At this point, Lex Croucher is an auto-buy author for me; I see their name, I read the book. Their other YA book Gwen and Art Are Not in Love was one of my favorite books of 2023, so I knew it would be difficult for Not for the Faint of Heart to live up to its predecessor. To start with the things I enjoyed, Lex's sense of humor is top notch. Their writing style always draws me in, and I love the banter between the characters. You can tell immediately how close-knit they are, and I'm a sucker for found families. As usual, Lex does a great job of including diverse characters, proving once again that there's no reason NOT to include LGBT+ and POC characters in historical settings.

That being said, I personally struggled to keep track of which character was which. This could be because the formatting of my ARC was messed up, but I think it's mainly because it was a fairly large cast of characters and their voices were pretty similar. Additionally, the plot was a bit too slow for my preference. I kept waiting for things to get moving, and that didn't happen for me until over halfway through the book. Overall, though, this was an enjoyable read, and I'll continue to read anything Croucher writes.

My expectations going into this book were so high because Gwen & Art Are Not In Love was one of my favorite books this year! I was so excited to pick this one up early on Netgalley, but it just didn’t deliver for me. The first 60% of the book was incredibly slow and the romance was a little lackluster. Really, the only thing I enjoyed about this book was the romance, but there was so little of that. This took me forever to get through and I unfortunately didn’t really connect or care about the characters or their stories. Major sad face.

Another great book by Croucher, but I liked it a bit less than "Art and Gwen."

Again I loved the tie to myth and legend and the cool (mainly queer) characters in the Merry Men (BAXTER!) I would have liked a bit more about Clem and Muriel falling for each other. The romance seems to take a back seat toward the politics at play in the wood.

Fascinating, this story has the same problem as "Art and Gwen" (where Art is like 500% more cool to spend time on the page with than Gwen.) In this story, that character is Clem. She's hilarious, virtuous, brave, talented and holds the story together. Since there isn't much of a love story build up, you're not quite sure how she falls for Muriel who mostly scowls around, wrapped up in Daddy issues. I kind of wanted her to end up with Josie, who seemed bad ass.

I think the part I liked least was all the Dad stuff and the fact that the Merry Men had become this military-like machine that mainly serves itself. Those elements certainly drive the plot, but they also made this book WAY less fun to read. I think the Merry Men vs the Sherif would have been sufficient drama without the layer of the Merry Men vs the Merry Men stuff. It also might have allowed for some lighter moments with Muriel where we could see more of her personality.

This is a small editorial quibble though. Mostly this was another fun read. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Listen. Croucher is a fine writer. Their characters are interesting. Their sentences are nice to read. But this is NOT A ROMANCE. This is a historical YA romp with a romantic B plot. The decision to market this book as a romance suggests that neither the author nor the publishing team understands this genre. Calling NFTFOH a YA romance is an insult to romance readers, who are drawn to the genre’s constraints & and an author’s ability to play with those constraints. Which isn’t what Croucher does. Instead, they bore the reader, then betray their trust, which tells me they have no respect for the genre they are (supposedly) writing.

2.5 stars

Unfortunately, did not Rock with this one! My favorite part was probably the little bits of romance towards the end of the book. Otherwise, I really was not invested in any of the characters besides the main two... which is disappointing because the Merry Men squad is a large part of the book, but also--it didn't feel like it?! I was confused about the side characters for most of the book and felt they lacked development. oh well

thank you so much to the publisher for reaching out with a copy! even tho this one wasn't a hit, still looking forward to future books by Lex Croucher because I had a lot of fun with Gwen and Art are Not in Love!

Robin Hood's granddaughter and a kidnapped healer are thrown together in this retelling where the Merry Men have lost their way. Mariel has always tried to follow in her father's footsteps, heeding his every order as the leader of the Merry Men. Being kidnapped by Mariel and her Merry Men only confirms what Clem's guardian has always told her-- the protectors of the forest have lost their way. But what will it take for them to find it again?

Robin Hood retellings often miss the mark in my experience, but this one was so perfect. I love that Croucher choose to follow the descendants of Robin Hood and the Merry Men instead of reimagining the characters themselves. It added a lot of depth to the story, with how Mariel and the other characters were trying to live up to the legacy of the heroes we all know and love. Lex Croucher writes an incredible historical YA retelling, that's for sure!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book to review.

