Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher is a fantastic book.
A sapphic LGBT with great representation, I absolutely loved this book!

Endearing with wonderful characters filled with adventure, this is my favorite book of the authors!

This is the second YA book from Lex Croucher, following the release of Gwen and Art Are Not in Love last year. Instead of the legend of King Arthur and his knights, this book draws from the tales of Robin Hood and his Merry Men.

Clem is an apprentice healer. When the Merry Men come to her door in search of Rosie, who she is learning from, Clem volunteers to go in her place, effectively becoming a captive.

From here, we meet Mariel Hartley-Hood (yes, related to Robin Hood), and some other Merry Men, and we begin to follow their adventures.

There is a grumpy/sunshine romance in this book which is cute but felt a bit rushed and out of nowhere. The banter is well written between all the characters as it was in Croucher’s last book.

I will be honest and say that I didn’t think much happened in the first 60% of the book. The beginning starts off well and then for the next chunk of the book we get to know the Merry Men and hear a bit about their mission, but this part of the book was pretty slow for me and was hard to get through. If I had to choose, I would say the “vibes” in this book were stronger than the plot.

Overall a cute read and fans of Croucher will enjoy. If you have not yet read a book by Lex Croucher, do yourself a favor and read Gwen and Art Are Not in Love first before this one, as I was glad I did.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for a review.

Not for the Faint of Heart was a witty and heartwarming story that was the perfect fantasy book! Lex Croucher has become an auto purchase author for me. If you enjoyed Gwen & Art Are Not in Love then you will definitely love this book!

Queer story set in the world of Nottingham, with one of the main characters being Robin Hood's grandchild. Charming and emotional. Lex continues to write books I love.

ARC from publisher via NetGalley, but the opinions are my own.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for giving me access to an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Not for the Faint of Heart is about the granddaughter, Mariel, of the infamous Robin Hood, who has now retired to France and left the Merry Men in the care of Mariel's father. The book opens with Mariel and her group of Merry Men - who are not all Merry and not all men - kidnapping Clementine or Clem, a healer. Clem and Mariel enjoy a teasing rapport and don't get along - at first. Not all is well with the Merry Men and as events unfold, Mariel begins to realize that the modern Merry Men aren't doing as much good as they used to, during her Grandfather's time.

Clem is a delight. Despite being kidnapped, blindfolded, mocked and having to sleep on the dirt, she cracks jokes and remains extremely positive, much to the chagrin of Mariel. Clem quickly wins over the rest of Mariel's compatriots, but it takes longer for Clem to win Mariel's affection. I can see why Mariel comes around to the hilarious Clem, but I don't see what Mariel brings to the table. She's too serious and I never really warmed up to her character. Other characters in the band, like the cantankerous Morgan, manage to be grumpy but still be likeable.

This is a refreshing take on the Robin Hood legend and I like that it continues the story with the next generation.

This book was a DELIGHT. There were so many moments I laughed out loud at the witty writing. Although this is technically YA, I found the writing to be sophisticated and engaging (even at age 31). I cannot wait to go read more books by Lex Croucher. Her ability to write a loving found family and convincing, sweet sapphic romance completely captivated me. The only thing I would have liked more of was some intimate conversations/ vulnerability between the two leading ladies.

Not for the Faint of Heart is my definition of a comfort read. It’s a spectacular romp that will have you grinning ear to ear (until, of course, you’re crying but alas here we are).

I am a sucker for queer found family and this was the perfect place to be. I was hooked on Clem from the first line of this novel and every moment since. The Merry Men were a superb group of mischiefs that quickly felt like close friends.

Lex Croucher has the magic touch when it comes to sapphic romance. I’m always left in a puddle of butterflies once tensions build between the MCs. Clem and Mariel were firmly in slow-burn territory but once things kicked off between them, it was marvelous.

This whole book was marvelous, and I will definitely be picking it up for a reread.

Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Wednesday Books for the Advanced Reader Copy!

Lex Croucher, the person you are<3 Incredibly huge thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this arc! After Gwen and Art, Lex Croucher immediately became and auto buy author for me and they have absolutely done it again. Taken a well known classic tale and went “ oh this can be so much gayer” Not For The Faint Of Heart is a beautiful and entertaining story about finding yourself and letting yourself be cared for. Clem was absolutely hilarious and Mariel was so relatable. (she is an only child but she is so hispanic eldest daughter coded) All of Mariel’s crew were incredibly interesting and important and I definitely didn’t cry when Baxter died. All together this is a beautiful and fun read!

