The stunning cover did not disappoint!
I don’t know how but the story was even better than this beautiful intricate cover. I’m obsessed with these characters and will recommend them to all the people I know!

This was a highly anticipated book for me, but I was disappointed.

The leads were difficult to follow, intolerable at times, to the point where their dialogue and snideness dragged the story down. While I sided with Gwen more than Arthur, she had her frustrating moments. Arthur, on the other hand, was an extremely frustrating male lead, obnoxious, and I struggled to care for him throughout the book. Yes, Gwen was self-righteous on occasion, and at times, felt like a parody of a character, but I near despised having to read Arthur's dialogue, and the majority of the time he was on page. Someone else compared him to a frat boy, and I quite agree.

Bridget, Sidney, and Gabriel were the best characters of the novel, and I would have loved to see a book centered around Bridget specifically. I adore queer lady knights and would love to see more of them in YA and Adult fantasy.

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is such a smart book. All of the characters are so well thought out. I found myself laughing out loud, and sitting on the edge of my seat. You can’t help but to root for Gwen and Art, even the side characters. The last few chapters had me speed reading. There was so much fast paced action, I loved it. I really seem to be into historical fiction these days, and it was such a neat experience to be dropped into the same world as King Arthur. I received this book as an ARC.

Trigger warning at the top: There is a scene where a homophobic hate crime is committed (off page, with injury descriptions on page) and may be upsetting to read about for queer readers.

While the title may indicate otherwise, this is not a retelling of King Arthur. In post Arthurian England with conflict between the Arthurian cultists who believe Arthur is due a second coming and the Catholic Church, we follow betrothed Gwen and Art, two arrogant, stubborn, lovable know-it-alls as they fall in love... just not with each other. The first half of the book is what I expected from the cover and description - a queer cute, if a little fluffy, hijinks filled rom-com. The plot was interesting, if a little predictable, and gave me all the feels!

However, personally, I was not prepared for the more serious shift in tone towards the back half of the book. Not only was there little warning, the light hearted fun I had enjoyed up to that point disappeared. It made for a difficult read, and while the author shifted tone again for the last few pages to a lighter finish, I thought the resolution was weaker than it could have been minus the hate crime. Overall, I enjoyed my read, and these characters are ones I will be thinking about for a long time.

3.5 Stars Rounded Up

I really enjoyed this book. It was a refreshing and new take on a queer YA romance. The fantasy aspect was easy to understand as if it was a contemporary rom com--if you enjoy a fantasy storyline but dislike the learning curve that comes with it, this book would be perfect for you. It was mlm and wlw solidarity at its finest. The found family in this book was also fantastic and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I would recommend this book to a wide range of people and there's a little bit for everyone. It was an simple and compelling read.

Princess Gwendolyn of England is betrothed to marry Arthur Delacey, the distant descendant of the once (and future?) King Arthur. But Arthur is insufferable and Gwen is much more interested in making heart-eyes at Lady Bridget Leclair, the only female knight at the Camelot summer tournament. When she discovers Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur discovers her desire to kiss a girl, the two make a truce pact of being civil throughout their engagement and keep each other's secrets. And maybe they can even become friends. But rebellions are brewing in the north and the kingdom might not be as united as the royal family thinks. And for Gwen and Art to get what they want, some things will have to change.

An absolute delight of a book. I was laughing, swooning, tearing up, and enjoying the entire ride. The characters were charming and stubborn, with just enough flaws and insecurities to be believable and lovable. The world was mostly standard “medieval times”, but with some fresh spins. I especially appreciated the tension between the Cultists (King Arthur believers) and the Catholics, and how the belief systems were affected people's views of the past and the present. And considering the themes of queerness and equality, the aspect of myths actually being history was very refreshing.

The writing was young and fun, at times a little too modern (someone said “Chill” at one point and I did a double take), but the dialogue flowed really well and very few things felt superfluous or stagnant. My only gripes are with some of the character development, as the character growth didn't always feel like it added up with what we were being shown, and some of it felt too fast or too slow, but it's also a YA and I'm not surprised I didn't always vibe with the development.

If you enjoy queer romances, A Knight's Tale, and happy endings, this one's gonna be right up your alley.

This book was a very slow start for me, and I actually set it down for a few weeks thinking it might be a DNF but when I picked it back up I couldn't put it down. The character development is believable and really enjoyable to be a part of. Such a good read.

This book was the perfect balance of sweet, funny, and romantic. Truly an amazing read! I loved the queer elements and the twist on a classic tale. I think this book is a great palette cleanser and is just a really lovely book!

first off, this wasn’t the arthurian retelling that i expected it to be, but it was still enjoyable. i loved the dynamics between all of the characters, both romantic and platonic ones. they had great banter with each other as well as a ton of compassion and love, even if that love is buried deeper down than others. their dialogue and interactions had me laughing so hard, and i loved how they never hesitated to tease or poke fun at each other.

all of them were also interesting as individuals. they all had deeper pasts or hidden secrets, so it was interesting to see everything play out. i do wish that we got more of arthur’s backstory though. i feel like it was brushed over very quickly and wasn’t as thought through as i would’ve liked it to be. otherwise, i really liked how their characters had a good balance of sass and seriousness. they were all super smart. i think i got attached to gwen the fastest, but arthur might be my favorite. he’s such a fun character.

i didn’t love the ending. i agree that it was a good way to wrap things up, but the execution was lacking. it felt rushed, and some things were barely talked about. i wish there was more time talking about the aftermath of all of the events, what happened afterwards. we got a glimpse of it, but it would’ve felt more complete if there was more details.

however, it was a fun read. it wasn’t too long, which is good so that my attention didn’t wane as much.

