4.5/5
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.
This was a beautifully written tale of Arthurian-queer love. The story follows descendants of Arthur Pendragon and struggles between duty to their families and being their true selves; particularly Gwen and Gabe. Arthur is confident in his attraction towards men, but he prefers the secrecy of it all for fear of upsetting his father. This story was heartwarming as well as heartbreaking at times. It has a lot of Arthur and medieval related history that was woven throughout the plot, too. A true delight to read for all; love is love!

This book is so sweet. It is laugh out loud funny and has a brilliant cast of incredibly lovable characters. I went through all the range of emotions, and I could not put it down. I devoured this book. . I adored everything about it. The writing is smart, witty, and intelligent. It is also well researched, if a little generous with the historical aspects. With all the King Arthur books out there, I have not found one that truly grabbed my attention in the way that this one did. The only thing I with this book would have had would have been a more conclusive ending so we could see where our beloved characters ended up.

I loved the representation. I love how the characters aren't put into boxes. I love how Gwen is her own person and could be arguably as said to being on the Autism spectrum. She likes routine, schedules, and is aware of texture and food. She also hyperfixates on things that interest her and gets anxious when she is required to deviate from her norm.

I love the POC POV in this book and how everyone isn't just white washed. I love how the female character shave agency and power in their own right and aren't just stereotypes.

I highly recommend, and have recommended, this book to anyone who loves well written found family stories complete with cat and bird friends.

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love was a book I couldn't put down! I thought this was such a unique retelling of the King Arther legend and appreciated the depth of Croucher's characters. A must-read!

I really liked this book. It was a great historical fiction romance book that had lots of great character development.
The characters are a bit immature at the beginning of the book but they develop a lot throughout the story.
I just wish that the secondary storyline was a bit stronger in the beginning in order to make the beginning of the book a bit more interesting.

I was so looking forward to this book! I love Arthurian retellings, and this one is *chefs kiss.* This book makes me want to go to. a RenFair so bad so I can see the sword fighting and jousts I read about. It's also has all the teenage drama with laugh out loud moments and the sweetest found family. The characters especially Bridget and Art have my heart! Overall I really enjoyed this book, but the last 15% felt so rushed and chaotic. The ending doesn't feel wrapped up either. I don't want to spoil anything, but I hope we get a sequel to see the ending play out because I need more! Thank you to NetGally for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

“To be truly brave, first you must be afraid—and to be afraid you must have something you cannot bear to lose.” Lex Croucher

Gwen & Art Are Not In Love is a medieval YA rom com set in Camelot hundreds of years after King Arthur’s reign. Arthur and Gwendolyn have been betrothed since birth and hated each other for as long as they can recall. As their wedding draws closer, they find that they have more in common than they thought- they are both queer. They decide to be each other’s cover and in the process develop a friendship that is full of sarcasm and shenanigans.

I really enjoyed this lovers-to-friends story and all of the character growth. It took me until about 50% of the way through to really get invested, but once that happened I could not put it down. I especially loved the platonic love that grows between so many of the characters and really getting to see all of them open up.

This was a sweet, funny read that I definitely recommend!

Gwen and Art Are Not In Love - but I'm in love with this whole cast of characters. I haven't had this much fun in the medieval era since A Knight's Tale. There were so many wonderful surprises in this book, including how all three of the featured romances developed, unexpected menstrual pain rep, and some great action scenes. And also so much about growing up and owning your own identity even when it defies the expectations thrust upon you by others - I suspect this is a book that many young people sorely need, and I'm so glad Lex Croucher is giving it to them.

Immensely charming characters in a fun and progressive imagining of Arthurian descendants run amok! You have great moments of bedroom farce, mistaken identity, Sneaking Around For the Mission, and even a Final Confrontation with a Nefarious Relative. Lex Croucher captures all of the action-fantasy-coming-of-age I love from the books of Tamora Pierce or Robin McKinley, with a casual inclusiveness that is quite wonderful.

(ARC from NetGalley) If you’ve ever gotten tipsy at Medieval Times, you know exactly what this book feels like. Princess Gwen is betrothed to the insufferable Arthur is upset he’s coming to spend the summer in Camelot. Night 1– she finds him kissing a boy, he finds her diary gushing of Lady Bridget Leclair. Gay panic and teenage shenanigans on both ends. Thoroughly adorable found family and coming of age. This is NOT a knights of the round table retelling- just the names basically.
P.S. I forgot British ppl drink alarming amounts.

Gwendoline, the princess of England, has been betrothed to King Arthur’s descendant, Arthur, since birth. Not wanting this marriage and hating each other seems to be the only thing they can agree on until they are forced to spend the summer together. In the first 24 hours, Gwen sees Art kissing a boy and, in turn, Art finds Gwen’s childhood diary in which she expresses her massive crush on lady knight Bridget Leclair. Hiding Gwen’s infatuation for Bridget and Art’s new crush on Gwen’s brother, Gabriel, they find that they just might work better together than against each other.

