DNF pg 90 (27%)

I really wanted to love this book, and I'm sad I didn't. I've heard so many good things about it from several accounts I have similar tastes in books with, so I had insanely high expectations. However, it did not meet those expectations. I didn't really like Gwen or Art that much as individual characters, although I did like the general premise of the story.

I am participating in the St. Martin's Press boycott. I will not be publicly reviewing this title until St. Martin's Press addresses reader concerns.

I will read and review this title once the demands of the Booktok SMP press/Wednesday Books boycott are met.

I love EVERYTHING Lex Croucher writes! To be fair this took me a bit longer to get into, I'm not one for a scheme-based romance but oh my god did I love this. Arthur?? That character is just me in a man from medieval England. Please continue writing this was such a gem.

Gwen and Art are Not in Love is a fun and adventurous YA romance set in medieval England with King and Queen, Princes and Princesses, and Knights and Magic with a queer twist. Gwen and Arthur have been betrothed for marriage since birth and have the names to prove it but neither particularly likes the other. When Gwen catches Art kissing a boy and Art finds out that Gwen has a crush on the only female knight Bridget, they end up working together to keep each other's secret. Gwen's brother, Prince Gabriel, finds out about their pact, Art develops feelings for Gabe. Can this group work out their crushes as well as save the kingdom? This is a lighthearted and fun queer tale that will have you rooting for love, the kingdom, and our young heroes.

- GWEN AND ART ARE NOT IN LOVE is everything I hoped it would be. Queerness and silliness and strong personalities and deep emotions, what else could you want?
- I loved that both Arthur and Gwen got to have unlikable characteristics but were still granted full humanity by the others.
- For all the shenanigans in this book, there is still a layer of darkness as well. The crown weighs heavy on all of them in different ways, and each character needs to figure out how they will approach the life they've been dealt.

This book felt like they were giving all your favorite side characters main story arcs in a VERY good way, with the court jester's love story taking center stage. I also feel like it's a truth universally acknowledged that the older the story you're retelling, the funnier it should be.
This was excellent. Although I feel like it should have ended with Gwen on the throne because her brother's aspirations clearly lay elsewhere while hers did not, I'm happy with it.

rep: sapphic, achillean, Thai lesbian love interest, two gay men, queer FMC

spice: none

tw: attempted coup, regicide, injury resulting in an amputation, death of a parent, homophobic attack

A funny and endearing romance using iconography of Arthurian legend.

I quite enjoyed this read. Lex Croucher has a way of injecting humor in a way that does not detract from the plot. It is also genuinely funny as opposed to some authors who are trying to be funny and just make an awkward read. I found myself audibly laughing several times while reading this book.

I think my favorite part of the book was the banter between Gwen and Art. At the beginning of the book, it was quite frustrating but when they become more friends as opposed to frenemies, the banter really started to thrive.

I feel like the friendships between the core group and the sibling relationship between Gwen and Gabriel were the strongest part of the book. I liked the respective romantic relationships, but I definitely think they felt not quite as fleshed out. Gabriel and Arthur at least knew each from childhood so there was a bit of a background in their relationship, but Gwen and Bridget really do not know each other well when Gwen is asking Bridget to essentially give up her love of tourneys to stay with her. I did not like how it did not feel like they built much of a relationship before becoming romantic, but I liked them together despite this so I will let it slide.

I was not expecting the climax of this book to be an actual battle and some of the descriptions were quite violent. It felt juxtaposed to the rest of the book.

Regardless of my complaints, I loved this and will read anything that Lex Croucher publishes.

2.5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for the e-arc of this! Everything stated below is my fully honest opinion.

I think this book would’ve been a big hit with me when I was a teenager. It would’ve felt fresh and different and fun. Unfortunately, as an adult, I didn’t feel quite as impressed. It was incredibly too long and I began to get quite bored, even at the end when all the action ramped up. There was a lot of world building mentioned, just for none of it to ever come up again or be important. For instance, I have no idea why this book had to include all of the King Arthur stuff because it really didn’t seem to make a difference in the story. You could have had the same book without all of it. I didn’t really feel the chemistry of the relationships, which given that the book focused so much on them felt unfulfilling. The banter was great though, and I liked the characters a lot, individually. I just had higher hopes and this didn’t really meet them. Still, if you know some teens or you are a teen looking for a light fantasy (?) with LGBT+ characters and romances, I’d still recommend giving this a try!

