My friend started reading this and told me I should try and get an ARC too so we could buddy read. I don't think that this book is for me. I'm not the biggest King Arthur fan, but I usually love retellings because it already has a strong foundation to start from. It was written well and it was nice reading about lbgtq pairings. This isn't more so of a retelling as it is a continuation of Arthur's and Gwen's generation.

The title is true to the story, Gwen and Art aren't in love with each other. It was kind of jarring from my usual dual POV to not have the main characters fall in love with each other. It had the start of an enemies to lovers but became enemies to good friends with some scheming and plotting thrown in. They both love different people, though I stand by that Gwen does love Art, and could potentially be with him, but he is very much in love with someone else and doesn't want to mess that up for him.

Gwen and Art are Not In Love is exactly what I didn't know I was looking for! It is important to note that this is NOT an Arthurian retelling -- I didn't quite realize until I got started, but I think I loved it even more for it. Making Arthur the descendant of the original Arthur gave the story more freedom to come into its own while allowing Arthurian fans to still have a great time reading. Overall, the comedic and dramatic moments had a perfect balance, making this not only a great book, but a very fun read.

Lady Bridget stole my heart right off the bat. Her deep convictions, badassery, and ability to call other people out drew me in and delighted me. And no spoilers, but I would have to say my favorite part was when they snuck Gwen out to go dancing, it was absolute perfection.

The dialogue is immaculate, the whole book was just so fantastic and well-written that I had to finish in one sitting, there was no other option. I cannot recommend this book enough. As soon as I finished, I immediately called my sister to tell her all about it and insist she read it too. I cannot wait to buy a copy later this year! Gwen and Art are Not in Love is definitely a must-read recommendation from me!

I loved Lex Croucher's first two books for the expert use of sarcasm & sass, so I was very excited to pick up this Arthurian retelling. And overall I enjoyed this book a lot -- but the pacing could have been edited a touch more to knock this out of the park.

Gwen and Arthur have been promised to one another since birth in an effort to ensure regal alliances. There's only a slight problem -- they can't stand each other. Oh and also -- neither one of them are heterosexual. The two decide to play the part of a happy couple as a cover for their side relationships, but while the wedding planning continues something else seems to be brewing at court as well.

This book was very character driven and focused on relationship building for the first 300 or so pages --- all the action seemed to happen in the last fifty! I loved the conclusion but would have loved a little more of that action sprinkled throughout the book.

Overall, an enjoyable read and I will continue to look for new books from this author!

thank you netgalley and st. martin's press for the e-arc!!!

god this was just so fun. each character was so fun and distinct and lovable and I LOVE THEM!!!!! the romances were done so well, not too rushed but not too drawn out either. i love that there was a sense of realism regarding the time period this is set in, without also being just downright heartbreaking. gwen, arthur, bridget, and gabriel's each distinct voices regarding their sexualities and role in their society was written so well and made so much sense for each of them. i loved the plot and build up of the world building and politics, and i was extremely satisfied with how it panned out. my absolute favorite aspect of the book was the friendships and found family-ness of it all. gabriel and gwen, sidney and arthur, gwen and agnes.... GWEN AND ARTHUR. gwen and arthur truly have my heart. their friendship development had me melting and was everything i wanted from this book.

i highly highly highly recommend this book <3

I loved this book! Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is not so much a retelling of the traditional Arthurian story as a riff on it. Gwen and Art are destined to marry but they are not the original Guenevere and Arthur, just sort of named for them. Lex Croucher gives us beautifully drawn characters and laugh out loud moments. This was a book I couldn't put down and there is plenty of action for readers who love that. I liked the hints at magic that remained only hints. I didn't want this book to end!

I highly recommend this book for readers who love adventure, King Arthur, and queer romance stories with a happy ending.

Lex Croucher has become on of my immediate add to TBR authors. This is my second read of hers and I absolutely adored it. I enjoyed the spin on Gwen & Arts relationship but more than that I also enjoyed the exploration of love & who we choose to love through the lense of young individuals. I am not much of a historical fiction reader but this has certainly changed that. I do love that Gwen's love interest is female knight, Bridget. The representation of a strong female character in a position typically reserved for men was awesome to me. My only quam was with the length of the book but thats really just a personal preference.

