Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book :)
The author knew what they were doing with a queer medival reimagining of the descedant of King Arthur. Everything about this book spoke to me and it did NOT dissapoint. I'm not into YA much these days but this story and characters made it worth picking the book up fs!! 100% recommend

This is the second book I’ve tried reading from this author that I just could not get in to.

I have been trying to read this one off and on for a little over a month and it’s just not working for me at all.

This YA romcom was pitched as Heartstopper meets a knights tale- and it’s the most fitting description. Our Main characters are: Gwen, the princess to the English throne and younger sister to the heir Gabriel. Her betrothed is Art, selected at birth bc of his famous ancestor King Arthur. Gwen thinks there’s only one problem, they hate each other. After discovering Art kissing a stable boy it turns out there might be two problems. Art likes men, and Gwen is wrestling with her feelings for the talented Knight Lady Leclair. They realize they might be better allies than enemies to help each-other get what they want.

I loved this twist on fake dating! Art and Gwen are such perfect opposites, the banter in every single scene is absolutely amazing. Not to mention the amount of heart and humor this book contains. The characters were all so well written and you could sense all of their individual battles and character arcs. Not to mention it was just so fun! It being set in medieval England was the icing on the cake. Definitely worth a read.

This book was so incredibly slow that by the time it got anywhere I was so bored, I didn't care anymore. I also didn't really understand why Gwen and Art hated each other so much. Seemed kind of ridiculous.

4.5/5, rounded up to 5 stars!

this story was so SO beautifully written and i loved every second of it. first of all, im a huge third person fan and it was done wonderfully. the characters were so well developed and had so much chemistry with one another, both platonically and romantically. gwen and art were wonderfully developed characters and the found family in this story was so so heartwarming. there is so much grief in queer stories and while there is some of that, this is ultimately a queer story that feels laced with love and gives the characters a happy ending and joy!! I loved this story so much and will definitely read it again :) can't wait to see how it's received I hope everyone loves it

This did not meet my expectations. The story was cute and entertaining, but the writing style felt too modern and took me out the supposedly-historical story, The characters didn’t feel like real people; they were very shallow, too juvenile.

I’m not sure where to start as I’m still sort of reeling from the experience that is this book. I had heard so many good things and a queer medieval rom-com certainly sounded interesting, but I wasn’t entirely sure it would work for me. I knew within reading the first chapter that I had been very wrong. This instantly worked for me and only continued to work from there. I had such a delightful time with this and cursed myself for being so busy this week only because it meant I had to tear myself away from this book. This had practically everything I look for in characters and relationship dynamics, but I really wasn’t expecting to be drawn into the story and time period as much as I was. I genuinely had so much fun with this, so much in fact, that the last thing I expected was to end up in tears at multiple points throughout the book. I already miss the characters desperately. The alternating POVs were a funny thing because I loved Gwen and Art both so deeply that I didn’t want to be drawn away from one’s storyline but immediately found myself just as wrapped up in the other’s every time. This was endlessly entertaining, funny, moving, heartfelt, and just really lovely overall. This is a new favorite, without a doubt. (also, that cover???? obsessed)
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is a fun reading experience and I had the best time. It’s not a retelling of the Arthurian stories but rather an interesting medieval tale set in a world where Arthur once was king. The main characters play off each other so well and the writing is hilarious. Lex Croucher crafted some truly absurdly funny lines with this one. I loved it so much. This is a great YA romcom featuring LGBTQ+ characters and I can’t recommend it enough.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. This is not a retelling of the Arthurian legend, but rather set in the same universe.

I enjoyed the characters as individuals but mostly their relationships with each other that grew over time as they became vulnerable with each other. Gwen and her brother Gabriel. Gwen and her lady-in-waiting, Agnes. Art and his side-man, Sid. Gwen and Art. Art and Gabriel.

I agree with other reviewers that the first 2/3 of this book was light and fun, while the last 1/3 went surprisingly dark. For me this lent some credence to the caution the characters all had initially.

This is my first book by Lex Croucher, and I'll search out more for sure!

There is so much to love about this book-- everything from the heartfelt characters, the charming reinterpretation of Arthurian legend (and English history), and even the delightful cover art! I particularly enjoyed all the scenes between Gwen and Arthur themselves. Despite not being in love, they came to understand one another and their own desires a whole lot better through the conversations they shared. I thought it was interesting that so much of the development of those two characters happened in their shared scenes rather than in the scenes with their respective love interests. I enjoyed all the nods to Arthurian legends for readers with a passing fair knowledge of them, and to English history (like the humorous aside that the Vikings had never successfully invaded in this version of things!). The book took on a complex secondary plot for a YA novel without getting too bogged down in its reimagining of history and its worldbuilding.

It turns out that I was not the right reader for this book, so take my four stars with a grain of salt. For many, this will no doubt be a five-star read. YA lit can be hit or miss for me, and I did find myself frustrated at times with elements I found overly simplistic. Additionally, as is common with YA, adult characters were absent at best, or incompetent or downright rotten at worst. I know these are important elements of relatability and accessibility for YA readers and that my frustrations were the result of my own reader preferences.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for an ARC of this heartwarming YA romance!

I didn't know I could like a historical romance this much; AHHH so cute.
I will say that the part I enjoyed the most was when Arthur was around. I didn't think Gwen and Bridget's dialogue was as fleshed out. Gabriel was written into the corner for the stressed-out scholar heir to the throne than a teenager, the complete opposite of Arthur. Sid is the best sidekick.

This would be perfect for a show or comic book. I think everyone should read it still if not for the bantering and the simmering tensions both the love interests yearn for throughout the summer. This is YA so don't have adult expectations.

