Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an Advanced Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me giggling and kicking my lil feet the whole way through. Three budding romances, snarky dialogue and shenanigans. This is not an Arthurian retelling!

We follow Gwen, who is a bit uptight and keeps to herself, who is betrothed to Arthur, a jester/goofball-type, and like the titles says: these two are not in love. Having known each other since they were young, playing pranks and breaking wrists, these two have a pretty bad taste in their mouths about the other. Whether they want to be or not, they’re in this mess together.

I don’t know how Lex Croucher managed to get so much relationship building into this 400-ish page book but it flowed so well and felt so real and honest. The banter and the back and forth between the characters really had me believe the bonds between them and had me really care about them growing as people and getting their happy endings.

The ending of this book takes a bit of a turn and some of the background conflict comes to the forefront. I see it was likely necessary to give some characters the push they needed to enact some necessary change and I really really love how it all came together in the end. I’m so grateful to have gotten the opportunity to read this book early I had so much fun with it. I will be making a point to read more from Lex Croucher. I don’t anticipate I’ll be shutting up about this book for a while!

Included as a top pick in weekly November New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

I was so excited for Gwen and Art Are Not in Love. A queer love story set in an Arthurian world (this is not a retelling). Yes, please! Gwen and Art had all the makings of an incredible book. However, the execution fell flat. I think the author tried to do too much. I was never really invested in the characters or the plot.

The first 2/3rds is a meandering tale of four young adults discovering their sexuality while finding their place in the world. It almost felt like a slice-of-life romance set against the backdrop of castles, knights, ladies, and lords. A slow-paced book usually doesn't ruin a story for me. However, here I found myself struggling to push forward. Then the back 1/3 felt like an entirely different book. It was fast-paced and action-packed, but by this point, I didn't care what was happening anymore.

So many of my friends loved this book. They loved the characters and the story. This may be a case of it wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free eARC. This is my honest opinion.

Gwen and Arthur ARE NOT their ancestors (or rather his ancestors), and they are very definitely NOT in love with each other. In fact this is very much enemies to reluctant betrotheds, to being actual friends.

I love the found family aspect, the discovering of queerness, the mystery, becoming friends, and the dealing with expectations (both internal and external).

Can't recommend enough, I spent a great deal of time laughing at everyone and with everyone.
5 out of 5 stars, this is young adult and while there is a great deal of language, alcohol, and messy relationships, it stays YA.

this is such a fun book. i keep recommending it to everyone as a queer Knight's Tale or Merlin. it really gave me just the warm fuzzies in the best way possible. funny, engaging. Lex Croucher writes such great books and this one is no exception. 10 out of 10

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Gwen & Art Are Not in Love to review!
This adorable love story that takes place in medieval England follows Gwen who is the princess of England and Arthur who is her betrothed. The two cannot stand each other from the start and within 24 hours of Arthur arriving in Camelot Gwen catches Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur catches Gwen pining after a girl. Gwen and Art decide to pretend to be in love for the sake of their families and the kingdom while pursing their separate romantic entanglements behind closed doors. This queer rom-com will hook you from the start with its great banter and lovable characters.
I've had this book on my shelf for so long I'm so glad I finally got around to reading it! I didn't read the blurb before picking it up so I was slightly surprised by the medieval setting but it was actually a really easy setting to become adjusted to. My best way of describing this novel is funny to the point of slight ridiculousness. I adored this about the book but some parts of the book were just so over the top that it became unbelievable. Nevertheless, I love reading about all the different characters and all their separate love stories. Even though you could somewhat predict what was going to happen in the book off of the first two chapters I still enjoyed every minute of reading this. I thought Gwen and Arthur's amicable friendship was so sweet and I felt like the book took a surprisingly dark turn with Arthur's head injury. This was the only plot point that felt completely unpredictable and I was genuinely concerned for Arthur because the medicine is medieval times is notoriously NOT GREAT. But he prevailed just to almost be killed in battle. I have literally never read a book where I liked reading about the King Arthur legend, (I always find it painfully boring) and this book was no exception, but I felt like the plot and the characters really carried this book and the King Arthur legend could for the most part be ignored. I wish there was slightly more conclusion after the big battle scene at the end of the book but overall I really enjoyed this story. I haven't read a fun YA novel like this in a long time and it was refreshing and enjoyable to read.

This is my first read from Lex and won't be my last. An absolutely fun ride! It has a bit of a YA romance character-focused plot, but there was still just enough worldbuilding around it to make it all come together. I honestly adored the entire cast immediately and really loved the initial evolving dynamics between Gwen and Art, and of course, the end game couples. Gabe frustrated me at times, but I could still relate to him with the pressures he had. The messages here were really nice, and I really had a lot of fun with the alternating scenes for the two couples. Sidney and Agnes were a fantastic side couple! I also really enjoyed most of the character growth here too.

