I love Lex's queernormative worlds, it's something I always enjoy about their books and look forward to.

YA is pretty hit or miss for me nowadays (and mostly misses) but I've enjoyed their books in the past so wanted to try out this one especially since it's sapphic. And it just didn't work for me quite as well as some of their other books! Clem was incredibly naive and immature which just really frustrated me particularly in the latter half of the book. And then Mariel, who I didn't think was super naive, ended up also struggling with naivety towards the end of the book. I ultimately had a hard time not getting distracted while listening to the book which definitely may have affected my enjoyment.

I did enjoy the narration by Kat Griffiths & Olivia Dowd and felt that their voices and personalities were distinctive.

Lex Croucher brings so much heart and wit to everything they write and this is no exception. Not for the Faint of Heart is a sapphic romance set in the world of Robin Hood. I particularly loved the look into reality versus legacy and how to come to terms when something you love might not be what you thought it once was. The side characters were well developed and interesting. The world building nods to the familiar tale while weaving in new and interesting takes.

The audiobook is fantastic and both narrators, Kat Griffiths and Olivia Dowd, bring their respective characters to life in unique ways.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

What an amazing, fun book! A sapphic ya fantasy enemies to lovers slow burn. This book centers on Clem, a healer, and the Merry Men of Sherwood Forrest, who are led by the son-in-law of Robin Hood. His daughter, Mariel, is a captain. The Merry Men, led by Mariel, kidnap Clem by mistake while trying to figure out who the mole is in their organization. The mole has been passing secret information to the Sherriff of Nottingham. Clem has a very positive and uplifting outlook on life and is very much a glass half full type of person. She takes everything in stride and tries to see the silver lining in every situation- including being kidnapped. Clem is also a very smart and talented healer who does advanced experiments with medicines and salves that are far different than the blood letting leechees that other healers use. Mariel, on the other hand, is a very serious and by the book captain who is always trying to prove her worth. The narrator of the audio book did a wonderful job

Lex Croucher is the author of a lifetime. Her books always hit exactly the right spot, giving me everything I need. I didn’t know I needed a Robin Hood legacy story but here I am absolutely obsessed with everything about this. Also caught that Disney Robin Hood wink and LOVED IT

I absolutely loved this book! Kat Griffiths and Olivia Dowd did an outstanding job with the narratives, adding life and humor to the imaginative story created by Lex Croucher. What happens when Robin Hood passes away, and his family takes over the Merry Men, completely altering their reputation? Clem, an apprentice healer, grew up hearing the tales of the legendary Robin Hood, dreaming of one day becoming a healer among the Merry Men. The old healer they are training under has been rumored to be aiding the enemies of the Wood, prompting the Merry Men to come and take her away. In a bold move, Clem offers to take her place, and that’s where the adventure begins.

The story is filled with action, a touch of romance, plenty of humor, and so much more. I couldn't stop listening once I started! I really enjoyed the concept of our childhood heroes' families taking over and seeing how they navigate the legacy left behind.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners, and Lex Croucher for providing the advanced listener copy of this book. After listening, I am willingly sharing my honest opinion.

Another Lex Croucher masterpiece. I always look forward to the banter this author has the characters batting back and forth. Main characters Side characters even one time talking characters, the dialogue is always amazing. I love the gender bent take on Robin hood, I am always loyal to Strong female heroines and this book gave us two to choose from. Both women are strong in their own right, one trained in battle, leadership and ready to ride into Danger. The second half taught half self-learned healer, ready to provide help and support to all who need her, despite being told to choose a side. I loved the ending of this book, but the entire ride had my heart. I will forever read any book this author comes out with

This sapphic retelling of the Robin Hood legend was witty, heartwarming and well written. Not for the Faint of Heart was a very anticipated read for me after I read Gwen and Art Are Not In Love last year and loved it. I think that Lex Crouchers' writing style is perfect for this cheeky YA genre. Their books always make me smile and have the best banter. I love that she has taken these old tales (King Arthur and Robin Hood) and put a refreshing, modern, and queer lens on them. The Robin Hood tale was very fun and unique. I liked that it showed change over time and wasn't just the same Merry Men tale. I also love that this world is very queer-normative. Having Robin Hood fall in love with one of his men later in life was a fun touch. I liked that this book had two different narrators (Kat Griffiths and Olivia Dowd). The dual narrators really helped bring life to both girls and give them distinct personalities. The witty banter in this book was especially great on audio and you could tell the narrators had a fun time with the sassiness of the girls. This was an excellently produced audiobook. Overall, Not for the Faint of Heart is a YA book I will be recommending a lot, and one of my favorite YA reads of the year.

Not for the Faint of Heart completely swept me up. I didn’t know I needed a sapphic Robin Hood retelling in my life, but here we are, and I’m all in. Mariel and Clem? Obsessed. Their banter kept me smiling, and I couldn’t get enough of the grumpy/sunshine dynamic between them. Plus, the whole vibe—adventure with a touch of romance—was exactly what I wanted.

It took a little time to find its footing, but once it did, the story totally delivered. Found family is my kryptonite, and the Merry Men hit all the right notes. I read it in both ebook and audiobook formats, and the narrators (Kat Griffiths and Olivia Dowd) really brought Mariel and Clem to life in a way that deepened my connection to the story. Switching between the narrators added so much to each character’s perspective, especially with all the witty exchanges.

