that the villagers with burning pitchforks are always lurking at the edges, ready to march and destroy on the behest of even darker societal forces using them as a foil and a smokescreen.
This is a tough but worthwhile read. Whereas I gulped down the previous novel, I had to take this one at a much slower pace and even pause on occasion to reflect. Doyle has solved the puzzle of how to continue his series once its most assuredly alive character has exited stage left. The answer is not what readers would have expected, I wager, but it clearly signposts Doyle’s growth as a writer and his deep and abiding investment in this motley crew of valiant survivors.
[I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.]
Review of advance copy received from Author
Love Above All: A Masterful Exploration of Healing and Family
Bill & The Kid by Patrick Doyle is easily one of the best books I’ve read this year. Doyle handles this story with remarkable care, tackling sensitive and difficult topics—such as trauma, violence, and emotional healing—while keeping love at the center of it all.
Bill and Anton have built a loving life together, keeping alive the sense of home and refuge that Pierre—Bill’s foster father, who raised him after his biological father passed—nurtured for so many years. Much has changed over time, including Ruth (Bill’s best friend) moving to the United Kingdom to build a life with her own family. Her 14-year-old son—Liam Jr., named after Bill’s first late partner—had a very happy childhood, so his sudden and strange behavioral transformation comes as a complete shock. Desperate to help him, Ruth and her husband Marty send Liam to stay with Bill and Anton in Canada, hoping a change of scenery and family bond will help him return to his true self.
Will staying with Bill and Anton bring him back? Liam has withdrawn into a troubled, difficult teenager, raising the question of how being away could possibly fix what is wrong. Can Bill and Anton uncover the dark secret behind his sudden change before it's too late?
The only way to find out is to dive into Doyle’s story. His empathetic writing made me feel entirely immersed in the characters' lives, and I truly believe this is one of his finest works.
Bill & The Kid by Patrick Doyle is easily one of the best books I’ve read this year. Doyle handles this story with remarkable care, tackling sensitive and difficult topics—such as trauma, violence, and emotional healing—while keeping love at the center of it all.
Bill and Anton have built a loving life together, keeping alive the sense of home and refuge that Pierre—Bill’s foster father, who raised him after his biological father passed—nurtured for so many years. Much has changed over time, including Ruth (Bill’s best friend) moving to the United Kingdom to build a life with her own family. Her 14-year-old son—Liam Jr., named after Bill’s first late partner—had a very happy childhood, so his sudden and strange behavioral transformation comes as a complete shock. Desperate to help him, Ruth and her husband Marty send Liam to stay with Bill and Anton in Canada, hoping a change of scenery and family bond will help him return to his true self.
Will staying with Bill and Anton bring him back? Liam has withdrawn into a troubled, difficult teenager, raising the question of how being away could possibly fix what is wrong. Can Bill and Anton uncover the dark secret behind his sudden change before it's too late?
The only way to find out is to dive into Doyle’s story. His empathetic writing made me feel entirely immersed in the characters' lives, and I truly believe this is one of his finest works.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Bill and the Kid
By Patrick Doyle
Published by the author 2026
Five stars
The author makes a point at the start of this book that you needn’t have read the other books in the “Bill and Pierre” series to appreciate this one. It’s true, but I felt glad that I knew the entire saga—Bill’s entire story—as I delved into this study of the meaning of family, filled with both pain as well as with boundless love.
Bill, a retired schoolteacher, and his partner Anton, a hospice nurse, have been together for years. The driving event of the narrative is the arrival of fourteen-year-old Liam (technically Liam-Pierre). The boy is the son of Ruth and Marty. Ruth’s father was Liam, Bill’s late partner. Anton arrived on the scene as Pierre’s caregiver at the end of his life, and stayed on for Bill. The point is that Ruth has known Bill and Pierre for a long time, and her son Liam spent a lot of his childhood around Bill and Anton, all in Pierre’s house, where Bill grew up. It is a central point that none of these relationships, until Ruth married Marty, were legalized in any way. This is about a created family.
The purpose of Liam’s being sent to Canada to spend the summer with Bill and Anton is that, like many teenagers, he’s gone sullen and withdrawn for some unknown reason. Ruth is hoping that Bill will be able to tease some of the happy boy they all remember back out of Liam’s adolescent silence.
This is an intimate—at times almost claustrophobic—story of a man desperately trying to understand what’s gone wrong with a child who won’t talk about anything. Bill’s skill as a teacher—aided by some of the students he’s mentored—helps him set about creating a new social context for the monosyllabic Liam. Bill works away, gently and patiently, at Liam’s walls. Even as he sees progress, Bill knows that he hasn’t uncovered whatever it is that turned Liam in on himself.