Honestly, my only major complaint is that we don't get to see a little further development with all of the couples. You might be left with some questions by the end, but at least you'll know the characters are happy. 🤣 I'll just have to imagine how things played out in my own head, and I'm fine with that.😂 I found that the Gwen/Bridget couple felt a teeny tiny bit more developed than Art/Gabe, but it makes sense with what was going on with the latter couple. Just a really nice and quick-paced read and I can't wait to try out more of Lex's books!

This book was so surprising to me. I thought I knew where the plot was going and then it pulled on my heartstrings and then it made me mad. It really made me feel a lot of things. I’m glad to have read the ARC and I am listening to the audiobook now for another experience. Thanks to Lex Croucher, Wednesday Books/ St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC. I received an advance review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Princess Gwendoline and Lord Arthur are betrothed in medieval England. They’re enemies until they discover they are both hiding the same secret: they’re both queer. What follows is their journey to friendship while they fall in love with two separate people.

Right, so. This was really cute until the ending and then I was like wut. The climax was not necessarily out of the blue as the book had been working towards it, it’s just that the ending’s tone didn’t match the book as a whole. The ending also left me feeling a lot to be desired. Did it really tie up my loose ends? Not to the degree I would say I want.

This premise was adorable but the execution just didn’t do it for me.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Spice: None
POV: Dual 3rd

Gwen has been betrothed to Art since toddlerhood with one problem - Gwen and Art hate one another. Sent to spend the summer with Gwen to get to know her better, Art finds himself being blackmailed with a big secret, only to find out that Gwen has a similar secret. While covering for each other’s sexual orientations, Gwen and Art become the closest of friends who fall in love, just not with each other.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
🌶️ 0/5

Tropes:
Enemies to Best Friends
Unrequited Love
Forced Marriage

Triggers:
Homophobia
Hate Crime
Sword Violence

My Thoughts:
This is such a sweet story about two would-be friends living in the world of King Arthur, who are forced to cover up for each other’s sexual orientations. Through this these two enemies become a formidable pair, supporting each other while finding themselves. I do hope there is a second book to further tell the story about Art’s new relationship (not going to spoil with who)!

What a fun book! Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is the medieval romantic comedy I didn’t know I needed. Full of humor, banter, friendship, and romance, this book has it all! Plus, it’s inspired by Arthurian legend. What more could you ask for?

Arthur and Gwen have been engaged their entire lives. With their wedding on the horizon, Gwen and Arthur are forced to spend time together at Camelot–it gave me The Swan Princess vibes when Odette and Derek were forced to hang out every summer against their will. Soon, they both realize they could help each other out. You see, Gwen caught Arthur kissing a boy, and Arthur read her journal and discovered Gwen had a crush on the kingdom’s only lady knight. As you can probably imagine, they decided to cover for each other while pursuing their real love interests.

I can’t describe this book any other way than fun. It’s light-hearted; you’ll find yourself smiling and squealing. These characters will steal their way into your heart.

Pick up Gwen & Art Are Not in Love if you’re looking for a sweet, funny, romantic YA book.

I am currently boycotting St. Martin's Press and its imprints for its lack of taking a stand against its racist, harmful employee who spoke lies against Palestinians being murdered by Israel. Therefore, I will not be posting a review at this time. The star rating is simply a placeholder.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for giving me advanced reader access. This title published yesterday, November 28, 2023.

Gwen and Art are decidedly NOT in love - in fact they've despised each other since they were children, and the feelings have not warmed with time nor distance. However, when they uncover secrets about each other, they decide to cover for each other and become reluctant allies.

This one wasn't for me right now and I DNF. I will definitely be revisiting it at another time because it seems like something that I would normally love. My library has purchased a copy and we will use it in RA.

I really think this book was well written and well executed; the characters and plot were great, but it wasn't a read I really enjoyed. I couldn't really connect with the characters myself and struggled to keep picking it back up. It's a book I will recommend to some people in my life that I know will enjoy it much more, but it wasn't my cup of tea. Thanks so much for selecting me for the eARC, though, I'm really appreciative!

Really good and i would highly recommend :) I myself will be buying the physical version of this book because I absolutely adored it!

3.5 stars

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a touching story, however it is nothing like I expected it to be. The novel follows two engaged royals, Gwen and Art, as they fall for another man and woman, and form an unlikely alliance to protect each other's secrets. Going into this book, despite not being a huge fan of historical fiction, I was pumped. I absolutely loved the premise and was eager to get into it. Once I got into the bulk of the book though, I was surprised. This book was marketed as a rom-com, but it actually is quite a grounded, and at times, sad story. It deals with alcoholism, coming out, depression, and the fear of homophobia. None of these elements made the book bad, in fact they did the opposite. They added a layer of reality to this story and improved it. However, these aspects were unexpected to me based off the marketing for this book, and it caught me off guard.

