This was entirely delightful. I thought the added rainbow mafia elements were deftly woven into the known history and/or legend, so it stands as a very convincing story. I was never able to spot where the holes could be, so good job Lex!
I did find that there were points that were very saturated with action, which was a bit confusing, and I found myself occasionally unclear about what was happening, or supposed to be happening. For the most part, the context clues were enough to bring me back in, but sometimes I simply had to wait for the story to unmurk itself again.
But that listening experience was a grand old time— it made me laugh so much! I never once listened to the audiobook without smiling, and it was very easy to slip into, even if I had been confused at an earlier point. Also, kudos to the excellent voice actors, who were very consistent and joyful in their reading of the story.

Gwen and Art have been betrothed since infancy and have grown up hating each other. When Gwen catches Art kissing a boy and Art realizes Gwen too likes someone of the same sex, they come to an understanding.

The antics of the characters made me laugh quite a bit but I struggled to connect to either character. Their personalities were so loud they clashed in big ways that came off as obnoxious.

Another challenge I had was the ending. There was very little foreshadowing for the big plot twist and while it played out fine, it felt rushed and then over.

I felt the narrator for Gwen did a great job, but the narrator for Art was too shrill. I don’t fault the narrator for this, as I think the intent for Art was to be shrill, but it made me pause and stop the book a lot.

Overall Gwen & Art Are Not In Love is an okay book. I didn’t love it, but it wasn’t the worst.

Thanks to McMillan Audio, McMillan Young Listeners, and NetGalley for the advanced readers audiobook.

Gwen and Arthur are betrothed in spite of being enemies. Arthur is sent to spend the summer with Gwen when they both discover a mutual secret. A cute, Queer romance with great characters and character development. This book was lightheaded and cozy for the majority and then it took a turn I didn't expect towards the end. It felt disjointed but still an overall great book! The audiobook performance is excellent! The banter and wit between the characters is heightened with the audiobook!

Listen, I was very scared at the end there for a second. I assumed worst case scenario and that everyone was going to be dead. Luckily, only one person was dead. And they weren’t a major player in the book plot itself, so it’s okay.

Arthurian legend, dual pov, lgbtq story, woman knight, coup, cat, clean romance, period romance

Spoiler Section

I’m not gonna lie, as much as I like this book, I almost stopped listening because I didn’t like the voice the male narrator used for Arthur. We just always sounded so happy, but Arthur has a lot going on so it didn’t go well with all the lines. Other than that it’s a solid audiobook.

Gwen as a main character is annoying in a good way. She is so unsure of herself and insecure because she doesn’t feel like she fits the mold she’s supposed to, that she comes off a bit whiny, but justified whiny. Her grievances are valid, but she doesn’t do anything to change it until she (finally) starts being around Bridget. Let me tell you, I love Bridget, she’s the best character in this book, second best if we count Lucifer the cat. Bridget is the perfectly done gender-norms-bend, a only child woman who was allowed to train in combat and fights in tournaments and is a total badass, so what if it’s clique, I’m a sucker for it.

And Gabriel, by sweet little boy that I just want to protect. While Gwen doesn’t have trouble discerning how she’s feeling and admitting it, Gabriel seemed to have had a lot of trouble accepting that he could do anything about what he felt. Arthur, while having ulterior motives *wink wink*, gave fantastic pep talks to Gabriel to help him understand that he can want something for himself and it’s okay to pursue it. So at the end when Gabriel has finally given into his feelings, also after he almost died, he is able to make a proclamation that it’s okay to feel like this and there were relationships between two men in Arthurian legend. Now how true this actually is, I’m not sure, I do not doubt it for one second though. Since Arthur is likely a conglomeration of a few Welsh kings, it’s hard to tell. But, these relationships have existed for all of time, and they

Gwen & Art Are Not In Love is a fun, charming, queer, medieval romp.

Gwen and Art are betrothed but have hated each other since childhood. When their betrothal becomes a striking reality, they decide that they would make better allies than enemies to get what they want.

This tells two love stories in one, which did end up affecting my enjoyment. There’s a lot of cute repartee but having both love stories seemed to spread the story and connection to the characters a little thin.

I thought this alternative “medieval, yet not medieval” England was pretty fun as well and enjoyed the lore of Arthurian legend shaping the current political sphere. Medieval stories are always a blast, I mean … who doesn’t enjoy a good jousting match?