I have to say, Patrick Doyle manages to infuse a lot of tension into this quiet plot. Even the rather explosive discovery and finale are handled with a tender quietness—all of it in the name of the youngster Bill is trying to protect above all else. It is an unconventional story about an unconventional family, but it is powerful and true.
By Patrick Doyle
Published by the author 2026
Five stars
The author makes a point at the start of this book that you needn’t have read the other books in the “Bill and Pierre” series to appreciate this one. It’s true, but I felt glad that I knew the entire saga—Bill’s entire story—as I delved into this study of the meaning of family, filled with both pain as well as with boundless love.
Bill, a retired schoolteacher, and his partner Anton, a hospice nurse, have been together for years. The driving event of the narrative is the arrival of fourteen-year-old Liam (technically Liam-Pierre). The boy is the son of Ruth and Marty. Ruth’s father was Liam, Bill’s late partner. Anton arrived on the scene as Pierre’s caregiver at the end of his life, and stayed on for Bill. The point is that Ruth has known Bill and Pierre for a long time, and her son Liam spent a lot of his childhood around Bill and Anton, all in Pierre’s house, where Bill grew up. It is a central point that none of these relationships, until Ruth married Marty, were legalized in any way. This is about a created family.
The purpose of Liam’s being sent to Canada to spend the summer with Bill and Anton is that, like many teenagers, he’s gone sullen and withdrawn for some unknown reason. Ruth is hoping that Bill will be able to tease some of the happy boy they all remember back out of Liam’s adolescent silence.
This is an intimate—at times almost claustrophobic—story of a man desperately trying to understand what’s gone wrong with a child who won’t talk about anything. Bill’s skill as a teacher—aided by some of the students he’s mentored—helps him set about creating a new social context for the monosyllabic Liam. Bill works away, gently and patiently, at Liam’s walls. Even as he sees progress, Bill knows that he hasn’t uncovered whatever it is that turned Liam in on himself.
I have to say, Patrick Doyle manages to infuse a lot of tension into this quiet plot. Even the rather explosive discovery and finale are handled with a tender quietness—all of it in the name of the youngster Bill is trying to protect above all else. It is an unconventional story about an unconventional family, but it is powerful and true.
July 31, 2026
This is such a great, thought provoking book. It deals with a troubled teen and the investigation that is made to try to find the cause of his troubles. The author does a great job of immersing the reader into the mystery.
October 3, 2026
Bill is the man we all wish we had in our lives: mentor, teacher, friend, fierce defender, extended family member. He isn't perfect, but is compassionate, honest and true, good to have in your corner, stable and supportive. Recently retired from years of teaching High School, he relishes his long-term, stable, happy relationship with Anton, a health care worker. Perhaps he is the perfect person for his 'niece' Ruth to send her recently troubled son, Liam, to nurture, to coax out of his new introversion, to get him to tune-in and engage with the world again. Bill has fond memories of Liam's happy childhood, and is disconcerted when he realizes that version may not be there anymore, or maybe is buried under some calamitous event even Liam isn't aware of. It's a mystery he intends to solve, gently, probingly, slowly to bring the submerged boy back into the light and love of his extended family.
- Bill and Anton work together and separately, both using their various strengths honed by their careers and life experiences, sharing results as part of their pillow-talk, in their quiet hours, amid banter and flirtation. Bill's knowledge of teen psychology garnered from years as a teacher, Anton's expertise in health and underlying support from his years as a hospice worker, allow both men a keener understanding and unique insight. Bill introduces former students as a support group of new friends for Liam, trusted and healthy. Eventually suspicion of the cause of Liam's withdrawal is revealed, tested and confirmed. Tension, conflict and shattering revelation follow, affecting all the 'found family' members, and the mystery surrounding Liam is slowly resolved as he is embraced and given the chance and choice to grow and regain a more wholesome life.
- This is a story of change, of supportive evolution, from a damaging life event to a healthier, stabilized and more integrated world view brought about by an involved and life-affirming group of intimates, a found family that works together for the enrichment of all. There are shocking moments, times of confusion, mistrust and reconciliation, confrontation and ultimately successful reintegration. A recommended journey that we can all take together and come out perhaps better than we started.
- Received an advance copy; these are my opinions and honest review.
