Robins merry men didn’t have the half of it. Join a live wire, rang tag group of scoundrels. As the fly by the seats of their pants. Our main character is spirited away on an exciting adventure, with the merry men. Finding out for themselves, what’s “good for the wood.”

Legacy doesn’t make you who you are, you write your own story. Squirrel.

LGBTQ, some cussing, kissing, injuries and wound descriptions. Overall a clean and intriguing read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Audio ARC!

4.25/5 stars

Narrators - fantastic. I love how they bring not only their primary characters to life but also the rest of the cast - wonderful!

This was absolutely adorable, just as you would expect from Lex Croucher! I love how she flips Robin Hood on it's head, making it slightly more modern and queer normative but still holding true to the original heart of the story. Never in a million years did I expect to read a queer romcom based on Robin Hood….but my life is so much more complete for having it.

This was just fluffy and adorable and wholesome, while also being reflective, encouraging, and funny. The story and characters will make you smile and also make you think - about how expectations (of ourselves, from others, from society…) have impact on our mental and emotional health; how first impressions and attitudes about a situation impact our relationships; about how we see ourselves, especially through the lens of legacy; about PTSD and the way trauma-responses hit us at unexpected times; and how never taking a stand on anything can be more dangerous than taking a stand on the important things.

This is a great fluffy romcom, but I love the importance of its message too. This book made me smile, laugh, and think - exactly what I wanted. Highly recommend!

This is a grumpy/sunshine enemies-to-lovers LGBTQ historical romance.

Healer Clem is kidnapped by Mariel's band of bandits when she volunteers to be a hostage in place of her elderly mentor. Clem is annoyingly cheerful and unperturbed about her predicament. There are some skirmishes, deaths, and political machinations but ultimately this is about the group of bandits and their growth in their romances and as people. Diverse LGBTQ representation.

So far, I have enjoyed every single one of Lex Croucher's books.

Good audio narration.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this eARC!
This was such a wild ride! I loved the lightness of the story and it made me laugh out loud several times!!

The chemistry between Clem and Mauriel is *chef's kiss*
I love the grumpy/sunshine trope and Lex Croucher is the master of this trope. Also one bed trope?? NAILED IT. The queernormative world, especially in a Robin Hood world, was so fun and refreshing to read.

As someone that grew up with Robin Hood stories, especially with Keira Knightly's movie Princess of Thieves, this was such a fun book to read and several details coming from Robin Hood stories while making them new and unique,
The narration of this book was also very good. I loved the voices, emotions expressed, and also how each character stood out. The side characters were also loveable and there was not a dull moment at all.

Highly recommend this book for anyone that's a fan of parody-like stories, fun, and, of course, some amazingly written romance!!!

How dare you 😭 I was lulled into a false sense of security by the banter, by the general sense of tomfoolery, by the sheer joy of learning the ins and out of these characters. Then BLAMMO! A death that absolutely rocked me 😫 I’m devastated. I should have known better, it’s not like this is my first book from this author!!! But alas, I was blindsided. Yes, there was healing, but I don’t accept it. I’m not ready to let go.
The characters were so loveable. I mean, a band of merry men?! Er, teens? A collection of merry teenagers lol. They were so much fun, even when they were being arses. The banter had me roaring at times, and what more could you ask for? A little romance maybe? Well, we’ve got that too! So cute. I just want to squish them all!
The narrators were excellent! Tone, inflection, pacing, it all worked beautifully for me.
Highly recommend if you love a little historical romance with a lot of comedic relief, and a bunch of tension, both between characters and in the plot. It’s a win!

Lex Croucher truly never misses with their books. This was the follow up I didn't know to hope for after their incredible work on Gwen and Art are Not in Love. I absolutely can't wait to see what they do next! I absolutely loved the characters and their journeys. Falling in love, realizing their parents aren't always right, learning to be adults and dealing with grief - this book has it all.

Absolutely loved it. Loved the slightly alternative world setting, adored the cast of characters. The romance was really well-developed, especially for YA. Pacing was great. It's definitely going on my Best Of 2024 display.

The audiobook production was solid. I enjoyed both narrators. Clem's narrator was often a little harder to understand at my usual listening speed, and I had to slow it down sometimes, but that happens sometimes. It just tripped me up sometimes when switching between the two. Overall, really good listening experience - the intro and outro music was fun. Very jaunty.

Not for the Faint of Heart is a Robin Hood retelling with queer characters and a queer romance. I appreciated the representation across the characters and the way that they were just part of who the characters were -- it wasn't about their struggles as LGBTQIA characters; they just existed as part of the story. Furthermore, strong, capable female and LGBTQIA characters who are leads and not side characters was exciting to read. For these reasons, I think this one is worth adding to any library. I enjoyed the dual POV and the ways the characters, especially the main characters, played off of each other. I would recommend it to anyone who likes retellings, myths, the story of Robinhood, or the time period.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced copy! You can pick up Not for the Faint of Heart on November 26, 2024.

I love how Lex Croucher continues to turn classic tales on their heads and explore how we can retell these stories in 2024. I haven't read a Robin Hood retelling before, but I appreciated the abundance of queer people and relationships, the hilarious tone, and how the characters' journeys help us resonate with the story. Mariel and Clem were fantastic protagonists, helping each other break down walls and confront what they thought they knew about the world (and those closest to them).

While I do wish the middle had been a bit more exciting, the ending was a nonstop emotional rollercoaster. I didn't expect certain character deaths to hit so hard, and the conflict afterward really amped up the stakes in the story. I'm looking forward to seeing what story Lex Croucher reinterprets next!

This had soooo much potential, but it sadly it fell short for me.

I really wanted to love it, but it felt never ending.

I did really liked the narration on the audiobook it made the book better in my opinion.

But the story itself was lackluster, in the blurb one of its biggest plot points is the romance but once you get into the book there is barely any, the love interests kiss until the 60% percent mark and I’m all for slow burns, I love them actually. Even if it is a YA romance there could have been a lot more interactions between them. But there was no interaction, no inner monologue that made you believe they were even interested in each other.

The adventure part lacked as well, I don’t know but something was missing and whatever it was made this book feel eternal.


Thank you to NetGalley for this arc.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Not For the Faint of Heart is a fun, sweet story with a lovely sapphic romance and an intriguing plot.

After devouring Gwen & Art Are Not in Love, I wanted to love this one, but it fell flat for me. The characters were fun and witty, and I really enjoyed the sapphic romance (Lex Croucher writes phenomenal romances). Though the story's plot was interesting, I felt there wasn’t much happening throughout the read, and it did not hook me the way Gwen & Art did. The story felt like it fell in an odd space between a character-driven story and a plot-driven story, where the character and world development did not fit either type of story and also did not fit the book itself. The pacing felt slow at times, and while I love Lex Croucher’s writing, this story did not hold my attention.

The narrators for this story did a great job. Though I did not love one of the narrators at first, I found I enjoyed her voice by the end and that it fit her designated character well. Both narrators presented the story with energy and emotion that helped make it an enjoyable read. Though I did not love this book, I loved the narrators and look forward to hearing more of their narrations.

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC!

Loved the characters had me feeling every possible emotion which may sound bad but it was actually the best! I highly recommend it to anyone who loves adventure

Thank you to Macmillian Audio and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I've been able to finish after being in a several month (nearly a year) reading slump. It was fun, relatable, and queer as hell. All the things that I adore in a book. I really appreciated that a classic trope of grumpy and sunshine came together in such a fun way. Clem's struggle with panic attacks and an uncompromising moral compass to help others coupled with Mariel's militaristic grumpy monster vibes were perfect. I also loved every single side character with Kit and Josie obviously being my ultimate favorites. I'd recommend this one to anyone.

⭐️ 3.75
This was such a fun story! Definitely more about the vibes than the plot for me, personally. Historical fiction, Robin Hood inspired, with LGBTQ+ rep?? Loved it. The humor was great, and this was just all around delightful!

It pains me to rate this so low, especially after how much I adored Gwen and Art. I have been loving all the Lex Croucher books I've been reading lately, and historically a Robin Hood retelling practically guarantees that I'll love it. But I came away from this one disappointed.

It tries to do what Emily Tesh does so well in Some Desperate Glory, but doesn't execute it well enough for it to really land. Mariel spends too long being absolutely unlikeable and untouchable and when she does shift perspective she does it too abruptly for it to feel authentic.

