Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is the story of an ill-matched betrothal, and not for the normal reasons. Sure, they do hate each other, but they are also each romantically interested in someone else. For Gwen, the kingdom's only female knight, and for Arthur, the prince.

This book was so sweet and cute, and it's a textbook example of found family. The characters make mistakes, but they learn and grow throughout the story as they encounter more serious situations. The first 60% or so of the book is mainly your usual fluffy-sweet-historical romance, but the story definitely becomes more plot oriented in the last 40%. One drawback of a story featuring two dual romances is that there are only so many pages. Lex Croucher did a fantastic job making the romances engaging, but there are limitations with how in depth the relationships can be explored when there are two to fit into one book.

Overall, it was a super cute story that I would totally recommend if the premise intrigues you at all!

A delightfully charming, sweet, and funny story about growth and love! I appreciate books that do character development right, and this is an excellent example of that. At first, I didn't like Gwen and especially Arthur but as the novel went on the characters started making more sense and I gained a lot of care for them. I ended up rooting and caring about these characters as I read about their growth. I had high expectations for this book since I am already a fan of other works by the author, and I will forever love writers who create stories about princesses, knights, and fantasy books from the queer perspective. The only downfall of the book for me was the world-building being a bit too overwhelming at times, as it slowed down the book's pace at times. I love worldbuilding and books set in medieval times, but too much can hurt a book and mess up the tempo. If you want a romcom about queerness, identity, and love in the medival period I highly recommend this!

But a slight trigger warning for any queer people reading this is that queerness isn't accepted in this world, which although realistic can be uncomfortable for some readers. I was expecting the book to be more lighthearted in this area but all in all a very good read!

This was a great book! Very cute and I loved how all of the characters were so real and well thought out and unique from each other, flaws and all. Gwen and Gabriel were very realistically portrayed as the misfits they would have been, being brought up separate from others as a part of the royal family. LOVED not only the romantic relationships, but perhaps even more the friendships that built between all of them - Gwen and Arthur, their rivalry developing into a still-antagonistic and yet loving sibling-esque relationship. Sid and Arthur. And of course, the solidarity between Gwen and Gabriel.

The plot and world building was also really interesting and richly developed. I could see this world existing, close and yet far enough away from Arthurian legend. Details like naming conventions and the cult worship of these legendary figures was really interesting. The buildup to the action-packed conclusion and resolution was also very satisfying!!

I would love to read more about these characters and this world!

This is the second Lex Croucher I've read, and this was just as enjoyable as the last! While I grew out of most young adult books, I enjoyed Gwen & Art Are Not in Love. Croucher has a way of writing historical fiction that feels rooted in the time yet modern in sensibilities. I felt so attached to these characters and wish I had more time with them.

Gwen & Art Are Not In Love was the book I was most excited about reading this year and I squealed with delight the day the ARC came through my inbox. Let me just say, this is the year of Lex Croucher for me. Every book they write has has me in a fucking chokehold and I live for it. Gwen & Art was no different. I was admittedly drawn in by the premise of an Arthorian inspired queer messy romance but my attention was kept by the loveable characters and wonderful storyline. Let me set the scene: Princess Gwendoline and Arthur (not that one, his descendant) are betrothed and have been since they were but wee babes. They also have a life long rivalry and tend to lean towards hating each other. They are also also going to have to spend the summer together to prepare for the aforementioned nuptials. Seems like a recipe for someone not making it to the wedding with their limbs intact. And it is shaping up to be a pretty wretched summer until Gwen finds Art kissing a stable boy he is very much not supposed to be kissing. In preparation for her inevitable blackmailing, Art goes snooping around for some secrets of her own and finds out via a pilfered diary that she has a massive crush on the one and only Lady Bridget Leclair, the first and only female knight participating in their kingdom’s festival. Armed with a secret each, they come to an understanding of sorts: they’ll pretend to be actually falling in love so that neither is outed. The only issue is that they both have their sights truly set on someone else. What ensues is pure magic. Gabe, Gwen’s older brother, was lovely. Agnes, Gwen’s lady’s maid, was so fun and a delight to have included in the crew. And Sid. My dearest Sid. The best right hand man anyone could ever have. I have to make a note that Sid is the best best friend I have ever seen written in a book. I was truly besotted by this cast of characters. There is a sharp left turn in the back half of the story but I think it only added to my interest and didn’t detract. My only qualm was that I devoured it so quickly. 5 incredibly strong stars ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

Gwen and Art Are Not In Love was such a wild ride. It was full of comedy, yearning, slow burn romances, great character development, and Chaotic Queers.

