4.5 Stars. So, I really like Ashely Schumacher’s books and jumped at the chance to read this one.

I thought this book was adorable and it made me want to attend a Renaissance Faire ASAP!
Gwen Hathaway has been living the Renaissance Faire circuit her whole life with her parents. She is homeschooled and works in her father’s shop when not studying. Since the death of her mother, she has also taken on the responsibility of creating the jewelry her mother used to make.

But Gwen needs her lists. It is the only way she makes sure she doesn’t miss anything that has happened since her mother’s death. And then she meets Arthur, who happens to be the son of the owners of the current faire. His positive outlook on life lends to an easy friendship that helps her find her way to fun.
I loved Arthur and Gwen. Their characters’ lives were hard, but they were both loveable and watching them grow together was very satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Madeline is seventeen, and has travelled and homeschooled with her parents on the Renaissance Faire circuit her entire life. Madeline’s mother died from a lengthy illness, and she and her father are awash with grief. As the year anniversary of her mother’s death approaches, Madeline knows she needs to take some healing steps. As she and her dad return to their final stop for the season, her mother’s favorite and coincidentally final faire she attended, Madeline discovers everything has changed. The former owners have sold the property to a couple who have revamped everything. The changes are grand – there is an actual castle and moat, and even though Madeline knows she should see these as improvements, all she sees is changes that her mother never will. Heart firmly closed (allowing more people in allows more opportunity for loss), Madeline meets Arthur, the bard and son of the faire owners. Arthur promptly dubs her “Gwen” (as in Guinevere), suggests she is truly a princess, and tries to convince her to open her heart to adventure and perhaps…more?
This is a lovely novel and doesn’t shy away from showing the toll grief can take on a person. Madeline has been coping by keeping careful notations of things, “noticings” in a journal, and does see a therapist online regularly to cope with her mother’s death. The cover indicates that Madeline also struggles with insecurities regarding her weight and social awkwardness, but it’s clear to the reader that this is a young woman struggling with larger mental health issues related to the trauma of having a chronically ill parent who succumbs to their illness. However, while the character struggles with her mental health, she has professional help and there is no stigma attached to any of this by any of the characters. Arthur is a lovely character, supportive and kind, but he also is fleshed out enough to be revealed to not be perfect, his flaws and insecurities while not as pointed, exist. The romance is very innocent, and appropriate for all readers. All in all, this is a lovely little novel about love- with familial, loss, friendship, and romantic all part of the plot. I was given an advance copy in return for an honest review.

This was very cute ! I honestly have no complaints about this novel; this was just a prime example of personal tastes triumphing over any qualms (or lack thereof) on the author’s behalf. I might even one day round this up to a 4, but right now it’s staying at a solid 3.5 stars.

The setting and pace of this novel was utterly phenomenal. I felt like I was transported into the midsts of a Renaissance faire and I LOVEDDDD the plus-size representation that was provided. Very appreciative of the fact that Madeline/Gwen’s fatness was just accepted and that the plot line didn’t revolve around her body-image. AND THE COVER?!? Major props to the artist & author!!

On a more serious note, when I first requested this book on NetGalley, I was a tad nervous about the depth in which Ashley Schumacher would tackle grief, but it was so beautifully and eloquently written that that one caused me to increase my rating on this book. Yes, I got a little tearful at parts but I was also laughing with the characters at others. I wish there were more books that tackled grief like this.

Overall, a highly impressive book and one that I would immediately recommend, but just to the right person.

This was such a lovely, restoring read and I'm so happy I read it. I would recommend this to anyone who wants an earnest story with a great lead and fun setting.

Gwen is going through grief as her mother died the previous year and she is struggling to cope. The way this story displays the grieving mechanisms of individuals and how different people handle it was remarkable to me, it felt so real and often made me emotional. The characters are both diverse and not just simple caricatures of the stereotypical YA roles of love interest, mean girl or best friend. Gwen is plus sized and as she is roped into becoming the princess of the fair we see her deal with her own self image while also learning to cope without her mother and learning to love again.

Another highlight of this story is definitely the setting of the medieval fair because not only does Gwen and her father work there but she lives on the grounds along with Arthur, her new summer friend. We see knights jousting or just walking around, late night walks among a castle, and weekly duties like carriage rides in a parade. It is playful and the fair actually feels like another character in the story since 90% of the story takes place there.

Once again would recommend for an emotional and inspired contemporary YA romance.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

Serviceable story.
Some typical teen elements but the Renaissance fair elements keep everything fresh.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was super adorable. Just the right amount of cheesy humor and depth. A great coming of age tale for those uncomfortable in their own skin.