I was so excited to read this book and boy did it deliver! I absolutely fell in love with the characters. It was sweet to watch friendships form and see their love and care for one another grow. I was laughing, cheesing and saying “aww” so many times throughout this book. It was so charming and heartfelt, you can’t help but love the characters. Seeing Gwen and Art’s relationship evolve and witnessing tender moments between them was so sweet. Also…the climax…let me tell you I was definitely not expecting that! I was so stressed for everyone and needed to know how it was going to play out. I loved learning little snippets of Arthurian legend and just the whole story all together. Definitely going to be a new comfort read 🤍

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an arc to review! ✨

This book was everything I expected it to be and more. The characters were amazing and relatable and the writing was great. This book has it all from wit and humor to heartfelt and emotional scenes. It’s slow paced but in the best way possible. Definitely an amazing and worthwhile read!

4.5 stars, rounded up!

Throw out your ideas of Arthur, Guinevere, and Camelot, because this is a whole new, wonderful spin.

Gwen has been betrothed to Art since birth, but that doesn't mean she likes him. A princess who enjoys her routine and alone time, the chaos of Art is infuriating. When Art and Gwen find out each other's secrets, they form an unexpected alliance that starts a whole new journey.

Every part of this book was a joy to read. Each character was so well fleshed out and individual, and the relationships between then all are wonderfully nuanced. There are so many lovely moments of joy and laughter, but enough tension and stakes to keep you invested through the whole story. While not particularly plot-heavy, the problems and risks still had me biting my nails to see how it turned out.

The only critique I would have for the book is that, sometimes, the dialogue fell into "show, don't tell" trap, spelling out the meaning of the conversation instead of it flowing naturally.

Overall, a really wholesome, sweet tale with great writing.

A hilarious and adorable story of two enemies who become friends and maybe more. Croucher’s writing is witty and charming. I adored this story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Amazing. Wonderful. Brilliant!

Anyone who knows me knows I love anything based on Arthurian mythology, especially when there’s some sort of twist. I loved that this book used the mythology while using fresh characters. They were all so well written, flawed but still lovable. Gwen, Art, Gabriel, Bridget, even Sidney and Agnes, I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite. (Maybe Gabriel just because he’s also a bookworm lol)

I can definitely tell you which character I hated the most and that’s Arthur’s father. No redemption arc would ever be good enough to make me not hate him. I also very much dislike all the doctors who ever dismissed Bridget’s pain.

This is my first book by this author but I will definitely be reading more!

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

**Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!**

A queer medieval romcom blurbed by Casey McQuiston and early-read by Rainbow Rowell and C.S. Pacat? OF COURSE I had to read it. The sound I made when I saw I was approved for this ARC omg.

When you come into a book with such high expectations, it’s hard not to be disappointed. But here’s the thing: I wasn’t. I wasn’t AT ALL. <i>Gwen and Art</i> was <i>everything</i> I expected it to be and so much more. Gwen and Arthur were fully fleshed, extremely likable characters, and their enemies-to-reluctant-allies-to-friends dynamic was so fun and refreshing to read. Gay/bi solidarity ftw!

One thing this novel does wonderfully well is the COMEDY part of the romcom, with witty banter and laugh-out-loud situations at every page. The cast of young adults around Gwen and Art were exceedingly fun to read. You will fall in love with Sidney and Agnes and Adah and Elaine and wish they could be your sidekicks too. All of them were such a joy.

For all its humor, the novel handles emotionally charged moments in a very realistic way. One thing I really appreciated was that none of the characters compromises who they are and what matters to them for love: <spoiler>all couples find their HEA while accepting the fact that they can love each other without renouncing other aspects of their lives as well.</spoiler> I thought it was a great message to convey to younger (and older!) readers, as this book is marketed as YA (it felt more New Adult than YA to me, possibly due to the age of the characters, the language used, and some of the themes explored in the book).

Despite the slow pacing in places and a few plot points that felt a bit tacked on, I'm still giving this book 5 stars. <i>Gwen and Art</i> is a delightful novel that I’ll be sure to recommend to, well, pretty much every one of my friends. Laugh out loud funny, witty and sweet, with strong characterization and fun references to Arthurian legend, I absolutely LOVED reading it and couldn’t get enough (saying this, I find myself hoping for a sequel, please, Mx Croucher!!). I can see this book birthing a whole fandom, like RWRB did before it. It’s the first book by Lex Croucher that I read and I’ll be checking out their other novels very soon.

100/100 recommend!