This book was an absolute DELIGHT. I had a ridiculous grin on my face for a good majority of it and it was the perfect break from some of the heavier things I’ve been reading lately. This is no typical King Arthur story. Lex Croucher takes the legend and flips it on its head in all the best ways. There is plenty of drama, plenty of angst, plenty of self discovery and hands down the best witty banter I have ever read!! I found myself highlighting entire pages with the back and forth between Arthur and Gwen. For a little glimpse into what you have in store, read on:

In a time of knights and ladies, castles and kings, Gwen and Art find themselves betrothed. She is a princess, he is the son of a Lord - what could go wrong? Well, for one, they absolutely HATE each other. Despise. Detest. Cannot stand. Must be separated so as not to physically harm each other. She has her eye on the kingdom’s only lady knight and Art has taken a liking to Gwen’s older brother and the future king, Gabriel. What’s a betrothed pair to do? Cover for each other, that’s what!! Armed with trusty sidekicks Sidney and Agnes by their sides, Gwen and Art set about saving their kingdom, upending tradition in the process. Their shenanigans make for a rollicking good time and I found myself laughing out loud more than once!

Thank you @netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for the ARC in exchange for my honest review - it was a pleasure!

Gwen, Bridget, Arthur, Sidney, Agnes, and Gabriel; these groups of people were so entertaining to follow. The author has a way of balancing between banter and deep conversations! The romance between the characters had me kicking my feet and giggling. I got to say Arthur is one of my favorite characters. I think this story delivered exactly what it said it was going to. It's super fun, can get deep,and not overwhelming! Couldn't recommend this book more and I'm going to miss these characters

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a queer, medieval rom com that tells the story of Gwen and Arthur (not that Gwen and Arthur), who have been betrothed since Gwen was born. Our two protagonists loathe each other, because of course they do, but are forced to spend an extended period of time together when Arthur's father ships him off to Camelot for the summer.

From there, I would love to tell you that shenanigans ensue but that would be a lie. This book suffers from an overall lack of plot. Nothing happens until about 50% of the way in. And following that, the major chunk of the action doesn't actually pick up until about 80% into the book. At over 350 pages, this means that we're waiting for any hint of plot until around the 175 page mark. I was frankly just bored, I'm sorry to say.

The lack of overall plot and action might have been bearable, if the characters themselves were more than just mildly interesting. The book primarily shifts between Gwen and Arthur, and, after finishing the book, I could probably tell you about two characteristics for each of them. Again, this book clocks in at over 350 pages long. At that length, I feel like I should have learned more about our protagonists and the very limited number of characters who join them on this aimless journey through sometime-after-Arthur-Camelot.

Which leads me to the last major gripe I had with this book: the lack of world-building. The synopsis tells us that the story is set hundreds of years after King Arthur's reign. After reading the book, I can't tell you any more than that. There's some pretty modern dialogue but also some vague medieval-ish descriptions of buildings and clothing. So we're in Camelot, sometime after the 5th/6th century and maybe sometime before iPhones (because no one is texting each other, at least)? Got it.

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a YA rom com that will likely work for readers who want a lighter read and who aren't too attached to Arthurian legend. If someone is looking for a story that is more a coming of age tale than a medieval "retelling," then this could be a good read for them!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book is very close to perfect. So heartfelt and witty and romantic. I cannot wait to recommend this book to everyone I know. A beautiful and lovely queer take on a classic story. Amazing!!

I absolutely loved this.

I'm not well versed in arthurian legends, so I have no idea if this is a "good retelling", what I can say is this book is GOOD.

Characters: 10/10
Plot: 9/10
World-Building: 7/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Themes: 8/10

Thanks to #Netgalley for the chance to read this one!

100 years after King Arthur’s reign, his descendant Arthur is betrothed to Gwendoline, the current princess of England, the problem is they hate each other. When Gwen sees Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur discovers Gwen’s crushing on Bridget, a lady knight, they realize how much they have in common. As they cover for each other and develop a friendship, their summer together in Camelot brings hijinks but also puts them to the test!