TW: Homophobia, abusive parent, war (light gore/death)

Love this LGBTQ YA romance it such and sweet story and a fun retelling. I have always loved a good King Arthur retelling and this did not disappoint, the adventures and mishaps a teen age love story just went so perfectly and had me feeling all the feels. I started recommending this to my friends before I fully finished. I can't wait to get a physical copy of this book and read it again.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for the e-galley.

I am immediately ordering this for my library’s YA section. This is refreshing and such an amazing twist on King Arthur. I loved everything about this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC of this novel. I have really enjoyed Croucher's work in the past and this was not an exception. I made a mistake not re-reading the blurb before I started and was a bit lost at first of why this was not actually Arthur and Guinevere. Once I got myself straight, I was back into it. The characters were annoying at times but as we got more backstory, actions made more sense and I did enjoy where everyone ended up at the end. I enjoy other works of Croucher's more but this was a good way to pass some time. 3 stars.

I absolutely loved this rendition of the Arthurian tale.it was a perfect mesh of the old lore with fantastic LGBTQ+ representation. Gwen & Art are not In love was good because it represented not only A sapphic story, but a gay story too. I thought it had a really unique take on the tale of Arthur that we all know and honestly have read in hundreds of itetstions.
If you like the medieval side of Arthurian tales more than the magic side this book is for you. This did not have a magic system and it was firmly in the romance category versus romantasy. Although, I will say that's actually why I liked this book. I liked following Gwen as she came into her own ,rather than all of the magic included in the legend. So o if you like mlm, wlw, court politics, political intrigue, you will love this one.

This delightfully queer YA romance is so cute I could squeal! The premise is so adorable — Gwen and Art are betrothed but have loathed each other since childhood. When Art goes to royal court to get to know his future bride, they discover they both both have one very *peculiar* thing in common. Shenanigans ensue, mostly orchestrated by agent of chaos Art, with much eye rolling from uptight Gwen.

I loved watching Gwen and Art’s relationship evolve from mortal childhood enemies to reluctant allies to tentative friends, ending with the kind of loyal ride-or-die friend love I dream of. I am a huge fan of banter, and this book has it in abundance. Art is incapable of taking any situation seriously, which lends itself well to sarcastic remarks and equally snide replies.

Among the levity, some serious topics are handled deftly. For example, this novel represents queer identity well, with both gay and lesbian rep, as well as portraying characters in various stages of their journeys. I think this would be really meaningful for teens who are in the early stages of their queer journeys, to see this kind of representation on the page.

This book is heavily steeped in Arthurian lore and it honestly made me want to research more about those stories. Also maybe made me want to watch Spamalot a little bit. (I am who I am 🤷🏻‍♀️)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and kept finding excuses to go back to it so I could continue to blush and giggle at the pages. I’m giving this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5. I’ve already texted several people recommending it to them, so that’s how you know I loved it.

Hilarious and romantic... what could I say? This book was such an easy read. Our main characters were so chaotic and I loved that.

I want to give a more in depth review but cannot until St. Martins press answers to the boycott.

Enjoyed overall.

Lex Croucher writes with her signature wit and spunk. Her writing is so engaging and fun, it is a pleasure to read. That being said, I did not enjoy the plot nearly as much as I have her other novels. I did not care for Arthur and didn’t particularly care what happened to him. Guinevere was likablee enough, but that spark that mesmerizes me in the author’s characters was lacking with this one. Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books, for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

I loved this twist on a historical romance, with a betrothed royal couple who each fall for someone else instead. Gwen and Art start out as sort-of enemies, each thinking the other is annoying and wishing they weren't set to be married. When they each find out a secret about the other, they become reluctant allies and eventually blossom into a cute friendship.

The queer representation was great and there were plenty of funny moments to keep me entertained. I did think the last little bit before the action was slow and this maybe could have been shorter. Overall, the ending was nicely done and this was a good read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the copy.

This was a fun queer reimagineing of passed down relatives of Arthurian legends. Had a very contemporary feeling set in a medieval esk world. Perfect for younger audiences to jump into an older story without it feeling boring.

This had me kicking my feet and squealing!! So sweet and adorable. I absolutely loved both pairings throughout the story.