I loved Gwen and Art are not in love, so was super excited to dive into Not for the Faint of Heart. It’s a true cozy romcom with a splash of enemies to lovers. It is a sapphic twist on Robin Hood and I loved every second of it. Highly recommend.

I really got historical romcom hallmark movie vibes. All the zingy one liners got a little boring halfway through, but I also think they toned down or I got used to them. The plot was also a little shaky. There was a lot of backtracking to older plot points that I’m not sure if it worked out. However I did appreciate the twist at the end and the final few chapters were very nice to wrap up the story. In the end, I feel like the characters will be the deciding factor for if someone would continue reading. I really enjoyed the characters. I felt like there was a good diversity among the characters. I did enjoy how the plot included the history of each character and not just the main couple’s history. The relationships, both romantic and friendship based, were very well developed and fun to read about. It’s perhaps not the most intricate book but it is entertaining and cute.

People who like this light humorous writing will probably enjoy My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand.

Not for the Faint of Heart is another fantastic YA romance by author Lex Croucher. This reimagining of Robin Hood with a queer romantic adventure that had me hooked from the very first pages. The story is completely unique but we know the world it is set in from Robin Hood to Sherwood Forest, to the Sheriff of Nottingham. Robin Hood's granddaughter has much to prove, Mariel just can't seem to please her father and gain his trust. After kidnapping Clem, who is a talented healer and a ray of sunshine, her group needs to put her skills to use almost immediately. As they work to free her captured father, Jack, Mariel starts to see that things have changed under her father's leadership. Are the Merry Men still in the right and are they doing the work that her grandfather started?

I loved this grumpy sunshine duo. Clem is an amazing character. She can make the best of a bad situation and raise spirits as well as heal wounds. The story has a well-developed adventure. There is action and fighting, but we also get to know the characters. The group that Mariel is the captain of is close and like a family. Their personalities and importance to the group added depth to the story. It was to root for this group even as the author showed us how much Mariel still needed to grow.

I have loved all of Lex Croucher's books but this one may be my favorite so far. I am anxious to see what is next.
Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Wednesday Books for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

This book is absolutely adorable. I've always loved books/films featuring Robin Hood's daughter or, in this case, his granddaughter. Overall just a really fun ya read.

Clem is refreshing, silly, and kind almost to a fault. She is the Sunshine to Mariel's Grumpy. I loved watching Mariel's mindset shift as she learned to stand on her own two feet.

Loved how quickly Mariel's motley crew accepted Clem. Morgan especially was well fleshed out and their backstory and personality added so much to the story.

Content: closed door ff romance, death that will rip your heart out, and an abundance of adorableness that will have you giggling and kicking your feet

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I noticed a couple of negative reviews, so I read over them and I want to remind people that despite some of them wanting it to be an adult book, it’s a YA book. I think it’s VERY important for YA books to have deep topics that make kids think and explore their own feelings and this book does it wonderfully.

It’s about questioning authority, it’s about finding your boundaries, your personal beliefs and your personal morals despite whatever you’ve been raised to believe. It’s about learning how to question the world around you and ask yourself where you fit in. What’s normal? And you can have a complicated relationship with parents you love but who aren’t meeting your needs. It’s about found family, and learning how to fall in love when you’ve been too scared. All really fantastic topics for teens to explore.

If you’re 15 and you haven’t had a partner before, the miscommunication and light romance will feel like it makes sense. Maybe if you’re 30 it won’t feel romantic to you. Romance is about building a friendship and learning to trust.

On top of this, there’s cute banter, there’s grumpy x sunshine trope, there’s Robin Hood, and a mix of trans/nonbinary/poc/queer characters that will provide representation for all kinds of teens. I found myself loving them all, and to be able to make me love a character so much in such a short time is a feat in itself.

I liiiiked this book. But unfortunately didn't love it. It never grabbed me like Croucher's former. It has a lot of heart and cute scenes though so don't pass it up if you're interested.

This was such a delightfully funny read, and I’m so glad for it! Clem is kidnapped by Mariel and her Merry Men — ahem, I mean “a collection of people experiencing a full range of emotions” and so kicks off an adventure in this queer YA novel. The crew consists of several mismatched characters with the singular goal of living up to Robin Hood’s name under the leadership of their captain, Mariel Hartley-Hood (yes, his granddaughter).