I do have a couple of actual complaints about this book though. My main one is simply that the pacing is very slow for the first section of the book. Relatedly, I wish the two main couples spent more time with each other, so that we could see them falling in love more.

Regardless of these complaints, however, there are some aspects of this book that I absolutely adored. The stand out highlight for me was Gwen and Art's friendship. From starting out as enemies, to becoming reluctant allies, to finding camaraderie in each other's identities, their story was beautiful. While Gwen and Art are not in love, they do love each other, and I am always happy to uplift stories of platonic love.

Although this story wasn't exactly what I had expected, I truly enjoyed it all the same.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Gwen and Art are not in love is what’s known as a bit of an understatement. Betrothed in their infancy, it’s more accurate to say they have grown up mortal enemies, have been since they were both old enough to express it—if not verbally, then physically—and Art has the lingering damage to prove it. This is not Gwen and Art’s love story. This is a story about two people who learn to love themselves.

Art and Gwen must each go their own way to discover who they are and, more significantly, who and what they want so they can reconcile knowing themselves and each other a little better. Art is given time and space to prove who he is, apart from his father’s greatest disappointment. Gwen, on the other hand, is in deep infatuation with Lady Bridget Leclair, which has been her deepest secret since she was old enough to know what infatuation was. It’s Gwen’s duty to marry Arthur, though, and finding a peaceful accord isn’t easy.

And then, not-so-suddenly, deliberately and methodically, Gwen and Art aren’t sworn foes anymore, and Lex Croucher pulls off a brilliant feat of storytelling to get them to a place of friendship and found family. But not for lack of villainy and brutality on the part of a dangerous foe, leading to some third act conflict that must play out in its gripping and bloody entirety to be resolved. And to, once and for all, bring Arthur and the shy and unassuming Gabriel, the future king, together.

Full of charm and clever dialogue, rife with peril and betrayal, Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a sweet and sublime book.

“you knew, and it made perfect sense to you even when it didn’t to me. I didn’t have to try to justify it to you, or beg for your understanding—it wasn’t something that even needed explaining. I had no idea how much that would mean to me. When I talked to you about it, even when you were being a bit of a nightmare, you always made me feel like it was . . . completely ordinary.”
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Heartstopper meets A Knight’s Tale in this queer medieval rom com YA debut about love, friendship, and being brave enough to change the course of history.
_
This really did remind me of Knights Tale in some ways. The current speech and talk with the knight's dress and swords.
Loved that Gwen and Art were betrothed and were more enemies, teasing each other. It's more enemies to friends.
These aren’t THE Gwen and Art they are years after but from the same lineage or at least their fathers say so living in Camelot. Loved the queer take on this since this most definitely happened but in private. Loved the very strong female knight, Bridget, she was very swoony.
The fight sequences were epic and the battle scenes I felt mud caked and blood soaked and exhausted. Sydney was the perfect wingman for Art through definitely an enabler as he drank enough wine to drown a village.

Really enjoyed this story! The banter between the two and then there was a bit of a third act breakup but friends wise as they got some bad information and distanced themselves. Oh I didn’t mention Prince Gabriel- awkward, book loving, wallflower and heir to the throne. Art didn’t stand a chance.

Thank you wednesdaybooks for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.
Pub Date - 11/28/23
4.5

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC (that I finished only a day after publication). 4/5 stars.

This was a delightful, hilarious read. There were SO many parts in it where I was dying from the banter, the quips, and just the overall commentary from the characters. It focuses somewhat on Camelot but it's not *the Camelot* which is an important distinction; however, some of the characters feel like they have to live up to the legends. I adored Gwen and Bridget and Arthur and Gabe's relationships, along with the side characters of Sidney and Agnes. It's truly just a hilarious read, but you also have to be a certain kind of weird (like...bread jokes and yeasty rituals kind of weird) to enjoy the humor.

I thought the ending was a bit abrupt with the sudden shift with Arthur's injury and then his father and well....everything that happens in the last 20% of the book. Like, I was okay with it just being a romcom without action.

Overall though? This was great.

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. Laugh out loud banter, queer, and found family all wrapped up in a bow. I love art and Gwen. Art and Sidney made me laugh out loud so many times with almost every conversation they had. Lex Croucher did an excellent job at allowing this story to flow pleasantly. I never felt bored and read the entire book in the same day. Im excited to get a physical copy of this book to support the author.


I would love to give this book the recognition it deserves by sharing my reviews elsewhere, but I will not be doing so besides on NetGalley until SMP and WB address their employee’s racist and islamophobic remarks on social media.