This book is compared to the movie ‘A Knights Tale’ but make it Queer and I actually quite agree with that. The setting is medieval but with modern sensibilities - the language is casual and current, slang and all. The dialogue is witty and really heighted the ‘com’ part of the ‘rom com’ and as I was reading it, it kind of felt like watching a movie.

I have been interested in Arthurian tales lately and I found it so fun to be following characters that aren’t depictions of characters we know from the legends but rather their descendants, and imagining what their world would be like. I particularly appreciated the political situation Gabriel (the prince of England) faced as he tries to live up to King Arthur’s ideals, and how impossible that is. A great piece of world-building was the push and pull between 2 factions: the ‘cultists’ who worship King Arthur & literally believe he’ll come back, and the Christians who very much do not. I found it believable and I appreciate the way it affected the plot.

In the end I felt it was a fun book with something to say. I found the theme of ‘learning to demand better for yourself’ was explored beautifully through the character Arcs, as they each had to learn to be true to themselves, stand up for what they believe in and break with tradition.

All I knew about this book heading in was that it was a queer retelling of a King Arthur tale. But nothing could have prepared me for how utterly delightful this tale would be. Perfect for fantasy lovers and contemporary rom-com fans alike, "Gwen and Art are Not in Love" is one of the best books I've read in 2023.

ARC received from Netgalley.
I really loved this book. From start to finish it was a fun and wild ride. Getting to see Gwen and Art grow from hating each other entirely at the beginning of the story to loving and relying on each other by the end was so beautiful. They did not find the love for each other they expected to, but instead helped each other find the love and happiness they needed. Becoming family along the way. The plot was quite fast paced, keeping you hooked all the way through to the end. Recommend it to anyone who enjoys queer coming of age-esc romances and crazy fun (not necessarily accurate) historical romances.

A contemporary romance of queer proportions based in the midevil fantasy world. This was super sweet book and I did enjoy the rom-com elements. Something that is honestly refreshing to see especially for YA.

I think there are a lot of Camelot inspired stories coming out soon but THIS one was so much fun to read. The dialogue was witty and realistic, the characters were a lot of fun, and overall this YA was extremely enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

A sweet romance that kept me delighted and turning pages. Though I usually read quite slowly, I sped through this and had a lot of fun.

What happens when you have two queer siblings set in the last vestiges of Arthurian England? Great news, this book tells you. And it does it through really funny and honest characters, snappy dialogue, and a well-paced, engaging plot.

When Arthur comes to town to spend time with his betrothed, he ends up falling for her brother and then acts as wingman for her and her lady night. Sidney is an absolute joy, and while I was worried Arthur would annoy me, he was actually hilarious. I cannot compliment the dialogue enough. It was fast and witty and often goofy in a very believable way. There was a sort of Sorkin-esque quality to it that really hit me and I found myself rereading bits often.

The character growth of Gwen from timid mouse in her brother's shadow to unabashed lesbian icon is what I can only hope for everyone to experience at least once.

I enjoyed that this story told the story of different types of bravery and different types of timelines when it comes to grappling with sexualities, and while the themes could easily be heavy, there was a certain optimism beneath it.

Can't wait for more from this author, and can't wait for this to take its place in top tier queer content.

***Thanks for the ARC***

The blend of light fantasy, two queer love stories, found family, and enemies to “lovers” made this book hard to put down. I found I flew through the first half of the book wondering what would happen next with the characters.

Each character felt well defined and I understood how they thought and what their motivations were.

I’m giving this four stars because 3/4 of the way through the book there was a bit of repetition in the story and made it harder to keep reading, but this is only a small complaint as it gets back to action quite quickly.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have one qualm: this isn't heartstopper meets anything. If anything, the queer webcomic this story is like is high class homos. I find just tacking HeartStopper on to signal that a book is queer is cheap and generally does disservice to both heartstopper and the story ita being used to sell. However, given my only major criticism is with a tag line being used to sell this book, I am floored. I adored this book, as someone who grew up way too invested in BBC merlin I feel so seen with this book. I loved Gwen and Bridget, Sidney and Agnes, Gabe and Arthur. The final act made me be ten minutes late for work because I couldn't put it down once I got to it. This is a book I'm gonna be collecting special editions of, I just know I need multiple versions of it. Unreasonably good.