All in all, I feel like I don’t have a lot to say about this book. It was enjoyable but it didn’t change my world. I could see why a lot of people love it – the smart characters, adventure and romance is a real selling point – but I thought (other than the setting) it felt like a lot of other LGBT+ YA contemporary books.

4/5 stars. To be released November 2023.

Gwen and Art have been betrothed since they were children. Too bad they hate each other and also have feelings for someone else. But after Art is forced by his father to go to Camelot for the summer, Art and Gwen begin to realize they could work together to get what they each truly want. Together they work to fight for who they love and against a force betraying their kingdom. While it has nothing to do with King Arthur himself, there are many references to Arthurian legends throughout the book.

I wasn’t a huge fan of Art’s narrator but loved Gwen’s. There was playful banter between the characters with Arthur as the comic relief with his often aloof comments. All in all, it was a very engaging read with enjoyable characters.

I'm a sucker for queer reads and even more so when its queer YA giving the rom-com vibes of Heartstopper. Did I know really anything of Knight's Tale? Nope but I'm digging this retelling!

The characters in this one were great. While it takes a while for those to actually pair off and the end of the book gets less romance and more action, it does mean this offers something for every reader. What I lacked in relationship complexities in terms of romance, I got from the plot and the drama. Even the friendships in this one gave some great vibes for me- though way easier to jump into some deep and believable platonic relationships vs a romantic one.

The insider POV offered from Art really got me. I just want to squeeze and love on on him. He's moody and those methods of sheltering his self-doubts hit all too close to home. Sidney is an absolute blast of a character, I'm petitioning now to be best friends. Gwen I struggled with in the beginning and it 100% was a me getting in my own way as a reader on that one but that development was top tier. All in all, this cast of quirky characters really are just a well rounded group that many readers will be able to relate to in one or multiple ways.

DNF @44%

I don't have a specific problem with this book. It's fine, I'm just not all that interested. The premise sounded more entertaining than the execution has proved to be and I'm not invested enough in the characters to keep going. This is loosely a queer reimagining of the Arthurian legend, but set generations in the future with Arthur's heir (also named Arthur) and his betrothed Gwendolyn. Unfortunately, both of them are gay so they make a deal to pretend they like each other while they pursue other people. Again, a fun premise and a perfectly okay YA book that I'm just not that interested in and I didn't want to finish it and rate it low for being bored. Your mileage may vary. I received an audio review copy of this from NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

It’s swoony and cutesy and a true treasure of a book that’s beautifully narrated in the audio book form!

Actual Rating 4.5

Gwen & Art are Not in Love by Alex Coucher is an extremely funny, witty, and well written queer romcom about King Arthur's descendant, Arthur who has been betrothed to Gwendoline since birth. They've been enemies since child's and have never gotten along but they end up making a reluctant pact to cover for each other while Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen's royal brother.

I enjoyed this quite a bit. There were so many scenes that had me laughing aloud. It's chockfull of innuendo and with. A spoiler free funny quote is:
"Walk like you don’t care where your limbs are," Agnes said, doing a much better job of it than Gwen "as if it’s no consequence to you where they end up. Like this. (…) and you should act at all times like your crotch is a burden."
"Now hang on," said Arthur "I’m a man and my crotch isn’t a burden"
"Maybe not to you," said Gwen, "but it’s a burden on the rest of humanity."

A lot of the banter reminds me of Hamilton the Musical where characters would ping-pong off each other with just a word and the double meanings of those words. It’s so interesting and quite a breath of fresh air.

About halfway through, there's a small women's health disability rep scene that teenage girls would definitely find welcoming to read and subsequent discussion on that is pretty good as well..

I thoroughly enjoyed this save for the male audiobook narrator whose voice cracks and squeaks reminding me of a boy experiencing a growth spurt. While probably fit for the actual character of the book, it made for a uncomfortable reading experience as I couldn't quite modulate the audio properly to adjust for this.

