"From New York Times bestselling author Lex Croucher comes a queer historical YA romance, with all the swoons, laughs, and heart-pounding moments you'd expect from a story about the granddaughter of Robin Hood and the girl she's accidentally kidnapped.

'You aren't merry,' Clem said to her captor. 'And you aren't all men. So there's been some marketing confusion somewhere along the line.'

Mariel, a newly blooded and perpetually grumpy captain of the Merry Men, is desperate to live up to the legacy of her grandfather, the legendary Robin Hood. Clem, a too-perky backwoods healer known for her new-fangled cures, just wants to help people.

When Mariel's ramshackle band of bandits kidnap Clem as retribution for her guardian helping the Sheriff of Nottingham, all seems to be going (sort of) to plan...until Jack Hartley, Mariel's father and Commander of the Merry Men, is captured in a deadly ambush. Determined to prove herself, Mariel sets out to get him back - with her annoyingly cheerful kidnappee in tow.

But the wood is at war. Many believe the Merry Men are no longer on the right side of history. Watching Clem tend the party's wounds and crack relentlessly terrible jokes, Mariel begins to doubt the noble cause to which she has devoted her life. As the two of them grow closer, forced by circumstances to share a single horse and bed, one thing is clear. They must prepare to fight for their lives and for those of everyone they've sworn to protect.

Lex Croucher's Not for the Faint of Heart is a thrilling adventure full of hijinks, found family, and romance destined to change the lives of the inhabitants of the Greenwood Forest forever."

I'm a fan of all things Robin Hood, but I'm REALLY a fan of characters named Clem.

This is a sweet, lighthearted story about friendship and found family, with a dash of popular romance tropes on top.

Lex Croucher’s second historical-ish YA romance absolutely hits its mark, scoring a swoony, humorous, adventurous bullseye. A sapphic take on the Robin Hood legend, the story’s POV alternates between buttoned-down, militaristic Merry Men captain Mariel and newly kidnapped, wryly humorous healer Clem. The two main characters are wonderfully distinct and seemingly incompatible, but knowing the author’s work, readers assume these two are destined to fall for each other. The delightful fun of this novel is witnessing the slow burn of their budding romance grow into the inevitable, roaring fire readers are rooting for.

This brief excerpt from the advanced reader copy deftly shows the delightful dynamic between the repressed and complicated Mariel and her annoyingly free-spirited foil, Clem:

“My life is good,” Mariel said, but it sounded so unconvincing even to her own ears that she wouldn’t have blamed Clem
for laughing. She didn’t.
“Well I’m cold, so come here and make my life a bit better, would you?”
There she went again, just asking for what she wanted, like it was the easiest thing in the world. Mariel was awed and
horrified by it.

Mariel and Clem are surrounded by an ensemble of quirky, unique and engaging characters who are fiercely loyal and fully game for the battles and adventures Mariel leads them on. Simply put, Not For the Faint of Heart is a romantic, riveting and rollickingly good read.

“Gwen and Art Are Not In Love” was one of my favorites last year and Lex Croucher has done it again with this book. Sapphic Robin Hood retelling. Yes please! Creative take on the story. Great supportive cast of “merry men/merry people”. Plot kept it moving with just enough romance. Lex Croucher is going on my favorites list. I dig the writing and I love these queer retellings. Thank you!

Thank you Wednesday Books for my free ARC of Title by Not for the Faint of Heart — available Nov 26!

» READ IF YOU «
🏹 love irreverent fairytale/folklore retellings
💚 are a sucker for a good found family trope
👯‍♀️ enjoy strong, vibrant women in your stories

» SYNOPSIS «
Clem finds herself a captive of the Merry Men, a group she idolizes (though they're neither merry nor men), and ends up acting as the team healer when things start to go south. Mariel, the captain, learns of her father's capture at the same time she starts to doubt the noble cause her represents to her, and the whole band of un-merry un-men will have to work together to save what they truly care about.

» REVIEW «
This was a super cute little adventure romance! I loved the grumpy-sunshine dynamics of Mariel and Clem (I'm such a sucker for this), and fell hard for the strong found family vibes throughout the book. This story was pitched to me as similar to "The Princess Bride" which is one of my all-time favorite movies — I also looooved Gwen and Art Are Not In Love by Lex Croucher — so my expectations were extremely high and not quite satisfied. Nevertheless, I had a great time with these quirky characters and their wild adventures!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This was a thoroughly entertaining Robin Hood retelling. I liked that it focused on the "after" of Robin Hood taking a step back from leadership and the dynamics and hierarchy of the Merry Men. All the elements expected from Robin Hood are found in this story, with no shortage of romantic tension.

