I am giving this YA book a four star rating because I think most young adults will enjoy it. I enjoy YA, particularly when it transcends its genre and is beloved by readers of all ages. This was a cute story. The setting of a Renaissance Faire was charming. It had serious moments as Madeline dealt with grief for her mother. I enjoyed reading it, but more like three stars worth.

It's been nearly one year since Madeline's mom died. She grew up with her parents on the renaissance faire circuit, being homeschooled and helping her parents with their faire booth. Now it's just her and her dad and Maddie finds herself scared she'll forget things about those she loves, so she keeps a journal, marking down "noticings" of everything that happens. Then she meets Arthur, the son of the owners of her latest faire. Arthur seems determined to break through Maddie's walls and become her friend, inviting her to become the Princess of the faire. Maddie doesn't want to get attached to anyone ever again, but Arthur makes it pretty difficult.

This is such a sweet book that delves into the insecurities of teenage life and the difficulties of grief and loss. Maddie (nicknamed "Gwen" by Arthur) is a lovely character recovering from the loss of her mother. She is a darling introvert and the book does an excellent job of portraying her awkwardness and her body issues. It's so wonderful to see a book that discusses a character who is awkward, overweight, funny, and kind. I really loved Maddie. And Arthur is a genuine and kind character as well, being raised by two dads (!) in a castle. There are a ton of fun ren faire references. Maddie and Arthur's romance is a slow, gentle one. This is not a steamy book, but it's a touching one. Their family and friends are witty and cute. I was a bit frustrated with some of the misunderstandings (Maddie thinking Arthur liked another girl, for instance). Overall, this is a very sweet YA story, though.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Ashley Schumacher for allowing me to read this ARC in return for an honest review.

Once a happy family travelled the Renaissance Fair Circuit, outfitted in timely attire, selling handmade jewelry, home-schooling, and living the perfect life, until tragedy changed their feelings about fair life, as well as life in general. Maddie and her father have to navigate each other and put their lives back together.
As Maddie enters the fair grounds, she discovers there are new owners, new people, and new rules. She isn’t quite ready for anymore changes in her life right now; but, enter Arthur, the easiest guy in the world to be around. She isn’t used to socializing much due to home-schooling and being a little overweight. Arthur, a special boy with love for life and the world around him, has a way of making Maddie appreciate herself and the world around her.
Who will be the princess at the fair? Will the “magic” necklaces Maddie and Arthur wear bring them together?
Fun book that will make you want to go the next local Renaissance Fair in your town!

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway is the story of Maddie, a high schooler who lost her mom to cancer last year. As she travels with her dad on the familiar Renaissance Faire circuit, she tries to keep track of all the moments that she’ll always want to remember using tallies. When she meets Arthur, the exuberant and kind son of the new Faire owners, she is positive that they will never be friends. As the summer goes on, Arthur and Maddie (still not friends) go on road trips, adventures, and perform together. For the first time in her life, Maddie is playing a princess. But can Maddie ever truly let Arthur in, when she still feels like everyone will always leave?

I was immediately drawn in by the cover and premise of the book. I loved that the setting involves Renaissance Faires, which always seem magical and filled with community. Maddie is such a lovable character, who is wrestling with grief from losing a parent. Maddie is a plus-size character who is learning what it feels like to be comfortable in her body and have confidence in herself. Arthur is the sweetest! What a fabulous book boyfriend and adventure companion.

Schumacher’s writing is nuanced, including plenty of fun moments alongside poignant moments of processing grief and holding space for sadness. Maddie also struggles with the compulsion to keep tallies (tracking important or mundane events meaningful to her) after the death of her mom, which she is receiving professional support for. The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway is a heartfelt and charming book- I would highly recommend it! This book would be perfect for readers who enjoy Emma Lord, Samantha Markum, and readers who love Renaissance Faires!

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway is available March 14, 2023. Thank you to Ashley Schumacher, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc

Maddie is still reeling from her mother's death almost a year ago. It doesn't help that they are going to the last Ren Faire her mom went to before her death. On the first day, she encounters an annoying bard who calls her Gwen and then somehow wrangles her into being princess. Arthur starts to convince her to go on trips and live more. Along the way, Maddie (Gwen) finds herself becoming more and more attracted to Arthur and rethinking shutting herself away.

