Lex Croucher’s books are a guaranteed good time! Set in post-round table Camelot we get knights and princesses and joust tournaments, plus angsty teens, delightful banter, silly antics, coming-of-age character development, and multiple love stories. It was a pleasure to read.

I did not finish Gwen & Art Are Not in Love, but I will not be posting my review on Goodreads or social media out of respect for the author and publisher. I like the premise of this book, I really do! It had a ton of potential. It just felt incredibly slow to me. It has very long chapters, and there isn't enough action or things actually happening - even 40% in, I feel like we were still building to what the actual plot/conflict of the story was.

Gwen and Art have a problem. They have grown up thinking the worst of each other and dreading the day the betrothal that's been in place since their birth comes to fruition. Much to their chagrin the time is drawing near and they have to spend the entire summer together in preparation for the announcement of their wedding day. In what may turn out to be a stroke of luck for the two betrothed, Gwen catches Art in a compromising position that allows her to see that they may have more in common than she anticipated. Could a mutual arrangement allow Gwen to follow her heart to the brave knight Lady Bridget who's caught her eye? Additionally, could this be a chance for Art to reconnect with Gwen's older brother Gabriel and find a spark that he never expected? Alongside all of this, is there something deeper brewing beneath the surface of the kingdom as the people gather to celebrate the royal tournament being held?

This was an absolutely adorable tale of young and unrequited love. Additionally, I appreciated that none of the main characters had things figured out yet, especially since they are teenagers and that's a messy time in your life full of self-discovery. This really shined in the candid conversations between Gwen and Art revealing that, despite what might appear to be external confidence, they are still kids and still learning who they are and how to navigate their new feelings. I appreciated the unapologetic queerness of this book. Obviously, the environment still wasn't conducive to straying from heteronormativity, but the characters themselves reinforced that there was nothing wrong with who they were and who they chose to love. I also didn't expect the sort of deeper lore of conflict and mystery and feuding factions, but it was a pleasant surprise as it wove through the novel, culminating in an unexpected twist. Overall, I think this was a great coming-of-age romance and I would read it again in a heartbeat. I wish I had this book around when I was in my teens and obsessed with Medieval tales of lady knights.

This is hands-down my favorite read of the year so far. I first found out about this book from tiktok and thought it sounded cute, but I didn’t expect it to be so amazing. It’s hilarious, it’s adventurous, and it’s emotional.

The characters are incredibly well-developed. They’re flawed but loveable. Gwen longs for companionship but tells herself otherwise because she believes others don’t like her and therefore judges them before they can judge her. Arthur hides his insecurities behind alcohol and sarcasm. Gabriel hides from himself in favor of his duty and becoming the kind of king he believes his country and his family want. They’re not perfect; they’re believable.

I’m also obsessed with the way this book was written. It was intentionally written in a modern style with modern slang, and I think it worked really well for this story. The characters, especially Art, were hilarious, and I marked so many places where I actually laughed out loud. I also enjoyed how diverse the book was. Obviously the main characters are LGBTQ+, and two of the main characters are people of color, as well as some side characters. One of my favorite scenes was when some of the characters, both men and women, were trying to attend a party that was for women only. Instead of immediately turning the male characters away, they were asked if any of them were men. It was a single line, but it felt like a recognition of trans and non-binary people who may not “pass.”

If I had any complaint about this book, it would be that I didn’t feel like I got to know Bridget as well as the other characters. She had her own battles to face, quite literally, but it felt like we didn’t learn as much about her flaws as the others.

Regardless, this was a 5-star read for me, and I will be buying the finished product as soon as it’s released.

4.25 ⭐
this book is such an entertaining read! i've never read anything set in medieval times and i genuinely didn't know what to expect, but i'm glad i enjoyed this book. i love every single character so much, their interactions and banter are so funny, especially between sidney and arthur. the whole book is chaotic in a fun way and radiates comforting energy. the only thing i don't love is the pacing, the ending and climax is too quick in my opinion but it's a romcom so it's not a huge problem. overall, i definitely recommend this book to whoever is looking for a lighthearted read!

I absolutely loved this book!! Croucher does an amazing job with the four main characters, they certainly aren't perfect, in fact they are quite chaotic and messy but not at the expense of being unlikeable. Gwen is strong willed and I love the arc she has in the book in regards to her sexuality and how quickly she embraces who she is and her crush on Bridget. Arthur is probably one of my favorite characters in a YA book, he's whitty, impulsive, and a freaking delight. Bridget is a fantastic love interest for Gwen and I love the part where she stands up for what she wants, she is everything a knight in shinning armor should be. Gabriel is quirky and nerdy, and struggles the most with the expectations put on him but he has a nice redemption arc and his dynamic with Arthur is so much fun to read.

