Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a YA historical/fantasy with a sapphic and achillean romance. Gwen and Art have been in a political betrothal since they were kids. But, not only are they not in love, they actively despise each other. They're being forced to spend the summer before their marriage together and, within 24 hours, Gwen catches Art kissing a boy, and Art digs up Gwen's diary to find that she is enamored with a Lady Knight named Bridget. So, they decide they'd be better off as allies and make a pact to cover for one another. Throughout the summer, Gwen and Bridget grow closer, while Art ends up harboring a crush on Gwen's brother.

This was so fun and campy and yes, stupid. But I really loved every second of it and though tit was such a great time. One of my favorite historical romances I've read in the last few years.

This was such a delight to read! Lex Croucher crafts such excellent characters that you want to root for every step of the way. They were easily my favorite part of the book, and I loved hearing about their adventures and shenanigans. The story did feel a bit slow at times and I do think the book was a bit longer than it needed to be, but a queer spin on King Arthur's tale is right up my alley, and I definitely enjoyed this one.

*Gwen & Art Are Not in Love* by Lex Croucher is a charming and witty rom-com with a unique twist on the classic "will-they-won't-they" trope. Set against the backdrop of a vibrant and quirky social circle, the story follows Gwen and Art, two individuals who have a complicated relationship filled with misunderstandings, awkward moments, and simmering attraction. Croucher’s writing is sharp, with a delightful mix of humor, vulnerability, and emotional depth. The characters are well-drawn, with their personal growth and dynamic chemistry adding richness to the plot. Full of heart and humor, *Gwen & Art Are Not in Love* is a refreshing, feel-good read for fans of contemporary romance.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Gwen and Art are betrothed despite them loathing each other. Both drive each other insane however when Gwen catches Art kissing another boy and Gwen's diary is unearthed and her crush on the kingdom's only female knight is revealed by Art, they discover they can both make their circumstances work with Gwen as Art's wingwoman and Art as Gwen's right-hand man.

This book was laugh out loud funny. I burst into laughter at some parts and chuckled at others. How this book was so chaotic is beyond me. My favourite characters had to be Sidney, Gabriel, Gwen and Art. I felt like the relationship between Bridget and Gwen needed to be developed a bit more, I couldn't help but want more scenes with just the two of them. My favourite couple had to be Art and Gabriel, their relationship seemed so cute and I was shipping them the entire book.

Highly recommended for a feel-good, light-hearted read.

this was everything I wanted it to be!! I could honestly end the review right there, but there's so much to this story that I didn’t expect.

with themes of self discovery, navigating young adulthood and trying to balance tough familial bonds, gentle blooming love, & testing loyalties, this book has all the makers of a great YA romance.

a spin on the tale of King Arthur, Croucher delivers witty banter (that reminds me of BBC's Merlin), drunken horseback adventures, hilariously bad decisions, and tender kisses all the while taking you through a summer of reflection, friends, and finding out who you are to yourself as well as the rest of the world.

I could have 8 chapters of just Art and his manic thoughts. what a darling man. and the pining?? Gwen, honey, you have to learn to look strategically!!

A fun YA mixup of Arthurian legends, with delightful queer representation. It took me a bit to get into it, but once I was about a third of the way in, I didn't want to put it down. A nice dash of political intrigue keeps things ticking along.

This was the cutest historical queer book I have ever read! The only thing Gwen and art can agree on is that they are not in love. They both have their eyes set on someone else. Art has been caught kissing a boy and Gwen has her eyes set on an exciting new female knight. This book is funny and heartwarming and there’s sword fighting! The quintessential queer Arthurian legend.

Not Casey McQuiston comparing this one to A Knight's Tale?!? Need I say more? Lex Croucher delivers with Gwen & Art Are Not in Love.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

What a fun love story. I fear I'm just not a fan of YA titles anymore. I predicted the twists and turns early on in the story. And the lingo/language was a tad bit too modern for me.

But the pairings were super cute, the characters were lovable. It was very, very funny! And I absolutely love that all the characters were queer!

Overall, a good story. I just had a hard time really enjoying it. But I do recommend it to anyone who loves YA!

I am obsessed with this book. The author knows I am obsessed with this book. I am MELTED for Gwen and Art, and I love the wild turn the book takes at the end into an action novel. All points all the way down, and I cannot wait to read Croucher's next.

SO F**** HOT I AM OBSSESED WITH THIS BOOK BECAUSE HELLO ??? im obssesed... they are just bvrefnvkrwnf love them

What a lovely romp with 4 characters I rooted for! I enjoyed the humor, the storyline, and the writing style.

A Queer retelling of King Arthur? Sign me up!
I’ve read some of Alex crouches other work and really enjoyed it so I was very excited to receive a copy of Gwen & Art Are Not in Love and it certainly lived up to the hype!
If you are looking for a fun retelling of the classic tale or just a great queer read, this is definitely worth picking up!
It’s fun, romantic, & brave!
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a novel that delves into themes of friendship, love, and finding yourself that can be enjoyed by anyone but especially young folks who are dealing with these topics in their own life.

This was so beautifully written. It had sparkly giddy moments of sweetness. The characters where will written and the world building was amazing. It will be one of my favorite for years to come.

I love period pieces and regency novels. This book was right up my alley and I connected with it early on. The last 30-40% of the book did take me off guard but I think it ended nicely

SO MUCH FUN! Hijinks galore. While I wouldn't recommend to historical fiction readers, I would recommend to any queer romance readers.

I enjoyed this one - it was cute and there were so many shenanigans! I did feel like the pacing for this one was rather slow, sometimes I caught myself drifting but towards the end it ramps up and is full of action, which makes for quite the contrast with the beginning of the book. This is especially true when it comes to the mysteries of what was going around the castle, I just feel that could've been more present throughout the book instead of mainly the end. Either way, this was a fun read and I rather liked Gwen and Arthur teaming up so they could both get their happy ever afters! The friendships stuck out for me in this one!

I went back and forth between the ebook and audiobook for this one - the narration of the audiobook was enjoyable and I ended up finished the book via audio.

Thank you to St-Martin's Press, MacMillan Audio and Netgalley for the ARC/ALC. All opinions are my own.

I wasn't really in the mood for regency romance when I started this but I still had a lot of fun! Loved the King Arthur lore and of course the queer relationships and the siblings relationships! I think this was hyped a lil more on booksta so I had a lot of expectations so it didn't hit as much for me but without thinking of that, I loved it!

I have to say that the pacing in this novel built up an extreme and well rounded ending and I quite enjoyed that. Took a tension filled romance and amped it up.

Where this fails for me is the miscommunication with Arthur. Anytime I see miscommunication in a book, so run in the opposite direction.

This also felt a lot pop culture-y than it should have been.

It is hard to make me care about two couples equally in a book. This book didn't do it. Firstly, because Gwen and Arthur were deeply unlikeable at the beginning of the book. Gwen eventually won me over, but I never did grow to appreciate Arthur. The pacing of the POVs led the book to feel disjointed, and it seems clear to me which character Croucher thinks is the most interesting. Ultimately, this is a skip for me.