(3.5 rounded down to a 3)

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher is a queer YA historical romance.

Art(hur), a descendant of King Arthur, is betrothed to Gwen(dolyn), the princess of England. But turns out, Art is gay and Gwen is at least bi, so they strike a deal to pretend to be into their engagement to hide their true selves.

This book was just okay for me, though I did laugh out loud a few times. I liked it enough to finish it, but it moved a little slow and was pretty long so it felt meandering at times. I also think it's a little bit more on the younger side of YA than I typically like to read.

The prose was good, and I've read other things by this author and will continue to read from them. The end of the book had a lot more action than the first 3/4s and if it was more like that throughout I would have been more engaged in the plot.

Aside from queer representation, Arthur's mother was Muslim and Bridget, a lady night, is Thai.

If you like YA books and you're looking for a queer spin on the mythology of King Arthur, you should give Gwen & Art Are Not In Love a try.

This is a cute queer book, but I felt very underwhelmed. I didn’t feel super drawn to the characters and I didn’t really care what happened to the characters. There’s this big event near the end and I didn’t see why it happened. I understand that a lot of romance novels have that they are friend or whatever, then fall in love, then something bad happens, but then they get their happy ever after. But this was strange.

I really wanted to like this, but it ended up just not working. The pacing was weird so I was bored quite a bit of the time, none of the characters were super lovable, and there were some plot holes/inconsistencies that were irritating. I was really intrigued by the premise and there were some parts that were super promising, but the outcome was something that did not leave a lasting impression.

A really fun read by Lex Croucher that only made me love them more! This queer historical romance has already been super successful and I have no doubt Lex Croucher will only became even more of a powerhouse in the future. Officially an auto-buy author!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this title.

Unfortunately, this book did not work for me and I have decided to DNF.

A beautiful, sweeping delight of a book! I'd heard high praise for this one going in and can proudly say that I was NOT disappointed. With a colorful cast of characters and a humorous, heartwarming tone, I'd recommend this to any romantasy lovers out there looking for a new favorite to add to their shelves.

I love a retelling and this was a refreshing YA take on the classic Kind Arthur and Gwen tale. I loved the writing style and how witty each of the character's were. They had such big personalities which helps you instatly feel connected to them.

Utterly delightful. Art’s voice made me laugh, made my day, made my week! I wish more YA fantasy read like this.

A refreshing retelling! Camelot is an oft-retold story and this was such a refreshing and modern exploration of the myth.

Arthurian legend was once one of my personality traits, so a super queer retelling sounded totally up my alley. The writing didn't end up working for me and I struggled to get past the first few chapters. Just not to my taste.

This is a delicious book for readers of Heartstopper and other cozy queer YA books. Plenty of swoon-worthy romance, plenty of laughs.

Gwen and Art are not in love is a different take on a classic tale full of fun and entertainment. Set in medieval England, Gwen and Art are betrothed to marry each other. Neither one of them wants to marry, but for the same reason. They are both gay and prefer someone else. Art prefers her handsome brother, the heir to the throne and Gwen prefers a beautiful female knight, Bridget LeClair. They agree to fake date and marry to hid these truths. I found the book enjoyable, but it was very predictable and slow moving for me.

I really enjoyed GWART. It was sweet and laugh-out-loud funny in a way that I didn’t expect. Blurbed as Heartstopper meets A Knights Tale, I totally felt the inspiration and that made me like it even more! I’m a sucker for a good Arthurian tale, and this was nothing like I expected it to be, but in the best way.

First off, this is just hilarious. Lex Croucher’s writing is sublime and they created fantastic and heartwarming characters that you immediately fall in love with. They’re deeply flawed, but have hearts of gold and you root for them the entire story. Gwen and Art have the ultimate friendship and I loved watching their relationship bloom as the story continued. Having this be dual perspective really helped you connect with both of them individually and I don’t think it would have been as successful otherwise. Gabriel, my darling, tortured boy. I loved him so much and I just wanted to wrap him in blankets and give him cake.

