This is the best YA romance I've read in a long time, maybe ever. We follow Maddie, who goes by Gwen for a portion of this book, as she copes with the loss of her mother and her self-image, all while she travels the Ren Faire circuit with her father. We get to see her grieve, and then learn to open up and trust, and it all happens as she falls for a sweet boy named Arthur whose parents buy a Ren Faire where she's working. He's kind, and patient, and doesn't make some big dumb declaration about not noticing she's plus-sized or whatever. There is no betrayal or horrible thing he does that they need to overcome, it's just a sweet and funny and cute story about young love with sweet people and how they learn to trust each other. I couldn't rave about this enough!

At the height of the pandemic, I was introduced to @ashwritesbooks writing. Her gorgeous debut, Amelia Unabridged, was followed up by an equally gorgeous sophomore release, Full Flight. (Their covers are also gorgeous, btw). So when I saw she had a third book out, i jumped at the chance to read it. I don’t read a lot of YA anymore, so when I do, you know it’s something special.

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway takes us into the world of Madeline Hathaway, a teenage girl who grew up in the Renaissance faire circuit. After losing her mom last year, this particular season of faires has been pretty hard, namely their latest stop- which was always her mother’s favorite.

At this point you might be wondering why I am referring to the main character as Madeline when the title states her name is Gwen. Well, to quote the great @elyse_myers, that’s a great question, I’d love to tell you. See, Madeline “becomes” Gwen after meeting a fellow faire kid, Arthur, one night by chance. Despite her best efforts to explain her name is not Gwen, Arthur insists upon calling her such, finally explaining he’s nicknamed her Gwen after Guinevere, a swoon-worthy foreshadowing if there ever was one.

Arthur is persistent in his attempt to lure Madeline into hanging out with him, although the guarded part of her continually insists this definitely does not mean the two are friends. Then Arthur manages the impossible, convincing the insecure Madeline to stand in as Princess of the Faire. Although a part of her wants to stay rooted in mourning the loss of her mother, another part of her finds herself wanting to embrace change. Before long, Madeline finds the renaissance faire inspiring her own, personal renaissance.

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway tackles a myriad of difficult subjects including loss, coming of age, and even body positivity. All are touched upon with humor and heart. This is one coming of age novel that’s sure to come into its own with the right audience.

Wait this was soo cute! I love the Ren Faire angle and it was just a lovely read. I really identified with the female MC in so many ways.

This was really cute, I had fun reading it. It wasn't my favorite of Ashley Schumacher's books, but I loved Gwen and Arthur. I really enjoyed the plot and the setting - I'm such a sucker for a Renaissance Faire. This was just a feel good book that felt very relatable and kept me interested the whole time. I cannot wait to see what Ashley writes next, I'm a forever fan.

This book was unbelievably cute. If this book were a person, you would want to pinch its cheeks. I figured it would be a YA novel with a renaissance fair in the background; it was so much more!

Maddie was so damn likable and relatable, even when I occasionally wanted to smack her upside the head. I wish there had been more characters like Maddie when I was a YA reading YA fiction; it might have made high school and those insecurities more bearable.

Arthur was amazing. He is what every girl should dream of and then maybe we would not have such a toxic dating culture.

Overall, this book was amazing and adorable. I would definitely recommend it.

Note: My original review was longer, but apparently Netgalley logged me out and it didn't save. I can't remember what it said and this was the best I could do to recreate it.

Cute book, I don't normally read YA, but I enjoyed the cover and wanted to see what it was about. I love the themes of inclusivity and would love to see it on shelves in school libraries!

While I have enjoyed other Ashley Schumacher books I've read, The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway was just a bit of a disappointment for me. First, it took me forever to pick up - I think I read the first chapter three times before I finally committed to the book via audio.

But, throughout the story, I couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment and detachment from the characters. While I was eager for a coming-of-age story, with potential for a young romance, I just never felt like I had genuine empathy or emotional investment in them or the plot. They all felt a bit one-dimensional.

