Gwen and Art Are Not in Love
Lex Croucher
Genre: YA Fiction with LGBTQIA+ Rep
5/5

I got to read this as an ARC through NetGalley. Thanks to them, I got to experience this incredible book.
This is a rom-com told through Dual POV. The fiery princess Gwendoline and her betrothed Arthur are desperate not to live up to their namesakes. It is not a retelling and instead is set several hundred teats post-Arthurian legend. This book has strong themes of friendship and family and a great sense of humor. The group of characters was fun and exciting. There was never a dull moment in this book!
The writing was phenomenal! The dialogue sounded modern and suitable for YA audiences while still fitting in with the time and setting. It had so much action that I was shocked to find, but none of it was gory or graphic.

If you're looking for a YA queer book to read this pride, check out this one when it hits the shelves!

For me this book felt taken out of a teens dairy but disguised as a twist on Gwen and Arthur. I felt like the pace of the book was off, and almost no storyline. Lots of pining and angst though. However, I do realize this book was just not meant for me. I can see how middle/high schooler could relate to the characters.

Gwen & Art is a great book. It was cute, funny, and even though I'm not a romance fan, I loved it. Some of it did feel a little rushed, and I would have loved to see more with Bridget's friends. They seemed really interesting, and it would have been neat to see how they could have played into the story.

Gwen & Art are Not in Love is one of *those* books. You know, the ones that give you butterflies and makes you giggle. It makes you curious about the characters after you stop reading for the day. It makes you want to push, and poke, and prod the characters into JUST. DOING. THE . DAMN. THING!

When I picked this book up, in no way did I believe that I would become immediately engrossed in this historical retelling with a twist. It has all of the best things you love about Medieval times including jousting and roguishly attractive Knights but with a beautiful queer twist perfect for Pride month.

This books has it all: top notch snarky banter that will make you chuckle, instantly likeable characters with great chemistry, and an enemies-to-friends-who-support-the-other's-lover trope that will have you wishing you had platonic friendships this strong. Get your highlighter and annotating tabs ready because some of the quotes in this books will make you want to revisit it again and again.

Thank you to netgalley for providing the e-arc!

I had an absolute blast reading this and I fell so in love with the characters. I especially adore the way they all cared about and supported each other, especially Gwen and Art.

Gwen, Art, Gabriel and Bridget all had quite a lot on their plates, trying to navigate a world that's hostile to someone of their identity - not to mention an identity is confusing already - all the while trying to do the right thing. "The right thing" is a vague phrase; to some it means to uphold a presumed legacy by all means possible even if it kills you inside, or it can mean to do whatever that pleases you in the moment with no regard for the consequences. Ultimately, as these characters learned about each other and grew to love them (and not just romantically), they come to understand that part of the right thing is caring about the people you love, including yourself. This is a story with romance, but also about learning and growth.

The connection to Arthurian tales is interesting to me as I (am ashamed to admit that) don't know much about them. I definitely would like to learn more after reading this book.

I do wish we could hear a bit more from Bridget, see some more moments between Bridget and Gwen (my selfish sapphic heart!), and perhaps learn more about where Bridget and Art's mother are from (Sukhothai Kingdom and Iran, respectively) and what that meant for them (if anything at all, as both Bridget and Art are third generation if I remember correctly). I had no knowledge before about the ethnic diversity in medieval England, so I guess that's another rabbit hole I will gladly go down.

I really love when a book just sets out to give people absolutely everything they could possibly want. Gwen & Art Are Not In Love is that kind of book. If you are looking for romances between snarky princesses and buff lady knights, roguish nobles and nerdy princes-- oh this is going to hit the sweet spot for you. It's not often in a romcom where you get equal time between the MLM and WLW couple and they both manage to hit so hard, but Lex Croucher pulls it off here.

I loved both Gwen and Arthur a lot, they had a GREAT enemies chemistry and an equally great friends chemistry. This might be the first enemies to inlaws book I can think of and it's a dynamic I want to see more of! The side characters were great: there were even some valid straights in the mix here.

