DNF at 50%. I really, really wanted to love this one but I had the hardest time picking this one up. I just didn't really care about either character.

I think this is definitely a me problem as many other reviewers seem to love it.

This was a cute lite teen romance. A very easy read and enjoyable setting. It was nice that Madeline found support from so many random adults, and there was no malice in the book really.

This book was great. I had just finished reading an entire series about Renaissance fairs and this one was the right book to follow up after with. The main character broke my heart a little when she was trying to create a normalcy with her mom being gone a year and attending dates. It just hit close to home. But overall, a great book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday books for the early arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

TW: Death of a parent

What didn’t work for me

Not enough Faire: I *love* that this book was mainly taking place in the world of the Renaissance faire—something that’s always fascinated me but that I’ve never been to. That said, I didn’t get a good sense of the faire. I understood Maddie’s family’s stall, kind of, but beyond there also being jousting, I couldn’t really picture it in my mind. If I had no frame of reference from the outside, the setting would have completely gotten away from me. I wish we expanded into the world a little bit more.

The Gwen of it all: I understood right away when Arthur started calling her Gwen (I mean, his name is Arthur), but about halfway through the book (or maybe a little further), there was a reveal about why he chose that name for her, and it just seemed so obvious to me. And then she took on this Gwen identity—like it’s even in the name of the book—like it wasn’t weird that he just started calling her that? It really confused me, and I didn’t think it was necessary.

What I liked

Plus-size main character: Considering how many plus-size people there are in the world, you’d think there’d be more representation. That being said, I liked that she was just fat, and that was that. Of course, she was a little insecure about it—she is a teen, after all—but she didn’t try to make herself smaller or do anything about it…it just was.

Grief: I am lucky enough that I have not lost any of my parents or parental figures, but I do know about grief and Maddie’s journey through grieving her mom is very well done. Obviously, it affects her, as it would any teen but especially one who is homeschooled and whose whole life is with her parents, but you can see her progressing through it and being quite mature about it. If it was going to go there with the parental death (why is every book I’m reading about a parent dying these days?), at least it actually went there.

There were parts of this book that I really did enjoy, and I thought it was really well written, but there were a few things that I would have liked to delve deeper into to get a better sense of the world and all the characters. That being said, Arthur and Maddie are super cute, and I liked falling in love right along with them.

3.5 STARS

Thank you to St Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

this was a really good! I liked the characters, and they were super well-developed. the plot was super cool and fun to read, and the writing was also smooth and easy to understand
highly recommend

CW: death of a parent, cancer, homomisia (recounted), fatmisia, fainting

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

Madeline Hathaway is perfectly content with her unchanging life, thank you very much. After the death of her mom, Madeline decides to keep track of the things in her life that she can control and that includes only being close to her dad and her childhood best friend. Yet, when Madeline and her Dad arrive at Stormsworth Renaissance Faire to find it under new management, Madeline runs into the new owners’ son, Arthur, and is swept into being princess of the faire with the nickname “Gwen”. Along with Arthur’s initiative to start the “Gwen Discovery Program”, Madeline wonders how to open up her heart again.

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway is an interesting YA rom-com that is worth reading this spring. Against the backdrop of whimsical renaissance fairies and spontaneous road trips, Schumacher is able to create a story one can simply ease into and feel completely cozy in.

What drew me into the book initially, besides from the Ren faire setting, is the plus-size rep that Schumacher provides with Madeline. Madeline is such a good MC and I could really relate to her. Throughout the book, you really get to see her grow and learn to deal with the grief of losing her mom and then opening herself back up again. I think that Madeline really serves a driving force into what makes this book great.

Arthur is also another character I enjoyed reading in The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway. I instantly was charmed when Schumacher first introduces him and I continue to like him for the rest of the book. Schumacher does a great job creating this nerdy, but cute love interest (who I think might possibly be neurodivergent) that brings out more of the book’s plot. Arthur and Madeline compliment themselves very well and I liked seeing their dynamics between the Ren faire and their road trips. Plus, Schumacher provides an excellent, swoon-worthy ending for our two main characters.

So, next time you’re traveling out to a renaissance faire or are in need of love interests that compliment each other well, you’re going to enjoy reading The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway.