Overall, I still adore Schumacher and would be eager to read anything she writes - but this on

This was a good YA novel, with a fun setting, that touched on some serious topics! Overall, I would recommend to those who think it sounds good!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Sweet romance novel for the tween and teen set. While I appreciated seeing concerns about both male and female body expectations, I wish Gwen had demonstrated more interest in Arthur's own anxiety about his body and given that idea more space to breathe. The humor helped move the story along (Gwen's self hatred spirals were sometimes a bit of a slog) and I loved Arthur and his family. The cover makes it look like Gwen's weight is a major plot element which feels slightly disingenuous. While Gwen is obviously very anxious about her own body, the reactions of other characters strongly suggest she is not particularly overweight and instead both too self critical and wrapped up in her very legitimate grief. I think folks who see this cover might assume the story has Dumplin' vibes, which it does not.

I absolutely adored this novel. This will be, if it is not already, the book of the summer.

From the first page I was drawn into the story, and read late into the night. This is one of those books that you just can’t stop reading, and for good reason. This truly is a story about finding who you are, learning how to take risks, and discovering what it means to take fate by the horns.

I really enjoyed how well all the characters were developed, and how it really felt like I was walking beside Maddie during her grieving and learning to cope. These are such important parts of life, and Maddie was really shaped by how these events changed her life. Her newfound friends seemed to each fulfill the opposite of these symptoms, and she had such an important arc throughout the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books and the author for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order this year and will recommend it to students.

A laid back, cutesy YA contemporary romance with a fun setting and some good inclusivity. There were a lot of difficult topics covered in the narrative, but they weren't too heavily investigated. The tone stayed moderately light though there were moments of contemplation and some good information/considerations in the interactions of the characters. Speaking of characters, they were rather sweet and cute - Arthur in particular was quite fun. There are some good discussions about grief and self-confidence. The story reads really easily and quickly, making it a great comfort read. A sweet, fun YA.

Ugh ... I wanted to love this SO BADLY, but I just couldn't because it was so boring and slow.

The premise was great and unique - a plus size Ren. faire gal gets roped into being the faire's princess by a cute dude. Uh, yes please! But by halfway that had barely happened.

I felt like the advertising was misleading... this wasn't a lighthearted and fun book about the ren faire circuit. It was a book about grief, anxiety, and big feelings.

Unfortunately I won't be recommending this to folks who want to read about the ren faire. But I would absolutely recommend it if someone wants a heavier YA contemporary with a fun setting!

Madeline has grown up at the renaissance faire, her family traveling on the circuit each year. This year looks a bit different though: it’s been almost a year since her mom died and now her best friend is no longer traveling with the faires. When they get to what was her mom’s favorite faire of all, Maddie is devastated to see the new owners have changed so much about it. She just wants to be left alone, but the owners’ son Arthur will not leave her alone, nicknames her “Gwen” and even cons her into being the faire princess. This faire is nothing that she wawa hoping for, but it forces her to confront her fears and insecurities.

I’ve loved Ashley Schumacher’s writing since her debut, and her storytelling and ability to really get you to feel keeps getting better and better. While this one did not have me ugly crying, it still deals with grief and insecurity and will leave you wanting to just hug Maddie. The ren faire setting was amazing, what a backdrop for a sweet story of a girl finding herself. Maddie’s journey was so beautiful. This is definitely a book worth picking up.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advance copy.

This book just turned out not to be for me at this time. The subject matter just continued to not really catch my eye.

This was a really quick and well done read! I enjoyed the characters and Gwen Hathaway's renaissance quite a bit! I look forward to more from Ashley Schumacher in the future.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

This is a fun and emotional book that is perfect for any fan of The Life and Medieval Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton. Whether you have been to a renaissance faire or just thought it would be fun to attend one, this book will have something for you my dear reader.

Surprisingly charming, this book explores grief, loss, friendship, family, and first love. And I genuinely enjoyed every bit of it.

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway by Ashley Schumacher was a delightful YA novel about fate, loss, and young love. I loved Madeline! Watching her navigate loss along with all the angst and emotions of being a teenager made for a wonderful story full of heart. Not to mention I adored Arthur. His quirks and adventurous spirit made him the perfect friend to help Madeline on her journey. I also loved the setting and getting to see behind the scenes of a ren faire. Overall, I enjoyed this book and recommend it for any YA contemporary romance fans.

*Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an e-arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I gave this a three out of five stars, I really enjoyed the story. I like the growth that the main character goes through in this. TW for death of a parent. I like how she goes to therapy in this. I felt like something was missing for me but unsure what. I loved the renaissance fair setting.