Overall, cute and sweet! Written with a bold voice, and while the work is not particularly historically accurate, it doesn't set itself up to be, and I found I didn't particularly mind. Delightfully queer and romantic, I couldn't put it down.

I so wanted to love this book, LGBT book set in the middle ages, but it was very character driven with dialogue, and it kept repeating itself. Then in the last part of the book the plot suddenly speed up to the point you had to reread parts. It could have used more editing

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this review copy in exchange for an honest opinion. Review has been posted on Amazon.

GWEN AND ART ARE NOT IN LOVE is an easy, enjoyable read perfect for fans of Casey Mcquiston. While the blurb makes clear that this is not actually an Arthurian retelling, readers going by the title and the cover illustration may still be a bit surprised to realize this. However, if engaged with on its own terms, this is a fun, kindhearted romcom heavy on the friendship and character development side of things.

This was a very fun read! It had a great mix of hijinks and high stakes, balancing out humor with the more serious scenes. I quickly became invested in all of the main characters and was rooting for them from the beginning.

I do wish both of the main romantic relationships had been established more, and that we had seen more of the couples getting to know each other. However, I did love the friendship that we saw develop between Gwen and Art, as well as Gwen and Gabriel's sibling dynamic. The ending also lacked for me, I wish it had been fleshed out a bit more.

All in all it was an enjoyable book and I've already recommended it to friends!

Do you ever feel like a book is written specifically for you? Because that’s how I feel about this book. It had all the tropes and genres I love so much and it got executed perfectly.

Both Gwen and Art were amazing characters. I loved their friendship/rivalry so much. The side characters were great too, there really wasn’t a character I didn’t love. The found family in this was perfect, it’s one of my favorite tropes and the book did a great job with it.

The romance was amazing too. Both couples thankfully got equal page time it seems. The two main romances were very different from each other but both very cute and both had amazing chemistry. There wasn’t a couple I liked less or more.

If I had to have one complaint it would be that the plot in the second half got a little too crazy for me. It lost my interest a little bit. It just went into a direction I wasn’t expecting at all.

Overall I highly recommend this book to anyone and I will definitely be getting a physical copy for myself!

I ate this book up!

Soooo good! So entertaining and fun to read.

I enjoyed it so much and I’m definitely reading more from this author!

I absolutely adored Gwen and Art Are Not in Love. It took me a little bit to get to know the characters but once I did I fell in love with them all. And I didn’t only love the romantic relationships but the friendships as well. I think my favorite duo in the book was Arthur and Sidney. Their friendship was the best with the laughter and banter between them.

This was a fun story about finding and being true to yourself. It doesn’t matter what time period you’re in, you love who you love.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

This was one of my most highly anticipated reads and it did not disappoint. I love retellings of legends, and this handled it so well with a queer twist. Definitely staff-picking every copy we get in store!

Lex Croucher’s Gwen & Art Are Not In Love was one of my most-anticipated reads of 2023… and I absolutely loved it! It was so romantic as it was hilarious. I’m always down for a good rom-com *cough cough Ali Hazelwood*, and an LGBTQ+ focused one was right up my alley. A brilliant story!

This book was not what I was expecting but let me tell you it was so much better. Loved every minute of this chaotic read. The growth of the characters was brilliant and the pacing of the story was medium so I was neither bored nor stressed about the developments.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fun book! It was entertaining and humorous. All of the characters even the side characters are all well-written. Sometimes Gwen and Arthur were frustrating to me but at the same time, I was fully invested in their journey!

There was a lot of queer rep within this story which I LOVED. This book has been compared to Heartstopper and even though they both have a lot of queer rep, I do want to note that this book does have quite a bit of violence that Heartstopper didn't especially towards the last 30% of the book!

Another point I want to make: this isn't a retelling. It's definitely inspired by Arthurian legends and set in the same world but set several generations after the legends we are familiar with.

