5 stars - Outstanding!

I loved this! The story and the setting were fantastic, and I adored Maddie and Arthur. The author does a fantastic job with the grief and loss aspects of the story as well as the body image pieces. I was highlighting passage after passage. The writing here is terrific. This book was a perfect fit for me. (Language)

There is so much to love about The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway! It took me a few days to get into it, but once I hit about 30%, I finished the rest in one sitting.
First off, I loved Madeline’s character. Madeline (aka Gwen) is dealing with the grief of losing her mother and coming up on the first anniversary of her mother’s death. Her grief felt very real and honest. We see her grappling with getting close to anyone, scared she’ll lose someone else. I also loved that she was a plus sized main character. She is a teen with insecurities about that, and while it’s not the main focus of the book, I did think it was handled really well.
Arthur was also the perfect balance to Madeline’s character. He was funny, kind, and sweet, while Madeline was more grumpy and standoffish. And their banter? *Chef’s kiss* Arthur’s dealing with his own insecurities and body issues in the book as well, feeling too thin, not muscular enough. That was such an impactful inclusion, since men and boy’s body insecurities aren’t as seen… well, anywhere.
There was a great cast of background characters as well: Arthur’s dads Tim and Martin, Madeline’s dad, Madeline’s best friend Fatima, Bre, Noah, Arthur’s extended family. I adored every character, and I was happy to see there wasn’t a villainized character.
I also really enjoyed the background of the Renaissance Faire. It made an interesting setting, and while I’ve never been to one, I could easily imagine it.
My only complaint is maybe the pacing? I have a hard time getting into books a lot until it picks up. This one felt pretty slow in the beginning and really picked up around 50%. But then it seemed like they had to cut out part of the book and we’d get time jumps and summaries of events that I would’ve liked to see in the book—like Arthur and Maddie’s adventures.
In the end, it’s a must read for me, and my review probably isn’t doing it justice. It’s honest, funny, a little sad, and thought provoking. I will definitely be picking up this author’s next book.
Thank you Wednesday books a million times for sending me an ARC!

This is a sweet & heartwarming Young Adult book. I attended Renaissance Faires in my teen years and then promptly forgot about them for the next 20 years until picking up Well Met in the last few years. I loved the Well Met series and this reminded me a lot of it. It's part romance and part coming-of-age. I enjoyed it!

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway by Ashley Schumacher
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Madeline has been noticing lots of things since her mother died almost a year ago. And mostly it has been that life just keeps going. But this year her mothers favorite renaissance faire has changed a lot, and Madeline doesn’t like it. And she is determined to NOT be friends with the new guy at the faire who’s dressed as a bard and follows her around.
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This was a wonderfully heartfelt story of grief and finding a way to open your heart again after losing a loved one.
I felt hit in the heart at everything Maddie was feeling and trying to keep inside.
I adored her “not” friendship with Arthur, and loved that he dragged her on these road trips.
Maddie does a lot of growing throughout the summer long story and it felt honest and real.
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I especially loved Arthur’s story for “Gwen” at the end. 🥺🥰
Solid 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I would recommend this book, especially if you enjoy YA or RenFaire or Young coming of age type stories.

A sweet story of love, grief, and becoming who you’re meant to be. Maddie has spent her whole childhood on the renaissance faire circuit with her parents. After her mom dies just before Maddie’s senior year, she and her dad have been looking forward to revisiting her mom’s favorite faire. Only this year, everything is different. The grounds are cleaner, the structures are fancier, and there’s an honest-to-goodness moat around the castle. Maddie learns that this was the work of Arthur’s dads. Arthur, the geeky teen bard who calls her Gwen and seems determined to be friends, even as Maddie is just as determined to protect her heart from any more love or loss.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

Madeline Hathaway has grown up working the renaissance faire circuit alongside her parents. After her mother’s death, Madeline becomes obsessed with documenting her life. Her father and her best friend are the only two people left in her life that she truly loves, and she’s determined to keep it that way, because anyone she loves is someone who could be taken away from her. Until she and her father reach the last faire of the season (and her mother’s favorite), and she meets Arthur, son of the new owners. Madeline (who Arthur nicknames “Gwen”) tries to keep Arthur at a distance, but they slowly become friends and maybe more in this really sweet story of grief, friendship/young love, and moving on. As someone who lost my mom when I was only a few years older than Madeline, I really identified with her grief. I also suspect that the author has experienced similar loss, because it felt really authentic. There were some hard parts, but also plenty of lightheartedness to balance it out. I wasn’t sure how I would like the ren faire aspect, but it was really fun, and I’d recommend this one for a cute and sad-but-not-too-sad YA. Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC!