It pains me to give this book such a low rating, but I really struggled to get through it! It took me months to read this because I could not get into it at all. Something interesting finally happen around 75% but prior to that I couldn't connect with the writing or characters at all. I really understand what the author was trying to do but the book never clicked together for me. It takes place in Camelot, during the era of King Arthur's court. However, all the characters speak using modern day language and phrases with one another. There are also a lot of queer characters, which is great! I definitely believe there have always been queer people in every century. My issues with this specific storyline was that it seemed like everyone immediately jumped on board with people being gay in this era, which just seems way too far fetched.

I am sure others will enjoy this book, it just wasn't a fit for me! Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for an advanced copy of the ebook to read and review.

This is the most adorable Arthurian retelling I have ever read! I absolutely love the fake dating trope and love that they get their HEA. I would for sure re-read this again!

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

Oh, I am so glad I gave this book a chance. A wonderfully realized world inspired by legends of King Arthur, and characters and relationships that are lively and fun, while being truly heartfelt. The plot ebbs and flows at times, but it never drags as we sit with the characters grappling with the world around them, and the changes they make to it. The last third of the book moved almost too quickly— intoxicating in pace as everything that was built up finally came crashing down.

I cried more than once. The love stories are enough to make you swoon, and the friendships!!! So good. Soooo good. Who’s going to be my hot lady knight at ren faire this year??

Gwen & Art 5Ever ♥️

2.5 ⭐️

I really wanted to love this book. I haven’t read a YA book in quite some time, and I think I wasn’t in the right mindset to pick up this read. The characters felt very immature, selfish, and erratic. I didn’t care for Gwendoline, the FMC, at all. It took me until halfway into the book to warm up to Arthur, the MMC. I think I was expecting more banter and funny, cute moments. I don’t feel like I got that. I felt like this book was trying to take itself too seriously. I didn’t feel like the romances were focused on as much as they should have been. I think I was just waiting for something to click for me, to really draw me in. I don’t believe I ever got to that point.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Marten’s Press for the advanced copy.!

I loved this! It felt modern, while also feeling very much in its Arthurian era. It was a quick and easy read, the banter was good and the romances were cute! It did feel a little safe in parts, but it's a great addition to the YA category and I will definitely be encouraging students to pick it up!

Gwen and Art are certainly not in love, but I certainly love them both. This book was absolutely adorable and ridiculously funny. I found myself laughing out loud at the commentary and was also struck by how beautifully certain feelings and concepts were put into words by the author. This is a super cute and super queer Arthurian tale and I absolutely adored it.

Super cute! Great read for anyone who likes BBC's Merlin TV show, or Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. The whole cast of characters is enjoyable and there's a good range of different personalities and romance dynamics.

Gwendoline and Arthur have been betrothed since birth. Their entire lives they have been pushed together by their families against their will. When Arthur’s distant father sends him to Camelot to get closer to his betrothed, Arthur reluctantly obeys. Gwen is tired of being the ornamental princess and dreads the arrival of her intended. But when Gwen stumbles upon Arthur in a comprising position with another young man, the two find common ground. The two devise a plan: to fake their relationship for the benefit of their families whilst seeking their heart’s desires elsewhere. While the two are clearly not in love, even they cannot deny the budding friendship between them.
Gwen and Art Are Not In Love is the queer rom com retelling of Arthurian myth I’ve been waiting for! A must read for readers of Casey McQuiston and fans of A Knight’s Tale.

Queer historical retelling? Yes, please.
This book was a delight! It’s well written with enough sprinkles of lore through the whole thing to make any King Author fan happy. It blew my expectations out of the water.

First, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this before it is published!
I enjoyed the unique concept, and the idea of this story, but ultimately it wasn’t really for me. I had a bit of trouble keeping up with the plot, and staying invested in the characters. I know many people will absolutely love this book, I just wasn’t one of them.

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release date: 11/27/23
.
I’ve heard a lot of good things about this on Booktube so I was really excited to be able to get an ARC of this thanks to @netgalley !
.
Although I did really enjoy it, it was a really slow start to me. Besides reiterating how much Art and Gwen loathe each other, there are a handful of cute moments and quirky jokes. It was hard to power through but I’m so glad I did!
.
Once the story start rolling, it is so stinking cute, endearing, and funny!! While loosely based on Arthurian Legend, there isn’t much about it besides the names of the characters and then being descended from Arthur Pendragon.
.
There are some political things happening in the background, but for the most part, the story is focused on Gwen and Art’s pact to keep each other’s secrets of who they’re crushing on.
.
There are a few scenes that really made the book so much more rounded than I anticipated it being early on in the book that occurred near the end. It wrapped up very nicely 💕
.
I definitely recommend if you are a fan of #LGQBITAP+ and historical romcoms! Very cute, quirky, and lovable! The characters were all seriously so adorable!