Gave this a 3 star as I did not finish it but want to be fair. Truthfully, I just don't think I like this author. I find the writing extremely juvenile. There were SO MANY double entendres in the first 30% of the book and it was annoying by the end. I didn't like any character at all and found it was very slow. Not to say this hasn't been enjoyed by a lot of other people (I've seen great reviews online!) it just really isn't for me, though I had high hopes.

I originally saw Gwen & Art Are Not in Love billed as Heartstopper meets A Knight’s Tale and was immediately sold!

This YA coming of age story had me on an emotional rollercoaster from page 1 in the absolute best way possible! We follow Gwen & Art who are sworn enemies - the issue? They are betrothed! The other issue? Art has developed feelings Gwen’s brother while Gwen is swooning over a Lady Knight who is competing in their local tournament. Together they make a pact to keep each others secrets so they can pursue their true love interests while also planning their wedding and keeping their families none the wiser.

This laugh out loud coming of age romantic comedy is full of found family, loss, action, romance, understanding, acceptance, character growth, friendship and love, Truly a great read!!

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the advanced copy!

Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I did not finish this and left off at 50%.

Hmm. This book has a ton of potential but it just feels like it's floundering everywhere. It's very fast-paced and set up like a high school rom-com sort of set up in medieval times but not really. They're not really reincarnated from the OG Arthur/Merlin/Gwen/etc but they kind of are.

I feel like this book could have been its own thing--since it's so far from the original Arthurian mythology--and it wouldn't have changed much. Arthur and Gwen are absolutely atrocious people and extremely off-putting to read. They developed a little bit by the 50% mark but not enough for me to keep reading.

A queer romance that is somewhat inexplicably set in an alternative 7th century England where modern day slang is common and the biggest political divide is between Roman Catholics and Arthurian "cultists" who believe the spirits of Arthur, Merlin, Morgana, Mordred will one day be reborn. The story primarily focuses on a pair of royal siblings, Gabriel and Gwendoline, and in particular on Gwendoline's unhappy match to Lord Arthur who would really rather be with King Gabriel thank you very much. The mix of modern and historical evokes Heath Ledger's A Knights Tale but it is, at its core, a pretty basic teen romance. It was disappointing to me that the author chose to depict both gay men as stereotypical closet cases. While the author was clearly trying to be progressive and inclusive, it felt like a step back to exclusively depict gay men as emotionally damaged who either repressed their sexuality or set it aside in service of country and heir making.

Folks, I'm just gonna say it: I didn't enjoy GWEN & ART ARE NOT IN LOVE nearly as much as I wanted to.

It wasn't bad, by any means. The whole conceit of "it's a non-retelling retelling" was interesting and well done, the OG legend callbacks were delightful, the romances were unexpectedly nuanced, and the dialogue was properly hysterical at times. But this was a book that really tried to do and say A LOT, which meant that a lot of it fell inevitably short, in terms of story development and completeness. More than anything, I really struggled with the pacing of it - honestly, it was just so much talking, and I think in the moments where the dialogue and humour were prioritized, the plotting and world-building really fell by the wayside. I was definitely held back from the story by how little of anything I was able to visualize. Most of the action was happening in a white space in my own head.

I enjoyed the political machinations and cultist v. Catholics conflict (which I thought was a really clever, true-to-history way of incorporating the original legend), but that ending was... something else. Again, not bad, but somehow really out of place within its own narrative. The tonal shift from quirky, medieval rom-com to bruising war epic was incredibly disarming.

And also, I dunno, this is more of a personal opinion than an actual story flaw, but, like, there wasn't NEARLY ENOUGH Lady Bridget.

This book takes messy gay and lesbian friendship to another level. Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a beautiful queer historical fantasy that draws from Arthurian myth to set the scene for it's politics and characters. The story follows a betrothed couple, Gwendoline and Arthur, as they are forced to spend a summer together to learn more about one another after a lifetime of not getting along. The dialogue between them is refreshing to read as it is often snarky and playful even when they become closer. The individual romances between the characters are fun to read because of the situations they get themselves in. This book was truly a delightful surprise and very enjoyable for something I was on the fence about reading. I cannot wait to purchase myself a copy when it comes out.