The dialogue is funny and snappy, the tropes it hits all work, the historical context and use of Arthur myth is great. I literally devoured this book in one day and hope that it becomes a smash success.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

The cover for this book and its premise really drew me in and I always love a good historical retelling/inspiration.

I loved both Gwen and Art from the beginning. Their individual personalities and banter when they’re together were just perfect for me. They’re both flawed in ways that make them feel real and were just really likable. The trust that they slowly found in each other was beautiful. And the other main/side characters! I loved them just as much. Sidney was such a good addition to the group, especially with his friendship with Arthur. I think I literally fell in love with Bridget (Gwen, I get it.) All of the different relationships (love, friends, siblings) made this book. I loved the found family aspect and the diversity between all the characters. The dynamic of the entire group and the understanding they had for each other was amazing.

I ADORED this story, absolutely everything about it. It was funny, emotional, bittersweet, and just so enjoyable. I want it as a TV show or movie immediately. I didn’t mind the political plot and didn’t find it distracting from the characters. The only complaint I have is that I want more. I need AT LEAST a novella of the couples being happy and carefree.

Was this really historically accurate? No. I loved that it wasn’t. I didn’t mind the modern language in medieval context. In fact, it helped by not distracting me with misunderstanding so I could focus more on the characters and story. Overall, I suddenly need more medieval rom-coms in my life. I’m sure there’s criticism to be found in this one, but I haven’t enjoyed a book like this in a while. It is definitely one of my favorites of the year and I look forward to reading more from this author.

MINI PLAYLIST 🗡️👑🍷
The Great War - Taylor Swift
Hits Different - Taylor Swift
Soldier, Poet, King - The Oh Hellos

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! :)

For fans of A Knight's Tale and Song of the Lioness, Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a cute rom-com about four gay teenagers muddling through young love while England fractures in the background. While very enjoyable, I would warn that the end of novel verges on being more twee than I could handle, even considering the ultimate headcount sitting at a few hundred.

I found the pacing to be a bit off, with the political intrigue plot only really kicking off after the halfway point, but the disruption Arthur causes to the Gwen and Gabriel’s lives was entertaining enough to easily carry the first half.

I was also really disappointed that the plot thread with the Morgana cultists and their charms fizzled away to nothing, as I was really intrigued by them and would have loved to see more.

Ultimately, while I had a good time with Gwen & Art, I wouldn’t really recommend it as either a romance novel or historical fiction, but if what you’re looking for is a quirky rom-com with some anachronistic medieval trappings and a very clearly presented message about the value of being true to yourself, you’ll love Gwen & Art Are Not in Love!

Thank you to St. Marten’s Press and NetGalley for this eARC, provided in exchange for an unbiased review.

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love was such an adorable read! The characters are lovable and complex for being adolescents. They're written to be multi-dimensional and I appreciate the direction the novel went in. The representation for the LGBTQ+ community is great and this is the perfect addition to a pride month tbr!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this YA read, I loved it!

I never wanted this book to end, but I also couldn’t stop reading because I needed to know what happened next. I was a little devastated when it ended because I could read about these characters and their relationships with one another forever. By the end of the book all of them truly felt like friends.

These are my favorite things about this story:
- drawing on classic figures to explore new stories and perspectives
- characters that feel like real people
- INCREDIBLE banter amongst characters
- intriguing plot line with political intrigue as a backdrop to a character driven story
- discussion of what it means to be brave, and what life can look like if you are truly yourself

I deeply appreciate how this story invites it’s characters and it’s readers to reflect on how you can show up as yourself, for yourself, when the world wants you to be a version they expect or are comfortable with. There is a lot of conversation about queerness and identity, and some of it can be triggering because there is not instant acceptance of self or others from certain characters. However, through those events our characters learn more about themselves and the happiness they deserve.

Five stars for Big Feels, relatable characters, and asking people to reflect on what they really want, and how they can be their true selves and thrive in it.

⭐️ 3.5 Stars ⭐️

“Gwen and Art Are Not in Love” is a great choice for those that enjoy a good romantic comedy with a touch teen angst and pining!

