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Coming of (Middle) Age
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 11, 2026
I love this novella!
The story is funny, witty, and sharp, and The world-building, as evidenced by the imaginary 1980s Museum (which I so wanted to be real) is first-rate. Yes, the story is set in this world, in small-town South Carolina. But the attention to the details of place and daily life, invites the reader into Gem’s life, which is, as Gem says, is that of “a [forty-something] hermit with no life.” He feels he is a failure, and has “wasted so his life in Jeff” and their toxic, “disastrous relationship.” That the story is rooted in autobiography only makes the story stronger and more richly layered. Gem’s big question is, how to move on. Can he thrive as a middle-aged single man? Maybe. So, Gem takes action: he signs up on Meet Up for a hike in nearby Greenville. The hike is rained out, but when he talks to Gregg, the hike organizer, the men click.
And this tale becomes a love story. This is where the story begins.
Gregg invites Gem on a mysterious adventure, to an undisclosed site. This turns out to be the off-beat fictional 1980s museum a few hours away across the state line, in North Carolina. It’s a journey of jokes, goofy humor, banter, gathering get-acquainted information, such as(Gem is a writer, Gregg is a nurse, they have both had unsuccessful relationships in the past … the list goes on.
The museum is delightful (I so wanted it to be real!). Something’s happening between the men. It’s real. Gem’s invitation to come inside when they get home, and Gregg's acceptance, affirms this. Gem knows now he “won’t be alone forever.” He is definitely coming of middle age, a place for more hopeful than he he once thought.
Clearly Allan knows what he is doing and how to do it very well. He is a master storyteller.
I enjoyed this well-written and well-crafted novella. Highly recommended.
The story is funny, witty, and sharp, and The world-building, as evidenced by the imaginary 1980s Museum (which I so wanted to be real) is first-rate. Yes, the story is set in this world, in small-town South Carolina. But the attention to the details of place and daily life, invites the reader into Gem’s life, which is, as Gem says, is that of “a [forty-something] hermit with no life.” He feels he is a failure, and has “wasted so his life in Jeff” and their toxic, “disastrous relationship.” That the story is rooted in autobiography only makes the story stronger and more richly layered. Gem’s big question is, how to move on. Can he thrive as a middle-aged single man? Maybe. So, Gem takes action: he signs up on Meet Up for a hike in nearby Greenville. The hike is rained out, but when he talks to Gregg, the hike organizer, the men click.
And this tale becomes a love story. This is where the story begins.
Gregg invites Gem on a mysterious adventure, to an undisclosed site. This turns out to be the off-beat fictional 1980s museum a few hours away across the state line, in North Carolina. It’s a journey of jokes, goofy humor, banter, gathering get-acquainted information, such as(Gem is a writer, Gregg is a nurse, they have both had unsuccessful relationships in the past … the list goes on.
The museum is delightful (I so wanted it to be real!). Something’s happening between the men. It’s real. Gem’s invitation to come inside when they get home, and Gregg's acceptance, affirms this. Gem knows now he “won’t be alone forever.” He is definitely coming of middle age, a place for more hopeful than he he once thought.
Clearly Allan knows what he is doing and how to do it very well. He is a master storyteller.
I enjoyed this well-written and well-crafted novella. Highly recommended.
August 23, 2026
Coming of (Middle) Age by MG Allan receives 4 stars from me. Full disclosure--I'm not a big romance reader. The more ridiculous the better for me, give me a mechanic with big muscles and is a bit dumb, but loving chasing after a thin effeminate wealthy man--I'm on board.
Coming of (Middle) Age is not ridiculous yet I enjoyed it. The premise of two men in that middle age of life feeling young again isn't a new trope, but what Allan does is use common experience to bring the two men together. The shows, they watched as kids, the movies that meant something to them--it isn't a trip down memory lane, it is a connection of living a similar experience and recognizing that in another person. It makes the men, specifically the narrator, feel whole again, feel human.
If you like romance, you'll like this work. If you like a romance and theme of common ground building a connection, you'll like this work.
Recommended: yes.
Coming of (Middle) Age is not ridiculous yet I enjoyed it. The premise of two men in that middle age of life feeling young again isn't a new trope, but what Allan does is use common experience to bring the two men together. The shows, they watched as kids, the movies that meant something to them--it isn't a trip down memory lane, it is a connection of living a similar experience and recognizing that in another person. It makes the men, specifically the narrator, feel whole again, feel human.
If you like romance, you'll like this work. If you like a romance and theme of common ground building a connection, you'll like this work.
Recommended: yes.
July 15, 2026
A very sweet shortish story as two older men, who have lost their partners, get together for a drive and then the magic hits. It's a lovely gentle tale.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews