NetGalley prerelease review!

I do not, as a rule, read YA. Just the words "young adult" generally makes me dismiss a title. I am so glad I've given Lex Croucher an exception to this rule as Gwen and Art and now Not for the Faint of Heart are two of my favorite books of the past couple years. I am particularly a fan of this one, as the Robin Hood tales are some of my childhood/teenage favorites and it felt so magical to have a story told in the aftermath of those legends. All of the characters are massively lovable, including the initial (apparent) villain, and I got immediately so attached to all of them. I really enjoyed this start to finish and am greatly looking forward to its release.

This book was very entertaining! It was a quick read but it did not feel rushed. It had twists that I did not expect! Very good!

Clem of Oak Vale is surprised to find herself kidnapped by the supposed Merry Men, lead by Mariel. A group that is not very Merry and, in fact, is becoming resented by the villagers.

Mariel wants the approval of her father, the current leader of the Merry Men, and kidnaps Clem on his orders. But the perky, cheerful woman causes her to start asking questions about what she's doing....

Good read. The cast is interesting, the relationship is a good slow burn and I liked the heroines. YA novel so low spice, solidly written tho there's a few plot twists I kind of went 'what' at.

(I kind of think Clem has ADHD more or less)

But yeah, a good, fun read.

I’m a huge fan of retellings or expansions of beloved favorites and Robin Hood is one of my all-time faves! Then the author makes it queer—I’m sold! But honestly, this was such a fun romp with love, great banter, and so much adventure! I absolutely loved Croucher’s first book and after reading this one, I know I will be reading everything they write!

This was a cute read. I enjoy that the essence of the book if different from common romance themes. Retellings type of books are not usually my forte, but this Robin Hood expansion story was not as bad as I was expecting. Not sure if I would've geared towards this without this ARC opportunity.

The banter? Phenomenal.
The romance? Absolutely lovely.
The adventure? I was on the edge of my seat!

Lex Croucher does it again in this Robin Hood romcom! It was difficult for me to put this book down! The characters were lovable and memorable! Clem is my favorite, and I absolutely love how feisty Mariel is. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book!

The first book i ever read by Lex Croucher was a masterpeice and this is nothing short of a masterpiece either. I absolutely loved reading this book.

Lex Croucher does it again!! I could not put this book down!
One of my favorite books so far this year. It has everything--Robin Hood setting, fantasy elements, romance, adventure, deeply relatable and engaging characters, believable dialogue, resonant character arcs and Croucher's wonderful sense of humor and timing.
The found family element in this book was profound and deeply emotional.
Clem is such an endearing protagonist--funny, dependable, brave, confident, but with deeply held trauma and history. Marian is the grumpy to Clem's sunshine but she carries so much on her shoulders--the care of her friends, her family's legacy, the complicated history that comes with that legacy.
This book made me laugh out loud, it made me cry. It made my heart ache and it made me yearn. I was on the edge of my seat and cheering these characters on. It made me want to hug them, make them a cup of tea, yell at them, and laugh around a fire with them.
All the stars. An absolute triumph of a book.

Not for the Faint of Heart
3.5/5 rating

Disclaimer: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley!!

I really enjoyed this book for the exact same reasons I loved ‘Gwen & Art Are Not in Love’. It was fast, fun, and full of witty banter.

While I did find Gwen and Art’s story a tad more enjoyable, I still think this novel has the same tone and sense of humor. The only reason this is not quite a 4 stars, is that the pacing was a bit off in the beginning of the novel for me.

I hope we get to see more fun adventures from Lex Croucher in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday for the Arc

This is my second Lex Croucher book. Not for the Faint of Heart follows in the footsteps of its predecessor by taking a classic Medevil story and flipping it to fit the modern day. Having this book be YA is perfect as it allows for the right amount of play between adaptation and the story of Robin Hood; Clem and Mariel were both fun characters to follow on their adventures while slowly falling for each other. I'm so excited to see the new generation of queer teens get to experience a story that, at its core, is about family and following your path.

Exclusively male Merry Men are sooo mid 15th century, it's time for more diverse representation! and Not for the Faint of Heart delivers on that premise. I do think that this book would appeal to a younger audience (I'm 30, so I'm sort of hanging on to YA by my fingernails at times) but I liked this book overall.

what I liked

- the vibes! they were very silly
- Mariel (granddaughter of the Robin Hood), and her “better to ask for forgiveness than permission” leadership style
- the quips and dialogue between the characters
- the memey-ness (which might not be for everyone or have a lot of staying power because trends change so quickly) examples: an arrow to the knee, “nope”-ing out of consciousness
- the characters talked like they were in modern-day high school which at first I didn’t like but then changed my mind and I thought the anachronistic parts of the story were really charming!

what didn’t quite work for me

- I almost thought that there were too many characters and it took me a long time to feel like I got to know them, especially the side characters
- the pacing was a bit slow in the beginning (but then it did pick up) there were also some longer stretches of backstory/internal monologuing where my mind started to wander
- I didn’t feel the chemistry between the characters was especially romantic at first, it took time to develop and it felt like more of an adventure story instead (which I liked!)