This truly would be such an entertaining read for an upper YA audience. Overall, this was a brilliant read and I cannot wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In this medieval YA romcom, princess Gwen and future lord Arthur are betrothed yet want nothing to do with each other. They eventually discover they share a secret of same-sex crushing and work together to cover for each other. The target of Gwen's affection is lady knight Bridget Leclair (who I kept picturing as Brienne of Tarth despite the book's descriptions painting a different picture). Arthur is a bit more loose initially but ultimately ends up with Gwen's royal brother, which made me feel like this was a Shakespearean comedy. Of course, there's other knightly conflicts that the book blurb promises to evoke A Knight's Tale vibes. Unfortunately for me, I found the characters a bit unlikeable- a bit fickle, a bit irritating, a bit whiny, very swoony, and creating a bit more chaos/shenanigans than necessary. I listened to this audiobook via NetGalley and am grateful for advanced access to this queer historical romp.

Gwen and Art are Not In Love was SUCH A DELIGHT!

Seriously, this book was so fun! A closed-door romance with a cast of quirky and lovable characters that had a found-family feel and a plot that was fun and hopeful! Gwen and Art’s friendship arc was so heartwarming and I adored it.

The only negative thing I have to say about this book is about the narrator for Art, Alex Singh. Their voice when they were voicing characters or parts with a higher pitch can only be compared to nails on a chalkboard. It sounded like when men mock women and make them sound shrill and it’s an affront to women everywhere. I almost DNFd this book because of it but I limped through their POV’s narration and eventually became numb to it. Alex Singh is just not for me. The other narrator was great and I loved their voice.

This was SO entertaining! Binged the audiobook in one day - the narration was amazing, the banter was top notch, the chemistry was unreal - I loved it all. Loved that the Arthurian legend was a background to it all and that it wasn’t a retelling. It was so fresh and fun and brilliant, with an actual well developed plot to boot. Officially have to read the author’s adult books now!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio, NetGalley and Libro.fm for the ALC!

3 stars

Gwen and Art are not in love...with each other, but this is still a cute romance and the relationship between the titular characters is vital to that outcome.

The highlight of this book is the representation, and the audiobook features extremely engaging narrators.

While I enjoyed this read overall, transparently, I really struggled to stay invested in the characters and outcomes, and I feel fairly sure that if not for those aforementioned positive notes (rep and narration), I'd likely have bailed somewhat early in the novel. I hoped for, and never quite found, more charm, depth, and messaging.

I'll recommend this to students but more as a sweet listen than a compelling and memorable tale, unfortunately.

There are two reason I am so sad that this book doesn't publish until the end of November. 1.) I want all of my friends to be able to read it immediately and 2.) I really want a finished copy in my hands right now.

This book was an absolute delight. I had initially thought this book was going to be about *that* Gwen and Art, but I think that it ended up being even better the way it is. There's still some relevance and ties to the original Arthurian Legend, but this book has the ability to stand on its own two legs (and a handful of wink wink references to the original legend). Now do I still want a book about Guinivere falling in love with Morgana (which is what I thought this was)? Yes. Absolutely. But I really am happy with what I got.

There is so much humor and heart in Gwen & Art Are Not in Love. There's fabulous lessons in friendship, family, and what we believe we are meant for. So much packed into such an unassuming book. I feel like me saying "I loved it" really doesn't do it justice, but I also need y'all to understand how obsessed I am with this book because I want everyone to read it immediately.

I also listened to the audiobook which was its own level of awesomeness. The narrator for Gwen was especially great.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Please read Gwen & Art Are Not in Love when it comes out in November 2023.

First, a big thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the advance listener copy of this audiobook! This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. Lex Croucher has really found a place for historical fiction with a progressive twist on old favorites.

In this particular story, we met Gwen and Art. Two bratty royals betrothed to each other. Our main characters are very flawed and I enjoyed that those were just facets of their personalities that informed the story. I did feel the development of the romantic pairings was uneven, but I don't feel like romance was the main thrust of the novel. In many ways, this is about found family and self-acceptance with romance as a happy byproduct. This enemies-to-friends story was a delight for about 75% of the book. The final 25% was unexpectedly violent (and prolonged) leaving some of the character beats a little rushed.

This is a solid four-star book.

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a fun and rompy historical romance that is perfect for any fans of Arthurian legends.
In this story we follow Gwen and Art, two betrothed young adults, a princess and a lord, who would love to do anything else but marry each other. Especially since they've been nemesis since childhood. But as the knight tournament begins in their kingdom and as whispers of rebelling forces arise, the two are forced to forge an alliance - even if they'd much rather marry a shining knight Bridget (Gwen) or the prince of this kingdom, Gabriel (Art).

