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.

I really enjoyed this book! Both from noble families, Gwen and Art have been engaged to be married since they were children. They grow up hating each other, but when they each discover that the other is queer they become allies instead of enemies. Gwen is falling in love with a knight, Lady Bridget and Arthur begins to fall for Gwen’s brother, Gabriel, who is the future king of England.

While things do get a little dark at points during this book, overall, it’s a pretty light read. Both Gwen and Arthur can be annoying at times, but they are teenagers, so that’s to be expected! They both experience a lot of growth throughout the book, so I was happy to see that.

There’s quite a bit of Arthurian legend here, which I was fan of. I had initially assumed when reading the book that these characters were intended to be the legendary characters. It was a nice surprise to learn that they weren’t. I also liked that they weren’t relegated to the typical roles of Arthurian retellings.

I haven’t laughed so much while reading a book in a long time! The banter between so many of the characters is so funny! Some of my favorite scenes were between Arthur and his manservant, Sidney as they were both hilarious. All of the banter is so well written, and it’s what I love most about this book.

4 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is an adorable fun book. It’s funny and light-hearted while dealing well with serious topics. An amazing part of this book is the representation. Obviously, the LGBTQ+ rep was the main focus of the book, however it also deals a little bit with things disabilities (this isn’t a HUGE portion of the book, but I still felt like I should mention it) This book was a nice comfy read. I found myself smiling and laughing along with the characters, who I loved even more than I expected. I’d have to say my favorite character was Gabriel, although I ended up loving all of the main cast.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I expected to like it but I was blown away by how much FUN I had while reading it. 4 stars easily.

Cute, fun queer rom-com that had me smiling and laughing from page one. I really loved the different and refreshing take on Arthurian Legend. The characters were fun, relatable, and endearing, but the plot didn't have enough momentum to really keep me hooked. This book will be a great hit for anyone looking for a fluffy rom-com and for an opportunity to escape into a world of beautiful lady knights and handsome princes!

<i>“It’s a bad break. It doesn’t heal by itself. Other people have to care about you—bring you food and protect you while you heal—when really they should just leave you behind to die. They have to make sacrifices that make absolutely no logical sense for their own survival. They have to defy all rationality, in the name of love.”</i>

Ever since my young obsession with Morgana from BBC Merlin, I have always gravitated towards Arthurian retellings. Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is not that. The story takes place in a Camelot many many generations after the original legend, and though the two main characters share their names with the iconic heroes, they are far from them.

The characters are so fully formed, and that is rare for YA romances. Even the side characters have so much life to them. I loved Gwen and her dreamy love interest Bridget almost immediately, and related to Gwen's struggles with herself a lot. Bridget is the lady knight of my dreams, and I loved her little arc, and that she wasn't just the love interest. I admit that it took me a second to like Arthur; I'm just not a huge fan of the jerk with a heart of gold trope on men, but he grew on me a lot. Gabriel had a lot of depth and potential to him, but I wish there was a bit more with him.

I will warn that this is one of those books where the author throws in modern references and jokes, so if you can't stand that you should probably steer clear. Otherwise this was a fun and surprisingly emotional read.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

- I didn’t really like the pacing of the story - the beginning and end felt rushed, and I didn’t feel like there were very substantial plot points throughout, just the characters sneaking around with one another.

- the political uprising and (SPOILER) kings death felt almost too dramatic/high stakes for what the story was intending to be (royal historical fluffy romance). The book couldn’t decide if it wanted to be unserious and fluffy or more mature thematically, and fell in an awkward middle.

-there were way too many things that happened out of convenience, plot points/conflicts that were rushed through/solved without substantial or clear effort put into them.

- the main characters were initially quite unlikeable. There was character growth, but it was done lazily. The characters were just suddenly, at the end of the book, like “oh no sorry I was wrong I’ll be a better person now!” Rather than to be shown actively learning from their mistakes/understanding why they got off on the wrong foot

- for a book that seemed to be intending to focus primarily on the romance/coming of age and not taking itself too seriously, said things felt pretty dissatisfactory. The romances felt rushed and poorly developed, and there was no payoff as there was a timeskip right as the characters actually got together. As for the coming of age, the same teen/sexuality anxieties were rehashed in the same way over and over again, only for the growth/payoff/lessons learned from these things to be summarized in a sentence at the time skip conclusion of the book.

aside from all of this, this book is still almost a 3 star, because I did enjoy reading it most of the time. A lot of the aforementioned flaws were distracting at times and prevented it from being a truly quality story, but I was for the most part engaged and entertained. The characters weren’t particularly loveable or well developed but it got big points in my book I think for checking a lot of my favorite trope boxes. While I enjoyed a lot of the middle, I ended up being ultimately dissatisfied.

This was an absolutely delightful tale! A queer YA medieval romcom isn’t something I knew I needed in my life until I read this!

Gwen and Art, despite being betrothed since childhood, cannot stand to be in each other’s company. They quickly realize they have more in common than they thought, and become reluctant allies. As they each get to know the people they’re truly interested in - in Gwen’s case, the knight Lady Bridget Leclair, and in Arthur’s case, Gwen’s brother and the crown prince, Gabriel - they forge a genuine friendship. This was heartwarming and funny, and I will definitely be buying a copy once this is released!

When I first found this YA novel, I expected it to be a retelling of the legend of Arthur and the Round Table. Instead it is the delightful story of Gwen and Art, descendants from members of King Arthur’s Court. They were betrothed as children, but cannot stand each other. I’m this love story, they don’t fall for each other, but instead band together to save the kingdom from those who would destroy. Gwen falls for a lady knight while Art falls for a future king. Both Gwen and Art and spoiled children at the beginning of this novel. Both doing their best to not grow up. Yet over the course of the book, they each find strength within themselves they didn’t know they had. This story is slow to start, but picks up quickly. I loved the LGBT storyline. I would love to get immersed in this world again.
I received this book for free and am voluntarily giving this review.

My thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

This book was tremendous fun. Croucher does a great job of keeping the tone and language true to the period while also making it all feel relatable and timeless. The comparison to A Night's Tale in the blurb is spot on. I really liked all the characters but, in particular, adored Arther, scoundrel that he was!

An enjoyable romp all around.