I love all things Arthurian legend so this title grabbed my attention right away. I wasn't fully sure what to expect, but I enjoyed it immensely. This book fully embraced the potential for queer jokes which I found hilarious and relatable as well.

Gwen was incredibly relatable for me and her and Bridget's relationship was my favorite in the book, but I enjoyed Arthur point of view and his relationship with Gabriel too. Gwen and Gabriel's sibling relationship was also great, I liked how much they were there for each other.

This is the third or fourth book I've read this year that's included periods and it's such a little thing but I can't really remember reading any books growing up that normalized periods in any regard, let alone in a historical (fantasy-ish?) kind of book.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a cute and fun rom com set in medieval times. Highly recommend! The narrators were excellent as well, and embodied the main characters, Gwen and Art, quite well.

I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for a honest review.

Gwen and Art don't like each other but they are betrothed to be married since they were little. When Gwen sees Art kissing another boy she's shocked and about to tell her parents when he finds her journal about her feeling for the girl knight in town. So they compromise. They will pretend to like each other and hopefully the marriage possibility will disappear. I'm not sure how they thought that would work but it doesn't. Wedding plans advance as Art tries to fix up Gwen and Bridgette the forementioned knight. And as Art falls for Gwen's brother the future king.

So much goes on in this book! SO much to enjoy and just fall into the make believe of Camelot. I almost wish this was the start of a series because I'd love to see how these characters take on the new world they are creating.

"Don't wink at him," Gwen said. "The point is to make it seem like we're getting together, not that this is some kind of ... mildly incestuous free-for-all."

"Gwen & Art Are Not in Love" by Lex Croucher is a delightful blend of wit and romance. The humor is well-timed, weaving through the story seamlessly, and I genuinely laughed several times throughout reading it. The relationships, especially Arthur & Gabriel, and Bridget & Gwen, are endearing and I could see their genuine connections. The book truly excels in combining a compelling storyline with a solid romantic element, offering a heartwarming and entertaining read. I thoroughly recommend this book to everyone and I'm glad I picked it up.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

GWEN AND ART ARE NOT IN LOVE follows royal siblings Gwen and Gabriel in a story that is equal parts charming coming-of-age and historical comedy, with just a sprinkle of tragedy thrown right on top. I found this to be completely compelling and to handle the reality of same-sex relationships in such an unforgiving time period in a way that felt (pretty) believable. This is not the book you are going to read if you are looking for a historically representation of any given time period. Gwen, Gabriel, Arthur, and Bridget all have a delightfully Gen Z-esque je ne sais quoi that makes this book completely approachable to teen readers of 2023.

The cover is smashing as well :)

Historical queerness is my jam. The cover is so beautiful and the story was so fun. I cared so much about where the plot was going and how the character's relationships were developing. The found family was so beautiful and I will be recommending it to all my friends. The narrators did a really great job. The narration was very clear and expressive. This was a really engaging read.

It was so fun to read about LGBTQ characters in a medieval setting! It was refreshing to see Gwen and Art struggle in that context. It made me root for their happiness all the more. I wish I had this book when I was younger.
The banter and eventual friendship between Gwen and Art was a delight to watch develop. I like that they still have each other in the end, just not as betrothed, and they picked up their own love interests on the way!
The text itself is 5 stars, and the narration was well done. It is a pet peeve of mine when certain characters get squeaky, which happened in Singh's narration. I don't think it was neccessary.

An awkward mashup of historical setting and modern style of speech, Gwen & Art Are Not in Love has a lot of problems. It's pitched as a queer Arthurian romp, but it's bursting with misogyny, substance abuse, and internalized homophobia. The title characters, ostensibly doing an enemies-to-friends thing, spent most of the book sniping at each other, which was so unpleasant that I had a hard time liking either of them. The romances, friendships, and political/action plot progressed in fits and starts that made the book feel disjointed and aimless. I think this is being marketed as YA, given the age of the characters and kisses being the only physical intimacy, but between Arthur's serious drinking problem and the violence, it leaned more adult for me. I wish this had been more like the blurb. Just not for me. I read the audiobook, and want to commend Sarah Ovens for the way she voiced Gwen; I was less keen on Alex Singh, who made Arthur so goofy that his underlying sadness and self-disgust, which would have made the book as a whole more poignant, were totally lost.

It was Queer and sweet every thing I would want in a romcom. Unconventional royal romances are a lot more fun that I give them credit for. This one was an all-around good time with easy banter between protagonists, and several heartwarming moments between both couples. Art and his bodyguard were too funny for their own good, while Gwen and her brother tugged at my heartstrings all throughout this story. I flew through this book in a day. I was honestly shocked by how crazy the climax was. When I tell you I was stressed for these characters, I mean it. It’s a shame the ending wasn’t a bit longer, I really wanted more!! This was a really fun story, with so much genuine heart and meaning spread throughout both protagonists’ experiences!

This queer Camelot retelling was such a fun read. Our flawed but lovable main characters are Gwendolyn, a princess, and Arthur, the lord’s son who she’s been engaged to since birth. Unfortunately, they’ve hated each other ever since they were children. The story finds them striking an unlikely alliance as they navigate budding romance (not with each other!) and even face a threat to the kingdom.

I enjoyed this from start to finish. I was particularly partial to Gwen’s relationship with the young lady knight Bridget, although Gwen and Arthur’s eventual friendship was heartwarming as well. As far as the audiobook, it was a great way to consume the story. Both narrators were good, although I especially loved the narrator for Gwen. The slightly squeaky dialogue during Arthur’s narrated portions was a little grating at times.