Gwen and Art was inspired by Arthurian legends but is actually not a retelling - the story itself takes place a couple of centuries after Arthur and his knights sat behind a round table and the hunt for the grail happened. However with not-so-subtle-nods towards Arthurian world, this is a feast for all fans - be it mentions of the knights past and their exploits to queer undertones of the legends. I am a rookie lover of these tales (I know the basics but not the nitty gritty details) and I had an absolute blast reading this!

Add to that two queer love stories that absolutely shine and heaps of queer joy, and you have a perfect historical romp! And while this is generally a lovely romance, I would advise you to check trigger warnings, since there are also discussions of heavier themes such as addiction, violence, homophobia, parental abuse, etc.

My only "complaint" (if I can even call it that, the book was generally fantastic) is that the pacing seemed a bit off - the beginning of the story was quite slow and the last thirty pages contained the main conflict (the action-packed part) and the resolution, which felt a bit rushed. I wish the disentanglement was just a tiny bit longer.

All in all, Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is a fun and joyful historical YA romance that will for sure become a classic of this genre! I would definitely recommend!

So cute, this was everything I hoped it would be! It was entertaining, adorable, and I loved all the witty banter.

Generations later but in the same world as the Arthurian legend, Gwen and Art are betrothed. They can't stand each other but decide to work together after discovering they are both queer.

While Gwen and Art kind of got on my nerves half the time, I grew to love them and their bratty selves. The side characters really shone here. Love, love, loved Sid! Such a great friend, loved the friendship between him and Arthur. Friendship goals. Also, Bridget was so badass, absolutely adored her.

Besides the characters, my favorite part of this was the great dialogue. All the witty banter had me chuckling and made for a really engaging read. Heartfelt, uplifting, sweet, and funny. I would totally read a sequel to this! Also, I read this physically/listened to the audio and while both formats were great, the audiobook was especially good.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley for the audio ARC and the e-arc!

Gwen and Art have been engaged since they were children. Problem is, they don’t like each other. Art, doesn’t like any women like that and Gwen has a HUGE fascination with a real muscle-y lady knight named Bridget. Here’s the thing, this is so endearing. Gwen and her brother Gabriel are the cutest little Gay-bies!! They have Expectations™️ thrust on them since birth and they are trying their darndest to do their best, even though Gwen desperately wants to just be left alone and introvert and Gabriel wants to be left with his books. Honestly, it’s so relatable.

Art is hysterical and I loved being in his point of view. I loved how he pushed the royal siblings to grow and learn new things about themselves while he was on his own character arc. Also Bridget is a literal dreamboat. More books should have buff lady knights and that’s honestly all I’ll say about that.

The audiobook, which I listened to during most of this book, is killer. Seriously both these narrators were PERFECT!

Lex Croucher writes such whimsical and entertaining stories in every book they’ve written. The characters are always deeply flawed and make tons of mistakes but end up being endeared to the reader anyway. It’s queer historical romance with just a mix of fantasy that I’ve always wanted!

✨ Review ✨ Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher; Narrated by Alex Singh; Sarah Ovens

I'm in love with Lex Croucher's sort of irreverent take on historical romances -- where they're set in the past but without taking themselves too seriously. This one was fun -- set in a historical England that worships Camelot, and where the princess Gwendoline is betrothed to Arthur. When Arthur realizes Gwendoline fancies Lady Bridget, the kingdom's only female knight, and Gwen discovers Arthur kissing a boy, they fall into a tentative truce, allowing each other to pursue their own fancies under the cover of a betrothal going very smoothly.

The friendships between Arthur and Gwen, Prince Gabriel, Lady Bridget, Arthur's guard Sid and Agnes, Gwen's lady-in-waiting, were a lot of fun -- making the book as much a celebration of friendship as of love. Gwen and Arthur have such distinct voices (though admittedly Arthur's attitude is almost annoyingly silly in places). I did think the book dragged a bit through the middle where there wasn't a whole let happening, I did enjoy it overall.

The audio gave extra spirit and attitude to the characters, really bringing them to live. I enjoyed the audio version a lot! Definitely a win for fans of Lex Croucher's style of historical romance!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(3.75)
Genre: queer historical romance; YA
Setting: an imaginary historical England sometime after the time of King Arthur
Pub Date: 28 Nov 2023

Read this if you like:
⭕️ Lex Croucher's books
⭕️ queer historical fiction
⭕️ friendship, coming of age

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, Macmillan Audio, and #netgalley for advanced copies of this book!