As a child, I was obsessed with the BBC’s Merlin. I used to watch so hoping that queer subtext would become canon, spoiler alert: it didn’t.

When I read the premise of Gwen and Art Are Not In Love by Lex Croucher, I wondered if it would scratch the itch that BBC’s Merlin had long filled and boy; I was not disappointed.

The concept of the book is simple. It’s hundreds of years after the real King Arthur died or “went on sabbatical” as some characters refer to it in the book. Gwendoline, the princess of England, hates the man she’s betrothed to marry, Arthur. The two are forced to spend the summer together at the royal seat: Camelot, to prepare for their wedding. Gwen discovers Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur discovers Gwen’s diary, which reveals her crush on the lady knight, Bridget. The two of them make a reluctant agreement to help cover for each other. With discoveries about King Arthur’s true past, falling in love, teenage shenanigans, and a plot of overthrow Gwen’s father, Gwen and Art Are Not In Love is a romantic comedy many readers are sure to love.

Characters - The main four characters of the book, Gwen, Bridget, Gabriel, and Arthur, are loveable. All four seem real and go through major character development in the book.

Romance - The two main romantic relationships, Gwen + Bridget and Gabriel + Arthur, are both so cute. Both relationships are well developed over the book, with each character having their own set of motivations and aspects that make them real.

I think an unexpected plot point that I loved was the characters delving into the Arthurian past. I always love it when books discuss historical queerness (for example, Alex & Henry’s emails in Red, White, & Royal Blue). I will say I am a little disappointed it wasn’t between Arthur and Merlin.

I don’t want to write much more except this. Gwen and Art Are Not In Love by Lex Croucher is literally one of the best books I’ve read this year.

If you love queer rom coms, grew up watching BBC’s Merlin, or just need a tale where a lady knight and a princess fall in love, this book is for you.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be out on November 28, 2023.

Gwen and Art moved incredibly quick at the beginning - barely giving us time to register that Art found her diary mere pages in. Additionally, Art and Gwen's brother's romance didn't feel like it ever had a true start, just a boom moment, similarly to Gwen and her love interest. Overall, the tie in to history was fun alongside the deep dive of Arthur and Lancelot's relationship.

"Gwen & Art Are Not in Love" is a queer Arthurian romance that will leave you swooning and cackling in equal measure.

This was fantastic! Interesting characters, a twist that I did not see coming, and an engaging story.

I finished this adorable YA romance yesterday and couldn’t get enough!! 💕Gwen and Art are engaged to be married, but they hate each other. When they realize they’re both harboring (queer! 😍) crushes on other people, they come up with a plan—pretend to be wildly in love so no one guesses what they’re really up to. 👀

Every page was filled with humor and I loved it. Gwen and Art were both so different and their friendship was so cute. I also loved the exploration of queerness being prohibited in the medieval setting and how Gwen and her brother Gabriel had the potential to change things.

GWEN AND ART ARE NOT IN LOVE was a fun read—and it featured flirting via sword fighting so it doesn’t get much better than that!

I really wanted to love this one since it came to me with such hype, but sadly, I found the first 25% so slow. I also didn't love the characters. I think the premise is adorable, but I wish there was a bit more world-building.

*Thank you to NetGalley for sending over an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!*

NOTE: I would technically give this a 4.5/5 star rating. Sadly, half stars aren't a thing.

After having read the description and summary of this novel, where it was presented as a sort of Heartstopper meets A Knight's Tale spun in a medieval romcom with queer elements, I was definitely intrigued. I enjoy a light-hearted story, and this novel delivered!

Lex's writing is enjoyable, and they know how to write multidimensional characters easy to connect with - I found myself enjoying Gabriel and Sydney most, but they were all interesting. The plot did feel slow to get into at times, which would be my only criticism, but it's very much worth sticking around for. Arthur and Gwen have a great dynamic going on, even with their mission to help each other out despite the book's title stating their status and feels towards one another.

I look forward to the novel's release date and seeing people's reactions to the story!

Just an absolute blast! I am already partial to retellings of Arthurian myth and this really succeeded for me. I thought it was fun and funny and sweet and immediately texted three separate people about it. The story lost some steam right at the end but I had so much fun in the lead up that i didn’t even mind. Truly a delight.

This book was absolutely delightful! I don’t usually read historical fiction, but this was so captivating, original, funny and surprising that I couldn’t put it down. It made me laugh out loud several times, but it also had a lot of heart and emotions. I haven’t read another book like this, and I loved it! Plus, reading swear words during sword fights and duels is just fun.

This book was a fun breath of fresh air when i had the chance to pause during my busy week. It’s the exact fun cup of tea that my inner teenager needed. Also, everyone needs a Sidney in their lives.

dnf. as much as I really wanted to like this book. I unfortunately did not. Retelling are usually not my Forte unless there's a good twist, and I was really hoping this verison was gonna have it. But it just felt lackluster to me. Maybe I'll come back and try again time, maybe I just need to be more in a Retelling vibe.

4.5 stars

Picture it: the beautiful city of Camelot. Within it: the princess of England (Gwendoline) is betrothed to a someday Lord (Arthur). But this is not a retelling of the familiar old myths. This is 100% Gwen's and Arthur's own story.