One small thing that did bother me is that the book starts focused on Gwen but about half way through is then focused on Arthur. I would have liked it to stay more focused on one of them instead of the switch as I felt like by the end I wanted more of Gwen and Bridget's story and it felt a bit like an afterthought to Arthur and Gabriel.

I highly recommend this book and I can't wait to read it again when it's released!

Note: I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was like a breath of fresh air in the YA fiction world. It is so refreshing to read “forbidden” love stories that are explicitly not heterosexual. Often, LGBT+ books are written for more mature audiences due to social stigmas, but Croucher does an excellent job at keeping this book age-appropriate without doubting the reader’s intelligence.

The characters were often easy to love. I personally struggled with Gwen and had to keep reminding myself that the teenage girl was indeed acting like a teenage girl, but since the book splits the narrative it was much easier to handle. Bridget especially was awesome to read, as her cool maturity was a balm to the frequent teenage hormones.

I would recommend this as a relatively easy read for those who enjoy wlw and mlm relationships in fiction, especially historical.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

This is definitely a cute story. I found the first half rather slow, but it definitely picked up after that. I would have liked to have seen a little more relationship development and a little more angst. That being said, it’s not steamy and I’d rate age 12+ despite the high school rating I saw online. All of the characters were great, but Arthur stole the show!

ETA-my teenage daughter and target audience for this book, gave it 5 ⭐️.

Lex Croucher can literally do no wrong. I would read a cereal box if they were the ones writing it. Excellent story and characters as always.

This book was so much fun and truly something my students would lose their minds over. The charcters in this book are not only loveable, but a beautiful representation of complex relationships that go through 'the mortifying ordeal of being known'. As the novel went on, it was so heartwarming to see Gwen and Bridget figure out how to be together as well as Gabe coming into his own as king. The ending of the book had me gripping my kindle white knuckled as I read in anticipation. Even though Art and Gwen were certainly not in love, thie r friendship was refreshing and caring.

Gwen and Art are not in love is absolutely hilarious, and every single character's relationship and friendships are so sweet and gives you so many reasons to love them. This book was almost entirely about the friendships and relationships among the characters and I loved seeing it all happen especially because I live for character driven books. But the plot also went some very unexpected, sometimes heartbreaking, ways especially in the end which I enjoyed a lot too. It made me kinda go "oh shit" because y'know I expected the comfy fun medieval contemporary but it made for such a great story.

Gwen and Art supposedly hate each other, but thats not the case really at all and you find that out pretty quickly. Their relationship is like brother and sister, they're always bickering and throwing jabs at each other going rounds constantly (which I lived for it was so funny) but when it really does come down to it they show up in their own ways. Arthur thinks himself selfish and useless but he really is quite the opposite, he cares a lot for his friends and especially for Sidney, Gwen, and Gabriel. The small gestures and things he did for them throughout the book without even realizing that what he was doing was making an impact was so heartwarming to see. Him and Sidney were also fun, I can only imagine the type of shenanigans they pulled off BEFORE they ever came to Camelot lol. Gwen's very closed off and doesn't really bother much with friends or being around people in general besides her brother but it was nice to see her open up progressively and go for what she actually wanted with the help and advice of Arthur. Which included Bridget, who was a badass character and I loved the tournament part of the book for her specifically. She's got a very distinct "take no shit, stand up for whats right" personality. Her confidence also often sent Gwen spinning and it was hella funny to watch honestly. Loved the sibling relationship between Gwen and Gabriel too, since I'm super close to my sister it always makes me happy to see sibling relationships done right in books. Overall a phenomenal book, I'll look forward to seeing it get the well deserved love and attention when it comes out and I cant wait to have a copy on my shelves.

Alright - this was so stinking cute and fun and just such a good time. No one will be praising Gwen and Art Are Not In Love for being historically accurate, but from the start, you know that this renaissance style is much more like a renaissance fair - think A Knight’s Tale or Men in Tights vibes. Gwen, the young princess, is betrothed to Arthur, but in love with the Lady Knight Bridget Leclair. Arthur, for his part, is very much into men, and finds himself growing more and more interested in Gwen’s brother Gabriel. And of course, antics a-la early 2000s teen romcom ensue.

