This was so cute. It was a bit heavier than I expected because she is dealing with the grief of her mother dying the whole time. Arthur is adorable and was so obviously in love with her the whole time. I do wish that Maddie talked to her dad a bit more but it made sense for where they both were in their grief journey.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Maddie has made her life small since the death of her mother but now now there's Arthur, a lute playing renaissance man who becomes her friend. She's been working the Ren Faire circuit with her father but it hasn't been as much fun as it is to spend time with Arthur. This might be a YA novel but it makes a delightful light cross over read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Will make you smile.

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway
Ashley Schumacher
4.5 ⭐️

Dumplin’ meets Well Met was a spot on description. This one surprised me in the best way possible. I really wasn’t sure what to expect but I absolutely adored this book! I was hooked from the very beginning and did not want to put it down.

"The things that can bring us the most pain in life can also bring us the greatest joy."

It was sweet, humorous, entertaining, and absolutely tugged at my heart strings. As someone who recently and unexpectedly lost her mother, I felt so connected to Maddie and her journey through gief. I laughed, I cried, and even had to stop at one point and listen to a saved voicemail from my Mom. 🥰 The story, the well developed characters, and the ren faire setting were all so perfectly executed. Grief is hard, and it sucks but Schumacher handled the tough topic and several others so well. I loved the ending and seeing the story came full circle.

What I loved;
👸🏼Renaissance Fair Setting
👸🏼Plus-Sized Heroine
👸🏼Slow-Burn YA Romance
👸🏼Grumpy/Sunshine

Pub Date: 3/14/23

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway will sweep you up and have you feeling ALL the feels. A beautifully written story of grief, healing, and finding your place in the world. This was my first read by the author and I look forward to more.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Pess & Wednesday Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. I am so happy to have had the opportunity to be an early reader.

Thoughts

I loved this book more than I can really describe. It isn't my usual favorite read, and that makes it all the better. I was surprised and delighted by how much I'm in love. The atmosphere, the characters: everything here is fun, well-crafted, and just a great reading experience.

Pros
Fantasy Motifs: Though this story is set in the contemporary age, adding the trappings of ren-faire-style fantasy really lends magic to the mundane. This sense of everyday magic, the whimsical encapsulated in the ordinary, is something I remember well from Schumacher's Amelia Unabridged, and I'm glad this book embraces that touch of fantasy even more. Schumacher creates an atmosphere that I want to be a part of--and that almost feels tangible, given its proximity to, you know, reality. I wanted to be absorbed by this world.

Banter: There's really no substitute for character chemistry, and Schumacher's characters play off each other so well. A reluctant princess and a charismatic bard create a great dynamic. These characters push each other's buttons (but never each other's boundaries). Arthur pokes and prods Madeline to get what he wants, but he never pushes too far. She has a choice--she is, after all, the princess here--and she knows it. I love when characters push each other to grow, and Schumacher encapsulates that here... with witty banter just a bonus.

Healing: Despite the whimsy of this tale, grief and the trauma of parental loss do play a significant part in this story. But this isn't a raw wound for Madeline. She has had a year to process her loss, and while she has by no means moved on (nor should she have), she has had the space to grieve. And this opens her up for growth, exploration, coming back into her life after her initial period of mourning. I love that this story starts with a character ready to heal, and I love that Madeline does, even if those steps toward healing are messy, uneven, and not-quite-complete.


Cons
Too Understanding: Madeline always has her reasons for pushing Arthur away, both good and bad, but that doesn't mean that Arthur should just take this. Sometimes Arthur is being perfectly friendly, and Madeline's response is very harsh--unreasonably so, to an outsider. She's got her reasons, but she doesn't communicate them. Arthur can't know what's on her mind, and so the fact that he just takes it, gives her space, simply understands in all of these situations... It just doesn't feel realistic. That's part of the fantasy element here, sure. Arthur is everything that Madeline needs at this time, including supernaturally understanding of her (uncommunicated) grief and trauma. But I still didn't like this. It sets an unreasonable standard. We shouldn't aim for supernatural understanding but great communication in a relationship.