I enjoyed this one a lot! It was really cute plus I tend to like romcoms set in the Ren Faire world. I also liked that for a teen romance it wasn't like I love you, we're together forever, like some are. It was pretty realistic that there was a chance they might not make it, but that they would try. I would def recommend for anyone looking for a cute YA book!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Gwen Hathaway

Gwen, or really Madeline “Maddy” Hathaway has done everything in her power to keep everything the same since her Mom died a year ago. She keeps journals tracking everything in her daily routine and lists of things she has noticed since her mom died. She is determined to spend the summer at her mom’s favorite stop on the Renaissance circuit honoring her memory. And then she and her father arrive to find everything has changed under new ownership. Her plans are further derailed when she meets the owners son, Arthur, who is an honest to god lute-playing bard. Arthur ropes her into playing Princess of the Faire under the two Kings and as thigh that weren’t enough, he is determined to make Maddy his friend. He takes her on weekly adventures around the area visiting tourist stops in his ancient car with costume sunglasses, and tootsie pops.

I absolutely adored this book. Madeline was a really dynamic character and even though I’ve never lost a parent, she felt really relatable. I found the form of therapy she used really interesting and, enjoyed feels like the wrong word, but appreciated the journey that her grief takes the reader through. Arthur was a fun character, if maybe a little flat, but in a way that seemed kind of necessary. I loved the setting of the Renaissance Faire as well as the adventures Arthur and Maddy embark on. I’m excited for this to be released into the world. I know a lot of people who have been involved in Faire’s and the way the characters talk about the experience reminds me of the experiences I’ve heard.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday books in exchange for an honest review

I received an e-ARC copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review of this book.

I really enjoyed this book and thought it was very cute. Madeline’s characters, quirky and ever-so-relatable, was great, and the growth she experienced about mourning her mother and fate was nice. Arthur was so cute and sweet, and I liked his character as well. The setting - a Renaissance Faire that was her mother’s favorite - provided the perfect backdrop for this story.

All in all, my favorite thing about the book was its quirkiness. It was a fun read that reminds one of the importance of pursuing fun things and not living life too rigidly, and if in doubt, flip a coin. Regardless of whether it’s heads or tails, you will have a reaction that will give you the answer.

Sweet, thoughtful, and body-positive. Schumacher does an exquisite job of examining grief, and how we can learn not to overcome it, but live with the beautiful memories before.

I was really looking forward to this one after loving her first two books. Sadly, this ended up not being a favorite but still a good read for what it had to offer.

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Madeline Hathaway. It’s been almost a year since she lost her mother and she is still learning to deal with the grief that comes with loss. She isn’t in a typical family either because they had and still are, now with just her dad, travel around to the different Ren Faires.

Madeline doesn’t just deal with grief. She is also plus-size which comes with it’s own insecurities and obstacles. I can relate to her on that front because I have been overweight my whole life. The scene where she is trying on pants really resonated with me as I have been one to feel defeated while trying on clothes. It sucks and it’s nice to see it talked about in books.

The romance is where I struggled. Arthur is a cinnamon roll but he is definitely a “too good to be true” kind of guy. He doesn’t do anything hurtful, communicates well, and is oblivious to things that normal people wouldn’t be. I just had a hard time believing she liked him when she kept calling him annoying and being really mean towards him, but he was quite persistent. There also just wasn’t enough time for their relationship to blossom.

Side characters felt very one-dimensional and they were just okay.

I do wish we would have got more from the setting as well. There wasn’t too much going on with it like I have seen other books do with a similar setting.

Overall, this was good but could have been better. Even if this one didn’t wow me I would still recommend it for those who want a simpler YA Romance. I’ll definitely still check out whatever else she writes because I am a sucker for her books!

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway by Ashley Schumacher
Publication Date: March 14, 2023
YA Contemporary

Madeline has spent her childhood living a nomadic life as her family travels to Renaissance Faires selling merchandise. Following the loss of her mother a year ago, Madeline is struggling to come to terms with her mother’s death and find her place in her new family dynamic. Madeline and her father have returned to her mother’s family annual fair only to learn the new owners have completely overhauled the event. Following an encounter with the new owners’ son and cute boy, Arthur, Madeline or Gwen as Arthur likes to call her, sets off on a journey of self discovery with a little help along the way.

This book starts out very heavy but that’s by virtue of its content but what follows is a journey of grief, recovery, of finding oneself and young love. Madeline doesn’t always see herself as others see her. She doubts her body image, her social skills and her ability to contribute to the family business. Well there is discussion of weight, Madeline is the absolute only person who “takes issue” with it. She is surrounded by the most loving, supportive and positive group of secondary characters who help her on her journey. For me, Arthur was an absolutely standout character. His journey from acquaintance to more was #goals.

The book explores the role of intentions versus the intervention of fate with a cute little twist at the end that I absolutely did not see coming.

The setting of the renaissance faire is a little outlandish but that was purposeful and makes what would otherwise be a heavy story feel most of the time light and fun.