What a lovely story by Ashley Schumacher!! Madeline and Arthur are wonderful characters who each have their own personal growth while learning from and with each other. This story offers inspiration and hope, while Madeline navigates the grief of losing her mother and returning to the site of her favorite faire I loved the Renaissance Faire setting and loved this story! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

*I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I went into The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway expecting a lot, and I was absolutely pleased with this novel. This was my first Ashley Schumacher book and I will absolutely be coming back for more.

"Dumplin' meets Well Met" is how this book caught my eye, and it absolutely delivered on that promise. Fat Ren Faire shenanigans? ABSOLUTELY. The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway is delightful, and covers difficult topics (grief) with care and attention, and shows Madeline organically accepting her fatness. Add in a sprinkling of queer side characters and this book can't be beat.

If we were judging simply off cuteness factors, this book would get all the stars. Now, thank goodness that everything else in this book was *simply the best* because the entirety of this book was a five star read for me.

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway wasn’t just a story of finding yourself, it was also about the power of friendships, the cataclysmic power of grief and how it can just completely change you as a person but it was also about the love that two lost teenagers were able to find in each other.

I adored the heck out of this book in its entirety and I cannot thank Wednesday Books & the author for both sending me an early galley of this book and for writing such a beyond amazing book respectively.

Make sure you pick this one up next time you’re book shopping!

An amazing YA romance set in the Renaissance faire world. Madeline has always live in the faire world with her parents. Now before her senior year she navigates her favorite faire a year after losing her mom to cancer. She meets Arthur who swoops in and reteaches her to be strong and brave and set out to tame the world. A beautiful story of learning to live with the loss of a parent, learning to not live in a grief loop, to try new things. Body positivity also thrown in to make it even more amazing!

Madeline Hathaway is ready for her favorite Renaissance Faire. And she’s not. It’s been almost a year since she lost her mother to cancer. She had spent most of her life on the road with her parents, working Ren Fest after Ren Fest. It’s all she knows. That and grief. Now she’s back for her favorite Renaissance Faire, at the one that was her mother’s favorite, at the one that was the last one her mother could attend, and everything is different. Madeline looks around her, and literally everything is different.

It had been dusty paths and a fake castle. Now the paths are all paved, the structures are all sturdy, and the castle is real. There is an actual castle, with a real moat, on the Faire grounds. For Madeline, this is disappointing. She had been looking forward to spending the summer there, remembering her mother and trying to think of what to do with her life. She has one more year of her online high school, and then she has to make decisions about her future. Instead, she is standing at a moat, wondering what happened to her plans.

As she stares into the water of the moat, Madeline is interrupted by a young bard who tries to cheer her up. He calls her Gwen and tries to sing her songs, but she stops him. Arthur is unstoppable, however, and ends up not only becoming an acquaintance but also talking Maddie into becoming the princess of the Faire and going on adventures with him during the week.

As the days and then the weeks go by, Maddie finds herself enjoying her time with Arthur more and more. She adds her good feelings to her journal. Since her mom died, Maddie has been marking things in her journal, like talks with her dad or calls with her best friend. Her therapist calls it her noticing, and Maddie feels compelled to make her marks, so that she doesn’t lose anyone or anything else that she treasures. But as her life fills up with good feelings and good times, she finds that she has less time for the noticing.

Maddie’s world seems to grow through the weeks she spends with Arthur and his compassionate way of helping her face her fears. But when she’s faced with a possible heartbreak again, will she take the chance at happiness, or will she hide away with her journal and her noticing and her grief?

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway is a sweet romance about grief and growing up, about dealing with insecurity and isolation, about opening up to road trips, video games, coloring, and actual friendship. This book has a lot of kindness and gentleness, which is good, because there is also a lot of pain and sadness. But this journey is important and healing and filled with laughter and lovely surprises.

