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!

I really wanted to like this book because I really liked the premise. HOwever, I could not connect with teh characters and found this to be difficult to get into. Did not finish.

Synopsis: In a semi-retelling of the legend of Arthur and Guinevere, their descendants, Arthur and Gwendoline have been betrothed since birth. They’ve also despised each other for that long. Arthur is sent to Camelot to spend time with her before their wedding, but also to listen for gossip for his father. While there, he and Gwen engage in a truce for the sake of their individual and cumulative secrets. In said truce, they end up forging a friendship and a little crew of oddball characters.

Review: I absolutely adored this cute and quirky story and cast of misfits! Art & Gwen both remind me of people I know, and the quick and hilarious dialogue felt like conversations with friends. The story was a tale as old as time, but with modern takes. It is not quite a romance, but definitely fits the bill for romance readers. Very sweet and highly recommend! Thank you to the author and @netgalley for the advanced copy!

A very charming fantasy book with lovable characters. I believe any YA Reader would enjoy this book tremendously. Thank you for giving me the chance to review this arc

This is late but I read this book and loved it! A queer romance with loose ties to Arthurian legend, this book is funny, heart wrenching and exciting all at the same time. I loved all the characters and I hope that the author revisits this world in the future.

✨ PRINCEMAN REVIEW ✨

📝 Arthur, a distant relative of the ARTHUR, has been arranged to be married to Gwendoline since their births. Unfortunately, they absolutely despise one another. Arthur spending the summer at Camelot is meant to bring them finally together. Instead, the opposite happens. Gwen finds Arthur kissing a boy, and he discovers her diary professing her love of a lady knight. Can these two team together? Or are they doomed to ever unite?

What I 🤍:
🗡️ Spin on Arthurian Legend
🤝 Enemies to Allies
🕰️ Historical Rom-Com
💞 Several Love Stories
😂 Hilarious Banter

You can't help but root for both these teens. Arthur & Gwen are being forced into a marriage neither of them wants, while coming to grips with who they individually are. I loved the character development, and watching them grow. At times, they drove me nuts, but that is part of the comedy and humor of this book. I listened to this book on audio, and the narrators absolutely nailed it! They have British voices, and you could feel the character's personas off page.

Prince's Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Passion: 🔥 (Kisses)
Read If ➡️: You enjoy historical romances, or strong heroines!
📍 Historical England
Read 📅: Summertime ☀️
CW ⚠️: Death on Page, Homophobia

Overall I wanted to love this book, but it felt a little flat for me. It was a little bit all over the place with the relationships, battles and war. I wish maybe one storyline had been fleshed out more deeply. By the end, I often zoned out a bit. Also, I would have loved the ending to be a bit different. In a way, this is a fairytale, so I kind of imagined/hoped it would happen. It was a satisfying conclusion, I just wanted more.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for a copy of this book. My review will soon be on my Instagram Page (@LifeWithPrinceMan) soon.

This book was a blast! Entirely unique in its premise of being a Queer Knight’s Tale but familiar in that it felt like a warm hug. It’s primarily the story of Gwen & Art… but also of Gabriel and Bridget.
Gwendoline, the Princess of England is betrothed to the troublesome Arthur, who drinks too much, is sarcastic all the time, and whom she despises. But one night Gwen sees him kissing another boy, and although she’s surprised, she’s definitely not horrified. After all, how could she be when she’s harboring feelings for a certain badass swordswoman, Bridget Leclair. After that night the two make a tentative, truce (aka blackmail) that evolves into the story of 4 people finding love, just not to whom society expected.
This is a cute, lovely story with fully formed characters that you can really root for. Highly recommend, especially for any queer history nerds. I’ll definitely be reading Lex Croucher again!

I received an eARC courtesy of St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I am all for retellings of the Arthurian legend, so I was really looking forward to this. The overall story was very intriguing and I found the characters to be immensely likeable. There were pacing issues at times, but overall this was great.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lex Croucher for providing me with an ARC of Gwen and Art Are Not In Love in exchange for an honest review.

Having stayed up until well past midnight to finish this book, I’m happy to report that Gwen and Art Are Not In Love has successfully pulled me out of my worst reading slump in years! This sweet, Arthurian-inspired story features not one, but two adorable queer love stories, while centering an enemies-to-allies-to-friends arc that turned out to be my favourite relationship in the book. Lex Croucher writes some snort-into-your-tea funny banter, and not only manages to create compelling main characters, but a well-rounded cast of sidekicks and love interests as well. The medieval setting is really a backdrop here, and so is the Arthurian legend—this is not a retelling, so don’t go in expecting one. Delightfully subversive, tongue-in-cheek, and just refreshing overall, I recommend reading this when you need a giggle-inducing pick me up. A solid four stars.

This wasn’t exactly what I expected which is both good and bad. I kinda wish there was clearer intent with the character development but will definitely read from the author again.

i really liked this one! fake dating but in a historical setting was perfect, not to mention the found family aspect as well! love how well-rounded these characters were!