All of the characters are interesting and have lots of depth, including the side characters. Clem and Mariel alternate chapter perspectives, and I enjoyed the contrast between their outlooks and approaches. Both of them have very satisfying character arcs and are extremely relatable with the lessons that they learn and the work that they choose to do. Of course, they have a strong support system in their own company among the Merry Men--each of these characters have their own tragic backstory, personality, and are very much not relegated to the sidelines. The found family atmosphere is strong among them.

Although some parts of the book can be pretty dark, the author successfully maintains a consistently light, happy writing style with genuinely funny character dialogue and interactions. Clem's optimism and lack of self-preservation make her an unforgettable character. The pacing was done well, and I liked the ending (although I did want to see more from one of them). I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a Robin Hood story with a new cast of characters, lots of romance, and plenty of mischief.

Loved this journey into a new world of Robin Hood and the entire universe and characters just came to life for me. It’s a lovely journey and I just can’t wait to take the ride again just as soon as I possibly can.

Croucher's last YA historical (fantasy?) novel set the bar really high for me in terms of humorous writing, and this new book didn't quite meet it—but it was still great fun. Her last book in this category was just hilarious line after line, and this book was more quirky characters, ridiculous situations, goofy and irreverent dialogue—so still enjoyable, just not quite the same. I especially enjoyed Clem for all her cheerful, funny remarks, and how good and self-assured she was. Their little teenage band was also really sweet and hit me the most in the feels. Overall, I thought it was a good time.

This was a good, action-packed story! I really liked the main characters, Mariel and Clem, and thought they had great chemistry. Personally, I was expecting a bit more romance than there was as well as more Robin Hood-like activities, but overall the story was very entertaining and I think the target audience will find this very fun and enjoyable.

What an absolute adventure! This book was such a rollercoaster and I’m so glad I was tall enough to ride!!
The writing in this book was sharp and easy to follow and kept me entertained. The dynamics and romance between Clem and Mariel were wonderfully swoon-worthy.
I loved it so much!
Looking forward to Lex's future works!

3.5/5
This story is set in the world of Robing Hood, centering around his granddaughter Mariel. She captains her own band of Merry Men and is set on proving her to her dad, who in turn leads the Merry Men as a whole after Robin retired, that she is worthy of leading. The other main character is Clem, a healer who is kidnapped (more like she volunteered herself) by Mariel's group because she and her mentor are accused of aiding the Sheriff of Nottingham people. I think she was my favorite character, she was witty and funny with a deeply good heart, all she wanted to do was help people. Mariel was her opposite so it lead to that grumpy/sunshine dynamic which is fun but in this case I didn't think there was that much connection between them. It had good side characters that added good banter and interactions. In general I think the story was good but a bit drawn out in certain parts which made if feel a bit long and repetitive. Like they would go on a mission, be impulsive, then a lull. Another mission, more lull and so on. Overall great concept though.

Thank you to NetGalley and S. Martin's press for this ARC, all opinions are my own.

This is the story of Robin Hood's granddaughter, Mariel and a local healer, Clem. The main and side characters were fully three dimensional. The dialog is witty. The only issue for me was the plot was confusing and meandering. There's a lot bickering between characters and real fighting with the bad guys, but I didn't always know what the purpose of it was. The slow burn between Mariel and Clem was excellent and that's the reason I kept with the story.
Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

DNF @ 8%. For now. Might revisit
I was so excited to receive this arc. While I haven’t read Gwen and Art Aren’t in Love yet, I’ve only heard good things. So when I saw this book by that same author, I was so excited to check it out. Unfortunately I realized by chapter 2 that this probably wasn’t going to be for me. I gave it another few more chapters though before determining to DNF. You know when you and your friends are drunk and think you’re the funniest people around? But if you were to record yourselves it would sounds more like the ramblings of an incoherent person. Yeah this book came across as that same tone. And I’m way too sober to be around that right now.
I think I will try to give this book another chance at a later date. But at this moment, I could not do it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

Another winner from Lex Croucher. Not for the Faint of Heart is a fresh, fun take on Robin Hood, jumping ahead two generations to Robin Hood's granddaughter, Mariel, and a later, complicated version of the Merry Men. Desperate to prove herself as a captain and granddaughter of Robin, Mariel takes a hostage in the form of Clem, a cheerful, cheeky healer who gets dragged along on Mariel's adventures and remains unusually unfazed by it. While not a fighter, Clem is a pretty natural fit for Mariel's company of quirky Merry Men, who become a sweet, funny family. As always, Croucher's writing is hilarious and they do a great job blending the historical setting and issues with a modern sensibility.

