REVIEW: That’s What Friends Are For by Wade Rouse

That’s What Friends Are For by Wade Rouse: Author Wade Rouse has written many beautiful, emotional novels under the pen name of Viola Shipman who was his beloved grandmother. This latest novel is written with his real name and packs a powerful punch by addressing issues faced by gay men in the past and the present.

When he was younger, he “watched” the TV program, “The Golden Girls” via connecting by phone with his mother and grandmother. It gave him the inspiration to write about a different sort of friends who were also marginalized by age.

Four gay men end up living in a pink home once owned by Zsa Zsa Gabor in Palm Springs, California. Teddy is the leader of the foursome and always has a snarky comment. Barry once almost had fame in his younger days as a character on “The Golden Girls”, but his part was cut and he’s had a hard time after that acting in anything. Ron ran away from the conservative Midwest. Sid was married and had children before coming out late in life. The four of them may bicker, but their favorite thing to do together is a monthly drag performance of an episode of their beloved show which they call “The Golden Gays”.

Life is going along fairly well for the four until Teddy’s sister Trudy shows up with her granddaughter. Teddy hasn’t seen Trudy for years and really doesn’t want to deal with her. Ron takes her under his wing. Teddy can’t understand why his sister is suddenly in Palm Springs with her attitude toward gay lifestyle and him. Doesn’t she know that 50% of the population of Palm Springs is gay?

All the men have issues from the past and secrets in the present to deal with. Does Trudy also have secrets that are part of the reason for her visit?
By the end of this wonderful novel, I felt I knew all the characters well. The author really fleshed them out and made them authentic. I have never been to Palm Springs. The setting came alive for me through vivid descriptions.

This book feels like laughing with lifelong friends around a kitchen table — messy, honest, hilarious, and tender all at once. It’s Golden Girls energy with depth, heart, and a celebration of the people who choose us and stay. If you love stories about friendship that feels like home, characters with big personalities and bigger hearts, and books that make you laugh and feel every feeling — this one’s for you.

Tropes & Themes

• Chosen family & found belonging
• Queer identity & resilience
• Aging with humor & heart
• Friendship as survival
• Healing & acceptance
• Community & expression
• Ensemble cast of best friends
• Drag culture + showbiz energy
• Palm Springs summer vibes
• Secrets uncovered
• Comedy meets heartfelt moments
• Emotional found‑family arc

Book Info:

Publication: March 3, 2026 | MIRA |

In this poignant and hilarious story inspired by TV’s beloved The Golden Girls, bestselling author Wade Rouse celebrates love, aging, finding your people, and the art of impeccably timed one-liners.

Theodore Copeland has created a fabulous life in the desert oasis of Palm Springs, where he shares a fabulous pink mid-century home with three fabulous friends: Barry, a former actor still clinging to his youth, his hair, and the memory of the dream role that killed his career; Ron, an uprooted Christian from the Midwest with a big heart but no one to give it to; Sid, who, after coming out late in life, has never found love. Teddy is the caustic, unspoken leader of “The Golden Gays”—the foursome’s monthly drag tribute to The Golden Girls. Despite their foibles and bickering, they have turned their golden years into a golden era.

But the harmony of their desert enclave becomes a carousel of emotional baggage when Teddy’s estranged sister, Trudy, shows up on their doorstep, her dramatic teenage granddaughter in tow. While Teddy keeps Trudy at arm’s length, she manages to wheedle her way into the lives of the Golden Gays, until the real reason for her visit is revealed and the secrets they’ve all been keeping from each other unravel faster than a hastily stitched hemline.

A novel that gives thanks to “old” friends, That’s What Friends Are For proves that while family may be the tie that binds, it’s the chosen family that truly keeps us together.