This book first opens up with our main character, Maddie, meeting the Wizened Old Wizard back when she was a child. This mysterious renfaire vendor tells her to “tame the world” before disappearing and never being seen by Maddie again.

Because of this opening, I had assumed a big part of this book was going to be Maddie searching for this Wizened Old Wizard again and asking what exactly he meant by “tame the world.” That a large part of her character development would revolve around this meeting.

I was wrong.

The Wizened Old Wizard never appears again in this book, which I thought was an interesting choice. For a character who seemed so important in the beginning, the wizard really had nothing to do with the plot.

Instead, this book focuses on Maddie learning how to live life and not be caught up in the details after her mother’s death leaves her wishing to remember every small thing about the world around her. As she is stuck in this obsessive compiling of information, she meets Arthur, who refuses to call her anything but “Gwen” and makes her go on road trips with him.

He’s also one of the dorkiest characters I’ve ever met, and I really liked his introduction.

I was a little disappointed in this book, as it focused quite a bit on Maddie jumping to conclusions without talking it out with the other characters. There’s this coin Maddie believes to somehow be able to tell the future, and she uses it to “confirm” her negative feelings instead of trying things out for herself and making her own ideas. A lot of this book is Maddie being too stubborn to try out new experiences in this book and having a negative outlook on practically everything, which didn’t really make for a fun read.

I also want to point out that a significant part of this book focuses on fatphobia how both Maddie and Arthur perceive their own bodies. While I feel like I can’t speak on Maddie’s side of the story, as I myself am not fat and don’t feel comfortable decreeing whether or not this is good representation, I will say that I really enjoyed seeing Arthur struggle a little with feeling “too skinny” and the toxic masculinity that may be present in boys’ perceptions of themselves. This topic isn’t seen as much in books, so I really appreciate the author even devoting a little bit of time into pointing it out.

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway certainly wasn’t one of my favorite books, but it wasn’t bad, either. I just think it was different from what I was expecting.

A lovely YA novel told from a truly likeable and relatable protagonist. Maddie meets Arthur on the Ren Faire circuit and learns to love and accept herself after the loss of her mother. This YA story has just the right amount of teen drama, making it an easy and excellent read.

This is a heartfelt coming-of-age tale about a girl struggling to find her way a year after her mother's death, and with other constants in her life shifting at the same time. The Renaissance Faire setting helps to make this tale unique.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc!
"Because even with all of these hard, inescapable truths clouding my brain, the one secret I want to confess has everything to do with a coin flip, a bard, and my heart. So I say it aloud, I let it echo back to me tenfold, and then, when the last echo dies, I step back from the circle and leave the secret behind me."

I really enjoyed this book, as I finished it in one sitting. Maddie is a girl who is dealing with the grief of losing her mom to cancer and keeps a journal of everything that happens in her life with tallies. She starts the book as a character struggling to come out of her comfort zone, staying close only to her friend and her therapist... Until she meets Arthur. Arthur makes her his Guinevere in his family's renaissance festival and introduces her to a new way of life, showing her a path to feeling comfortable in her own skin and the light that exists on the other side of death, with some jousting in the middle.
I think this book fell into my hands at the right time. I'm always struggling with body image and how people see me, but so is Maddie. Maddie's perspective felt so much like my own that I felt close to her. The insecurities about being a bigger girl in a dress, about being seen in a swimsuit, and buying clothes hit very close to home for me. Watching her go through the summer before her senior year and working to fill the shoes of the princess she becomes for the ren faire is a treat all in itself. She goes through so much in the short span of this book and yet none of it feels rushed, and it all feels very natural. Very human.
This book was a fun ride of dresses, emotions, and new adventures and I think it has the potential help a lot of people struggling with self-esteem and coping with the changes of life.

Review copy and pasted from my goodreads

I'm not super familiar with renaissance faires so having that as the central setting of this book intrigued me. It was such a quirky and fun setting and I'm glad I read this! And with Schumacher's writing, it felt like I was there at the ren faire, watching everything unfold. I really appreciated how the topic of grief was handled throughout this story too; having lost family members before myself, I could relate to Madeline's anxiety and her grief journey, especially the feeling of needing to "notice" things in fear that they will, too, go away and you'll be left with nothing.

Arthur was such a cute and thoughtful character, and I think he balanced out Madeline's character really well. When I think of the grumpy meets sunshine trope, I always think of the grumpy character being the MMC, but I liked how it was reversed in this story. Arthur was patient and caring, and I absolutely loved him. I also loved their banter. He was the perfect character for Madeline to be around and get to know as started to piece her life back together and try to make sense of life without her mother. <3

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I adored this story! Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC! (:

I lucked out and as sent an early ebook edition of this book through NetGalley. I hadn’t actually heard of it beforehand. But I’m a big fan of Jen Deluca’s Ren Faire series and I was excited to read this book too!