Though I very much enjoyed the story, the perpetually chipper (borederline whiny) tone of Arthur's narrator almost stopped me getting through the book and often took away from the more serious moments. I found it hard to stay invested in the story during his chapters. Gwen's narrator, however, was fantastic! I would be more likely to recommend that someone read the book rather then listen to it.

I was hoping the book would be more of a true, queer Arthurian tale, rather than just using the well known names in a cute, double romance. Despite this dissapointment, I ended up really enjoy the book! I liked both of the romantic plots and was pleasantly surprised by the secondary political plot that took over near the end of the book. Bridget was easily my favorite character and I would read a book just about her in a heartbeat!

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy non-contemporary teen romances, though I would be hesitant to recommend it to a patron looking for an Arthurian retelling. Additionally, I had a hard time placing the time period this book was supposed to be set it, besides olden-time England. Though this did not personally bother me or get in the way of my enjoyment of the book, I would also not recommend this book to a true historical fiction reader.

A Triumph! Vibrantly queer, and relentlessly funny. I fell in love with the characters, the setting, and the way Croucher drew on Authurian legend. The final chapters were hard to get through emotionally, but excellently written and necessary for the development of the characters. I wish we had gotten a few extra chapters or an epilogue. The final chapter gives you a good idea of where everyone is headed but I still have a few questions. Both narrators were excellent and I enjoyed having different narrators for the duel perspectives.

If you're less than 12% into this book and thinking about DNFing - don't do it yet!

After a bit of a slow start, I did really enjoy this book. It took me a while to make sense of the larger plot and find reasons to enjoy the characters, but once I got through the first 10-15% of the audiobook, I really enjoyed it. Gwen & Art are Not in Love is a story about teens in Camelot many years after King Arthur's reign. Some are grudgingly betrothed to others, and the rest are exploring dating for the first time. Ultimately, it's a story of found family, queer romance, and finding our place in society. I'm also gearing up to go to my local renaissance festival next week, so being in Camelot for a while was really fun.

I was graciously given the chance by #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio to listen to an audio arc of this book, and I do recommend reading it in this format, the voice acting made it really simple to keep track of a relatively wide cast of characters.

I really enjoyed this audiobook! It really did give major A Knight’s Tale vibes, with bits of Athurian Legend (not a retelling), but it was wonderfully gay. It was lighthearted and humorous until the end which got a bit intense, but it is set in medieval times so it wasn’t too surprising to me. The characters were memorable and fun, except for Gwen who I can’t really describe at all. Arthur is annoyingly charming, Bridget is a total badass, and Gabriel is a bookish introvert (me too Gabe lol). I enjoyed the minor characters also.

I wasn’t moved in any deep emotional way, but I enjoyed it nonetheless and the two narrators did a superb job!

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is available for preorder now and comes out on November 28, 2023. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for access to an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Oh how I loved this book!

Christine de Pizan’s medieval manuscripts was a remarkable woman named Anastasia. As Anastasia’s story
The characters were all so enjoyable to listen to and I was caught up in everybody's own side plot as well as the greater background story going on.

This novel is a fantasy retelling with several modern tweaks that make it truly lovable and entertaining. Taking place 100 years after the reign of King Arthur, these characters are descendants of the great Round Table knights and court.

Arthur and his bodyguard have the most enjoyable dialogue between each other that I have read all year long I can't stop thinking about it. I loved that this book had so many different love stories tangled in it. They were all so sweet and unique to each couple.

Lex is one of my new favorite authors and I will read everything they put out

i was really excited to read this one as the synopsis sounded so promising. The pacing on this was really off for me, it moved entirely too slow especially for the amount of action that happened at the end. I think that this story would have benefited from having a lot more energy pumped into it the entire way. I did enjoy the characters and thought that they all held their own within the plot. i would have enjoyed more of the mystery to be central to the story. All in all i did enjoy it and thought that the representation was done very well.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a charming YA rom com. I loved the Arthur/Sydney dynamic--they reminded me of the funny boys at my high school. I think it will be nice for teens to see the characters weighing pursuing relationships with their life goals and that you don't have to throw your dreams to the side just because someone likes you.

My only issue was the narrators changing Bridget's accent when the POV changed from Arthur to Gwen and back.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday for an ALC of this!

In this enchanting medieval YA rom-com, Gwen and Arthur, destined to marry but loathe each other, are thrown together for a summer at Camelot. As secrets emerge - Arthur's kiss with a boy and Gwen's diary confessions about a lady knight - they form an unexpected alliance. Amidst sword-fighting, newfound friendships, and romantic entanglements, this tale promises laughter, love, and a twist on the classic Arthur-Gwen tragedy.

I cannot explain to you how much I loved this one. I inhaled the whole audiobook in one sitting, cried, and begged the universe for more.

It was everything I needed at the time. I love all the growth the characters went through, the tension, the love, the romance, the twists and turns. I enjoyed every single second of it.

Queer King Arthur Retellings continue being absolutely top notch. More please.

CW: death, homophobia, lesbophobia, alcoholism, abuse, mental illness

Narrator for Gwen's half was great; really did not enjoy the other narrator.

I am a sucker for a good group of friends and snarky dialogue. I had a lot of fun with this and with the setting. That said, I would have liked to feel a little more settled in this sort of alternate history world, which feels like it could have been thought through a little more thoroughly. I think that would've helped the political parts of the plot feel less flimsy, which was my other main issue.

This has been one of my most anticipated books and let me just say, I’m a genius. I saw this cover and I KNEW it was going to be perfection. I heard it was Lex Croucher and I TRUSTED her with my life in this retelling. This book is my everything. I want to carry these characters with me forever.