On-the-Page Boundaries: Madeline's faced some significant loss. Of course she's going to be wary of letting anyone in close. Why would she want to create a close bond when she could just lose them again? That all feels very realistic. Less realistic, to my mind, was that she... outright states this? She might not say it aloud, but she thinks, in no uncertain terms and not quite infrequently, "yeah, I don't believe in having friends because my mom died." It feels odd to have this so clearly acknowledged on the page. Sure, she doesn't want new friends. And sure, that stems from her recent loss. But coherence seems a little too much here. Of course, this book is by no means an outlier in this regard. A lot of MG and YA books with grief at the center do put these types of intangible feelings into explicit words. That's just part of the genre. But I kind of wish it wasn't. I wish more was left unsaid, for us to connect the dots instead.

Communication Drama: Anyone who has read past reviews know that I really hate this. I hate when drama between a couple--or a friend group, even--could be easily resolved just by communicating. Put the facts out there. What did you see? What did you overhear? What did this make you feel. Mistaken motives cause tension here, unnecessarily, and while it doesn't take long for Arthur and Madeline to sort this out, I wish they would have just hashed it out at the inception instead of letting it come between them at all.


Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
9/10

Fans of the whimsical magic of Ashley Schumacher's Amelia Unabridged will love this new magic-in-the-mundane story. Those who appreciated Joan F. Smith's The Half-Orphan's Handbook will love this chance to grieve, heal, and grow.

This was super cute, I loved the characters, Maddie and Arthur are the perfect grumpy/ sunshine combo. And I loved the setting of the Renaissance Fair. I've always wanted to go to one, but now I feel like I need to experience it for myself.
I especially loved the end where the story came full circle. This is the first book I've read by this author and I will definitely be reading more.

Completely adorable and delightful. This YA novel is the perfect mix of realistic and fantastic, as Ren faires are meant to be.

Maddie’s journey to find meaning, worth, and connection as she copes with the anniversary of her mother’s death was so sweet. She grapples with the future, scared to care about others because she doesn’t want to lose them. If that’s not relatable, idk what is. I really loved this single POV story—the characters were fun and lovable. The plot was enchanting, but not fluffy. I’m sad it’s over—Arthur and Maddie are the kind of characters that you want as companions.

Note: All the men in this story are cinnamon rolls. Every. Single. One. So if you’re looking for a feel-good story, this might be the one for you.

It was the sweetest story. And Ashley Schumacher handled grief, self-worth, and fear of the unknown beautifully. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Meh, maybe Ren Faire books just don’t do it for me, since I felt equally empty while reading Well Met. This has the plus of touching on some more serious issues, but it’s still a light Ren Faire story, and it just didn’t work for me.

Generally - I enjoyed this book, loved the character growth and the believable, but still somewhat idealized teen relationship development.

Main characters are Maddie (a renaissance fare jewelry maker and seller, grieving the loss of her mother) at a ren-fare that is especially significant to her - BUT things have changed - someone has bought her old special fare and made changes. We also meet Arthur, and awkward but endlessly kind teenager, who also ends up being the son of the people that bought the fare. Hijinx ensue. They're very cute together - he's patient, she's prickly, he convinces her to be a princess, and she's conflicted. That dynamic worked.

Some of the subject matter was tough, since it features a young person dealing with navigating grief after the death of her mom, and I'll admit, this is not where I thought this book would go when I read the synopsis - perhaps I was a bit too focused on the idea of "fat girl at the ren-fare" romance when choosing this book, but I'm still glad I did. Because it was that and more!

The characters were loveable, but they weren't perfect (as people - but I did enjoy how they were written), there were flaws and communication errors, and misunderstandings here and there, but there was also so much growth in both the protagonists - in a way that made sense, but was also sweet and lovely. All within a serious backdrop of navigating the complicated feelings of letting yourself find and experience joy (and potential loss) after such a big life upending loss. I loved the banter between the leads, it was that flirty silly kind of teasing that is kind and funny and entirely believable.

Bonus points for the bit of magic imbued into the coin, and the description of the ren-fair grounds.

I appreciated the full bodied characters - they felt alive, and it wasn't just limited to the mains. I felt this one, I was rooting for them, and it was simply such an easy book to stay up reading because I wanted to see how they figured it all out.

I read this courtesy of an e-ARC from Net galley and St. Martin's Press. Thank you!

Madeline grew up working the ren faire circuit with her parents. In that lifestyle change is inevitable, but after her mom dies, Madeline has resisted change. She is surprised when the last faire of the season, and her mom's favorite, is all brand new with new owners. Including an annoying bard, Arthur, the new owners' son, who is her own age, seems to keep turning up where she is, and pushes her into so many new experiences! Will she let herself enjoy the changes or try to hold onto the past?
This was a fun setting in a renaissance festival perfect for two teenagers getting to know each other, and themselves.
This is @ashwritesbooks 's third book and it is great just like her others. It won't make you ball your eyes out (in the best way) as her others, but it definitely has lots of feels!!
This one is set to be published 14 March, so you still have plenty of time to catch up on her earlier work before you grab this one. Which you will definitely want to do!!
#NetGalley

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!!