Thank you Wednesday Books for the gifted eARC

3.5 Stars

Madeline Hathaway has spent her life in the ren faire circuit living out of an RV and traveling with her parents. Now she’s approaching the one year anniversary of her mom’s death and she’s determined not to care about any new people, because if you don’t care you can’t get hurt. She protects herself with her routines and her journaling, but fate has other plans in the form of a young bard who wants more for her.

This is a beautiful and moving YA story about a young girl who is facing grief and insecurities. It feels authentic and timeless. I especially loved our sweet bard, Arthur. Ashley Shumacher has such a way of pulling at my heart with the beautiful words she weaves together. I *actually* finally made it through a Schumacher book without crying, huzzah!

If you are in the mood for a beautiful YA story with emotional depth, I will always recommend any one of Schumacher’s books! I personally preferred her other two novels, but still enjoyed this one.

Pub day: March 14

TW: death of a parent from cancer/grief

I can't say that I've ever been a ren faire or know much about them, but this adorable YA romance centers around one and I have to say I really enjoyed it.

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway was fast paced, hilarious, and honestly a super cute grumpy/sunshine romance!

Ashley has this beautiful way of bringing grief and young people together. She writes beautifully and I want to read whatever she rides.
Madeline and Arthur’s story was so just magical. I love reading books that take place in Ren Faires and this one was so good. The conversations about body was done in a positive and believable way- with emphasis on girls being too much and boys being not enough.
I also enjoyed all the different parent and children relationships.

Very cute! A very sweet Ren Faire story.

I think people interested in a YA version of Well Met will enjoy this.

The Ren Faire setting was fun, and I liked how Maddie gradually became both more comfortable and confident in herself over the summer.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an arc of this book. Below is my honest review.

Maddie and her parents travel to different renaissance festivals all year round. They sell the jewelry her mom makes and the journals her father makes.

One day, when she is in her street clothes instead of her faire attire, she meets an old wizard. He promised to answer one question for three tokens — three things that mean something to Maddie. She doesn’t take him up on it, so instead he gives her a globe necklace and tells her to come back tomorrow, but the next day he is gone. And Maddie, Maddie wanted to ask if a coin flip accurately predicted if her moms was going to survive after being diagnosed with cancer.

Years later … Maddie’s mom has passed and nothing feels right. Maddie, now aged 17, and her father are at a faire they go to every year. It is the last faire her mom attended. Maddie meets a bard who breaks all the rules, is her age, and for some reason calls her Gwen. She is less than amused by his antics and says he looks like teenager #3 in a movie.

When her father goes to a faire party, Maddie sneaks out to go to her dads stall and a security guard calls the cops for trespassing but the bard saves her. He says she was meeting him … his name is Arthur. (Which, okay, was pretty great.)

The next day, Arthur and his dads come to ask Maddie to be princess of the faire. It turns out, his fathers are the new owners. And … Maddie. A Princess? She begrudgingly agrees after much cajoling.

Will Maddie learn to believe in herself? Will Arthur win her over? Will she learn how to live with the grief of losing her mom? Who was the mysterious wizard?

I loved this book. Maddie was a phenomenal character and having plus sized rep in a YA book was much appreciated. How Maddie handles her grief is masterfully done. Arthur’s compassion was remarkable, especially on the anniversary of her moms death. Arthur was just an incredible human. Both main characters were flawed, but in the very best way. I thoroughly expected to despise Bre and Noah, but they absolutely won me over.

Maddie’s father was my favorite secondary character. His sharing of stories about his youth with her mom was wonderful. Arthur’s fathers were fantastic additions as well.

This book had me laughing, too! Just wait till you see what credit cards Maddie and her father accept at their booth. I highly recommend.

TW- cancer, death of parent (off page)

If Emma Lord and Jen Deluca had a book baby together, it would be this. We watch Madeline, or Gwen, as Arthur has named her, learn to live her life after her mom's passing. There were a lot of elements I liked, Arthur brought the humor in the beginning, Fatima being a true blue and encouraging Madeline, the Ren Faire background. There were also a couple of things I didn't care for, Madeline's fixation with her weight was though, at times it felt like that was a bigger hurdle to her than her mom passing. While she did come to terms with and start to like her body, I wish she didn't spend so much time putting herself down or comparing herself to others. There was also a bit in the middle that seemed to drag a little. The ending though, was so sweet. I loved the way they worked things out and finally got their feelings out there, not just Madeline and Arthur, but Madeline's dad too. Overall it's a pretty good read, I realize I'm probably not quite the target audience, but would definitely recommend to my nieces or daughter.

