the narration was phenomenal for both characters and i enjoyed this book immensely as an udiobook. it added more personality to a book already brimming with personality

This is a fun twist on the legend of King Arthur and Guinevere. Centuries later, princess Gwen finds herself betrothed to Arthur (descendant of the famous King). Gwen can't stand Arthur - in fact, she has a crush on a lady Knight.

This was just delightful read - the banter and bickering between Gwen and Art is quick and fun. I liked that the audio book had two narrators, depending on the chapter's point of view. Both were excellent and it made it easy to listen to.

A bit of a spoiler - I thought this might turn into an enemies to lovers story, but I was glad that it stayed true to the characters and really just pursued them being enemies to friends instead.

Who doesn't love a queer YA rom-com? Set that rom-com in medieval times and that's the icing on the cake. The best thing about this charming and enchanting story is, by far, the dialogue and interaction between the characters. They are quick, witty, and affectionately rib each other in such an adorable way that I couldn't stop turning the pages. Betrothed but attracted to other people, Gwen and Art need to become partners in crime to get what they want. They start resentful that the other isn't what they want, with memories of childhood antics that left them thinking they would be miserable around each other. But they have grown, and they are similarly trapped in a path that isn't the one they would choose, which helps them develop into friends who want to help each other find happiness. I LOVED their honest exchanges and ability to confide in each other.

But, I will be honest and say that I don't think the audiobook format adds to the book. I think the narration detracts from the dialogue and connections between the characters. I switched back and forth between the e-book and audiobook, and the times when I was listening to the audiobook seemed stale and flat, even though the story was anything but. I feel like when I was reading the ebook, the dialogue sparkled because of how I imagined their tone and facial expressions, but the narration didn't add inflection or tone to make that story feel alive for me.

This was such a fun, cute, different retelling (but not a retelling) of the love of Arthur and Gwen. I really like that this was it's own story. It had wit that made me laugh! I liked the characters a lot and really enjoyed listening to this book.

This was so much fun!!
I don’t think I’ve read a medieval YA romance before and I was pleasantly surprised. I loved Lex Crouchers other two books immensely and was super hyped to read their first YA one.
The MCs were amazing and I laughed out loud many times.
Lady Bridget Leclair is my new wifey goals.
I didn’t expect to get so invested in this and the ending completely blew my mind! I was on the edge of my seat!
I wish there would have been a bit more of an elaborate ending tbh, because after all the struggles the queer characters experienced in this and the social disadvantages shown I would have loved to see what actual changes happened in this world.
For me some parts were also drawn out a little and more of an everyday life kind of plot than actually focusing on the main plot.
All in all I enjoyed this a lot though and can’t wait to read Lexes next book!

Super cute audio ook. I loved the print book and the audio book was just as good. I loved the narrator on this one. They really brought the book to life.

I adore this cover. It is just perfect. I am such a fan of King Author retellings and this one did not disappoint. I loved all its queerness! When this was compared to Heartstopper meets A Knight's Tale I knew that I had to read it. I loved all the wit and banter between the characters. There is some mystery happening that you are trying to figure out. I loved that. This book also has one of my favorite tropes, found family. I cannot wait to read more by this author. The narrations was so good. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

I was not expecting the ending of this book at all!

Gwen and Arthur have been destined to be together since the day Gwen was born. The only issue is, they are not the gender's either one of them is interested in. Because of this issue, they begin to fake date. There are many twists in this story that you will not see coming.

Why this book is amazing:
~Dual POV
~Fake Dating
~LGBTQ+ Representation
~Medieval RomCom
~Witty Banter
~Found Family

Thank you so much to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to arc listen to this hilarious book in exchange for an honest review.

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a Queer Medieval YA Rom-Com that is absolute sugar to read. I walked away feeling light and airy on its sweetness. This is a YA-debut for this author, and I'm really hoping we'll be seeing more from them in this space. I feel like this one definitely succeeded in what it set out to do.

This story follows Gwen and Arthur, who have been betrothed since they were kids and they're not happy about it. The only thing they've had in common over the years is the ability to annoy one another. As they reach marriageable age, Arthur travels to Camelot to stay for the Summer in the lead up to their impending nuptials. It doesn't start off well, as Gwen catches Arthur kissing a boy, and Arthur discovers Gwen's long-held crush on the kingdom's only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.

It's now clear that it's more than general disdain keeping them apart. Having a new found understanding for one another, and their predicament, the two make a pact to cover for each other as they pursue their love interests.

This was adorable and so much fun. I think this would be a great fit for Readers who enjoy the style and feel of the Lady Janies books, such as My Lady Jane, or My Contrary Mary. I definitely recommend the audiobook. There is dual narration for Gwen and Arthur, which is incredibly well done. The narrators captured the spirit of these characters.

The dynamic between Gwen and Arthur was the highlight for me. It was a bit of a journey of self-discovery for them both and I enjoyed watching them open up to one another. Through their honesty with themselves and each other, they were able to develop a much needed support system in their new friendship group. There is a strong found family element to this story, so if that is something you enjoy seeing, you'll definitely find it here.

I enjoyed the level of humor that Croucher brought to this story and that it didn't get steamy at all. It's fun, playful and flirty, but without being drowned out in unnecessary details for characters who don't feel ready for all of that just yet.

For me, I could have used a bit more action, intensity or intrigue in the overall plot, it was just lacking a little of that for me. That is 100% personal taste though, and you may not feel that at all when you read it. The action did amp up a bit right at the end, with a battle and some political changes, I just feel like I sort of needed a little more during the bulk of the story if I were going to give this a 5-star rating.