I loved this so much - the humor, the romance, the representation, the romantic advocacy, it was beautiful. It also had perhaps the most perfect quote on romance I've read in a long time - “to be truly brave, first you must be afraid—and to be afraid, you must have something you cannot bear to lose.” Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

Love seeing new-age spunk added to historical fiction. Definitely a more modern take on a historical legend and some moments were completely juvenile (which I get, it's YA), but still a very enjoyable read with such lovable characters. Felt the ending could have provided a little more closure, but I'm assuming a Book 2 has already been agreed upon, hence the left-over loose ends.

A very fun and amazing twist to the myth and legend of Arthur! I really enjoyed this one, and I loved the representation that was within it. I also loved how Gwen and Art became allies and friends!

Anyone who can make me love and give me swoon-worthy romance is a 10/10 in my book. Lex Croucher did all these things and more with their book. I laughed, I gasped, I swooned. Honestly, Croucher is 100% one of auto-buy authors.

This book is one of the sweetest, most pleasurable, and sharp stories that I've had the pleasure to read in a while. I'd compare it to a fantasy sitcom; the characters and their interactions are so witty and there is almost never a slow point or a joke which doesn't land within the first half. Beyond that, Gwen & Art provides an incredibly dynamic cast of characters that one, almost immediately falls in love with.

I will also say that this book feels almost handcrafted for the queer community. It is filled with so much love and joy in a time where we desperately need that. I say this about a lot of retellings, but we need these stories and to have versions of the classics, the heroes we grew up with that are like us, that have struggled like us, well, it's incredibly special

I must say though that the last 100 pages of this book? They change the tone completely and it becomes so much more intense, and in some ways riveting? I'm not sure if it's a 100% fit, as the shift (if you know the point, you know) is quite drastic, but I'd accredit those last 100 pages with being a lot of the reason why I loved reading this so much. It makes you feel, so incredibly deeply despite the jauntiness of the first half of the book and I think it balances out in a way that makes it feel even more worth it.

Overall, I ADORED this book. It was a genuine delight to read and it is one of those books that makes you just want to curl up in bed and hug something fluffy (a cat named Merlin perchance?), and then cry or just stare at a wall for a little bit once you get to the second half.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh man, this was so cute and fun! While Gwen and Gabriel both go through some serious growth as they come to terms with who they are and how they want to represent the future of their kingdom, I also really loved Art and Bridget. There were so many laugh out loud moments and I adored how empowered the female characters were. There were also some interesting nuggets of Middle Ages history peppered in. I would definitely read more from this author!

If this book doesn't do well in the U.S. I am going to be extremely upset. This book is everything that I want from historical fiction- less history, more jousting and jokes. It has lovely LGBTQIA+ representation, I can see it front and center on several book displays. I hope Lex Croucher continues to write more YA in the future. I can't wait to reread this and recommend it to both friends and library patrons.

I really enjoyed this. It is definitely YA, which I appreciate when it’s listed that way. It’s a good story about love and friendship with a background of court politics and intrigue. Very well written.

I loved this book. I have no words to say this more eloquently. I’m usually not a big fan of historical romcoms but this one had me wrapped around its finger very quickly once every character was established. I had already considered reading this book before but for some reason, I was a little hesitant about it. That passed in an instant, thankfully. 

Every expectation I had of this book was surpassed as it went on and it went from a good read at the start to an amazing read once I was done. I expected two cute romances and I got so much more character depth, a rich storyline and so many funny lines that had me laughing out loud. 

The story of Gwen had me smiling all the time, while Arthur’s had me punching my pillow in exasperation. Both of them combined were a match made in heaven. Maybe if not in the way their parents expected. 