Amazing characters, amazing setting (ren fair, hello!) what more could you ask for? The grief of it all felt so real to me and so well handled. And while our main character is certainly experiencing loss and grief I wouldn't say this book is overly sad, it still had many fun parts. It's always so refreshing to me when main characters are "real" and Maddie was a great example of real characters done well. She's plus sized, awkward, and funny and I just adored her. If you're looking for the perfect mix of LOL moments and heartfelt moments, I think this book is for you. Get ready to read it poolside or en route to your local renaissance fair this summer! On sale 3/14/23!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the first book I read by this author, Amelia Unabridged, so when I saw she had written one that takes place at a Renaissance Faire? I slammed that NetGalley request button so fast. I will literally read almost anything if you set it at a Renn Faire.

This book, like Amelia Unabridged, explores the theme of grief and moving on, with a nice romance thrown in. My one major problem with this book was a couple of red flags that Arthur was throwing up- Bre saying that she had told him she liked Noah and him pursuing her anyway, then explaining the relationship to Maddie in a completely different way? Kinda icky. But all in all, this was a nice fast read. Very cute, and I loved the fact that Maddie's character was plus-sized and on the road to learning to love her body. Positive plus size representation is so important, especially in young adult books for young readers.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

This book was the perfect YA renaissance fair story. Inclusive, diverse, well-written, and entertaining.

The story follows Madeline (a girl who has worked with the Ren Faire with her parents her entire life), she lost her mom almost a year ago and is still trying to figure out how to live in this world that feels filled with loss. She meets a boy, her very first day of faire in Oklahoma but refuses to take note of it, because she's not in the business of finding new people to care about. Not now that she knows what it feels like to lose someone she cares about.

But Arthur isn't so easily deterred. He believes fate is on their side and he will stop at nothing to include Madeline in his summer plans.

The character growth is beautiful. The slow growing friendship is a dream. Watching these teens discover who they are and who they want to be makes this book a great read. Also now I really want to go to Ren Faire.

Actual Rate: 3.5 Stars.

I liked the premise, it's a new concept.
I like how grieving was addressed and at the same time how cute the story was. I like all the quirkiness it was super sweet.
However, the flow was too slow for my taste and the chapters super long! Also, I didn't have a good sense of the characters I would love to care more for them.
Overall it's a nice read not much super exciting more like comforting.

DNF. I really liked the premise but the writing did not work for me at all. It wouldn't be fair to the book if I finished reading and gave it a low rating.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC to read and review. Wow this book was magnificent. I loved the ren fair setting. I loved the self discovery. I loved how grief was addressed. The writing was beautiful and there were so many meaningful moments. Everything about Arthur, his lute, his two dads and his unfailing kindness, was so special and his character was lovely. I also related to Maddie in her struggles with body image as well as her struggle to let go of certain expectations. My only slight issue was the conflict at the end. I would have loved for her to just talk to Arthur, and I understand she was still going through something, but it just felt out of place for me. Other than that, this book made me laugh and made me cry and I thought it truly was a beautiful story!

Ashley Schumacher has become one of my favorite authors. Her books are cute, clean YA romances packed with emotions and real, relatable characters. The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway is such a sweet book. I really like that the characters weren't the typical popular, perfect body, perfect hair type. Arthur is a cute, somewhat geeky boy. Maddie is a sweet, slightly chubby girl who is extremely self-conscious about her looks. The romance is slow and in a way secondary to Maddie still working through her grief and coming out of her shell.

I really enjoyed seeing Maddie grow and blossom throughout the book. I highly recommend The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway to anyone looking for a sweet YA romance with body positivity and relatable characters. I really hope this will be made into a movie.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was really excited to read this book after loving the author’s book, Amelia, Unabridged last year, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. It might just be my personal taste, but the premise of being at a renaissance fair was too quirky for me and I didn’t really like or connect with the characters until the very end of the book. As before, the author did a great job portraying the impact of grief in a real way, but I just didn’t feel much for the characters. I’ll be curious to see how others like this one! It’s always a bummer when you have high expectations, but I’m sure others will love it more.