Gwen has been betrothed to Arthur since her birth, neither like eachother. Gwen is in fact crushing on the only Lady Knight the country has seen, Bridget, and Arthur just perfers men (and maybe, would consider Gabriel, Gwen's older brother and the crown prince) Gabriel is too shy and bookish to comment 🤣

The Book switches between pov's each chapter, though still written in 3rd person, which I prefer. It was easy to follow the switches and I genuinely really liked reading about Gwen and Art.

I did feel as though the last 30% felt different than the first 70%. It does get quite a bit darker and more serious than it started out as. However, I didn't mind that. It felt more like an accumulation of vibes throughout the book. (IE, I didn't feel like it came out of nowhere, there was a good amount of build up). Gwen and Bridget's relationship also felt more flushed out, but Arthur is such an amazing character on his own.

Sidney is everything. He was my favorite character and he deserves the world. MUST PROTECT HIM AT ALL COSTS.

Solid 4 outta 5. Do be aware of the trigger warnings before reading. It isn't just an all fluff romcom, there are some serious parts.

Destined to be wed almost since birth, Gwen and Art barely speak to each other, don't get along, and they're definitely not in love. Since Gwen likes girls and Art likes boys, they will NEVER be in love. Told in Gwen & Art's alternating perspectives, this YA medieval romcom explores falling in love, unexpected alliances, and the weight of feeling like your whole life has been planned without your consent. Through the course of a summer, Gwen and Art build an unlikely and unusual friendship. As they deal with the burden of their upcoming wedding, they each toy with the possibility of being themselves and loving who they want to love. Humorous and heartwarming, readers will without a doubt swoon for the characters and fall in love with debut author Lex Croucher.

This was almost nothing like what I expected, but that's not a bad thing.

I went into this expecting basically a romcom where Gwen and Arthur barely interacted except to realize "oh, I'm gay" and then to hate each other. I wasn't expecting their platonic relationship and Arthur's platonic relationship with Sidney to be at the forefront of the book. In fact, I think that romance was ultimately just a side plot to self-discovery, friendship, politics, and fun medieval stories.

I had also completely forgotten that these are not the Gwen and Arthur of old... even if they are in Camelot and all somewhat distantly related to King Arthur. It made for fun comedy bits that I really appreciated.

All of the characters had pretty well developed personalities, the plot was good, and there was enough action to give it just a little extra something. The audiobook narrators were great, and brought a lot of humor to Art and Gwen, which I really appreciated.

A little cheesy? Sure! But also very cute and a well-developed standalone.

This is one of the most wholesome books I've read in a while. It is sweet, funny, and so queer. I don't even know where to start with everything I loved about the story. Every character and relationship was amazing, there was a strong political subplot, and absolutely amazing dialogue. Arthur was definitely my favorite. I adored his chaotic yet loving personality. Of course, I also loved Gwen. She is practically the opposite of Arthur, preferring quiet and solitude. However, she definitely has a fiery side, one that comes out frequently around Arthur and his antics. I found their dynamic hysterical, from their determination to hate each other and then to work together. I feel like they both end up helping the other grow. I also loved Gwen's and Arthur's relationships with Gabriel. The sibling love and trust between Gwen and Gabriel was so wholesome, In contrast, Gabriel and Arthur have a lot more angst. They are very different people, with Gabriel being incredibly dedicated to the throne and his kingdom. I really admired Gabriel for his aspiration to be the best king he can be. His drive and determination is only rivaled by Bridget's. I absolutely adored everything about her, from her amazing fighting ability to her unwavering sense of self as a knight, despite all those against her. Lastly, I love Sid and Agnes. Agnes is a surprising character but totally amazing, especially in how her and Gwen's friendship evolves. Sid, of course, matches Arthur's energy, creating pure chaos and hilarity. So in summary, I loved every character in this book, forever and always. As for the subplot, I liked the tournament and politics, adding action and tension. Overall, this book is absolutely amazing and I highly recommend it.

this book was so funny and wholesome at the same time! the main characters were so relatable and i loved both of them so much, i'm not going to stop talking about it to my friends for months

thank you netgalley for the e-ARC!