At the end of the day, this is a hugely enjoyable story. It's heart-warming, it's fun and I would definitely recommend it to Readers looking for a fun Queer story, or for Readers who enjoy witty dialogue, or a Medieval setting. Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I will be picking up more from Lex Croucher!

This is not a King Arthur and Guinevere retelling, but takes place in the same universe with descendants who happen to have similar names. This was a fun, grumpy/sunshine, enemies-to-friends novel featuring lots of queer rep in an Arthurian setting. We get to know a lot of characters who all have their own unique personalities and struggles. I loved the humor (especially Arthur and all his shenanigans) and found it entertaining!

Heartstopper meets A Knight’s Tale is a STRETCH. Yes, it has queer couples and is medieval, but the tone/style is wildly different. There's some of the anachronistic play that A Knight's Tale does so well, but other parts of the story take itself too seriously. I'm still going to read Lex Croucher, but this one was a miss for me. I will probably stick with the adult titles.

I had trouble focusing on the audiobook and didn't feel the narrator fit well.

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher was a fun read, and though I did enjoy this book, I find it difficult to articulate what I like about it.

Firstly, the book had quite a slow start. For a tale of knights and royalty, there wasn't much action in the book until about the last 25%. Once the action picked up, though, I couldn't stop reading. The drama and chaos were riveting and exciting.

The main characters also fell flat for me for most of the book. Gwen was a bit dull and pretentious. Art was chaotic and ridiculous. It wasn't until the latter half of the book that they both were further developed and became loveable to me. I think the main problem was that I wanted Gwen to be more courageous or determined. She was just timid and went along with the flow of things while complaining to herself or her brother. I quite liked Gabriel's character and I wanted to see more of him throughout the book. I even wanted some POVs from him.

Another aspect of the book that threw me off a bit was the legend of Arthur and the Round Table. I couldn't quite get my head around who believed the tale that Arthur would one day return, and who didn't, and whether or not this book was a retelling or just a story about people who are fond of the tales. I kept trying to figure out if Gwen and Arthur were meant to be like the originals or if other characters were the reborn Arthur Pendragon. I found myself trying to find deeper meanings in the actions, names, and histories of certain characters so that I could connect them to the legend of King Arthur, and that took me out of the story a bit. The fact that it remained a bit vague and unresolved to the end was a little disappointing.

Overall, I thought the story and romance were very cute. I loved that the characters grew and developed relationships with each other. This book definitely has found family elements, which I'm a sucker for. For all my qualms with the pacing and characterization and the slightly confusing mystical/fantastical elements of this book, I think it's a very sweet, queer, medieval romance that I will definitely recommend to teens. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest thoughts on the book!

Gwen & Art Are Not In Love is the perfect blend of comedy and a heartfelt message that everyone needs to hear. Now I will admit I went into this story expecting King Arthur retelling which wasn’t a good mindset to be in. Now was I disappointed when I realized that this book is more inspired by it than a retelling. Well yes, but it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with the characters!
I adore Art and there were so many times in which I was trying to speed read to his part just so I could have a good laugh. Not only that but Art and Sid’s relationship was one of the best I’ve read in a while. They reminded me a ton of Merlin and Arthur from the BBC TV show, Merlin.
The only thing is, I felt like a good chunk of the book caught me off guard, as there is a major death that happens, plus a character gets assaulted off the page. I just felt a bit of whiplash from thinking that the story was going to go one way, and then bang it goes a whole new direction. The last thing is, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Gwen. I felt the most disappointed in Gwen, she felt whiney and expected too much from her love interest. I wanted a good character arc from her, where she learns to stand up for herself and the people she loves but nope it never happens.
I also thought that we were getting a novel that has to do with magic or even two teens trying to sabotage their wedding day. Instead, we got chaotic bimbo and grumpy but clingy princess. But regardless you should read this book because it was such a fun read!
A huge thanks to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for this ARC for an honest review!

This is such a great YA historical book! I really enjoyed the exploration of queer identities within this. It was also a fresh spin to see Gwen and Arthur fake a relationship while also both seeking romance elsewhere. The way the friendship between the two of them developed was so fun too. Another added bonus of this were the side characters.

This was definitely outside of my typical genres but it was so enjoyable that I will absolutely be recommending it.

I adored this book and the audiobook narration was just perfect. It showed really well how messy these characters were and just how kuch they tried their best.
The story might sound familiar but it's anything but. The dual POV worked perfectly to make us know what really went inside their head.
The author made these two such cuties that even when everything was a bit of a mess, you couldn't help but cheer for them.

Not only did I fall for the cover I feel hard for this story and the characters. I can not wait to get my hands on a physical copy. I highly recommend because Gwen and Art need you guys to read this book. Also the cover is just gorgeous.

This was a truly amazing audio experience! I feel like both narrators were amazing and really helped me understand both Arthur and Gwen, and I didn't enjoy one perspective over the other, which sometimes happens. This was funny, and silly and serious and I would recommend it to fans of Heartstopper because even though this is "historical" it gave me the same feelings. I am very excited to see what the author published next!

Absolutely love the story the LGBTQ representation it a fun cute rom com the dual narration was so good would recommend for anyone.

I am immediately ordering this for my library’s YA section. This is refreshing and such an amazing twist on King Arthur. I loved everything about this.

This was such a creative story. I really enjoyed the twist on the classic tale we have all heard, and the representation that is in the book. The audiobook kept me entertained.