This is a book that knows exactly what it wants to do and succeeds wonderfully. It is fun and self aware. I only have two points of critique with regards to the story. First, while I appreciate the exploration of queer identity despite not being socially acceptable or accepted by parents is a point of view that needs to be told in young adult stories, I am of the age where I just want queer normative stories. I think the fact that Gwen and Arthur were betrothed would have been conflict enough without having a general (but not overly present) homophobic world as its background. With how many liberties were taken with historical accuracy, I think having queerness acceptable could have been tossed in there too.

My other critique is the pacing of the ending. I was happy to go along with the story, but at the 50% mark, it seemed that the story seemed to stop jogging along and decided to bolt towards an entirely new direction. Then again I am someone who enjoys slice of life and would have been happy to trot on until we reached a natural slow ending. But I understand the need for plot and dramatic reveals. Still, I didn’t have a bad time, I just wanted the good, fun, lighthearted vibes to continue, which they did in the wrap up.

Overally, I think folks will fall in love with Gwen & Arthur Are Not in Love and it is 100% one of those books I wish I had when I was a kid.

*I received an eARC from St Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, & NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Gwen and Art Are Not In Love” is a diverse take on the Arthurian legend that focuses on love and friendship.

The highlight of this novel is its endearing, unique characters. The characters are well-developed with their own distinct personalities and the banter and humor was entertaining. This book is lighthearted and heartwarming, and I’m sure this will be a new comfort read for many people.

The main issue I had with this book, however, is that there is no central plot that holds this story together. The entire book is simply the characters talking without any major events. While I did enjoy the characters’ interactions, I would have loved a bit more action. If you love character-driven stories, though, this sill not be a problem.

Overall, Gwen and Art Are Not In Love is a light-hearted and feel-good novel that is perfect for anyone looking for a quick and enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the early e-arc!

I loved this so so much, and the romance was so cute! I really did wish there were more scenes between the main couples but there was really good talk between them about duty, responsibility, passion, and where their lives were meant to be headed.

I wasn't invested enough with the politics so if there was more of that, it might have helped with understanding it a bit more, but at the same time I guess it did help with the climax of the story because it escalated beyond what I would have imagined, so I don't mind it too much. The romance was the main thing for me and I really enjoyed how things progressed overall.

I wouldn't classify this as a retelling at all if anyone thinks it might be that, but it's a fresh take on this kind of medieval story!

If you liked The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, Legends & Lattes, and/or anything by Casey McQuiston, you're going to love Gwen and Art Are Not in Love.

This book is incredibly charming, character-driven (my favorite!), and atmospheric in a post-Merlin Camelot. So here's my breakdown.

The good:
-The characterization in this book is SO well-done, especially concerning our main characters Gwen and Art.
-Found family!!!!!!!!!
-Tension. My god, Croucher is a master at romantic tension.
-Vibes. This book made me want to go to the Renaissance Faire real bad.
-This book played on every emotional string. I LOVE finding a book that I can really feel the same emotions the characters do: the pining, the anger, the hurt, the laughter. It was a little emotionally exhausting to read (in the best possible way).
-Croucher just really knows how to have fun. I had such a great time reading this book I read it all in one day.

Could be better:
-The only character I felt I was missing out on was Bridget. Compared to all the other characters in the book, she is the one I understood the least and I would've liked to see more from her. When she and Gwen have their serious talk about Bridget leaving for the winter, she says that they don't really know each other, and like, she's definitely right about that. They supposedly do get to know each other better and work it out off-page, but I really would have liked to see that play out.
-I generally don't know how to feel about the plot. The book kind of felt off balance; the first half is really focused on building relationships and it's pretty low-stakes, but the back half is where the plot really kicks in and the stakes were much higher than I expected going into the book initially. I requested this book expecting a really fluffy typical rom-com, but it actually gets pretty dark. Croucher does lay groundwork for the political unrest in the first half, but I honestly would've preferred if it kept the same light tone throughout the whole book.
-The ending felt kind of rushed and underdeveloped. The tone shift left the book a little unbalanced and I felt it most in the ending. Once the book starts focusing more on plot I felt I lost the characters a bit---I don't want to say the ending was inconsistent because it did make sense, it was just a little unsatisfying. I wanted more from it.

What it boils down to is I went into this book for the vibes and character, not the plot, so when the plot kicks up in the last 3/4 of the novel it lost me a little bit. That being said, I certainly don't think this book has a bad plot, I just got caught up in my own expectations. I definitely had a lot of fun with this one and would still highly recommend. I really look forward to reading more from Croucher!