GWART is an excellent story about finding yourself and the lengths that you’d go to protect the ones you love. It is genuinely stressful at times, especially towards the climax, and I never knew where the story was going to go. The battle scene was heartwrenching, but I found the ending satisfying, especially knowing how far they came.

Really just a fun book!

I had such a good time in this Arthurian spin-off seen through the eyes of Gwen and Art. The found family, utter queerness, personal growth, and non-stop sarcasm are perfection in this historical queer YA novel.

My face hurt reading this story from how often I was smiling and giggling at the back-and-forth commentary between these characters. Unfortunately, the banter was not reflective of “the time”; however, I enjoyed it too much to hold that against the author as I cannot picture Art being any different from the amazing character she created.

I had so much fun with this story and I’m hoping to read more by Lex Croucher very soon!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press / Wednesday Books for an E-ARC copy of this book!

This book was so much fun! I think it would be great for fans of the Lady Janies and Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue.

Gwendoline and Arthur are betrothed, but neither one of them is happy about it. A few months before they are due to be married, they are forced to spend one summer in Camelot, where they each discover secrets about the other...Art likes to kiss boys and Gwen harbors a VERY big crush on a lady knight. After their secrets are discovered, they decide to cover for each other so they can be with the people they really want to be with. And along the way, they discover that they might actually be good at being friends.

There was so much to love about this book. Friendship, love, espionage, action, laugh out loud moments. There were amazing characters that will stay in your heart long after the book closes. Both Art and Gwen grow in big ways throughout the novel, and the world building was so well-done. I had so much fun reading this book. The humorous historical fantasy genre is growing, and I love that it is because teens love to read it and I love to recommend it to them.

"Gwen & Art Are Not in Love" by Lex Croucher is a delightful rom-com that offers a fresh and witty take on the classic friends-to-lovers trope. Set in the bustling streets of London, the novel follows the hilarious misadventures of its endearing protagonists, Gwen and Art, as they navigate the complexities of friendship, romance, and identity. Croucher's sharp humor and relatable characters make for an engaging and entertaining read, while her insightful exploration of love and self-discovery adds depth to the story. With its charming blend of humor, heart, and hijinks, "Gwen & Art Are Not in Love" is a delightful romp that will leave readers smiling from ear to ear.

I enjoy a good retelling, especially with a queer twist. This was an entertaining read, and I look forward to more works by the author.

Super interesting, plot kept me on my toes the entire time but something felt off in the writing itself. It may just be a me thing but overall I am thoroughly glad to have been allowed to read this

Queer love!!! What's not to love; This book is exactly as marketed: A queer, YA story set in the Arthurian age about a bunch of gay teens doing gay things and I loved it!! It was a light and easy read and a fun take on the fake-relationship/forced-marriage trope which is one of my favorites. I finished it pretty quickly in one (admittedly long) sitting, and was left just feeling really uplifted by the story and the depth of the characters. Rom-com romances novels can sometimes be old and follow a certain predictable script but I don't think this story fell into that trap. It did start out a little slow and I wasn't initially really rooting for Gwen and Art (they both started as initially unlikable for me) but that made their growth and initiative throughout the story all the more interesting. I was truly invested in their respective stories by the end, and I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an easy digestible treat of a story.

A fun medieval-style romp with two endearing queer characters at its helm? Sign me up! I loved 'Gwen and Art Are Not in Love' as a story and I also loved its characters (particularly Art). I loved the character growth that happened for all the characters, especially for Gwen - it made it an immensely satisfying arc to follow. I also loved the way it played with and subverted Arthurian legend in a clever way. As always, Lex Croucher continues to write a brand of historical fiction that weaves in a modern wit and vibe in a fun new setting that reads as fresh, funny and deeply relatable. I highly recommend!

**Many thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!