Thank you Ashley for my first five star read of 2023! I’m definitely adding this to my list of favourite YA contemporary reads.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had so much going for it I don't know where to begin.
First, there is the Faire. I didn't know the crafters and other participants moved throughout the year to various locations. It was so interesting to learn about their lives. (Although for all I know this is made up!)
Second, the characters were really interesting and fun to get to know. The author did an amazing job making Maddie's situation real. In many parts, I reflected on my own loss of my mother, mainly the missing part but always in a positive way.
Third, I appreciated the author using various tools to help Maddie cope with her grief. This wasn't glossed over or simplistic. It was a process.
Fourth, I really recommend this book. It isn't too sappy or depressing. It is perfect.
Enjoy.

Sweet, thoughtful, and body-positive. Schumacher does an exquisite job of examining grief, and how we can learn not to overcome it, but live with the beautiful memories before. A great addition to my classroom library!

Madeline is grieving her mother while travelling the Renaissance Faire circuit with her father. While her mother was still alive, the three of them travelled the circuit together. At the summer's biggest faire she meets Arthur, son of the faire's new owners who've made quite a few changes from previous years. As the summer goes on Madeline and Arthur go on all kinds of adventures and he tries to become more than friends.

I didn't realize this was a young adult novel when I started this but Madeline is 17 and being homeschooled while she travels around to all of the faires. I found this book to be cute but nothing particularly memorable. A ren faire setting was fun but the book was more focused on Arthur and Madeline's budding friendship/romance. It's a pretty slow read and she spends most of the book trying not to like Arthur. I got a bit bored at points when it was the same scenes over and over of Arthur being over the top nice to Madeline and her rebuffing him. It got a bit old and I think the relationship was just too much of a slow burn for my tastes. I will say the highlight was descriptions of the faire and events like jousting.

I thought this was an ok read but nothing to rush out and pick up. If you like ren faires or very slow burn romance you may like this more than I did!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Madeline “Gwen” Hathaway had an unusual childhood; instead of going to public school, she traveled around the Renaissance Faire circuit in her parent's trailer. Instead of having friends, she's only had one friend since her childhood. And, when her mother passes away, she's determined that nothing will change. That’s why she keeps detailed lists in her journals - so she doesn’t forget the moments and loved ones she have left. She’s afraid of losing them. She is afraid of change. But then, Maddie and her father arrive to her mother’s favorite end-of-tour faire…only to find out it’s under new management.

On top of that, she meets Arthur, the son of the new owners. For some strange reason, Arthur wants to be her friend - and somehow ropes her into becoming the Princess of the Faire. Before she knows it, Maddie’s summer has been changed into an adventure…if only she could admit it’s one she enjoys being on.

This is probably one of my favorite new contemporary YA romances! I love the renaissance faire setting - it’s very original, and something I haven’t seen done before. Schumacher did a great job of introducing the Ren Faire scene without making her writing sound like it's coming out of a textbook. Even though I’m someone who isn’t familiar with the Ren Faire culture, it didn’t prevent me from reading and appreciating this book.

This was not just a YA romance. It’s a story with many themes including mental health. It’s about grief, following Maddie going through the grieving process after her mother’s death. We also have a main character who is plus size (the Target scene was one of my favorites). And, I love how this book addresses body dysmorphia with both Maddie AND Arthur.

All in all, the Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway was a lovely, wholesome read. 5/5 stars.

Arthur believes in fate. He's an optimist and he's caring and sensitive and he happens upon Madeline "Maddie" as she wanders his families' renaissance faire grounds at the beginning of the summer. He immediately names her "Gwen" (for Gwenavere, perhaps?) and carefully, slowly works his way into her heart. Yes, this is Maddie's story - her mother passed away the year before. She's grown up in an RV with her parents moving from one faire ground to the next. She's borderline compulsive and she's an unapologetic (but very self-conscious) large girl. While the character arc is completely Maddie's, I fell in love with Arthur right away. He is such a wonderful teen boy character - he's gentle, kind, complimentary to Maddie, and sure, he'll get a little jealous later and have a bit of a tantrum, overall, he's a KEEPER.
Ashley Schumacker has a wonderful way of writing teens who are imperfect, but in no way lost causes. They have depth and dimension and are wise but they are never unrealistically knowledgeable for their age. Arthur is wise, he's inherited much of this from his two loving fathers, but he's not espousing Kafka, Freud, or Dostoyevsky.
This is a story of growing up, of grief, and of fate!
Thank you so much for the ARC!

This was overall just kinda meh? Maddie is a girl who grew up in the ren faire circuit and recently lost her mom, and is a bit too caught up in her own insecurities. At her mom’s favorite faire, she meets Arthur, the son of the owners who is annoyingly persistent and likes to call her Gwen (tbh the Arthur & Gwen reference is a bit odd considering how that story ended).