This book is for everyone who doesn’t want to decide between reading a wlw or a mlm story and who needs to have a good laugh every once in a while without missing out on any of the drama that comes with being betrothed to someone you don’t really want to marry.

I already hope that I can reread this book soon just so I can enjoy it all over again. It was lighthearted, it was fun, it was glued to my brain until I finished it.

i wasn’t that invested or attached to this. i ended up skimming a lot, but i could just not feeling this book at the moment. the past few months have been kind of rocky for me in terms of reading, so this definitely may just be because of that. maybe if i read this some other time, i would’ve liked it more.

also, i just want to say thank you to netgalley and wednesday for an arc of this book <3

I thought this was such a cute YA medieval queer romance! It made me laugh and swoon! It was really unique and fresh.
I loved the setting and would love more books set in medieval times!
3.5 ⭐️

This might be the best queer YA novel I've read since "Red, White & Royal Blue," although surprisingly, the romance plot isn't the highlight.

Croucher's YA debut takes place in an alternate medieval England, several centuries after the legendary King Arthur and his Round Table. Nobody believes the magical aspect of that story anymore except a few crazed cultists. The current king's daughter, Princess Gwendoline, has been betrothed since birth to Arthur Delacey, the son of a politically important nobleman. Unfortunately, Gwen and Art, who spent time together as children, viciously despise each other. But now Arthur is ordered to spend the entire summer at Camelot, with the not so subtle hint that it's time to get serious about the happy couple's upcoming nuptials.

Gwen is peevish and withdrawn, unhappy that she has no control over her life and confused by the strange feelings she gets when she sees Lady Bridget Leclair, the kingdom's only female knight. For his part, Art knows that he is gay, but due to his future as Gwen's husband, he is resigned to quick meaningless encounters. But there's something about the royal heir, Gabriel...not that Art has any feelings for the quiet, bookish prince, or that anything could happen if he did. Meanwhile, Gwen's lady-in-waiting Agnes and Art's snarky bodyguard Sidney are eyeing each other with interest.

The book's tone is light for the most part, with plenty of spirited (and modern-sounding) bro banter between Art and Sidney, and sarcastic one upmanship from Gwen and Art. The story becomes darker and more violent in the last 20% as Camelot's peace is brutally shattered. And despite all of the jokes, the MCs experience significant character growth; Gwen becomes less passive and more daring, while Art learns there are better ways to manage depression than binge drinking and extreme sarcasm.

My favorite arc of the book was actually the relationship between Gwen and Art. No, they are not in love, but as the story progresses they go from enemies to mutually-assured-destruction partners to supportive allies. They become less self-absorbed as they help each other, even if they rarely admit their mutual admiration. The romances are....fine, but they are underdeveloped. Art and Gabriel in particular have so few scenes together that it's difficult to worry about the futility of the future king considering an ongoing queer relationship.

The found family of the three couples (M/M, F/M, and F/F) is endearing. I wouldn't mind reading more about their adventures in the new, greatly changed Camelot, which would no doubt feature Gwen and Art still messing with each other into their old age.

I received an Uncorrected Digital Galley of this book from Net Galley almost nine months before publication, so it may change significantly before release (but I hope it won't).

Such a cute, feel good, cozy Arthurian retelling with amazing queer characters, banter, and so much fun! I had a blast reading this. We need more queer historical fiction!

All of these characters are so wonderfully written and I can’t behind to decide which is my favorite! I shall call them my band if merry idiots lol!

The banter and bickering back and forth between Gwen and Arthur was incredibly entertaining. Then you have the friendship between Syd and Arthur…. Syd is such a loyal and amazing friend!

For the most part this book was lighthearted and witty at least it was up until the last 20% or so.

The last part of the boom took me by surprise… I mean not the whole “who’s the bad guy part” I figured that out pretty quick. But it was the extent of the attack that happend. I just didn’t see it coming and it didn’t really fit in with everything else.

Also, not a retelling!!! I thought it might be at first but definitely not!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ArC