Themes and Tropes:
Camelot setting
political intrigue
pet cat named Lucifer/Merlin
mm & FF romance
knight tournaments
bullies to friends
hilarious bantering
ultimate side kicks

This book was not what I was expecting. I went into it expecting a light hearted gay rom com - my goodness I cried and laughed. This book was so much fun and the ending 100 pages was unexpected. I am so happy I got a chance to read this book. The characters were all so lovable and made me feel giddy. Highly recommend!

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

4.25/5 stars

This was absolutely adorable, and I love the flip on Arthurian Legend! Never in a million years did I expect to read a queer romcom based on Arthurian Legend….but my life is so much more complete for having it.

This was just fluffy and adorable and wholesome, while also being reflective, encouraging, and funny. The story and characters will make you smile and also make you think - about how expectations (of ourselves, from others, from society…) have impact on our mental and emotional health; how first impressions and attitudes about a situation impact our relationships; about how we see ourselves, especially through the lens of legacy; and how never taking a stand on anything can be more dangerous than taking a stand on the important things.

This is a great fluffy romcom, but I love the importance of its message too. This book made me smile, laugh, and think - exactly what I wanted. Highly recommend!

2.5 out of 5 / DNF at 60%

Gwen and Arthur are both flawed characters with dislikable traits. How they differ however is Gwen still has likable traits and is willing to admit she has flaws while Arthur is just insufferable. If this book was just Gwen’s POV I would have enjoyed it more and finished it but I just can’t with Arthur and his POV. Gwen’s romance with Bridget felt more fleshed out and believable but Arthur’s romance with Gabriel makes absolutely no sense. I honestly can’t understand how you could like someone that tormented your sister that you dearly love for years, started a suspicious truce with said sister yet continues to insult her and be rude to you. What is romantic about a guy who says awful things about your sister to your face? It doesn’t make sense. I don’t even know why Arthur likes Gabriel, it just felt like a switch got flipped for him and he’s suddenly interested in Gabriel. I also didn’t like that Arthur renamed Gabriel’s cat and after being told the cat’s actual name Arthur thinks it’s stupid and continues to refer to the cat by the name he renamed the cat to. You don’t just rename somebody’s cat and then refuse to use the cat’s actual name after told what it is.

This was a fun read!! The characters were well-developed and I was rooting for them all. I enjoyed seeing the two main relationships unfold, but I would have liked to understand more about the connection between Arthur and Gabriel — it sometimes felt rushed. The plot was also a bit oddly paced sometimes, especially the time jump near the end. I think my favourite part of the book was the dialogue, the banter was so clever and funny! Other than that, it was a solid delivery of the medieval rom com premise!

I had so much fun reading this book. Honestly, Gwen and Arthur were amazing main characters to follow, and I absolutely ADORED their dynamic. I liked their constant bickering, and seeing their friendship grow throughout the novel was absolutely incredible. I also really liked the cast of side characters. They really brought the book to life, and were just an incredible addition to the book.
The two romances were also really cute. I did preffer the Arthur/Gabriel romance over the Gwen/Bridget romance, just because I think they were developed a bit better. When it came to Bridget I just constantly felt like I was grasping in the dark. Her only personality trait seemed to be that she was a knight. Therefore I also had a bit of a harder time connecting to her relationship with Gwen. But overall, both relationships had a lot of cute moments, and I do like how they were developed.
I also kind of like the setting of this book. I like how Arthurian legend in this world was also legend, but also maybe kind of history. I really liked that, and the discussions around that in this book. The questions around what was real or not. I also liked the discussions around queerness in these historical times as well. It's not the most in depth, but for a YA novel I thought it was a great inclusion, especially as you can pull those discussions through to real life queer history ereasure.
When it comes to Lex Croucher I have found that their books have a complete tonal shift at around the 70% mark, which I typically don't like that much, but in this book it actually works. I think Lex Croucher just did a great job at having that event lurking in the background through the entire novel, so when it happens it just feels like it was the natural progression of things instead. Anyway yeah, I did really like this book and definitely recommend it.

Such a delightful book to read!

It had me hooked from the cover, the title, and finding out this was a retelling or re-imaging of King Arthur and his knights legend with a YA, and queer twist. If you enjoy going to a Ren Faire and want to find a book with the same vibes, this is the recommendation I will be adding to that pile.

Princess Gwendoline and Arthur have been betrothed since birth, a necessity for the King to forge new alliances in unstable England. Forced to spend the summer together in Camelot before their wedding, tensions are high between them. After catching Arthur with a man, Gwen thinks she has what she needs to end the betrothal…until Arthur confronts her with her childhood diary, full of her feelings for the kingdom’s only female knight. Realizing what’s a stake, the pair form a tenuous pact to cover each other’s back while they explore their separate lives and sexuality. Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is an exploration of Arthurian myth focused through modern eyes.

The synopsis was interesting and I love a queer retelling/mythology-adjacent story. For the first 60% of the book, I felt like I was wondering what the plot of the book would be, which felt pretty unfortunate. The story is lighthearted to start, a brilliant exploration queer identity within the scope of a society with no idea what that means. As the story progresses past that mark, it picks up quickly and gets darker as the story moves along. The plot certainly picks up, but by the time it does, I had lost interest.

I loved the exploration of sexuality and the sheer scope of sexual identity we explore. I just didn’t care for the characters enough to love the story. Despite being juvenile relationships, they felt overly stilted. There was certainly a better way to explore these relationships without being underdeveloped and rushed. The characters themselves were competing for the readers attention the whole book and I just wasn’t a fan of either of them. Gwen felt so whiny and Art was frustratingly nonchalant. It was hard to look past these issues and immerse myself within the novel.

I wish I had liked this book more than I did.

I absolutely loved this book. I wasn’t expecting to laugh so much. I really enjoyed all the relationships and found family. I couldn’t put it down and I’d recommend it to anyone.