Clem goes through the book telling jokes that don't always land and trying to heal everyone around her at complete disregard of her own safety.

They don't really have any chemistry together and so their romance doesn't feel like it has any depth or reason.

The strangely military Merry Men are too jarring compared to Mariel's more lighthearted company. The story sort of ping-pongs between the two and it makes the sections feel very disconnected. Especially when Mariel herself is trying so hard to fit in with the military leaders and prove herself to her toxic father.

I did love Mariel's company of queer misfits. They were all wonderful and I would have been much happier if it had been one of their stories instead.

I also noticed the complete and utter lack of happy non-queer relationships in this book. The queer relationships were wonderful, but it was like no one in the book actually had lasting relationships. Even Robin and Marian split so Robin could be with Will Scarlet, although all that happens off-page.

The audiobook was good. I had a little trouble keeping some of the characters straight but I don't know if that was on the narrator or the author. I think overall the narrator performed it well and gave everyone recognizeable voices.

*Thanks to Wednesday Books and Macmillan Young Listeners for providing an early copy for review.

This book had great witty banter and fun characters! The banter occasionally felt out of place for a medieval setting, but it didn't bug me too much. My problem was that the plot didn't feel fully thought out, and I would've appreciated more action scenes. It started to pick up around 50% through, but it was a little boring up until that point. But, there is a cute sapphic romance, good conversations, and a medieval setting, so if you really are just looking for those aspects and don't care as much about the plot, this book will definitely fulfill your needs!

And, the narrators for the audiobook were super fun! I loved their voices, and they portrayed the characters well.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I previously received this book as an eARC and truly loved it. This audiobook adaptation was literally perfect. I loved the narrators. I am really glad they went with two different narrators, they were both perfect for their roles.

Here’s my full review from the eARC:
4.75 stars, rounded up.

I have been obsessed with Lex Croucher since I received an ARC of their last novel, Trouble. That book was so much fun and the writing so very witty. I have been wanting to her some their other novels but have not had a chance so when I saw this available on NetGalley, I knew I had to request it! I'm so glad it was approved because this is definitely one of my top reads of the year.

This book was the perfect kick off to my fall reading! It gave all of the adventure romcom, chilly out in the woods by a campfire vibes that I have been yearning for. I love the concept of this story, a reimagining that follows the Merry Men post Robin Hood's leadership. The ensemble cast of characters was absolutely perfect. Clem is an absolute riot and I love the way her character is written. She is well rounded and I love her. The rest of the characters are equally as entertaining and compliment each other well, even the morally questionable villains. Croucher does a great job of changing POV between Clem and Mariel. It is pretty seamless. The first time it happened, I was a bit confused but after I wrapped my mind around it, I liked it! It was not choppy, like only changing POVs during new chapters.

There were only two things that I didn't fully enjoy in this book: Mariel and how quickly the ending wrapped up. It was very hard for me to like Mariel as the other main character/love interest. She is not very likable to me and I couldn't understand her rationalizations. The other thing that I didn't love is how quickly it ended. I wish it was like 20 pages longer.. I just wanted to sit in the world a bit more.

Tropes: found family, grumpy x sunshine, kidnapee/kidnaper romance (lmao)

Croucher's writing is always fast paced, witty, and entertaining. I have noticed that her romance is mostly banter and then closed door.
Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for this arc!

3.75 stars

This is going to be super similar to my review for Art & Gwen because I feel very similar about it.

This was good! This book is a lot of things, some expected and some very unexpected. The expected were the cute relationships, especially the main grumpy-sunshine one; the story is both cute, sweet, and a bit heart wrenching.

The story is a bit slow for the most part, but the last 80% went crazy! I was not entirely expecting the bloody action movie it turned into, and what each of our characters had to go through. I definitely didn’t expect a certain betrayal. The ending was ultimately hopeful and sweet. But we definitely go through some super emotional moments to get there. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.

The two narrators of this audiobook did a beautiful job of embodying the main characters in this story. There was a great counterpoint to their voices that signaled both the differences between the characters and also changes in the mood as the story was told.
I highly recommend this audiobook for readers of fantasy adventure with strong female leads.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio ARC!