I appreciated how the author dealt with Mariel’s complicated relationship with both her parents and the accompanying trauma that it has caused in her life. Most importantly, however, I loved the character of Clem — her hilarious asides and general misguided optimism really made me give this book 5 stars. I liked this book so much more than Gwen and Art, and would recommend to anyone who wants a queer retelling of Robin Hood.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC!
This had a lot of the same humor that I loved from Gwen & Art Are Not in Love, and I loved the characters in Not for the Faint of Heart as well. While Gwen & Art is still my favorite, I think that Lex Croucher's writing is just as strong in this novel. I loved seeing Clem and Mariel argue with each other, and I immediately fell in love with the side characters as well. I've always loved the stories about Robin Hood and the Merry Men, and this is a wonderful addition.

I have mixed feelings about this book.

As a fan of Robin Hood retelling/spin-offs, I was excited to dive into this queer historical YA romance. However, the book didn’t quite meet my expectations in several areas.

Firstly, the “rip-roaringly romantic” aspect that was promised seemed to be missing. If it was there, I must have missed it. The romance between the characters felt underdeveloped and lacked the intensity I was hoping for.

Additionally, the book was described as “fast-paced,” but I found it to be quite the opposite. The story took an excruciating amount of time to pick up, and it wasn’t until about 55% of the way through that it started to feel more engaging. The initial chapters were slow and made it difficult to stay invested in the plot.

Despite these issues, there were elements of the book that I did enjoy. The concept of a Robin Hood spin-off a focus on found family was intriguing.

However, Mariel and Clem were boring to me. Kit and Baxter had me more intrigued and their dynamics added a layer of depth that kept me engaged..

While, Not for the Faint of Heart had some promising elements, it ultimately fell short of my expectations. I really wanted to love it, but I only ended up liking it.

If you’re a fan of slow-burn romances and enjoy unique takes on classic tales, you might still find this book worth a read.

The premise of this book and the gorgeous cover drew me in! Unfortunately, it didn't quite hit the spot for me, but it still had a lot of good.

The good:
- The Sherwood Forest setting was mystical, ethereal, and so easy to picture in my mind!
- The writing was beautiful and witty. It had me laughing so many times!
- There was such a strong cast of side characters. They were well fleshed out and probably my favorite part of the book.
- I loved that this was a queernormative world! We have two sapphic characters, a trans character, a gay character, and a non-binary character. In addition, Robin Hood is queer! The characters' queerness is included so naturally and they don't face any discrimination because of it. It was so comforting and lovely to read.

The less good:
- The pacing was inconsistent. Not a ton happens for the first 70% of the book and then we jump into a bunch of very intense and emotional battle scenes that move very quickly. It was a little jarring!
- I wanted to see character growth from Mariel earlier in the book. She is incredibly stubborn and when we finally reach a moment where it seems like she might be making progress, she digs in even harder. She turns things around eventually, but so close to the end of the book that I wasn't invested anymore.
- I would consider this more of a historical fiction set in the Robin Hood world rather than a rom-com. There was a big focus on the group of characters, which was delightful, rather than the two love interests so I was left feeling disconnected from the romance.

There were some aspects that prevented me from fully loving this book and I think it is important to read content warnings for this one since there were some very dark themes that took me by surprise. But overall, there is a lot to love about this book and I won't hesitate to recommend it to others! I think this will be the perfect read for many.

Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher is an adventurous dive into a post-Robin Hood world, brimming with humor, heart, and a touch of medieval chaos. The story follows Mariel, the granddaughter of the legendary Robin Hood, as she grapples with the weight of his legacy while navigating her own path as a captain among the Merry Men. It’s a slow burn that evolves into a fast-paced romp, but not without some hiccups along the way.

Mariel’s journey is both relatable and frustrating—caught between living up to her family’s name and trying to earn the respect she deserves. While the romance between Mariel and Clem, a kidnapped healer, doesn’t quite take center stage, their chemistry adds a sweet layer to the tale. The humor is there, though it can feel a bit forced at times. Still, if you’re a fan of queer medieval rom-coms with a strong ensemble cast, this one’s worth a read.

I enjoyed this title, but I will not be leaving a public review until St. Martin's Press makes a specific and official statement on how they will mitigate the harm caused by an employees racist posts online, and how they will protect their Palestinian and Muslim, as well as BIPOC, readers, influencers, authors, and employees moving forward.