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

HUGE HUGE SHOUTOUT TO NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER!! I cried real tears when I saw I got this ARC. It was genuinely such an incredible moment, nothing will ever top that.

ONTO THE REVIEW OF THIS GLORIOUS BOOK: When this comes out in November, you all better GET IT. I felt like I was literally in Camelot with Gwen and Art. I was so immersed in the story it felt like a crime that I couldn't just read it continuously and ignore all my other life responsibilities.

Gwen and Art's stories were so cute, so sweet, and SO BEAUTIFUL. I was cheering the both of them on from the very beginning and their enemies to friends development was so wonderfully written, it brought me to tears on several occasions. They're just two queer people trying to navigate their crushes and there was nothing I loved more than seeing the gay panic.

Each character was also just so lovable. This felt like a true found family (even though Gwen and Gabe literally are family LOL) and you can't help but just adore them like they're your own friends. The humor, the camaraderie, and the love were just so beautiful. Thank you Croucher for writing such an incredible story and thank you again NetGalley for this ARC, I have never been happier!!!

I absolutely loved this. The banter, the feels, the romance. Ugh, everything about it was perfect. One of my top 2023 reads so far!

Gwen & Art are Not in Love is officially one of my favorite queer novels. It follows Gwen, a princess, and Art, her betrothed. They’ve hated each other since childhood, but as they’re forced to spend time with each other during the summer, they each learn a secret about the other. Gwen has a crush on the only lady knight in the kingdom and Art fancies Gwen’s brother.

While not everything about this book was warm and fuzzy, it still gave me the warm and fuzzies. I loved the found family aspect and all of the relationships were super cute.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the author/publisher for providing me with an advanced readers copy of the book in exchange of an honest review.

Queer book of my dreams.

This was really cute and well executed. At first I really hated our FMC she really annoyed me with her attitude. Just super unlikeable. But throughout the book and as her relationships grow she learns so much about herself.
Not only does she learn who she truly is as a person via her sexuality and why she’s been so closed off her whole life but she opens up and lets people in to see her true self.
The relationship between Art and Gwen is also amazing. It starts as enemies and turns into found family.
And not only Art and Gwen, but also Sidney, Agnes, Bridget and Gabe.

One thing this book does really well is it shows true struggles of people who are trying to come out, not only out to other people and how their friends and family would react but also their inner self and how they think they have to be one way and long live out their true lives. It’s also shows how depression can affect you in that situation. It was beautiful to watch that unravel not only for Gwen but for Gabe as well.

I don’t typically like old medieval, fighting, royal things. But this was so well done. Very tasteful, not boring at all. It really kept me on my toes. The action never stops. And the twists and turns that take place. I started this book in the morning, I worked, and I finished it by end of day because I literally could not put it down. I did not get YA vibes, I really really enjoyed this one.

Im very thankful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this Arc. I did not expect to love this as much as I did.

I read an ARC from NetGalley. I liked the idea of retelling the King Arthur myth from a modern day teen perspective. What I didn’t realize is that there’s a trend for contemporary YA writers to write as teens talk, casually and cutesy. I dislike when I see that on the page, so I read a portion of the book and skimmed the rest.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for providing an eARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This story takes place a few generations after the infamous King Arthur took reign in Camelot. The world looks a little different, but ripples from that time can still be felt in this story. Add in some more modern humor and banter, and the story feels much more relatable and current.

Our main characters, Gwen and Art, have been set to marry since they were children, and neither of them are fans of this plan, or each other. But politics and tensions within the kingdom dictate that it is time to get this show on the road, and both need to come to terms with that. Not only have the two misunderstood and resented each other for most of their lives, but they have also been hiding their own queerness.

This is a very character driven story, and most of the humor comes from the banter. Art is truly the master of this, and I would love a prequel with him and Sidney just riding around, causing light chaos. We also see some character growth from Art and Gwen as well, and how they both learn to become more brave. While we do see some of how Art and Gabe's relationship grows, I wish we would have seen more development with Gwen and Bridget's relationship.

I think my biggest disappointment with this story is the ending. While politics are more casually mentioned during most of the story, they become the driving part for like the last 15-20%, and it almost feels like whiplash. I was also disappointment that the ending is almost a cliffhanger with regard to the relationships. By the end, the character had to go through some tough things, and we don't get to see that joy at the end of the story, just more unknowns.

Overall, I did enjoy the story and give it 3.5/5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars. I think the YA audience would relate to some of the struggles of the characters, like standing up for what you believe in or trying to fit expectations that you don't really feel like you fit.