If you’re in the mood for a cozy, adventurous read with sweet romance and well-crafted characters, definitely give this a go. This story may start slow, but stick with it—it’s worth the journey.

I unfortunately cannot fully rate this, because I could't get through the audiobook. I found the narrator impossible to listen to. And it wouldn't be fair to judge the book by the narrator because the last book I read by this author was a 4 star read for me. I will try again with a physical copy. What I did read was very interesting and I'm excited about the premise

I really enjoyed Not for the Faint of Heart and its lighthearted, humorous take on the Robin Hood legend. The witty dialogue kept me entertained throughout, and the narrator did a great job bringing the story to life. While the playful tone and quirky characters were fun, I did feel like I needed to learn more about them to fully connect.

Lex Croucher does it again with a decidedly voicey retelling of Robin Hood and the Merry Men. When the granddaughter of Robin Hood accidentally kidnaps Clem, so begins a story full of laughter, found family, romance, and a lot of heart.

As with her last book, this book packs a ton of characters that you’ll immediately fall in love with, from their snappy, often funny dialogue, to the more heart-wrenching moments they encounter and help one another through. Mariel’s grim and tough attitude is perfectly set off by endearingly cheerful Clem, making them a grumpy/sunshine match made in heaven. With a slew of other beloved tropes (only one bed, only one HORSE, wound care, I hate you but I love you, etc), the book is jam packed with a fantastic story.

While laughter is often abound, the plot does get serious at times. Mariel’s desire to prove herself to her father, she sets out to save him from capture, but the Merry Men find themselves on the wrong side of history, and ultimately need to make the decision about what matters most to them all.

All in all, this book is thoroughly enjoyable. The dialogue alone makes the entire thing, I could read it for days! Lex Croucher is wonderfully themself and if someone showed me a single line of dialogue, I’d know it was theirs.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I love Lex Croucher's writing so it was no surprise how much I loved Not for the Faint of Heart! The modern references and language were so on point, enough that they made me laugh but not too many that it took me out of it. And of course, I absolutely loved Mariel and Clem!

Great narrator for this audiobook!! I thought they were doing an excellent job at bringing to life the characters.

I wish it was a bit more in my realm for reads — I just couldn’t get too into it. I think younger readers (teens) would definitely enjoy it though! There is good humour and good character development. The pacing could have been a bit better.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Goodness gracious, I want to live in the worlds Lex Croucher creates. I loved the band of misfits in this Robin Hood retelling. I loved the queerness and inclusiveness. I loved the wood and Clem’s need to help and the witty banter among everyone. I loved the twists and the intrigue and overall feel to this novel.
The audio book is excellently done! I enjoyed the two POVs and even while the sexual tension was obvious, the blossoming romance was beautiful and really well done with a perfect YA innocence.
Not For The Faint of Heart is not just adventure and love story, but an examination of the concept of “good.” Who’s doing good and are they really and why/why not. It’s historical but also timely.

Lex Croucher absolutely has a talent for queer historical romance and I'm so happy to see that Not for the Faint of Heart is every bit as much fun as Gwen & Art Are Not In Love. This was a delightful twisting book full of intriguing side characters and a unique plot that takes a story you thought you knew and turns it on its head.

Clem has made a life for herself working with the local healer after being orphaned at the age of ten, and everything is going well for her helping the villagers and causing misery among the local wildlife (via attempts to put them in tiny hats). At least, until she's kidnapped by the Merry Men as revenge for her guardian helping the Sheriff of Nottingham. Except, these Merry Men are nothing like the stories that Clem grew up dreaming of; they're fighting wars against the Sheriff and kidnapping folks, after all, which is a far cry from what Robin Hood used to be about. Her kidnapper, Mariel, just so happens to be the granddaughter of Robin Hood, and while she's grown used to following the orders of her father, Clem's doubts might start to take hold.

The slow-burn romance between Clem and Mariel is so trope-y and fun. There's only one horse! There's only one bed! Grumpy X Sunshine! Genuinely, Clem's perky optimism in the face of being kidnapped is just SO funny and plays well with Mariel's permanent grumpiness. But where this book truly seemed to shine was in the secondary characters, especially Mariel's team. Baxter and Kit had my whole heart and I would love to see more of this team in a future book!

The narrators were both lovely and gave their characters such distinctive voices. Really, this is a book that I think is absolutely enhanced by having such talented narrators.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this audiobook.
Thoroughly enjoyed this coming of age story.

This book was extremely fun and full of intriguing plot, hilarious, period-accurate one-liners, and all the yearning and heavy glances that a girl could want. I will devour anything that Lex Croucher decides to give me from this point on.

I had a hard time following Lex Croucher’s second book. I really enjoyed Gwen and Art are not in love but had a difficult time staying interested in this story. The narrators did an excellent job regardless

The romance was so good in this I loved Clem and Mariel dynamic. The kissing scenes were disgustingly sweet. I really enjoyed the main crew and wished we a learned a little more about everyone. But this was such a good time I’m definitely going to recommend it to people.

ahhh so cute!!! i love lex croucher's writing so much. they are so funny and their characters (mcs and side characters) are always so special and memorable. also the audio narrators were amazing!