This is the sweetest, bestest, made me cry bc it's so sweet, ya book!! This story did not just tug at my heart strings, it played them like a Ren. Faire bard.

Madeline travels to different Ren Faires with her dad all year to sell journals and jewelry. Last year her mom died and she has been moving through a cloud of grief since then. But when she enters the Ren Faire this summer, she is surprised to find a bard named Arthur. A bard who asks her to be the Faires princess.

This book talks about grief so well. I think grief is hard to put in words, but this author did an amazing job with Madeline's character. I saw myself in there too which is definitely something. I also loved that Madeline found acceptance with her weight. As something that I also struggle with, her story made me feel like being kinder to myself (I'm kind of shocked, I didn't know that was possible). Maybe, I should be thanking the author, because this story made a real difference in my life. I even went to Target!! And, it was amazing!!

Sappiest review ever?? Possibly.

Should you check out this book? Definitely!

Out March 14, 2023!

Since her mother's death last year, Maddie Hathaway is determined that nothing changes. Back on the Ren Faire circuit with her dad and at the last Faire she was at with her mom and dad, Gwen notices a lot of changes have occurred. This doesn't sit well with Gwen and she isn't okay with it. It doesn't help that Arthur, who's family recently purchased this Faire, is determined to make Gwen the new Princess, something she isn't keen on. It's outside her comfort zone. As the summer goes on and she hangs out with Arthur more she learns that sometimes going outside your comfort zone isn't too bad.

Although this is made for a young adult audience it felt more middle grade to me. The stakes didn't feel very high. I could feel it trying to be a "Well Met" for a younger audience. The cover also reads to me for a younger audience. I do appreciate how Maddie and her father dealt with their own trauma surrounding her mother's grief. It helped to illuminate that no one person's grief journey is similar. I think this story could be helpful for younger readers going down a similar path. This story also dealt more with finding one's self after hiding in the dark for a long time. Maddie was hiding in the metaphorical shadows for a long time. This book helped her to come out into the limelight and find friends and shine as her own person. For this reason I think it would be for younger readers. The overall tone just struck me as closer to middle grade to younger ya reader than an older ya audience.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway by Ashley Schumacher, 320 pages. Wednesday Books (St. Martin’s Press), 2023. $20. lgbtqia
Language: R (48 swears, 3 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
Coming up on the one-year anniversary of her mother’s death, Madeline just wants to spend the summer before senior year remembering, especially since she and her dad are at her mom’s favorite Ren faire. But new management has changed everything about the faire, and there is a bard calling Madeline “Gwen” for no apparent reason, and he insists on taking all the time that Madeline was going to spend by herself. The bard is making himself important to Madeline, and she is desperate to stop him.
Once again, Schumacher has crafted a brilliant story that addresses grief. Watching Madeline struggle to remember her mother and to push away anyone else that fate might take away from her next time is painfully relatable. However, Schumacher uses Madeline’s story to also address issues of body image and self-consciousness for both boys and girls. Fate rolls the dice for each of us, but it’s our decision to treat the result as a curse or a blessing.
Madeline/Gwen, her father, Arthur, and Tim are White. Martin is described as having a “dark brown complexion,” Adelina has “brown” skin, Noah has “olive” skin, and Bre has “dark brown” skin. Fatima is implied non-White. The mature content rating is for innuendo and mentions of sex and alcohol.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway by Ashley Schumacher

Published: March 14, 2023
Wednesday Books
Genre: Young Adult Romantic Comedy
Pages: 308
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Ashley Schumacher is the author of Amelia Unabridged and Full Flight and has a degree in creative writing from the University of North Texas. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s either singing Disney songs, finding new and exciting ways to pester her family, or trying to find her inside voice, which has been sadly missing since birth. She lives in a small town north of Dallas with her husband, son, and more books than is strictly necessary.

“Fate can’t take away what you don’t have.”

Madeline lives an interesting life, traveling with her parents to Renaissance faires. When her mom gets sick and dies, Maddie and her dad keep moving forward. Arthur is cheerful and kind. And he is the brightness that Maddie needs, even if she won’t admit it.