- Bill and Anton work together and separately, both using their various strengths honed by their careers and life experiences, sharing results as part of their pillow-talk, in their quiet hours, amid banter and flirtation. Bill's knowledge of teen psychology garnered from years as a teacher, Anton's expertise in health and underlying support from his years as a hospice worker, allow both men a keener understanding and unique insight. Bill introduces former students as a support group of new friends for Liam, trusted and healthy. Eventually suspicion of the cause of Liam's withdrawal is revealed, tested and confirmed. Tension, conflict and shattering revelation follow, affecting all the 'found family' members, and the mystery surrounding Liam is slowly resolved as he is embraced and given the chance and choice to grow and regain a more wholesome life.
- This is a story of change, of supportive evolution, from a damaging life event to a healthier, stabilized and more integrated world view brought about by an involved and life-affirming group of intimates, a found family that works together for the enrichment of all. There are shocking moments, times of confusion, mistrust and reconciliation, confrontation and ultimately successful reintegration. A recommended journey that we can all take together and come out perhaps better than we started.
- Received an advance copy; these are my opinions and honest review.
Review of advance copy
Тільки богиня знає, в якому я зараз, тільки дочитавши цю історію, стані. Колись я навчуся читати анотації та тригерні попередження на початку, але це явно буде не з цією книжкою. Чомусь, після першого прочитання анотації, я уявляв цю книгу милою, затишною, трохи меланхолійною історією про те, як хлопчик відправляється на літні канікули до дідуся та дідуся.
І в перших главах ці очікування дійсно мали шанс. Ліам їде з Британії в США до своїх дідусів, але всі підозри і неприємні відчуття починаються з другої чи третьої вже глави. Хлопчик замкнутий, невеселий, він забувається в думках, а в якийсь момент взагалі починає лунатити. Це все викликає дуже сильні підозри у дідусів, Білла та Антона.
І з кожною наступною главою мені ставало все складніше читати цю книгу. Проблема не в поганому написані чи нецікавому сюжеті. Ні, книжка написана чудово, сюжет чіпляє, а персонажам віриш (в певний момент мене так сильно розсердив Антон, що я почав вголос лаятися на цього болгарина). Проблемою стало те, що я почав дуже сильно співпереживати за Ліама, згадувати своє дитинство та те, що мені довелося пережити. То ж доводилося в читанні цієї книжки робити перерви, іноді після кожної сторінки, щоб просто пройтися, подихати та заспокоїтися.
То ж книга дійсно чудова, якщо вона змогла викликати такі сильні емоції, але зараз мені хочеться лише сховатися під плед та скоріше забути цю книжку. І це, звісно, не провина автора. Це моя і тільки моя провина, що не читаю попередження на початку книжки про аб’юз та педофілію.
В цілому це дуже добре написана історія. Вже третя книжка від цього автора, яку я прочитав, і кожна заслужено отримала від мене п’ять зірочок. З нетерпінням чекатиму на наступні книжки Патріка Дойля.
І в перших главах ці очікування дійсно мали шанс. Ліам їде з Британії в США до своїх дідусів, але всі підозри і неприємні відчуття починаються з другої чи третьої вже глави. Хлопчик замкнутий, невеселий, він забувається в думках, а в якийсь момент взагалі починає лунатити. Це все викликає дуже сильні підозри у дідусів, Білла та Антона.
І з кожною наступною главою мені ставало все складніше читати цю книгу. Проблема не в поганому написані чи нецікавому сюжеті. Ні, книжка написана чудово, сюжет чіпляє, а персонажам віриш (в певний момент мене так сильно розсердив Антон, що я почав вголос лаятися на цього болгарина). Проблемою стало те, що я почав дуже сильно співпереживати за Ліама, згадувати своє дитинство та те, що мені довелося пережити. То ж доводилося в читанні цієї книжки робити перерви, іноді після кожної сторінки, щоб просто пройтися, подихати та заспокоїтися.
То ж книга дійсно чудова, якщо вона змогла викликати такі сильні емоції, але зараз мені хочеться лише сховатися під плед та скоріше забути цю книжку. І це, звісно, не провина автора. Це моя і тільки моя провина, що не читаю попередження на початку книжки про аб’юз та педофілію.
В цілому це дуже добре написана історія. Вже третя книжка від цього автора, яку я прочитав, і кожна заслужено отримала від мене п’ять зірочок. З нетерпінням чекатиму на наступні книжки Патріка Дойля.
October 6, 2026
Bill and Anton’s relationship was one of the things that really stood out to me in this story. They have created such a loving, supportive home, and I loved seeing that tested when Liam comes to stay with them. Liam’s sudden change in behaviour and the mystery surrounding what is happening with him kept me invested, but it was the family relationships and emotional side of the story that really got to me.