Croucher included a diverse group of characters and relationships in this queer, Arthurian RomCom. Though it was only platonic, I found the friendship between Gwen and Arthur took the main stage as I read this book. From enemies constantly at one another’s throat to true friends that can still share a lighthearted jest. Though this is fiction, I always find queer historical fiction to be a good reminder that queer people have always been here and deserve to have their stories told.

If I had to critique anything, it would be the romantic developments and the way the story was brought to a close. I had a hard time finding any actual chemistry between the main characters and their love interests. Their relationships ended up lacking communication or depth. Both Gabriel and Bridget did not feel fully characterized to me. I also thought the ending felt like an incredibly rushed series of events and I would have appreciated seeing more of Gabriel and Gwen’s new roles. I really thought the author would have their parents play a larger role, so I was surprised that they felt like minor background fluff.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Gwen and Art are not in love. They're also not the Gwen and Art you might be thinking about, though they do live in an alternate history medieval world. What are they? Hilarious, and thought-provoking, and romantic and wonderful.

Gwen is the daughter of the reigning monarch. Her brother will one day be king, and she is, therefore, destined to be married off in a power-brokering alliance. Art, her intended, is a "troubled youth", in a relationship of mutual loathing with his dad, who wants to marry him into a powerful family for his own nefarious ends. Gwen and Art have known each other forever and have not liked what they have seen. However, when they realize in fairly short order that each of them would much rather be in a same-sex relationship, they begin to work on how they might turn the situation to their advantage.

This book was a devour-in-a-day delight. The characters are well-drawn, and the relationships that develop are a great deal of fun. The gutsy female knight that Gwen falls for is a fabulous independent woman and the way she navigates the career she has chosen is one of the stronger parts of the book. Lex Croucher creates a terrific batch of supporting characters, so there are almost 5 leads in the story, and even more strong secondary roles. That allows for a lot of intersectionality to be explored in terms of feminism, family responsibility, friendship and racial identity. A rom-com that makes me laugh, but also give me space to think about big ideas? That's pretty dreamy for this reader.

Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free copy of this book; all opinions expressed below are my own!

What a lovely read! While Gwen & Art does switch between humor and drama, it does it in a way that feels very real and very human. The characters are delightful in their individuality, and the dialogue is sparkling with humor and wit. The story builds the dramatic elements slowly, and while it doesn't shy away from the realities the characters face (combat, sexuality, political machinations), it is not especially graphic, particularly in the romantic elements. There are absolutely jokes with sexual innuendo and double entendres, but for on page depictions there's nothing beyond heavy kissing. Violence is there, as this is a medieval period with jousting and such, but it's handled in a way that neither glorifies the violence, nor shies away from the ugliness of the reality of it. All in all, it was a fantastic reading experience, and I recommend the title to others!

This book was adorable! One of the few books that has literally made me laugh out loud, it was the ultimate sweet comfort read.

One of the only issues I had with this book was the pacing. The last 10-15% of the book was so rushed that I found myself anxiously checking to see how much time was left because it seemed impossible to wrap up all of these loose ends. While I enjoy a standalone, I could see this easily becoming a duology and expanding on some of the plot points, or perhaps just being a bit longer to flesh out some of the points at the end.

Other than that, the character development, setting, and humor were all on point. Such a fun read, I highly recommend it!

What a wonderful spin on an old tale! I truly loved seeing all the relationships form and grow into something really lovely; both in friendship and romance. This book explores medieval times/battles through a more modern lense. Each character exhibits so much personal growth; from Gwen finding her voice to Arthur finding his home.
Gwen & Art are Not in Love is one of those books that feels like a big hug. Thank you to Lex Croucher for writing this piece of art. Huge thank you to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of content.

i am a big fan of HAVING FUN as a concept and this book was SO MUCH FUN FOR ME!!!!! big "merlin BBC if it was gay, and also shrek" which is always a welcome vibe in this house, this is a book i would have diedddd for when i was a teen and i love that it exists, pleaaaaaaaaaaase buy it when it comes out.

(Galley provided by publisher, thanks!)

✨A (Lusty) Knight’s Tale✨

*spoilers betwixt these lines below, proceed with caution*

It was a bit too metal for me at the end. I definitely wouldn’t classify the second half of the book as a romance novel: too much death and limb loss (sorry but it’s no Kresley Cole). It took a while for the couples to pair off and then it took even longer for emotional things to develop and then there were battles and death and it never rest regained the happy, charming feel of the beginning.