I honestly didn’t love our protagonist or love interest. The story kinda just follows their friendship as it progresses and Maddie insists on keeping him at an arms distance. Arthur gives so much and his “Gwen” doesn’t give him much back. Plus, there’s a boatload of jealousy and insecurity and pettiness issues, especially in the last third, which just made it hard to read. You obviously like each other so why are you creating problems?! Maybe that’s just the YA formula.

I wish we got to see more of them working within a ren faire (since that is what really makes this book unique), but this is a cute read if you want a simp book boyfriend and an MC with some relatable grief, body, and ocd issues.

Madeline Hathaway is a unique teen. She has spent her life growing up on the Renaissance Faire circuit. Her parents are both craftspeople, and she has followed in her mom's footsteps as a jewellery maker. There has been a great deal of upheaval in her life in the past year. Her best friend on the circuit has returned to a more stable life, attending a standard high school, and living in a house, as opposed to a comfortable but aging RV. Most painfully, her mom has died, after a long illness. Madeline and her dad are headed to the #RenFaire that was her mom's favourite, as the anniversary of her mother's death approaches. Madeline is hoping for a chance to revisit the space her mom loves, and maybe do some healing. What she finds is not what she expects, including a highly annoying bard named Arthur, who seems to have decided that she is destined to be his Guinevere (thus, the Gwen of the title).

This one got me in all the right places, and I am thrilled about introducing it to my 12 and 13 year old students, particularly any who may be dealing with grief. Ashley Schumacher has created a beautiful, nuanced, very real portrait of a teenage girl trying to navigate the loss of her mom. Her sessions with her therapist, her conversations with Fatima (her best friend), her attempts to capture as many things as she can in her journal of observations, and her fear of letting anyone else in in case she loses them, are all captured with detail and empathy. The relationship between Maddy and her Dad also comes across as extremely authentic, both in their quiet companionship and in their awareness of the giant "mom-shaped hold" in their world. I fell utterly in love with Maddy/Gwen, and there were a lot of tears, and a lot of laughter as I read the book. I think it might make a terrific small group of book club read in Grade 7 and up.

Arthur, the bard who makes it his mission to help Maddy see her beauty, is also extremely well drawn. One particularly well done aspect of the book is Maddy realizing that Arthur struggles just as much as she does with his body image, and with not appreciating what an amazing human he is. It is genuinely rare to find a YA title that takes on the topic of male body image issues, and this one does it beautifully. Arthur also has 2 dads, and their relationship is another winning aspect of the book, as is his loud, loving extended family (on one dad's side).
There's lots of intersectionality here, which probably added to why I loved it, and why I think it would make an important addition to a classroom or school library.
Thanks to Net Galley and Wednesday books for the e-arc.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this e-arc!! Ashley Schumacher does it again! For fans of Well Met, this renaissance faire and/or romance books! The writing, the characters and the SETTING all fun, awesome read! A great novel that promotes being yourself :)

I loved this book. A much lighter read than her previous two books, which destroyed me. This time, Maddie aka Gwen, is coping with the loss of her mother and the upcoming anniversary of her death. She keeps a journal, suggested by her therapist, of "noticings". In this case, it's a ptsd reaction to her mother's death, because it leans more towards obsessive than being a healthy release.

WOW this book. A character-driven plot of jousting grief and finding new meanings to love not only another but yourself.
The diversity of characters- a plus-size MC (and the attributions and details that went into this were well-written), gay parents, her best friend- was well written and a refreshing take. ALL of these characters were honestly refreshing- it's not often we have a plus-sized MC (and Maddie is adorable) but also Arthur. He isn't the polar opposite of what one would consider male beauty standards but he isn't the typical "booktok boy toy" and I LOVE IT..
The experiences that Maddie has throughout the book are things that I (but also I think many teens) can relate to, whether it be their size or the grief of losing a loved one. The author writes them from a very real perspective and I think that is something many will find touching. My only critique (if we are going to call it that because it is only a minor thing to me) is that sometimes the prose concerning the grief of her mother might be considered repetitive. I think it was nailed down how much Maddie missed her mother but some teens might be a little turned off by how much this was described over and over with different flashbacks or metaphors. As someone who has lost someone dear to them, this was understandable in the way that Maddie explored the world around her without her mom, but to others, this may seem repetitive or off-putting. I think this will depend on the audience that reads it, but it covered grief extensively and was very detailed.
Maddie and Arthur have such great personalities and intricacies to them that the story was easy to read. As someone who has also been to a renaissance fare in person, I think this helped me visualize a lot of context, and hopefully non-larpers will experience the same medieval joy I had from reading this.