There’s a lot of difficult subject matter here, and the story doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of trauma and healing, but love remains at the heart of everything. I especially appreciated Bill’s determination to reach Liam even when it wasn’t easy, as well as the support surrounding them. The relationships felt genuine and deeply emotional, and I found myself really caring about what happened to these characters. This was a powerful story about family, healing, and finding your way back to yourself.
I received a free ARC and this is my honest review
There’s a lot of difficult subject matter here, and the story doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of trauma and healing, but love remains at the heart of everything. I especially appreciated Bill’s determination to reach Liam even when it wasn’t easy, as well as the support surrounding them. The relationships felt genuine and deeply emotional, and I found myself really caring about what happened to these characters. This was a powerful story about family, healing, and finding your way back to yourself.
I received a free ARC and this is my honest review
Review of advance copy received from Author
Talk about a wonderful story!😍
I loved this thoughtful novel of found family and the power of patience, understanding and love. And the characters are just everyday types that ring so authentic. Bill, a retired schoolteacher at this point in his life, seems the perfect guy with the right personality and experience with kids, to take teenager Liam in for the summer and penetrate his silence to learn the root of his troubles, something Liam won't reveal to his mother who grew up with Bill as an adoptive second dad.
There wasn't a chapter in this story that didn't resonate. Bill's a great role model but not perfect, as his bouts of jealousy and fears of losing his partner's love demonstrate. But the way he gets through to young Liam and then fights to protect him: touching and heroic.
Definitely one I recommend. I did receive a complimentary advance copy of the book but this is my honest and voluntary opinion.
I loved this thoughtful novel of found family and the power of patience, understanding and love. And the characters are just everyday types that ring so authentic. Bill, a retired schoolteacher at this point in his life, seems the perfect guy with the right personality and experience with kids, to take teenager Liam in for the summer and penetrate his silence to learn the root of his troubles, something Liam won't reveal to his mother who grew up with Bill as an adoptive second dad.
There wasn't a chapter in this story that didn't resonate. Bill's a great role model but not perfect, as his bouts of jealousy and fears of losing his partner's love demonstrate. But the way he gets through to young Liam and then fights to protect him: touching and heroic.
Definitely one I recommend. I did receive a complimentary advance copy of the book but this is my honest and voluntary opinion.
October 5, 2026
This book was absolutely one of the most amazing books I've had the opportunity to read in a long time. I loved how when Bill and Anton got Liam they buckle down and no matter how hard it was or how bad things seemed at the time they continue to love him and pull him through it and no matter what.
Liam in some ways I kind of feel for him like he's going through so much and then when Bill and Anton step up because his mother Ruth has just she just don't know what else to do and she don't want to give up on her boy. This was just one of those books you read and you devour and you become so emotionally and mentally physically like just invested in this book it is not funny.
I really really love this book and I really am so grateful that I was given the opportunity to advance read this book by GRR.
Liam in some ways I kind of feel for him like he's going through so much and then when Bill and Anton step up because his mother Ruth has just she just don't know what else to do and she don't want to give up on her boy. This was just one of those books you read and you devour and you become so emotionally and mentally physically like just invested in this book it is not funny.
I really really love this book and I really am so grateful that I was given the opportunity to advance read this book by GRR.
October 10, 2026
What an amazing read! I initially thought I'd be trying to read this one quickly to find out what had made Liam change into the boy who seemed to be desperately trying to cut himself off from everyone and build a wall no one could penetrate. As I got into the book, however, while I still wanted to find that out I found I didn't want to rush anything. I wanted to follow Bill, Anton and all those around them as they patiently tried to understand Liam and make him feel safe, welcome and loved. It was the small moments of progress with Liam and the way the ripples of the various events big and small work their way out between Bill and Anton, Ruth, Liam, Bill's students and others. A story of light and dark that shows just how complicated loving others can be and the rewards for continuing to work at it.
Review of advance copy
Wow! Ruth's son is struggling and she can't find a reason. In hopes that a change will help the boy she sends him to Bill and Anton for summer vacation in the hopes that Bill will be able to reach him. It's a difficult road to try to get past the teen's walls. Just as progress is being made Liam disappears. After he's found one of his new friends reveals something they found online that could help explain Liam's troubles. The investigation is dramatic and the results disturbing. Bill and Anton prove again that they are the anchor for this found family.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 19, 2026
Patrick Doyle has always been an author I follow closely, and Bill and the Kid reminded me exactly why.
