I didn't know I could like a historical romance this much; AHHH so cute.
I will say that the part I enjoyed the most was when Arthur was around. I didn't think Gwen and Bridget's dialogue was as fleshed out. Gabriel was written into the corner for the stressed-out scholar heir to the throne than a teenager, the complete opposite of Arthur. Sid is the best sidekick.

This would be perfect for a show or comic book. I think everyone should read it still if not for the bantering and the simmering tensions both the love interests yearn for throughout the summer. This is YA so don't have adult expectations.

Themes and Tropes:
Camelot setting
political intrigue
pet cat named Lucifer/Merlin
mm & FF romance
knight tournaments
bullies to friends
hilarious bantering
ultimate side kicks

This book was not what I was expecting. I went into it expecting a light hearted gay rom com - my goodness I cried and laughed. This book was so much fun and the ending 100 pages was unexpected. I am so happy I got a chance to read this book. The characters were all so lovable and made me feel giddy. Highly recommend!

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

4.25/5 stars

This was absolutely adorable, and I love the flip on Arthurian Legend! Never in a million years did I expect to read a queer romcom based on Arthurian Legend….but my life is so much more complete for having it.

This was just fluffy and adorable and wholesome, while also being reflective, encouraging, and funny. The story and characters will make you smile and also make you think - about how expectations (of ourselves, from others, from society…) have impact on our mental and emotional health; how first impressions and attitudes about a situation impact our relationships; about how we see ourselves, especially through the lens of legacy; and how never taking a stand on anything can be more dangerous than taking a stand on the important things.

This is a great fluffy romcom, but I love the importance of its message too. This book made me smile, laugh, and think - exactly what I wanted. Highly recommend!

2.5 out of 5 / DNF at 60%

Gwen and Arthur are both flawed characters with dislikable traits. How they differ however is Gwen still has likable traits and is willing to admit she has flaws while Arthur is just insufferable. If this book was just Gwen’s POV I would have enjoyed it more and finished it but I just can’t with Arthur and his POV. Gwen’s romance with Bridget felt more fleshed out and believable but Arthur’s romance with Gabriel makes absolutely no sense. I honestly can’t understand how you could like someone that tormented your sister that you dearly love for years, started a suspicious truce with said sister yet continues to insult her and be rude to you. What is romantic about a guy who says awful things about your sister to your face? It doesn’t make sense. I don’t even know why Arthur likes Gabriel, it just felt like a switch got flipped for him and he’s suddenly interested in Gabriel. I also didn’t like that Arthur renamed Gabriel’s cat and after being told the cat’s actual name Arthur thinks it’s stupid and continues to refer to the cat by the name he renamed the cat to. You don’t just rename somebody’s cat and then refuse to use the cat’s actual name after told what it is.

This was a fun read!! The characters were well-developed and I was rooting for them all. I enjoyed seeing the two main relationships unfold, but I would have liked to understand more about the connection between Arthur and Gabriel — it sometimes felt rushed. The plot was also a bit oddly paced sometimes, especially the time jump near the end. I think my favourite part of the book was the dialogue, the banter was so clever and funny! Other than that, it was a solid delivery of the medieval rom com premise!

I had so much fun reading this book. Honestly, Gwen and Arthur were amazing main characters to follow, and I absolutely ADORED their dynamic. I liked their constant bickering, and seeing their friendship grow throughout the novel was absolutely incredible. I also really liked the cast of side characters. They really brought the book to life, and were just an incredible addition to the book.
The two romances were also really cute. I did preffer the Arthur/Gabriel romance over the Gwen/Bridget romance, just because I think they were developed a bit better. When it came to Bridget I just constantly felt like I was grasping in the dark. Her only personality trait seemed to be that she was a knight. Therefore I also had a bit of a harder time connecting to her relationship with Gwen. But overall, both relationships had a lot of cute moments, and I do like how they were developed.
I also kind of like the setting of this book. I like how Arthurian legend in this world was also legend, but also maybe kind of history. I really liked that, and the discussions around that in this book. The questions around what was real or not. I also liked the discussions around queerness in these historical times as well. It's not the most in depth, but for a YA novel I thought it was a great inclusion, especially as you can pull those discussions through to real life queer history ereasure.
When it comes to Lex Croucher I have found that their books have a complete tonal shift at around the 70% mark, which I typically don't like that much, but in this book it actually works. I think Lex Croucher just did a great job at having that event lurking in the background through the entire novel, so when it happens it just feels like it was the natural progression of things instead. Anyway yeah, I did really like this book and definitely recommend it.

