Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is an amazing queer YA retelling. Of a Knight's Talle.

This was such a great book, I laughed so much and there were some tears too!

I love Sidney and Gwen the main characters, and the secondary characters were anything but!

Excellent!

I loved how this flipped the legend for Gwen and Arthur but it felt just a little too long for me. The drama towards the end also hindered my overall enjoyment but I still had a good time and highly recommend especially for those that are fans of Arthurian legend.

OH MY GODDDDDDD! This is going to be the most incoherent review I have ever written because THIS BOOK WAS INSANE! I was literally reading this book while actively doing a show and everyone around me was concerned. The writing 10/10! The plot 10/10! The romance 1000/10!!! I can’t wait for it to come out so I can force everyone I know to read it!

It was so fun to read about LGBTQ characters in a medieval setting! It was refreshing to see Gwen and Art struggle in that context. It made me root for their happiness all the more. I wish I had this book when I was younger.
The banter and eventual friendship between Gwen and Art were a delight to watch develop. I like that they still have each other in the end, just not as betrothed, and they picked up their own love interests on the way!

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for allowing me to read this early!

This is the kind of book that I wish I had when I was younger. The rep in this is beyond amazing, and the story telling it great. All the characters are very well developed and made the book one I couldn’t put down. This is a must read for everyone!

Gwen and Art are not in Love by Lex Croucher is a fun and somewhat comedic historical romance with incredibly well done queer representation. This will be a fun read for fans of king Arthur myth inspired fiction such as the other Merlin.

I REALLY wanted to love this. Gwen & Art Are Not in Love was one of my most anticipated YA books of the year, but sadly, it just wasn’t for me. I could not get behind either of the characters, and I just was not into the medieval/formal prose. I was basically force reading until I finally gave up at 42%. I loved the idea, but the execution wasn’t there for me. It was a very slow moving plot (at 42%, I feel like we barely made it past the exposition). I will not rate this book on Goodreads or my blog since I did not finish, but for Netgalley purposes, I’ll give it 2 stars.

I don’t even know what to say about this book or where to start. I know it was a highly coveted book. I heard good things about it. But then I read it and I was BLOWN away.

The story follows Gwendoline and Arthur, Princess and a noble respectively. They’re betrothed and they absolutely hate each other and find no attraction in the other, but for completely different reasons. They both find themselves attracted to the same sex. As they forge a truce and navigate their situation, they find themselves growing as close friends and initiating ill-fitting romances.

Again, how do I start? It’s just…so fun. It’s a historical fiction with modern day colloquialisms which I actually really enjoy. Sometimes it’s hard for me to get into historical novels because the language feels stilted? Like, I get it, but I like my 21st century phrases.

Besides that, I loved the characters and their development. I liked how we watched every single one of them break out of the chrysalises of their past selves and truly flourish. Gwen learns to speak up. Bridget learns to compromise. Arthur learns to truly be brave. Gabriel learns to let himself be himself. I was rooting for the characters every single step of the way and damn it’s Arthur is a charmer. He’s my favorite.

The pacing was also really nice and from the writing side, I loved how they used the dual point of view and the twist at the end had me voracious!

The only thing that kind of made me go ??? was that why was Gabriel in the castle when he was supposed to be hunting after Gwen went back with Bridget? It’s the tiniest plot hole, but I still picked up on it.

Otherwise, it’s another one of my favorite reads and I’m glad I picked it up! I can’t wait to get a physical copy and be a menace to my co-workers by making them read it too.

“Gwen and Art Are Not in Love” was truly such a fun and touching read. The post-Arthurian alternative England setting was brilliant, the relationships between all of the main characters were complex and beautiful, and the story had just the right amount of intrigue and action! Arthur DeLacey is the chaotic, queer, unwilling hero we all need and deserve. Gwen and Gabriel are soft yet so strong, and their relationship as siblings is incredibly touching. Bridget, the strongest, sexiest, sapphic knight ever dreamed up. And who needs Lancelot when friends like Sidney and Agnes exist?
Enough good things cannot be said about this book!

Lex Croucher's "Gwen & Art Are Not in Love" is a mostly light-hearted romance book set in Medieval times. Gwen and Art, as the title suggests, are not in love, but they are in an arranged marriage. After Gwen caught Art kissing a boy, and Art read Gwen's diary about a lady night, they decide to help each other out. They pretend to be in love--even though they hate each other.

I loved this story, it was lighthearted and was the perfect rom-com. All of the characters were so loveable--flaws and all! All of the hilarious situations and conversations kept me up and laughing. I also really liked the plot! It kept me on my toes, but towards the end the book did get a little bit darker and more intense than I was expecting.

Overall, I really liked this book, it was a really well written and the characters were super loveable.

This review is left voluntarily, and thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

This was such a delight!

Gwen & Art features characters that are lovable, relatable, and hilarious throughout. The juxtaposition of witty, modern dialogue and the medieval setting make for a surprising and unanticipatedly tender queer romance.

I will only be sharing my official review when St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books acknowledges the situation with Palestine.