Arthur and Gwen spend most of their lives despising each other. And then they stumble upon each other's secrets... Arthur kisses boys and Gwen has a crush on the kingdom's one lady knight.

This is a queer love story. And it's lovely.

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is such a sweet book — and literally so funny. It's one of those novels where you end the book with an entire cast of characters that you love. It was paced well, and the ending in particular really amped up for me. It's soft and fun and queer; the time I spent with this story was truly enjoyable.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I feel a lot of us crave stories that are similar to others we have read but sometimes we find a story that can stand on its own book spine.

When I read Gwen and Art Are Not In Love, I was pulled in by the title. It's a pretty straightforward statement but what was it going to mean? I had this specific thought as I was reading because I wanted to understand why this was scratching at my brain. For this particular book, I did not read the back of the book because I didn’t need to. In all honesty, the title and the cover did the best job at taking my attention, locking it and throwing it away.

The story follows Gwendoline and Arthur who truly cannot stand one another but are set to spend the whole summer together as they are preparing to be married… to each other! Even though the “soon-to-be-married” couple would rather go the worst of the worst than to be with each other, Gwen and Art share the same secret of being queer and desiring to be themselves without anyone to get in their way.

So you can imagine the jaw dropping shock I felt when I discovered WHY “Gwen and Art Are Not In Love” and WHY this story was all about finding themselves, becoming enemies to friends and uncovering the meaning of found family/community.

There is a saying that when you hate or dislike someone, there usually is a deeper meaning of seeing yourself in someone else. Gwen and Art are the perfect characters who I love to see fighting and bickering. I loved how they could get on each other’s nerves with banter and pure wits but I also loved when they were each other’s comfort. They are not in love but you will find yourself loving their friendship throughout the book. This story goes through many sharp turns and you will totally let Lex Croucher take the wheel of this BOOKISH car ride (or should I say horseback ride)

Don’t decline this adventure, put on your armor and go out there and fight for your right to love and to be yourself!

To my following, you might see a lot of people talking about this book so why not be part of the conversation and check it out for yourself!

I want to thank NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday Books for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a sassy little slice of hilarity! The grumpy/sunshine dynamic is perfect. Gwen and Arthur make personal growth endlessly entertaining and touching. I will be recommending this friend group to everyone!

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this book through NetGalley. It's a rom-com with a Dual POV, featuring Gwendoline and Arthur, set several hundred years after the Arthurian legend. The book explores themes of friendship and family, and has a great sense of humor. The characters are lively and engaging, and the writing is phenomenal. The dialogue is modern and suitable for YA audiences, while still fitting in with the time and setting. Despite the abundance of action, it's not gory or graphic. Overall, this book was a thrilling and enjoyable read.

Lex Croucher trades regency romance for medieval mirth in this queer quest through Camelot.

Princess Gwendolyn has been betrothed to Arthur (not that one) since birth. But she only has eyes for Bridget Leclair, Camelot's first (and only) female knight. Her brother, Gabriel, can marry any woman he chooses. Too bad his heart belongs to Arthur.

Secrets, family drama, identity, and responsibility weave an enticing web in this unexpected love triangle (trapezoid?), with a good helping of blackmail and civil unrest for good measure.

Mature and unputdownable, "Gwen & Art Are Not In Love" is another win for Lex Croucher.

A medieval, queer, rom com? SHUT UP AND HAND IT OVER. I keep finding myself saying "This is the kind of book I'd had when I was a teenager.."...but the fact of the matter is that it's true. I wish I had read this in my teens. I would have loved it then as much as I did now in 40s.

The banter was on point. Character growth was chef's kiss. Sweet moments. Funny moments. Yes, I'm a gloomy bish but even I need an uplifting read from time to time and this was it. I daresay this could be a comfort read for a lot of people.

Arthurian legend but make it quirky and queer? Yes, please! Gwen & Art Are Not in Love was so fun, and I loved it so much

This was an endearingly sweet twist on an Arthurian retelling. Arthur, a distant descendant of Arthur Pendragon, wants nothing to do with his arranged marriage to Princess Gwendoline, and neither does she. They start out hating each other, but once they find out that she’s attracted to the lady night and he’s attracted to the future king, they form an alliance and later a wonderful friendship. Their character development is truly lovely and makes you root for them to the very end. The side characters, Sidney and Agnes, helped add a lot of levity and I couldn’t help but love them too. I loved this story so much and can’t wait to have the physical copy on my shelf!

This book was excellent. You must read this book if you like Arthurian legends, queer love stories, and fantastic banter between the characters. The story is set hundreds of years after King Arthur’s reign. In this alternate history, Gwendoline, the princess of England, is betrothed to Arthur, a descendant of King Arthur. Unfortunately for their parents, Gwen and Art loathe each other. They discover each other’s secrets and make a pact to pretend to like each other so that their parents leave them alone. Disguises, the crashing of feminist parties for Morgana, and a rescued crow ensue.

Croucher did an excellent job balancing the humor with serious issues. Parts were hilarious, but deep themes were woven through the story, such as loving who you are, being courageous, and recognizing that history always neglects to tell the entire story. This book was more than a rom-com, although it is that. But, Croucher had the characters discuss state politics and religious sects. Identity and culture were crucial themes woven through each character. I hope Croucher writes more books in this alternate England with these wonderful (and flawed) characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. I will be on the lookout for more of Croucher’s work.