Maddie and her parents have spent her whole life traveling on the Ren Faire circuit. Shes been homeschooled her whole life and she’s an only child. She loves her little family bubble, she enjoys their unique life. But then Maddie’s mom died. Maddie has spent the past year just trying to remember everything about her mom. She isn’t open to any new experiences. Everything new that happens in her life is something her mom missed. On top of that, she is afraid to get attached to anyone because her heart is already broken over losing her mom.

When Maddie and her dad show up at Maddie’s mom’s favorite ren Faire location Maddie is shocked and upset to see how much it has changed in the past year. A new family has bought the location and upgraded everything. But Maddie doesn’t want upgrades, she wants familiarity. She wants to see the place her mom loved when she looks around.

Maddie meets Arthur very soon upon her arrival. He’s around her age and his parents are the ones who purchased the location.
Arthur wants to be friends with Maddie. Maddie tries to resist. Arthur convinces Maddie to be a princess. Maddie never pictured herself as a princess, she’s insecure about her weight at times.
Arthur also immediately starts calling her Gwen. When he finally explains why he calls her Gwen it’s absolutely adorable.

Maddie felt so real that you want to protect her. She’s hurting so badly and she’s trying to keep people at a distance. But some people in her life find a way to break down those walls.

I loved Arthur too. What a perfect person for Maddie to have in her life. Their summer filled with road trips, the ren Faire, and heart to heart talks is so good for both of them.

Add in all the ren Faire fun too.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very emotional but fun too. I’d definitely recommend it.

Thanks for the review copy!!

I loved it! It was a fun little book!! And plus it comes out on my bday! ☺️☺️

A slow start but what a good story! Maddie (Gwen) and Arthur were fantastically awkward together. The dads are great, Noah and Bre are adorable!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martians Press/Wednesday Books for allowing me to read this ARC for an honest review!

This was an absolutely adorable and quick read! The representation and overall theme of working through not only body issue, but grief is such a great topic to cover in a YA novel! If you love Renn Faires and YA coming of ages stories this is an amazing book to pick up!

Sweet teenage romance that takes place in a renaissance fair over the course of a summer.

I went to a renaissance fair once and thought it was ok. It was interesting to read a book where people love the renaissance fair. It makes me want to give it another try. Gwen and Arthur are two great characters and I was routing for them to discover their mutual feelings.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I love Schumacher's style of writing, and have absolutely adored her first two novels. This was no exception.

Madeline, growing up on the Renaissance Fair circuit with parents, is coming up on the one year anniversary of her mother's passing as well as coming to her mother's favorite Fair. Shortly after arriving, Madeline meets the charismatic, lanky Arthur, one of the Fair's Bards. Madeline, instead of selling her parent's jewelry and journals for the season, is now tasked and donned the role of the royalty for the Fair and trying not to fall for Arthur.

Tacking themes of loss, not fitting in, and finding your place in the world, Schumacher hits all the boxes and all the feels.

Initially I thought this book was ok but the longer I thought about it, the angrier I got at the male lead. Gwen aka Madeline’s mother passed away and she and her father continue traveling the Renn Faire circuit. At one of the larger stops she meets Arthur, who ropes her into playing Faire princess and also into going on a bunch of adventures with him. All is great except at the end of the summer some kids from Arthur’s school come to help out and one of them kisses Maddy on the cheek when they meet, and Arthur has a freaking conniption about it. He says (and I’m paraphrasing) “I’ve been so polite all summer when you said we could only be friends and you let this dude kiss you right away and that’s not fair” and I just…saw red. Like how dare she draw boundaries and ask him to respect them and then set different boundaries for someone else? I simply cannot.

A chubby and awkward teen girl dealing with the loss of a parent... those who know me would expect me to run far from this book for being too close to my real life experiences, but for some reason I was willing to expose myself to potentially painful reminders for this book. Thank goodness I did! This book has my heart and I will be thinking about it for a long time. My only complaint at the end is that I need more of or "Gwen" and Arthur!

The renaissance fair setting adds the perfect amount of quirk to this book, but also don't overwhelm the ability for anyone to recognize the feelings of each character. While the story is very much centered on the two main characters, what I really enjoyed was that the minor characters were written well and they were very real people and brought beyond their basic descriptions. As an old lady in her 40s (only somewhat kidding about the old part) I would love to read a sequel about Maddie's dad moving on in his life with glimpses of Maddie's future included. He was a character I would love to see find some happiness next.

Take the chance, read this book, and enjoy getting to know an unexpected princess!

A cute YA novel. The typical coming of age, love yourself, and find love along the way type. Quick and easy, with a few memorable quotes. I think it will be a comfort read for some and some won't think about it again.