I will not lie I did go into this thinking it was a queer retelling of Arthur and the round table and was pleasantly surprised when it wasn’t! This book is a whole lot of fun that had me laughing and at some moments full on weeping. I absolutely adored the cast of characters in this book and loved rooting for them even when they were being a bit dumb.
This book did an incredible job of showing familial expectations and the crushing fear of letting others down.
My only complaint about this book is we see Arthur struggle with alcoholism throughout the book and I just wish it had been handled a little more thoroughly. Other than that this was a 5 star no notes book that I had a blast reading!
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for my honest review

4/5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced eArc!

THIS BOOK WAS SO CUTE AHHHH!!!

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher is a queer retelling of King Arthur and Guinevere that my teen self needed so badly!! Who else was obsessed with BBC's Merlin?? In this retelling, hundreds of years have passed since King Arthur's reign, and his descendant, Arthur, is betrothed to Gwendoline. The catch is that they hate each other. What's worse? They just aren't that into each other. Arthur is discovered kissing a boy, and Gwen has been secretly in love with the female knight Lady Leclair since they were kids. Together, Art and Gwen make a pact to be each other's beards while Gwen falls harder for her knight and Arthur starts possibly maybe falling for Gwen's brother...?!!??!

You got found family, you got rivals to friends, you get swords, and you get QUEER historical romance. What more could you ask for! **The rest of my review will contain spoilers.**

Art and Sidney are my favorite best friends!! Gwen and her brother, Gabriel were so sibling!! Everything about this book felt like one giant hug while also ripping my heart out at the same time. HOW??I took my time reading this, and I'm so glad that I did. Gwen and Art slowly starting to become more friends than enemies and seeing Sidney protecting Arthur in that last battle like his life depended on it made me squeal with excitement.

One of the parts that made me the most excited about this book was seeing Lady Leclair (Bridget) have awful periods. As someone who went through the physical pain and dismissal by doctors for years before getting medicine, my heart was so relieved when she finally was able to get the medicine she needed. It was fantastic seeing that kind of representation written so accurately and my teen self would have given anything to know that others go through that and it does not make you any weaker for it.

Overall I thought this was a fantastic way of showing how queerness has always and will always exist. When Art finds the romantic letters that King Arthur and Sir Lancelot sent to each other I could not contain myself!!! I would recommend this book to literally everyone.

loved this romance and finding oneself and the how the couple worked out their problems . loved all of the side characters and the friendships. Good book.

This book is about Gwen and Arthur, who are both named after/inspired by the ancestors of their country and family. Arthur is a descendant of the famed King Arthur, therefore this book is not a retelling, but is simply a continuation of that lore.

This book has both Gwen and Art’s POV so you get to watch both of them grow throughout the story and follow both of these messy gays as they navigate their betrothal, as well as their real relationships.

As the title indicates, Gwen and Art are not in love, but getting to see them pretend is hilarious. The fake dating/marriage trope is real in this one lol.

I loved getting to see mlm and wlw in this book and see how the characters all navigate their queerness within the walls of their castle and under the watchful eyes of their parents.

I also have to mention that the author quoted the ICONIC highs and lows of high school football scene from Riverdale and I almost cried laughing about it hahaha!

This book is an amazing blend of humour and sentiment, and I LOVED it. The characters all have their flaws, but they really grow on you. The plot is also really interesting, especially if you know anything about Arthur, Merlin, and Morgan le Fay!

Overall, this book was delightful and I highly highly recommend! So many sweet moments and funny lines lol.

Gwen and Art are not in love; in fact, they kind of can't stand each other, even though they've been betrothed since they were children. Gwen thinks Arthur is a reckless, selfish philanderer. Arthur thinks Gwen is an uptight, bossy, know-it-all who hates fun. Neither of them are wrong. But in Lex Croucher's tale of knightly shenanigans, found family, and queer love, the two of them grow to deeply, deeply care about each other, while also empowering each other to be the people they actually want to be.

For Gwen, that includes wooing a Lady Knight who keeps coming to Camelot to participate in the annual tournament. For Art, that includes wooing Gwen's brother, the future king. They're both bratty as little donkeys at times, but that only makes their journey more satisfying in the end. (Lex Croucher has this gift of writing characters that makes me love them and also want to reach into the pages and throttle them!) There's a lot of build-up here, but when the action finally unfolds, it's breathless!

The book trades narration between Gwen and Art, but there are really six major characters, and in the end, I loved every single one of them and the family they created. I even loved the character I thought I was going to hate! This isn't an Arthurian legend retelling; it's a story inside the broad Arthurian canon, way down the road from when King Arthur and Lancelot and Guinevere were up to their own swordplay hijinks. It finds a perfect balance between honoring and clowning on its source material. If I'd read this book when I was 15, it would have been my favorite story ever!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and provide and honest review.