I think we definitely saw more growth between Gwen and Bridget, and I definitely was more convinced by their romance. I was actually living for it. The massage got me down SO BAD. I also liked how they compromised in their relationship at the end.

But I definitely needed more from Art and Gabriel; I never was really sold that they were a good match. Gabriel was a tough nut to crack and since we didn’t have his POV, a lot of necessary inner monologue didn’t happen. Art and Gabriel were never really together, with Gabriel fully embracing who they were until the very last chapter. I adored Art, but yeah Gabriel needed to cook a bit longer. They had the makings of such a sweet relationship, but what we saw on page didn’t have too many sweet moments.

For as long as the book was, the relationships really weren’t given enough space to develop, just with how the book was paced and plotted out. I guess the way the book ended in the last third needed to happen so they could all get their HEAs…but I guess I’m not entirely happy and honestly the characters didn’t really either?? Just sad and a bit miffed all around. The book was very long and kinda felt that way towards the end.

Overall, The ambiance of the book was incredible, and it definitely hit that A Knight’s Tale modern historical mark, but I wish it developed the romances fully. I loved the friendships in the book as well. The one between Sidney and Arthur REALLY embodied that Heath Ledger and Alan Tudyk energy. I’d have preferred this book be split into two books in a duology, rather than the one with both relationships. But even then, I feel like the book as a whole will work better for me via audio, as that creates a more cinematic experience.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5



Big spoilers:
I’d also just prefer a nice father not get stabbed in the neck lol. On a scale of 1-Lion King…ngl I felt a bit like Simba reading that. Also I just do not think Gabriel was ready to be king, he didn’t break out into song ONCE with a persnickety hornbill. And Arthur was hurt for like 70% of the book, poor chap.



Thanks to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.

While I loved the characters and the representation (bisexual, gay, aro), I wasn't expecting that there would be absolutely zero plot. I wish the premise gave a little bit more indication that this would be a character-driven book full of their personal development.

Because of this, some of the book felt like it dragged on a lot for me. Since it was so focused on the characters' growth, I would've appreciated maybe 50-100 pages less haha. However, the way that they wove in the original Arthurian legends and people involved was very fun!

I enjoyed reading this. Croucher balanced the light hearted witty tone of their novel with the various struggles and flaws each character had. I enjoyed getting to read about several queer experiences and coming outs. It was also novel to read about queerness in a medieval setting. I did find the book jam-packed with tropes and secondary character like Sidney did seem somewhat static, which other readers could find off-putting (I however, love all written trope).

I really really liked this but I seriously needed it to be a duology or something. Not because I want more of the story after it ended, but because it got so rushed at the end and it would have been massively improved by just letting it be two books. It has two main elements that are, of course, deeply interwoven. The premise of the book is that a cult popped up through England’s early history who believed that one day King Arthur would return and take his place as ruler of the country, bringing magic back with him. This group is in political conflict with the dominant Catholic Church, which backs Gwen’s father’s right to the throne. Art’s father is a cultist, and Gwen and Art were arranged to be married as children to create ties between the two groups. So that’s one element of the book: a sort of political intrigue storyline. The other element is the relationships between Gwen and the knight she’s been obsessed with for years, Gwen and Art, and Art and Gwen’s brother, Gabriel. These relationships were all absolutely wonderful to read about and tackled some important themes. Unfortunately, they took a backseat to the first storyline in the fourth quarter of the book, and their resolutions felt forced and overly perfect because they weren’t given the room to resolve naturally. This was really frustrating to me because there were serious issues with each relationship that needed to be talked through, and those conversations just sort of got skipped over. Making it into a two-book series would have given all the storylines room to resolve naturally, as well as explore some of the elements that were mentioned but never fully explored. I realize this sort of YA romance is typically a standalone, but I think in this case a duology would have been appropriate, and readers would have been happy to read another – I know I certainly would have been. All of this is not to say it’s bad or not worth reading, because it was definitely really lovely and heartwarming; just a bit of a missed opportunity.