Closer to 3.5 stars. I read this all in a single sitting. At first I thought I might quit. I like the author’s writing style, but Arthur as a character was hard to enjoy at the beginning. However, I found myself more and more sucked in by the whole thing. I agree with the criticism that the side romantic characters lack depth and the ending felt all smushed together, but it’s worth it for the funny dialogue and found family elements.

You can sign me up for a Queer retelling anytime, so I was excited to give this one a shot. Overall, I don't really think this is so much a retelling as it is inspired by historical events and tales. This is definitely best geared toward YA readers, as I found some of the characters to be a bit whiny/exhausting, but they were lovable all the same. The Queer community always needs more fun representation and this one was great.

I really love all things King Arthur - Merlin, Kierstan White's Camelot series, etc., so I was very excited for this really cute take. Right off the bat, I liked the characters and and their relationship was set up to seem like enemies-to-lovers. I really liked how the novel itself seemed aware of the Camelot stories and addressed them in minor ways (Gwen saying her parents almost named her Guenevere to "match him.") Even though I know it's part of the YA genre, I do wish there was a bit more realism in the way they spoke. I do love Gabe being seen as "soft" or too kindhearted early on.

I love medieval gay people. I wish I was one. This book was light hearted (for the first 2/3rds), funny, entertaining, and immersive. This book was on the slower paced side but its worth it, I loved it. The author created an amazing story that I will be rereading and recommending to my audience. I gave it 4 stars. Thank you for the opportunity!

Gwen and Art live in the same world as King Arthur, but sometime apparently generations later. Gwen is the Princess and Arthur is the son of a Lord. They have been betrothed since they were children but not only do they not like each other, they both have a secret reason for not wanting to marry each other. When they discover each other’s secrets, they come to an agreement to act like they are getting along to avoid suspicion.

I can’t think of anything bad to say about this book. I’m not usually the biggest fan of YA romance but the medieval setting and LGBT characters really worked for me in this book. This is probably the best example of fake dating that I’ve ever read and all of the characters were just so lovable. I was rooting for all of the relationships and loved watching Gwen and Art’s friendship grow. Art and Sid’s friendship was such a great part of this book, and Sid is the perfect loyal best friend. And Bridget was the perfect badass sword slinging Lady love interest that reminded me of a young Brienne of Tarth.

The last third of the book definitely took a huge life changing turn but I was glad that it was something different from the usual third act miscommunication trope. Overall I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the chance to read this early.

This book was a super fun twist and take on characters reimagined from legend. Both funny and fun, I enjoyed spending time with these characters in this world.

I have been a fan of Lex Croucher’s Regency era novels for adult readers, so I was both excited and curious to see what they would do with a YA novel set in the medieval era. Reader, the result is delightful.

Gwen and Art have spent so long in a state of mutual loathing that they never realize the potential for friendship. An alliance is just what they need to set about achieving their true goals. It was so much fun to get to see these two scheming together instead of plotting the other’s destruction. Either way, the banter is top-notch and the wit is rapier sharp. And of course, a cat manages to steal the show at every possible opportunity.

I will say that there is a point in the book where things take a sharp turn and become a lot more serious. Yes, there are hints along the way building up to that point, but it still took me by surprise. I don’t mention this as a criticism or even as a content warning, but more as a cautionary suggestion that things are not all jolly hockey sticks throughout the narrative. I will say, to Croucher’s credit, the transition is seamless and handled masterfully.

I would absolutely recommend Gwen & Art Are Not in Love. While this book is written for a YA audience, it still bears all the hallmarks of a Croucher novel and will therefore appeal to fans of Croucher’s other books. I am looking forward to Croucher’s next books!



I received a digital ARC of this book from St. Martin’s/NetGalley

Such an addictive, fun, wild, hilarious, and high-stakes fast-paced historical romance with memorable characters and fanfictionesque writing (slash pos of course.)

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy to review.

Representation: Queer MCs and supporting cast

Hundreds of years after King Arthur’s reign, his descendants still running the kingdom of Camelot. Arthur likes gallivanting about, and has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the princess of England, since birth. They’re forced to spend a summer together before their nuptials, and they can agree on one thing: they absolutely despise each other. But after discovering that both of them have secrets, Arthur being caught kissing a boy, Gwendoline having diary entires about a crush on a lady knight, they agree that they actually might be better as allies. They make an uneasy pact to cover for each other, and they nurture feelings for their respective love interests.