I found a lot to love with The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway. Maddie is a fantastic character with flaws and strengths and beauty and confusion, and I adored her. Author Ashley Schumacher has crafted this adorable romance and then set it at a Renaissance Faire, with all the vendors and pageantry and camel jousting to add fun and adventure. While there were a few tears shed during this book, I had lots of laughs too, and I really appreciated the kindness and compassion in these relationships. This is simply an enchanting story, and I am grateful that fate dropped it into my library.

Egalleys for The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway were provided by Wednesday Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Madeline (Gwen) and her father are spending their annual summer doing the Oklahoma renaissance faire circuit. Except, this summer, her mother’s death anniversary is looming over Gwen.

Arthur, a bard at the faire, is determined to not let Gwen isolate herself from the summer’s events. Arthur’s parents, the new faire owners, make Gwen the faire princess, and she finds herself joining Arthur’s road trips to see attractions around Oklahoma.

I absolutely loved this book. It’s everything I love about YA romance with the perfect setting. This is my official petition to have all books set at a renaissance faire!

Arthur and Gwen’s friendship was so sweet, and I love how it developed organically. I also really liked the plot line dealing with Gwen’s grief and the loss of her mother. There’s also great self discovery and body positivity in this story!

Love love love love love.

Genre: YA Romance
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Wednesday Books for an eARC. All thoughts are my own.

Unfortunately, while his book had a lot of really good promise, I found it really hard to connect to the characters and keep my interest in this book. Which stinks because I really thought the summary was so interesting!

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway was SO FUN! I thorughly enjoyed this YA story and loved the renaissance faire setting in Oklahoma. Such a fun summertime read! Let me tell you, I could TOTALLY feel the stifling heat of the Oklahoma summer as I was reading it. It's a brutal heat, y'all, and in renaissance attire... no sir, take me to Montana! This story has tons of heart as Maddie is facing her mother's favorite faire without her this year. Maddie is closed off and has fallen into strict routines to get her through her grief. But as the faire begins, she happens upon Arthur and he has ideas for all sorts of adventures. It was a blast to follow along as Maddie journeys through hard things to find more of herself.

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway by Ashley Schumacher is a delightful and charming read. It's out NOW! Thank you Netgalley, Wednesday Books, and St. Martin's Press for my e-arc!

"Tame the world...No one else is going to do it for you."

Madeline Hathaway has lived her life on the road, travelling with her parents on the Ren Faire circuit, but her entire world came crashing down a year ago when her mother passed away. Now with the death anniversary quickly approaching, Maddie and her father arrive at her mother's favorite faire...only to discover changes everywhere. Not only have the new owners made renovations but their bard of a son is a thorn in Maddie's corset., especially since he's dead set on Maddie playing princess this summer.

Can she let go of the monotony of her current life and trade it in for a tiara and acceptance?

Let me just throw out all my jeans and trade them in for a bodice and flowered headpiece because THE RENAISSANCE OF GWEN HATHAWAY has my heart.

WHAT I LOVED:
-First off, I would have loved this book as a teenager myself; learning to love my body because it's my body and not because I fit the stereotype of what the world thinks my body should be. Body positivity and body inclusion needs more awareness and TRoGH is leading the charge.
-Tim and Martin. I love them. I'd love a book of their romance even further than what we get in the story.
-Of course, I loved the setting. Growing up in Maryland with the lavish Maryland Ren Faire, I looked forward to entering their gates every year and Schumacher's writing brought me right back.

Add this book to your collection immediately. Everyone needs a wizened old wizard telling you to tame the world and dispensing sage advice.


My thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday books for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A chance to be a princess, yes please. Madeline definitely has a lot emotional issues going on, the loss of her mom, body image issues, and little interaction with other kids since she travels around to different fairs. Enter Gwen, a nickname and persona that let's her let loose a bit and have some summer fun.

I liked the character in this book, especially Arthur. Even though he has his own insecurities, he sees Madeline for who she really is and is very patient with her. They also have a bunch of fun together. Who wouldn't like a road trip in an avocado colored car that involves lots of tootsie pops.

As with Ashley's other books, this one is another emotional ride, but feel hood as well. I enjoyed all of it.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

It’s been almost a year since Madeline Hathaway lost her mother and she's still learning to deal with the loss. Now it's just her and her father in the camper van as they travel the Ren Faire circuit. They are spending the summer at the last faire of the season, and also her mom's favorite. Maddie is dreading the one-year anniversary and isn't really coping well...And she's not sure if her new 'friend' Arthur is helping or making is worse.