This was such a charming story. I loved the whole concept. Maddie was quite stubborn throughout.

I loved Arthur as a character. He was such a pure, sweet soul. And I love how kind he was. He was the perfect balance for the carefully controlled Maddie. Their chemistry was fantastic.

This was such a sweet read, and I like how it dealt with processing grief and the various forms that it can take. I also loved how positive this story was in every aspect.

The side characters were great, and it’s so easy to get lost in the fantasy of this sweet story. I enjoyed the concept of fate versus coincidence and the way that was woven in every aspect.

This was an entertaining read and such a lovely story.

I really enjoyed the many small notes/jokes woven in throughout the text (for example, the family RV being named "Britomart") and the way that each faux renaissance aspect is made almost tangible through the description. Maddie is a realistic but likeable protagonist, and her relationships (those in her head and those with people in her life) are deeply relatable. Anyone who has ever both wanted to hide forever and to be seen and understood will love this book.

Thank you so much to Ashley Schumacher, St Martins & Wednesday for an advanced copy of this book!

"The things that can bring us the most pain in life can also bring us the greatest joy."

This book is heavy with grief so please prepare yourself if you think you are in a vulnerable position especially after losing a parent specifically a mother. Madeline is so young and is navigating her new normal almost a year after losing her mother to cancer. The way that Schumacher describe Madeline's grief was so believable that you could feel the sadness from the pages.

Her family lived an unconventional life traveling to different renaissance faires while doing online schooling. I thought this aspect was very different and unique for a YA book.

While there is a romance between Madeline aka Gwen and a young bard, Arthur, the faire new owner's son, I found this book to be more of a discovery of herself and learning to heal. The theme of fate runs throughout the book, while Arthur is all about fate Madeline is doesn't want to believe due to all the bad stuff that has happened in her life. I'm sorry Madeline but it definitely was fate that you met Arthur because I believe he came at the perfect time for you. Arthur wanted nothing more for Madeline to embrace the fun that life has to offer even on the days that she did not want to do anything.

"At some point you're going to have to stop assuming the worst about yourself and everyone else around you."

There were a few moments that I felt so relatable as a teenager and also as an adult especially when it came to trying on clothes. I wish I could remember all my feelings that I had as a teen. I knew I was different and that I wasn't what was "normal" but looking back I don't think I disliked myself as much as a lot of other fat characters I read about. I wish I could remember more perhaps my old journals would tell a different story.

One of my favorite moments from the book was the chapter of Madeline going to Arthur's family cookout. We really got to see Madeline shine and work through her insecurities and learning more about Arthur's story. It was just really lovely.

It was getting a little frustrating when Madeline was so tunneled vision that she knew exactly what Arthur wanted and thought when it was the complete opposite. I had to keep reminding myself that she was a teenager (though I'm certain adults would do the same thing). She had been so used to her routine and bubble that when he came into her atmosphere, she didn't know how to react.

I really liked that Madeline and her mother seem to have a beautiful relationship and while the relationship likely wasn't perfect there didn't seem to be the added pressure from her to lose weight.

I really liked the incorporation of the positive therapy discourse throughout the book. You could see Madeline's development throughout the book with the help from Dr. Jenkins. And by the end she was able to let go some of the habits that she started when her mom passed and decided to move forward with healing.

I wish I had this book as a teenager and I think other teenagers will also be thankful for it.

I adored this book. It is such a sweet romance, but it also deals with some heavy topics.

Maddie has spent her life on the road with her parents at Renaissance Faires. She does online school and helps her parents make jewelry and leather journals to sell. But this summer is different, because her mom died last year. She and her dad are coping, barely at times, but Maddie is seeing a therapist (virtually) and using a journal to note occurrences so she won't forget.

They arrive at her mom's favorite faire, Stormsworth, and everything is different. The new owners have built a real castle, paved the paths and made everything nicer. Maddie isn't sure what to think, but she can still see some of what her mother loved there. The security guard is ready to throw her out when she's exploring at night. But the owners' son, Arthur, saves the day. When he asks her to meet with his dads the next day and become the princess of the faire, she reluctantly agrees. She agrees to go on day trips with Arthur during the week, but she tries to resist actually becoming his friend. It seems she WANTS to open up and experience more, but will her grief let her do it?