Rating: 4.25/5 This was a fun romp in Camelot and a great retelling of the Arthurian legend. I really appreciated that this wasn’t a typical enemies to lovers story, and was instead made very queer, more focused on building that initially fragile trust between mutual enemies. Sometimes, with enemies to friends or enemies to lovers, it can feel like they have some weird knowledge of the other’s actual self and that’s what leads them to not hate each other anymore. In this, it didn’t feel like that. It felt like the perspectives that they had on each other were as complete strangers, information only gathered from brief interactions with each other or rumors. The building of trust felt more authentic, and didn’t happen overnight. I really enjoyed reading this, and would recommend it to anyone who thinks they would enjoy a queer Arthurian retelling.

Gwen and Art was such a delight! I'm easy to please when it comes to YA LGBTQ+ romance and Lex Croucher did not disappoint. This book had everything: emotionally closed off handsome boys, bad-ass lady knights, himbo and lesbian solidarity, a really darling relationship between a bodyguard and his ward. I can't recommend it enough!

CW: homophobia, internalized homophobia, genre-typical violence, tournament violence, battle, loss of a loved one, possible hate crime-related physical attack

This was a really precious concept, but it feels a bit tonally confused and also seems reluctant to explore the characters and their relationships to the extent that I really wanted. Everyone in the cast has a big personality, but something feels shallow and cartoonish about them all. The book can't seem to decide if it wants to be funny or not - there's certain room to balance humor with serious conversations, but the two feel distinctly out of balance here, and every wink-wink modern joke and reference made me cringe a bit. I'm interested in the romance arcs but they also feel shallow and develop too quickly.

"Gwen & Art Are Not in Love" is part queer rom com, part historical romance. I wouldn't necessarily say it's fluffy, I think I was expecting this book to be happier than it is, but I enjoyed it and there was a lot of heart. Set in a quasi-medieval England where King Arthur was real, this takes place hundreds of years after his reign but in a similar era. No magic however. Gwendoline and Arthur have been betrothed since childhood to broker an uneasy peace between the king, Gwendoline's father, and the "cultists", a group that hold out that there should be a different king due to the Arthurian lineage. Gwen & Art, like in the title, are not in love and can barely stand each other at first, until the secret that they are both queer is revealed to them and they become allies. Two queer love stories in one. TW for a homophobic society and some graphic violence.

Oh goodness I loved this book so much ! Even though I wanted to smack Arthur in the beginning he totally stole my heart and ended up being one of my favorite characters. Honestly though Gwen , Art, Gabe, Bridget, and Sid were all fantastic characters. I was completely swept up in the setting, story telling , and the Queer romance!

I absolutely adored this book. There was so much about it with the internal character conflicts, the pining, it was all so good. I loved the writing of this book as well, it drew me in from the start with the dream and kept me enticed through every single page. Every character had their own moments with each other and it brought the book to life, sometimes making it feel like I was there, observing everything as well.

HOLY SMOKES. THE DRAMA, THE PINING, THE FRIENDSHIP AND CHIVALRY!!!!
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN MY WHOLE LIFE.

My review here: youtube.com/watch?v=4p7L_vLMeo0&t=785s

I love Lex Croucher for consistently giving us these sweet, hilarious gay historical romances!!! I couldn't wait to snatch this one up after the author's previous books set in the Victorian era. There's something even more fun about Medieval times and playing around with Arthurian legend (though this is not a retelling).

The characters here were so fun and sweet. I think Croucher does an amazing job writing young people with nuance and care. She gives her characters so much desire that they leap off the page! I love seeing all of them bumble in and out of bad situations with humor and heart.

My one real issue with this book was with how the last 20% or so of the book didn't really match the vibe of the rest of it. Things got really serious, and I think that's fine, but I think that the author needed to give more space for the ending to wrap up and get to a new point of lightness since this is technically a romance. Also, though I loved the story and the characters, I think the relationships themselves needed a little more on-page time to develop.

Altogether, a joyful romp of a book with delightful characters. I can't wait to read more by Lex Croucher in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC!

This was such a fun adventure of a book.
A delightful balance of fluff and tension, keeping you wanting to turn the pages but also enjoying the light interludes between the action.
A strong cast of characters, both main and secondary, and the inclusion of a cat is always appreciated :)

This book was adorable! I think it was a refreshing story that had the perfect combination of being funny but also having moments where you felt like you grew to know the characters. Anything that comps itself to Heartstopper can be hit or miss, but this was genuinely fun and an entertaining read. Plus I love the medieval theming because it’s super unique for the YA sphere without being heavy fantasy.

CWs: experienced sexism; references to parental death; some depictions of excessive drinking; some descriptions of violence, injury, and vomit; exploration of internalized homophobia; and some descriptions of physical assault

A queer medieval romcom that is inspired by Arthurian?! Sold! I loved this book, I thought it was so freaking adorable! The characters, the banter, the plot! Loved everything about it!! Thank you so much for sending a copy of this book, I enjoyed it very much!