I do think the pacing was a bit off and the book ran a little long, while some important key points, such as Clem and Mariel's relationship developing into romance, didn't get started until quite late. The last act of the novel is a rollercoaster of action, revelations, and successfully raised stakes, and it's very satisfying to see how Mariel, in particular, evolves and comes into her own, rather than living for her father, by the end.

4.25/5 stars
This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I had previously read and loved Gwen and Art are not in Love by Lex Croucher so when the publisher offered me an ARC of Not for the Faint of Heart I knew I just had to read it.
This book did not disappoint, in general I think that readers will enjoy this book if they like reading about a ragtag bunch of queer youths who somehow found each other in this big wide world just to act like a bunch of fools. You will love this book if you have some sort of emotional connection to the story of Robin Hood. Personally, I am just mildly familiar with the tale, so the intricacies were lost on me. My lack of Robin Hood background didn't negatively impact my understanding and enjoyment of the book, but it could've improved my overall experience for sure.
I loved the main crew of characters in this book so much, I do think that some of the side characters were lacking a bit in terms of personality but they were not a major focus so I am okay with forviving that. While I overall enjoyed the story, I do think there were times when the plot felt a bit directionless, and as soon as a mission/direction was identified, the group went into it so impulsively that there wasn't a lot of buildup with major story events. This impulsivity is part of the characterization of our beloved group of Merry Men but I’m still allowed to feel that it hurt my enjoyment of the book. The very end felt a bit rushed, but that could also be because I was reading at warp speed because I loved the book so much.
Overall, I liked this book and would recommend it. I won't be knocking down doors and screaming from the rooftops trying to get people to read it, but I will definitely be bringing it up in conversations because I know many people will love it.

A fun read. I enjoyed the story line and the interaction between the characters. I enjoyed watching the growth of the main character as she stopped trying to be the perfect shadow and became her own person.

I received this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Incredible. no notes.
jk, i have SOME notes.
first, let me say, it is very difficult, in my opinion, for lex croucher to produce anything bad. and they still haven’t. i received and reviewed and arc of Gwen and Art are not in Love last year and fell in love with their writing immediately. Croucher’s characters, no matter who they are or what they believe, are complex and multi-layered that it’s hard to decide whether to like them or not, hero or villain. and i think that’s so important. to show every facet of a character instead of reducing them to a trope.

Mariel. she’s hard, she’s jaded, she seeks approval from her father, she’s a captain. but in the end she’s just a kid forced to make grow up decisions to stay alive. and she was written so beautifully.
and Clem. oh my god i love clem. she’s witty, she’s smart, she’s caring, and she holds steadfast to her code of honor. she deserves so much.
clem and mariel together felt like a stretch at the beginning. i couldn’t see mariel breaking down her walls enough for clem. but the way their relationship developed was so fitting and perfect. and less love for them.
and the company! baxter, josey, kit, morgan. incredibly family dynamics. love them to pieces.
ok that’s the end of my notes. everyone read lex croucher!

A rollicking good time! Robin Hood has retired and his granddaughter is desperately trying to make her way as a captain in the band of Merry Men. She accidentally kidnaps the wrong healer who decides to join her little band of queer found family fighters. And the adventures begin!

I loved this story. The dialogue was fun and snarky and the characters were adorable and I just wanted to adopt them all. The romance was sweet with just the right amount of heat for YA. And the setting was gorgeous. All my childhood Robin Hood fantasies come to life.

The plot was full of adventure with twists and turns I didn’t see coming. And I loved the ending.

This was a gorgeous historical fantasy with amazing queer characters that brought me back to my childhood dreams of following Robin Hood through the forest. I highly recommend it and am grateful to @netgalley as well as @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for my free ebook and audio copies to review.

Croucher just gets better and better! Another YA queering of British folklore: these next-gen Merry Men are out to steal your heart. The banter flies as thick and fast as the arrows. Without compromising on adventure, Coucher seamlessly weaves in an arc about healing, love, loss, and the family you choose. For every queer kid who felt a little (or a lot) outlaw, this one's for us!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

4.25/5 stars

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!