Overall I'd be interested to read more from Lex Croucher!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for a copy of the e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a fun escape into a new twist on a beloved story. I enjoyed the witty banter and the way affection for the characters sneaks up on you in the most wholesome way.

Clem is your everyday average healer. She spends her day healing folks regardless of their status in society or where they live in the woods. Mariel is the daughter of Robin Hood's daughter, Regan, and Jack Hartley-both leaders of the Merry Men. Mariel has put herself under immense pressure due to her dad and grandpa's legacy. Mariel and her squad have a mission--kidnap the healer. They do, except Clem wasn't the right healer... or was she? This enthusiastic ball of sunshine, Clem, is infatuated with the idea of the Merry Men; being captured by them has her fangirling. The woods have seen a change since Robin Hood's days and so have the Merry Men. Will the broody black dog stoic leader, Mariel, be able to work with her team to do more than just count squirrels?

Not for the Faint of Heart is the first YA of Coucher's that I've read. Croucher's other books have been some of my favorite for adult readers but Not for the Faint of Heart, truly isn't for the faint of heart. It's got drama, young love, squirrels, and most importantly sword fights. The plot, action, and dialogue all combined into a great novel. Croucher's style is unique for an American audience. It is truly the most British writing I have ever had the pleasure to read, which will lend to a great audio book but also truly descriptive for any reader who is consistently calling for more world building.

I was fortunate to have the ability to read an advance reader copy thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the writer in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this advanced copy! This was one of my most wanted books of the year. 🥹
Lex never fails to impress me! Every book is such a different vibe, but always so good!! Clem and Mariel, and all of their group of found family - rope you in from the very beginning of the book. The banter is one of my favorite things throughout the novel! Can’t wait to read more from this author in the future, and will always support when the book officially cones out in the states!

Lex Croucher does it again in Not for the Faint of Heart! This book is geared to YA/New Adult readers and delivers a fresh take from Robin Hood's world! I look forward to this book hitting the stacks!!

Having enjoyed "Gwen And Art are Not In Love," I was ECSTATIC to receive the ARC of @lexcanroar’s latest YA romcom. Set a generation after Robin Hood led his Merry Men, this queer reimagining follows his granddaughter Mariel as she struggles to lead her small sub-group of Men (now a gender-free designation) and prove herself to her father (the current Merry Men leader). When Mariel’s group kidnaps a healer, Clem, in punishment for healing the Sheriff’s sympathizers, nobody, least of all Clem, realizes how quickly she’ll become part of their troop. Or how much the two young women will be drawn to each other. ❤️ With trans, non-binary, bisexual, and other normalized queer representation throughout the story, multi-racial representation, plus a generous helping of humor on every page, this book will delight many, many YA readers. Pub date Nov 26 2024. Thank you @netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for the ARC. #yabooks #yareads #robinhood #robinhoodretelling #yaqueerbooks #lgbtqya #yalgbtbooks #yaadventure #yahumor #youthlibrarian #schoollibrarian

I absolutely adored Gwen & Art Are Not In Love, and could not wait to get my hands on Not for the Faint of Heart! This was fan-freaking-tastic!

A fun YA historical romp with lots of action and heart. The best part was of course Lex Croucher's fantastic writing - all her books make me laugh out loud and this is a great addition to her work for teen readers. Check the author's website for content notes.

YA queer romance set in the world of Robin Hood.

Clem is a healer who is kidnapped by a group of Merry Men led by Mariel, the granddaughter of Robin Hood. Robin Hood has retired and the Merry Men are being run by his former son in law. Commander Hartley, however runs the group very different from the way that Robin Hood did.

When Clem is kidnapped, Mariel and her crew are skeptical of her but on different levels as some are more willing to show her mercy than others. As they travel, the Sheriff’s son attacks them, harms their crew and takes Mariel’s father hostage. When the other captains single out one of Mariel’s crew as the mole, they are forced to run. As they are on the run they begin to see that maybe the Merry Men of that day are causing harm and are actively different than that of Robin Hood’s day. As she begins to deconstruct and also lead her team on an adventure, allowing Clem to join more as a member of the team, she also finds herself having feelings for Clem.

I loved the amount of LGBTQIA+ representation in this book, I always enjoy books set in a world where there is no negative feelings or experiences to being queer, rather it’s just normal and accepted and no one has to come out. No labels are defined, but there is two MLM couples, one WLW and one character that uses they/them pronouns.

Overall, I liked this book but I didn’t love it. It was a bit of a slow start for me, which was surprising because I loved Gwen & Art, but this book was not as strong for me as that one. I would have loved a little more character introduction and I also would have loved a little more expansion on Clem and Mariel’s relationship at the very end of the book.

3/5 stars

This was an exciting read! It is well suited for the younger side of YA in terms of the themes present. The language would be a challenge in certain parts, but maybe that's just my American education talking! Lex did an amazing job writing unique queer characters in such a natural way. The first half was a bit of a struggle for me to get through, the pacing felt a bit off. However, I flew through the back half of this! I can't wait to read more from them.