Such a delightful book to read!

It had me hooked from the cover, the title, and finding out this was a retelling or re-imaging of King Arthur and his knights legend with a YA, and queer twist. If you enjoy going to a Ren Faire and want to find a book with the same vibes, this is the recommendation I will be adding to that pile.

Princess Gwendoline and Arthur have been betrothed since birth, a necessity for the King to forge new alliances in unstable England. Forced to spend the summer together in Camelot before their wedding, tensions are high between them. After catching Arthur with a man, Gwen thinks she has what she needs to end the betrothal…until Arthur confronts her with her childhood diary, full of her feelings for the kingdom’s only female knight. Realizing what’s a stake, the pair form a tenuous pact to cover each other’s back while they explore their separate lives and sexuality. Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is an exploration of Arthurian myth focused through modern eyes.

The synopsis was interesting and I love a queer retelling/mythology-adjacent story. For the first 60% of the book, I felt like I was wondering what the plot of the book would be, which felt pretty unfortunate. The story is lighthearted to start, a brilliant exploration queer identity within the scope of a society with no idea what that means. As the story progresses past that mark, it picks up quickly and gets darker as the story moves along. The plot certainly picks up, but by the time it does, I had lost interest.

I loved the exploration of sexuality and the sheer scope of sexual identity we explore. I just didn’t care for the characters enough to love the story. Despite being juvenile relationships, they felt overly stilted. There was certainly a better way to explore these relationships without being underdeveloped and rushed. The characters themselves were competing for the readers attention the whole book and I just wasn’t a fan of either of them. Gwen felt so whiny and Art was frustratingly nonchalant. It was hard to look past these issues and immerse myself within the novel.

I wish I had liked this book more than I did.

I absolutely loved this book. I wasn’t expecting to laugh so much. I really enjoyed all the relationships and found family. I couldn’t put it down and I’d recommend it to anyone.

Thank you NetGalley for granting me access to a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I can't really put into words how much I enjoyed this book simply because the end threw me off so much. But not so much that I can say I felt anything but pure enjoyment for the entirety of the read.

Did anyone else feel completely gobsmacked by the end?? Someone please message me about it. I need someone to talk to about it.

While the romance was fun, I think the friendships really took center stage in this story for me. I was thoroughly entertained by their shenanigans, the way they fell into each other. It was ridiculous and heart warming all at the same time. High stakes, historical, and hysterical. A true comedy inside some fantastical re-telling of a King Arthur story. I'm thinking about buying it on audio just to get the full experience (especially now that I know all the punch lines). I had so much fun with these kiddos.

I officially need more queer, romantic comedies?? I've read so many good ones this year. I never get bored, never get lost, can never get enough.

Best of all, was how this book made me feel when I finished it. I tend to ruminate on fiction these days, wonder how much of reality can fit into it. When you find a queer love story that takes place in a time where to be public about who you were was punishable by death, you wonder how on earth stories like that could be buried by time and history for so long. Sometimes, always. There are so many brave people we never got to hear stories from.

Fiction likes this allows those voices to be heard in a way they never could be. It's beautiful, and lovely, and reminds us how not-alone we have always been. There's always been someone just like us sometime in time, we just need to find them.

& oh how special it is when we do!