As I said, there are some heavy topics. Maddie is, of course, still grieving. She also feels uncomfortable in her body because she is not model skinny. She is coping with her grief with a regimented schedule and an avoidance of people - she thinks if she doesn't let anyone in, they can't hurt her. And she thinks Arthur is still pining after Bre, one of his friends from school, and she's just a fill-in for the person he really wanted to be the princess. She definitely has some self-confidence issues. But it is fun to watch Maddie grow in confidence over the summer.

If you are looking for a slow burn romance that is sweet and rated G, this is a great choice! Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway follows Madeline, a girl who has grown up in the ren faire circuit, a year after her mom has died. She tries to spend the time leading up to the anniversary of her mom’s death remembering and grounding herself. Making it so her life can go as smooth as possible going forward. With this in mind, Maddie doesn’t really have room for any new friends. And that’s when an annoying bard comes along to shake up her summer.

This book tackled so many topics. Grief, body image, fate…

For the grief aspect, I liked that it explored how the remembering gets tied into our ongoing present life. How hard it is to move on although we do it anyway. How people tend to hold themselves back facing a loss, and what we do when that isn’t an option. I liked that this was an overall happy book despite those horribly sad undertones.

And when it came fo Maddie’s body image, I liked that it was just there. Her insecurities were prevalent but didn’t take up the entire focus. She felt like too much at times because of her body, but still allowed herself to enjoy things. It wasn’t something mentioned once and abandoned nor was it something that was a constant. It just was.

And for fate, who doesn’t love a princess and her bard. Arthur and Madeline were so cute. I was constantly screaming at them to just confess! They were so annoying but in the best way. Maddie was a strong character despite her struggles, and Arthur was the comedic relief with a lot more layers. Beautiful, wonderful characters.

I will say that some things felt a little off like things being known without the characters telling each other (and I am not accounting for when they were being extra observant), and there were some consistency issues. I did read an ARC and hope these issues are resolved come pub day.

Other than those few things, this book was fantastic. It made me laugh (out loud!), made me cry, and made me cringe with second-hand embarrassment. Could these two be any more dense when it came to their feelings? Arthur was so hilariously oblivious for someone who was also very cautious and observant. I loved him so much. And I loved Maddie too. She was so genuine and although she had so much going on in her life, I liked that it never stole away from her main plot.

This book is for people who love ren faires, for people who can handle some high schoolers being awfully cheesy, for romance enjoyers, and for people trying to find their place in this world.

It took me a bit to really connect to this one. But honestly, once I did, I really enjoyed this book. I really liked the Ren Faire atmosphere! I thought it was very fun and whimsical. I loved Gwen/Madeline and how she worked through her grief and also her insecurities about her body and her social anxiety. I thought the way she and Arthur talked about their body image issues was a really well done scene. The part where she was trying on clothes in Target really got me. I loved the scenes with her and her therapist. Arthur was ADORABLE. Oh my goodness, just an absolute ray of sunshine. I liked how he was very conscious and considerate of how Gwen/Madeleine was feeling and how he followed her lead when she needed him to in different situations. I also really loved his dads. They were too funny. And NOAH. His time in the book was brief, but he had me cackling. Also, LOVED the ending. It tied everything together so perfectly. Overall, I thought this was a well done look at grief, insecurities, fate and how we can look for ways to tame the world, but also be okay with taking up space in it,
TW: grief, fatphobia, body image issues

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

A huge thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy for review.

Ashley Schumacher has just solidified her status as a one-click and pre-order author for me. I am so glad that this one didn't make me sob though!

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway was such a delightful and wholesome read. Maddie has been part of the Ren Faire circuit her whole life, traveling from Ren Faire to Ren Faire with her parents. Sadly, her mother dies and almost a year later, her and her father are returning to her mom's favorite Faire. When they get there so much of it has changed that Maddie just wasn't prepared for. She also wasn't prepared to meet Arthur who she tries very hard to not be friends with and who insists on calling her Gwen.

OMG I loved this story SO MUCH! First of all, it's set in Oklahoma. I loved the little nods to my home state sprinkled throughout the book. I could picture everything so easily and felt like I could go visit this Ren Faire. And I wanted to so bad!

Ashley just knows how to weave a story so you fall in love with the characters. I could relate so much to Gwen and I just felt so many of the same emotions and feelings as she had while thinking back to when I was a teenager. Just so relatable. All the stars!

What a cute read! This isn't usually my genre, but I really enjoyed this book. The story felt unique and engaging and the characters had their own charm. Recommended!