Ever imagined a world where the granddaughter of Robin Hood can exist with a racially, sexually, and gender-diverse group of misfits as her gang?

Yeah, me neither, but it works!

Morgan is trying to prove herself as a captain of the Merry Men, despite her young age and her father's skepticism. When she and her attendants kidnap Clem, a healer, from a local village, none of them expect that Clem will be assimilated into their group shortly.

And they definitely don't expect a romance to be brewing.

If it will bother you that this is both historical fiction-ish and the characters speak and act in modern ways, then it might not be the book for you. But for me, it was the kind of quirky I find totally delightful. I loved the characters, their spunk and banter, and the grumpy/sunshine relationship between Morgan and Clem.

If, like me, you love TJ Klune's weird humor, I think you'll also enjoy Lex Croucher's. This is the first book of theirs I have read, but I will definitely read more now!

This was my first book from this author and I quite enjoyed it! The premise reeled me in and I think it was executed very well. The main characters were loveable, the romance was lovely, and the adventure was fantastic. Big fan!

I thoroughly enjoyed gallivanting around the Wood with Mariel and Clem and the rest of their band of the Merry Men. It feels like this was written for those of us whose formative understanding of the Robin Hood story came about through watching the classic fox version and the Men in Tights movie, in a really great way.

Mariel has her very rigid understanding of how the world works in the Merry Men and has a lot to live up to with her father — Robin’s son in law — acting as commander of the Merry Men. When she captures Clem, a healer, Clem has her challenging her assumptions of how the world works and finding a new way forward — though it does take time. It’s a story of Mariel and Clem falling for each other, but also a story of those Mariel commands as Captain becoming her friends, and people she deeply cares about as people. I enjoyed reading this and will recommend it!

I had a great time with Gwen & Art last year, and so Not for the Faint of Heart is one of my most anticipated books of 2024. Having finished it, I'm very happy to report that this book rises to the expectation beautifully.

Not for the Faint of Heart is about Merry Men, a band of justice fighters, archenemies of the Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, founded by the one and only Robin Hood. But since Robin Hood has now retired to go live a peaceful life with his gay lover, his son-in-law steps up to be the leader and Merry Men start to change. Embodying that change is Mariel, his daughter, who idolizes him and craves his acknowledge and will do everything he orders of her. One of those orders is for her to go kidnap an old healer, who dares heal the Sheriff's family. Luckily for everyone, the healer's apprentice, Clem, volunteers as kidnappee instead, and so begins a journey to not only fight the Sheriff but also to rediscover what they are fighting for.

This book has one of the things that I love the most in books which is when two characters have totally different values. Not just different personality or preferences, but how one should live one's life. And you can trace this value to their upbringing, the people who raised them and/or gave them trauma, the upbringing of those people, and so on. Clem and Mariel in this book are exactly that. Their dynamics is the center of the story, both in terms of the vibe and the plot. Lex Croucher executes their backgrounds, their dialogues, and their obvious attraction to each other despite all their differences, with so much finesse. I love both of them very much.

That said, I think the true highlight of this book for me is the found family trope. Mariel is a captain of a small troop, consisting of a few other competent teenagers and one runaway aristocrat kid. And their relationships are so warm and wholesome. And then utterly heartbreaking. I can't describe more about them without giving away spoilers, but I also think that the biggest charm of this book is how it allows you to explore and develop an understanding the relationships between this group of flawed characters by yourself.

Overall, I enjoyed this book as much as I did Gwen & Art. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars is that I feel it's a little weird that these characters are teenagers. They do act and think like teenagers, but the adults' expectation of them is crazy high and usually consist of so much violence. I think the plot would make more sense to me if the characters are at least 20 years old.

The premise seemed promising – a queer historical YA romance featuring the granddaughter of Robin Hood? Unfortunately, what I got was a slow burn that never quite ignited.

Meet Mariel, the grumpy new captain of the Merry Men, trying to fill her legendary grandfather’s boots. Then there's Clem, a perpetually perky healer who ends up kidnapped by Mariel's ragtag band. Sounds like the perfect setup for some hijinks and swoon-worthy moments, right? Well, don't get too excited.