Overall, I highly recommend this book!

we all need a queer historical retelling in our lives! Do yourself a favor and pick up this one! It was a slow burn but worth while. I loved the vibes, as I'm a huge retellings girlie. This was funny, uplifting, and full of witty humor and dialogue. So great!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The perfect romcom for the summer, an adorable and heartfelt read.

Oddly paced, but I enjoyed the premise. More dialogue heavy than I prefer, but still cute. A good middle grade/YA queer miscommunication romance.

I really enjoyed reading this book! Admittedly, it did take me some time to get into it, and I wasn't feeling the characters in the beginnning. However, as the book went on, I got more involved in the story and more invested in the characters. It felt like a slow burn, but I appreciated the relationship building.

The relationships really make the book shine. Without gettig into spoilers, we look at family relationships, friendships, and three budding romances. I appreciated the dynamics in the different scenarios.

The book was an interesting take on descendants from Arthurian times. This YA book was definitely a fun read, and a fun take on the medieval times. I appreciated the LGBTQIA+ & POC representation.

I'd definitely recommend this book!

If you like rom-comy stories, this is for you. I just couldn’t really connect with the characters. Arthur started off as annoying, and as the story went on, he only became a little less annoying. I usually like knights and Arthurian tales, but there just wasn’t enough growth/development. There wasn’t much in the ways of creating the world around the characters, it was rather vague [I’m a sucker for detail and world building]. The story wasn’t balanced, and I wished I could have enjoyed it more. If you like coming of age stories, you will enjoy this.

This book was unexpected and adorable. The transition from enemies to friends was very sweet. Explores the ideas of coming out in a beautiful and heartwarming way. The side characters were very well developed as well.

If it's Lex Croucher, I will read it. If it's an Arthurian plot, I will read it. So when Lex Croucher wrote GWEN & ART ARE NOT IN LOVE, I was in love! A queer Arthurian plot where battles, decrees of love, banter, and humor.

Arthurian legends make me happy, but having a queer retelling done in a surprising way is what made it fun to read. I think that is why I like Croucher's writing so much because I'm always kept on my toes with something else still coming, yet the book doesn't shy away from the hard stuff. It's fluffy, romantic, honest, and gritty. It covers all the emotions. An excellent read!

Content Warnings: (per the author's website) violence, homophobia, struggles with mental health including depression, unhealthy relationships with alcohol, parental death, parental abuse

Princess Gwendoline and Lord Arthur Delacey have been betrothed since Gwen was born. Now that Gwen is coming of age, her parents have decided it’s time she and Arthur get married. To prepare for that, Arthur has been invited to spend the summer at the castle during the annual tournament so that he and Gwen can get reacquainted after years apart. Years they spent apart because their last summer together, when Gwen was 12, was filled with so much animosity.

They’re both determined to ignore each other until Gwen catches Arthur kissing a boy, while she is spying on the only female knight, Lady Bridget Leclair. Arthur quickly deduces this and uses it to his advantage to call for a truce. The two of them will pretend to get along, while helping each other pursue other people. For Gwen, that’s Bridget. For Arthur, that soon becomes Gabriel, Gwen’s older brother, and the future King of England.

"Gwen & Art Are Not in Love" is a charming romantic novel that takes us on a journey through the lives of Gwen and Arthur. The book delves into their ill-fated betrothal and their individual pursuits of true love. The story is packed with teenage angst and humor that will keep you entertained throughout. Through alternating points of view, we get to learn more about the two main characters and witness their growth and development. Additionally, we are introduced to two delightful side characters - Arthur’s man Sydney, who acts as his bodyguard, and Gwen’s Lady-in-Waiting Agnes, who also find love.

The romantic scenes between the characters are tastefully written, with no explicit content. The author skillfully builds up the tension between the characters, leading to steamy make-out sessions that will leave you wanting more. Overall, "Gwen & Art Are Not in Love" is a well-written novel that is rich in character development, plot, and writing. The author’s ability to weave together a captivating storyline that leaves you wanting more deserves a four-star rating.