I've loved every Lex Croucher book I've read and this is no exception. Thrilled that they're now putting books out for a YA audience. We need more titles like these!

4⭐️

I often go into books totally blind, so all I gathered was that this would be a medieval YA rom-com. I was very excited to learn that it is that, except <i>both</i> Gwen and Art are queer, and are not each other’s love interest. I loved the humor, the characters, and their unique stories. I’m excited for whatever the author writes next!!

Our young adult patrons have been asking for "cozy queer" books similar to Alice Oseman's Heartstopper and The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz, and this book fits the bill! A fantastic and affirming read, and an excellent book to add to an "adventure begins at your library" summer reading display, Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is the perfect summer read.

In this laugh-out-loud funny historical-inspired YA, Gwen & Art enter into an uneasy alliance after they discover that neither of them wants to honor their betrothal, not only because they hate each other, but because they're both very queer. Would recommend for fans of My Lady Jane and the found family trope.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really wanted to love this one because it sounded so cute and fun, but it really wasn't for me. The writing and pacing were boring, and I didn't feel invested enough to finish after reading 20% of if.

This was absolutely delightful. Sometimes you have a book that just makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside, and this is one of those books.

I have no idea why I took so long to actually read this book, because it was DELIGHTFUL. It follows Gwen and Arthur (but not THAT Gwen and Arthur) who are betrothed to one another...but also hate one another. This leads to a fake dating situation that does NOT lead to romantic love--at least between the two of them.

Lex Croucher is a wizard and I loved this book. It was funny, charming, and sweet. There were also some truly stressful moments and I found myself racing through it because I needed to know how everything would work out for Gwen and Art. I LOVED Gwen and Art, and I will root for them, their friendship, and their loves (ahem, Bridget and Gabriel) forever. Gwen and her brother Gabriel struggle with their sexuality when faced with the rigidity of being royals and the expectations that come with that. This is set in a medieval period, and I loved the exploration of what it takes to accept yourself for who you are and how to find happiness for yourself.

If you like fun, sometimes absurd, and heartful historical-ish novels, I highly recommend!

3 Stars. I enjoyed the beginning half and the overall vibes of the story. However, something about the characters felt flat to me. I eventually lost interest and put the book down. I still think this could be a story I enjoy at a future time. It may have been a case of right book, wrong time because the premise sounds amazing to me. I may pick it up in the future.

I love everything Lex writes but this one fell a little short with me. It seemed like almost everything was revealed by the back of the book and I wish that the fake relationship aspect went a bit farther. It was quickly started and revealed which confused me as it seemed like it would be a larger part of the book. The book took a very serious turn at the end with really intense war and battle that seemed out of place. In general, the tone seemed like it was all over the place.

Unlike in their previous books, I never felt like I really got to know or relate to the characters. My favorite was the MC's brother though. I also really loved the setting and wish as a reader that I got to see more of it.

I still think this is worth the read and I in no way hate the book, but I think maybe it could have used a bit more refining. I would also say for a YA book it had very adult content (but that may just be my American viewpoint lol - maybe in the UK drinking young is way more normalized).

3.5
So gay I love it. King Arthur spin off (not really a retelling). Found family in the best way. Didn’t feel like high stakes, but the plot had a lot. Cozy and reaffirming and happy. I’m here for it.

This was so fun to read. It was mostly light hearted, with witty banter and likable characters. Although there is romance, it is very sweet and the friendships really shine. The audio is recommended for listeners!

Gwen was a princess, already betrothed to Arthur since she was still a kid. One summer when Gwen almost 18, Arthur ordered by his father to spend the summer at Camelot castle to get to know Gwen better. Soon its discovered that they both had crushes to other people, despite their betrothal. Then they agreed to keep their charade and keep each other’s secret.

Honestly i couldn’t really connect with the story. Sure it was funny sometimes, but they seemed to be just fucking around without any concerns about other stuff. All that matter were their romantic affairs. And the fact that they’re all barely adult????? I know that’s because the book’s age range is YA but it didnt sit right with me somehow.

Then suddenly after 80% mark its action packed. At that point I couldn’t care less about the book, thought about dnf it but didn’t want my time wasted for nothing. So here we are.

This was a fun YA queer romance.

I think it works perfectly for the demographic and still manages to resonate with an older crowd.

I really enjoyed this one! I liked the medieval setting, and the characters were a lot of fun. It was a great dual enemy to lovers/friends to lover's story.

The romance was a small portion of the story compared to the friendships that were made throughout, which I found to be the best part.

I had a lot of fun from beginning to end and would definitely recommend it!

The comparisons to A Knights Tale are perfectly apt for this irreverent medieval rom com. Years after King Arthur, a princess betrothed to the person she loathes most discovers they share a secret that might just bring them together: neither of them is straight. And as they try to woo their crushes and withstand threats to Camelot, they realize they might not hate each other as much as they thought. Enemies to lovers friend edition!

A Knight's Tale is literally my favorite movie of all time, and I have it pretty much memorized. I felt a bit nervous to read this book because it was marketed as a cross between A King Arthur retelling (another genre I love) and A Knight's Tale-it felt like super big shoes to fill. Ultimately I enjoyed this book and had a really good time. I do wish that it wasn't YA, not because of spice or lack thereof, but it felt like there were issues that the characters were dealing that could have been managed with a tad more maturity. YA felt right in the beginning but as it continued I started to feel like something was missing.

4.25/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

I did not expect to have such a good time with this book but I enjoyed this read so much! Very much a coming of age, discovering yourself type of story for Gwen. For Arthur, it’s more about finding purpose and love. I loved them both! Such opposites with very different kinds of main character energy!

I found the sarcastic, dry humor to be so entertaining with these young people but it was fitting for their circumstances. I liked how it was dual pov though obviously not with the characters falling for each other. Gwen and Art’s friendship was so good once it gets to develop! In terms of romance, it does read more like a single pov since their love interests don’t get narratives. Not spicy and slow burn. The HEA was very sweet!

A rather interesting take on the story of King Arthur but one I really liked. This is not a retelling of any kind though! I would recommend this to historical fiction lovers for sure!

If you’re recommending this to a young person I would be mindful of the heavy drinking and violence in this story!

I wish I hadn’t taken so long to read this book. It was so good. The narration has a strong voice that enriches the story too.
It’s a fast paced book with a bit of a rushed ending, but it works.
The two main characters Gwen and Art are the most developed and so delightful. The side characters were there but felt underwhelming and not as developed to me, except maybe Sidney, he was great.
The found family I think is meant to make up for it.
The romance and falling for each other kind of takes a side seat to the political plot and the friendship that develops between Gwen and Art from their original animosity and I thought that part was really cute and well done.
I loved the spin on this myth and thought it was well done.
A very cute read that I would easily recommend.

DNF at 35% - premise is phenomenal but execution is honestly kind of boring. I wish it had been more exciting, but it just was not.

Super cute! A super fun retelling of the king author tale. I loved the gender switch and thought a few of the nods to the historical story was very clever.