The first half of the book drags like a wounded deer through Sherwood Forest. There’s a lot of setting up, but not much actually happening. We spend chapters trudging through the woods, but the adventure promised on the back cover feels like it’s taken a wrong turn somewhere.

Then there’s the romance. Or, more accurately, the sudden appearance of romance. Mariel and Clem go from hostage-captor to starry-eyed lovers faster than you can say “merry men.” One minute, Mariel is grumbling about Clem’s incessant cheerfulness; the next, she’s ready to ride off into the sunset with her. It’s like someone flipped a switch, and suddenly they’re in love. Where's the build-up? The tension? The stolen glances across the campfire?

Croucher’s signature humor and charm do make appearances, and there are moments where the found family dynamics and Clem’s awful jokes bring a smile. But these bright spots are few and far between, buried under a pile of underwhelming plot developments and rushed emotional beats.

By the time Mariel starts questioning her life's noble cause, I was already questioning why I was still reading. The stakes are high, but they never really feel that way. The characters we’re supposed to care about just don’t get enough time to shine or develop in meaningful ways.

So, if you're looking for a heart-pounding adventure with well-paced romance and loads of hijinks, this book might leave you faint with disappointment. Two stars, because while the potential was there, it ultimately fell flat – more fizzle than sizzle in this Greenwood Forest tale.

I really love Lex Croucher’s writing. This was delightful! I do love the Robin Hood myth. I felt a little more work could have been done to make the reader remember the Robin Hood characters. Sometimes I felt a little lost when they would refer to them. Other than that, it was fun and sapphic. I really enjoyed myself.

loved this! great anxiety rep, and I love a good slow burn enemies to lovers. I love the whole vibe of it- like who doesn’t want to run around the woods and stop in villages??

This is a beautiful story written by Lex Croucher and I cannot stop until I finish reading this book. This is like a whole experience in one package and you should read it.

I really enjoy Lex Croucher’s books and style. This book will appeal to any fan of classic retelling, and LGBTQ+ romances. I did DNF this around 30% as my ARC copy was strangely formatted, making it difficult to read. However, I am eagerly anticipating this release and highly recommend Lex Croucher’s books!

Requested this after reading and loving Gwen and Art are not in love. This one was a fun premise too, but I didn’t find it as enjoyable and witty as Gwen and Art and I think I had a better feel for the characters in the previous book. That said, I think this will still be a hit with the YA crowd.

Lex Croucher has written another YA historical fiction queer romance that will definitely appeal to those who enjoyed their previous book: "Gwen and Art are Not in Love." This time Croucher tackles the Robin Hood mythology instead of Arthurian myth. Robin Hood's granddaughter, Mariel is trying to prove herself as a captain of a band of Merry Men. When she kidnaps Clemence, a healer apprentice, she gets a bit more than she bargained for. Clem is headstrong, knowledgeable, and funny to boot. Readers will enjoy watching Clem and Mariel's relationship grow as they face various challenges. Recommended for YA collections where historical rom coms are popular.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

I was thrilled to get another Lex Croucher book as an eARC! I really loved Gwen & Art and was so excited to read the second queer historical retelling by this author.

Not For The Faint of Heart did not disappoint - when I think of Robin Hood, I think of fast paced adventure with genuine humor and plenty of found family tropes, and this delivered. I loved every character in the company, their dynamics, and their growth over the story. The pacing was difficult at first, as you do meet a lot of characters very quickly and it can be confusing to not only remember them all but to see them from both Clem and Mariel’s perspectives with nicknames aplenty.

Overall, I found myself more interested in some of the side characters than our two FMCs, but never so much that it felt like a chore to read from their POVs. It was a quick and entertaining read, and whatever Lex Croucher writes next in this line of historical queer retellings, I’ll be reading!

This was so good!!! The grumpy/sunshine trope worked perfectly. The fight scenes were great, but I wish we got more time with the side characters because I loved them!!

I loved Lex Croucher's first YA novel, so I was excited to receive an ARC of Not for the Faint of Heart! This book was both funny and charming. I often found myself laughing outloud when any of the characters were speaking. I really loved Clem as a character, as she was the funniest to me and I loved how she handled being kidnapped. Honestly, all of the characters were very likeable and it was easy to become invested in their stories! I really enjoyed reading Not for the Faint of Heart and can't wait to recommend it to my friends!