This was a delightful medieval YA romcom that managed to cater to and completely subvert my expectations at different times! I loved Gwen and Art and their supporting cast, and can't wait to see what Croucher writes next.

I love anything to do with the Arthurian times. Add a gay romance or two in there with a splash of found family and you’ve got my ideal book.

The character dynamics were absolutely wonderful and the drama, humor, and plot were PERFECTION.

All in all a wonderful book and I need to get my grubby little hands on a physical copy as soon as possible.

This book was a real mixed bag for me, frankly.

Things I absolutely loved was the friendship between Sid and Arthur, the slow burn friendship between Gwen and Arthur, and the overall atmosphere of the world that Croucher created in this book. But what I struggled with the most was connecting to the relationships in the book because we don't get nearly enough time watching them develop. Both Bridget and Gabriel feel like they are more side characters than fully formed, which was sad because I liked both of them as they were set up! Bridget is an awesome lady knight with a fun dry wit, and a real highlight was her dealing with medieval PMS, but we never really get to know her beyond "wow she's cool." The same problem exists with Gabriel, because he's mostly just known as the future king who is a bit nerdy.

I really wanted to see more of each of the relationships, especially once the last third of the book kicks into overdrive and things start to go downhill. I never really felt the pain of that because it felt like so much still needed to be developed.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Full of humor and heart, Gwen & Art are easily one of my top reads of the year. I got 4% into my read and knew I would be rating this five stars. Everything just clicked.

The wit and humor in this is next level- Arthur is a pissy little brat with a soft heart and I ate every one of his one liners up! Gwen is fierce and brave even though she doesn't realize it and I knew she would be a force to be reckoned with. And the love interests? A mess and completely genuine. Gabriel broke my heart several times, and the way his journey ended was pure perfection. Lady Leclair is everything to me and I would let her defend my honor in battle any day.

I don't know how Croucher went from making me cackle with laughter to tearing up in just a few passages, but they did and I couldn't put the book down. A perfect example of a messy, beautiful, queer romcom.

Please pick this one up. You won't regret it.

I enjoyed this. It made me think of my younger years, and the characters were so relatable, yet frustrating at times with their decisions. I will definitely check out more books by this author, the writing was wonderful and heart - warming and I would love to see a sequel as well.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read an eARC of Gwen and Art are not in Love by Lex Croucher. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martins Press.

This book tells the story of the people who are descendants of King Arthur a few generations down the line. Long enough that Gwen and Arthur are promised by their parents to each other. Only problem? They hate each other. Of course, that doesn’t stop their parents from planned to marry them off together by the end of summer and the tournament that is taking place. One night, they realize the other one is gay, and then on the promise of blackmail, they decide to pretend they are getting along together and act decently to each other.

This is an interesting story in a very predictable sort of sense. A book that felt comfortable to read and didn’t push any boundaries of this sort of story. A comfort read. It has pining. Self-discovery, and a dash of adventure.

give me all the arthurian shenanigans and i am in!!!

lex croucher is officially an author i cannot believe i waited so long to finally read. honestly, i was particularly terrified of historical fiction as a genre, but this year has really truly been one that i’ve used, discovering and enjoying it. and this story was no exception. the writing, the humor, it all feels so modern.

i mean, hell, we have a riverdale reference in the first couple chapters of the book. and from that line on, i was hooked. this story uses so many of those cliche tropes: “oh. oh.”, “i let go of a breath (sword) i didn’t realize i was holding”, and so on. but all satirically, all flipped on its head. genuinely, it was so laugh out loud, and i really can’t say that often about books in humor. but i was giggling and kicking my feet like an idiot the whole book. basically, if you liked the humor in any of casey mcquiston’s books, you will adore croucher’s humor.

now on to the actual story. well, really the characters. because that’s what we’re all hear for. i absolutely adored gwen and art. the two of them have the friendship of friendships. they help each other through their tough times, and love to pick on each other. their sibling dynamic is just so fun. it’s so wholesome and i want to be their friends. i loved being able to follow both of them through these events.

gabriel, the poor tortured soul, i love you so damn much. adding you to the list of characters i want to give the biggest hug too. seriously, who hurt you so much to make you think you have to be one thing and nothing less than your truest self.

bridget. god, you are so hot. teach me your ways!!! that is all.

one thing that's important to note is that this book isn't a retelling of king arthur's story. i know that's what i first thought, hearing the title. but rather it's a story set in an england, where king arthur isn't a myth but a true man. gwen (kind of) and art were named after their predecessors. and a lot of the politics and world building are built around these myth's being fact/legend in this world. and honestly, i think it was an interesting twist on the story.

genuinely, i am begging croucher to write a follow up book for each of the couples. i will devour it all in a heartbeat.

This was wonderful in the end! It was slow going for about the first half, and this is not a short book so you have to settle in and be okay with the slow start. I fell in love with Arthur and his man, Sidney and our lovely lady knight, Bridget. They were just wonderful and of course, they're the heroes of the story! This is fun, sweet, dramatic and has a very satisfying end. I think if I had read this when I fit into the YA age category, I would have loved it even more and probably would have read again and again.