A very fun YA read. I definitely felt that I was not the intended audience, but that's because I'm not. I had a good time anyway, and I know my YA readers will love it

What a strange book.

Based on the synopsis and what you get for the first half of the book I expected it to be a rom-com, and then it completely switched to a battle in fantasy and a MC being beaten to death with also a betrayal and a coup?

The ending didn't even really make sense either.

I felt like the author was throwing shit on a wall and seeing what stuck and deciding to go whatever route was possible.

I know this is an arc, but it really does feel like an uncompleted book based on the ending, and based on what happened.

I personally don't like it, I think someone else might, but I found this book to be a flop.

I love, love, loved this book. I didn't really have any idea what I was getting into, but I enjoyed it so much. The characters and banter was enjoyable, the friendships developed realistically and ended up being so sweet, the romance was swoony and full of longing. The whole thing made me want to go straight to a renaissance faire. I found the alternative history to be interesting and well fleshed out, the twist was creative, and the sudden action was a surprise but I was into it.

This is a wonderful medieval love story about Gwen and Arthor being betrothed to each other. You would think of Camelot and the fairytale romance but there is a twist to this story. Firstly, Gwen and her betrothed fiancé loathe each other. Secondly, they each fancy another person and neither of their parents are accepting of this.

As they fake an engagement to keep the kingdom of England happy, especially their parents, there is an attempted murder and the victim is none other than Arthur himself. We get to this around 74% into the book which the intrigue truly picks up. That's a little late in the book for me to really get into, for me personally.

As a debut novel, I found many of the characters to be underdeveloped and did feel as if I understood them better until the 65% mark. The pace was good but dips heavily in the middle but it was the relationship between Gwen and Lady Briget Lecalair that I found most enjoyable.

I even found Queen Margaret to be whiny and not that supportive to her daughter, Princess Gwen, which is a shame.

I thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for their advance e-copy for my honest review.

Nothing like a cute fake dating book to end summer with. I absolutely love this book and definitely found it to be fun, queer and couldn’t put it down. Anyone with a love for queer stories would enjoy this books.

thank you to netgalley for this ARC def getting this one for my nieces

4.5 stars. This is pure joy. I hate comp-titles, but this really is Heartstopper meets King Arthur. I loved the ENTIRE main cast! All of them are so distinct and complex, and I love them all so much, ESPECIALLY Arthur! I can’t wait for everyone to read this in November!

This YA, queer Arthurian romance was a lot of fun to read!
Gwendoline, the Princess of England, is betrothed to Arthur, a descendant of King Arthur. But, they definitely don’t fancy each other. It’s only when they discover each has secret feelings for another—Gwen for a lady knight named Bridget, and Arthur for Gwen’s brother and the heir to the throne, Gabriel—that they decide a marriage of convenience might help them both.
I enjoyed getting to know each of these characters, and loved the quirky banter. The pacing did feel too slow throughout the first half, but the last quarter is full of action, with an exciting end.

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is a fun fake dating story. But not in the traditional way. Gwen and Art are absolutely not in love with each other. They've been betrothed since Gwen was born and antagonized one another their entire childhoods. But pretending to actually be attracted to each other makes life easier when Gwen has feelings for a lady knight and Art prefers the company of Gwen's brother.

A fun story of coming to terms with queerness mixed with court politics and intrigue. The beginning was a bit slow to hold my attention but I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Queers supporting queers is always a good time.

I received the audio arc of this book and will be leaving my full review on that copy.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Gwen is betrothed and she is not pleased. Not only does she hate the idea of getting married but she also loathes her betrothed, Arthur. Actually, the loathing is a mutual feeling and possibly they only thing Arthur and Gwen have in common. They are forced to spend time together before their wedding and they discover maybe they don't know each other as well as they thought. Gwen catches Art kissing another boy and Art realizes Gwen has a crush on Lady Bridget. They decide that maybe they can make this marriage work out the sake of their secrets and they can help each other out along the way. Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is hilarious, full of sass and sword fights. I hade a blast reading this story!