Overall, this was a good, quick read, but could have been better for me. The Ren Faire setting and the road trips were great. The characters were well flushed out, but the main character of Maddie/Gwen was where I was left frustrated. She constantly pushed Arthur away as he was being just about the kindest person in existence, and how quickly she leaped to (WRONG) conclusions had me constantly rolling my eyes. But as we all know, teenagers are kind of annoying, so you get what you pay for I guess!

Even if this one didn’t wow me I would still recommend it for those who want a simpler YA book, with a sprinkling of romance but some other meaty stuff too.

Overall rating: 4.5⭐️

This book gave me Well Met vibes but make it YA, since they both take place in a ren faire and involve a person who has a deep emotional connection to it because of similar reasons. Though this could also be because that’s the only other book I’ve read set in a ren faire 😆

👍
+ Grief and healing are such big parts of this story. How Maddy is processing her grief, while at times heartbreaking, is incredibly real. Which also makes her healing throughout the book even more beautiful to see.
+ Though there is grief in this book there is also joy. From the excitement of first love, to many road tripping adventures, from being a princess to having a life affirming Target trip, from having your burns attended to, to making new friends…
+ Arthur was such a precious and sweet love interest. The ways he respects Maddy’s boundaries, and gets her at times better than she understands herself was just 🥺He’s almost too considerate at times because of his own insecurities, but he goes through some growth through the book as well.
+ The body positivity in this book was also superb. Not in the sense that we always have to love our bodies, but accepting that it’s a journey, that we will have good days and bad days, that our feelings are valid, and that struggling with body image comes in many shapes and sizes.
+ Overall this was a book about letting people in, and letting yourself out. Finding your confidence, not hiding behind walls you’ve built for yourself, accepting who you are, and embracing life with all its unpredictability and lack of guarantees.

👎
- Hard to describe without spoilers but I thought the some of the communication between Maddy and Arthur at the end could have been resolved better.

Thank you St Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway
by Ashley Schumacher
Pub Date: 14 Mar 2023

I am an absolute fan of Ashley Schumacher! She writes such beautiful prose filled with strong characters who make you feel so much...

This time we meet Madeline, a plus-size, grieving teen who is now traveling the Faire circuit with only her father since her mother's passing. She is stubbornly holding on to the thought that if she avoids anyone getting close to her then she won't have to fear losing them. Enter, Arthur...oh, my. This boy captured my heart (as well as "Gwen." the Guinevere to his Arthur.) Talk about a lovely cinnamon roll! I adored the two of them together and the progression of their relationship. (Are we friends yet?) Sigh.

The thing about Ashley's writing is that she can take deep topics and mix humor and sweetness to give you a perfect balance of all the feelings. The storyline, the scenery, the characters all blended into one magical experience just makes you smile so hard when you turn that last page. I believe in fate...Double sigh.

I definitely believe fate will lead me to Ashley Schumacher's next book! :)

All the stars to this warm hug of a YA novel that follows Maddie Hathaway through a summer where she grieves her mom, meets a boy, embraces her alter ego Gwen by trying new things and maybe letting people in, and finally: grapples with fate.

I loved so many things about this book. So many of 17-year-old Gwen’s experiences brought back specific memories from my own teenage years: when a boy picked me up and I was terrified I was too heavy; thinking I wasn’t worthy of a princess dress; worried that I wasn’t like other teenagers. I wish this book had been there for me as a teen but I also think I appreciate it just as much now. Thank you Ashley Schumacher for writing such a beautiful story and such amazing characters. Also in the acknowledgments you mentioned being Bridgerton-obsessed so I think maybe you are my soul sister?! Here’s a list of other things I enjoyed about this book:
* Olivia Rodrigo references
* Journaling
* Nicknames
* Tiny glass animals
* Road trips
* Viewmaster memories
* Fates
* Ren faire magic
* Normalizing a plus size princess

Shocked at how timely the reference was:
* cordyceps

Thank you to Wednesday Books/SMP for the copy via NetGalley. I’m also about to run out and buy one because I loved the book so much, truly. It just came out this week so you can read it now!