Finishing Bill and the Kid left me with a warm, lingering sense of hope. Patrick Doyle takes a delicate subject and treats it with remarkable gentleness. Bill’s decision to bring his nephew from the UK to Canada for a few weeks becomes the backdrop for a quiet, meaningful transformation.
The beauty of the book is in the small moments — Bill’s patience, his steady encouragement, and the way he helps without ever pushing. The nephew’s growth feels natural, and the emotional weight of the story is handled with care.
I really enjoyed this book. It’s tender, honest, and full of heart.
Finishing Bill and the Kid left me with a warm, lingering sense of hope. Patrick Doyle takes a delicate subject and treats it with remarkable gentleness. Bill’s decision to bring his nephew from the UK to Canada for a few weeks becomes the backdrop for a quiet, meaningful transformation.
The beauty of the book is in the small moments — Bill’s patience, his steady encouragement, and the way he helps without ever pushing. The nephew’s growth feels natural, and the emotional weight of the story is handled with care.
I really enjoyed this book. It’s tender, honest, and full of heart.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Bill is happy with his life with Anton. He's retired, tutors part time & relaxing for a change. Bill & Anton welcome Bill's "nephew" Liam into their home for the summer. His mom Ruth sees him withdrawing & feels that maybe him getting away might draw him out. Bill introduces him to a few of his students, they hit it off but Bill sees something isn't quite right. Joey one of the students sees something online involving Liam & shows Bill. Bill, Anton & Ruth try to find out the how & why this has happened. A very touching & well written story. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 4, 2026
Thank you for the book, here is my honest opinion:
I’ve not read anything from this author before but am interested to go back and read more of Bill’s story in the earlier books. This was a pretty intriguing read, there’s a bit of everything romance, grief, family drama, and suspense. It took a bit to get into it as I had no background with the characters but the author gave enough history along the way that I didn’t feel completely lost. Great characters and a unique writing style, I really enjoyed Bill and Anton together- excellent characters in this one!
I’ve not read anything from this author before but am interested to go back and read more of Bill’s story in the earlier books. This was a pretty intriguing read, there’s a bit of everything romance, grief, family drama, and suspense. It took a bit to get into it as I had no background with the characters but the author gave enough history along the way that I didn’t feel completely lost. Great characters and a unique writing style, I really enjoyed Bill and Anton together- excellent characters in this one!
October 2, 2026
Oh my this sensitive book broke my heart then brought it back to full. This is a sweet tender story that deals with sensitive topics in such a beautiful manner. I wanted to hug Liam who is ok till he is not and wanted to hugs his sweet uncles Bill and Anton who help him. I will admit I had to take a break from reading but came back as I had to see how this story concluded. It is simply one of the best books I have read.
October 6, 2026
This story starts off very slow. But it leaves little clues of what's to come. It, at one point, becomes a bit difficult to read so make sure to read all trigger warnings before beginning this story.
The characters are done very well and the world building pulls you in. There are some steamy parts so therefore this is an 18+ read.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The characters are done very well and the world building pulls you in. There are some steamy parts so therefore this is an 18+ read.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 5, 2026
I enjoyed the Pierre & Bill series quite a bit so I was happy to read this latest story. While it can be read as a standalone, I feel it would be even better to have read the series first. This one was quite an emotional roller-coaster but it was absolutely worth the ride.
I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion
I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion
Review of advance copy
This was a good read. I enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. I didn't read any of the other books in the series and it was easy to follow!!!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Patrick Doyle writes such elegant and poignant stories. All the books in the Pierre and Bill universe are emotional and heartwarming. I highly recommend starting with Pierre & Bill: A Love Story, and read them all in order. Bill and The Kid could be enjoyed as a standalone, but I think you'll get more out of this one if you've read the previous novels. Plus, they're all so lovely I know you'll enjoy them.
Doyle focuses on the themes of romantic love, familial love and personal reflection, plus Bill and The Kid has an intriguing mystery.
If you're a fan of mysteries, also make sure to check out Patrick Doyle's standalone suspense novels!
an advanced reader's copy of Bill and The Kid was graciously provided by the author, at my request, for the purpose of my honest review, all opinions are my own
Doyle focuses on the themes of romantic love, familial love and personal reflection, plus Bill and The Kid has an intriguing mystery.
If you're a fan of mysteries, also make sure to check out Patrick Doyle's standalone suspense novels!
an advanced reader's copy of Bill and The Kid was graciously provided by the author, at my request, for the purpose of my honest review, all opinions are my own
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