Out November 28th, 2023
5 🌟

this was a delight. A queer, YA medieval rom-com following a betrothal between Gwendoline, the Princess of England and Arthur, the descendant of King Arthur, that neither of them want. After being forced to spend the summer together at Camelot leading up to their wedding, Gwen discovers Arthur kissing a boy, and Arthur finds out that Gwen has a crush on the lady knight, Bridget Leclair. When they realize begrudgingly that they make better allies than enemies, they make a pact to cover for each other.

From there begins so much fun banter and relationships between such heartwarming and hilarious characters. It was such an easy read, and I felt very immersed into the world.

Lex Croucher’s story made me laugh and cry. I really enjoyed this one.

thank you netgalley and wednesday books for an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

In a tale as old as time, a prim princess and dapper young lord who despise each other are paired together for marriage by the greater powers (politics), and enter a fake relationship to satisfy those greater powers (who are also their parents). However, in this anachronistic romantic comedy, our two spirited leads quickly realize they will never fall in love and in fact, have very specific lovers who are not each other in mind.

What ensues is a journey of self-discovery for our two leads - Gwen, the sheltered English princess who sticks to meticulously planned routines to cope with her loneliness, and Arthur, the irrascible rake escaping his lord father’s vehement and suffocating expectations. The author could’ve easily neglected their friendship in favor of both romances, but did not, which I found very refreshing. As they reluctantly become friends, each plays a role in pulling the other out of their shells; Arthur gleefully plays wingman between Gwen and her childhood crush, the trailblazing knight Bridget, while Gwen acts as Arthur’s caution, urging him to reflect on how his losses have shaped him. One of the book’s strongest traits is the author’s willingness to dive into both leads’ anxieties and pick at them, before pushing the other lead in to provide some solid advice.

Besides the budding trust between our leads, we get plenty of awkward flirting, first kisses and heartfelt promises when they meet their romantic interest. Both romantic interests managed to walk the fine line between being swoon-worthy and grounded characters on their own journeys of seeking purpose. Bridget comes off as a confident warrior immune to the harassment she faces as the realm’s first female knight, but has somewhat lost her ability to see life outside her goal. When Gwen enters her life, she is forced to learn how to find balance. Gabriel is a reserved prince who stays carefully neutral and pursues knowledge in preparation for rulership. Meeting Arthur forces him to realize how stifling his life is. But they also drive the leads’ own arcs, as Bridget helps Gwen see the power her title could hold, while Gabriel assures Arthur that Arthur is a much more brave and loyal man than he thinks he is.

However, this wonderful development is somewhat derailed by the inevitable plot. We get to know these characters against a backdrop of political tension between the king’s supporters and nobles supporting Arthurian “cultists.” But the betrayals and heartbreak our lovely cast goes through are pretty easy to guess. There were also some intriguing threads about King Arthur and the Round Table that could’ve led to some dissection of history and religion, but were barely explored, which might disappoint Arthurian legend fans. Even the book’s deux ex machina (in a sense) is discussed once before being brought out in the ending to solve the remaining dilemma. I really want to believe that the optimistic solution will work in this setting so our cast gets a happily ever after, but it requires some suspension of disbelief.

Overall, it was an enjoyable story with plenty of fun banter and sweet moments among our cast. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for the review.

The book is often funny but has these moments that are incredibly relatable and real. I went in expecting much more humor and hilarity but found that there were actually high stakes and a larger plot than just potential marriage. We’re talking world changing historical finds, actual life and death. It’s interesting that the magic and societal expectations of Merlin’s time are completely gone by the time we reach the present day. There isn’t an explanation for this; perhaps it’s Merlin’s absence, or Arthur’s sacrifice. Or maybe the magic didn’t exist at all. A lot of the records from that time were burned or otherwise lost. I would like to know more about the actual history. Perhaps if the story had had Gabriel’s point of view as well, since he was always buried in his books. We get so very little about him, and about his and Art’s budding relationship, and I find it to be quite sad.

I love how Gwen and Art slowly begin to understand each other as people, putting aside whatever rivalry they had when they were children. It was reluctant at first, each held back by their previous notions and also society, but then they become real friends. Because of society, they are convinced they have to marry each other but, after they become more friendly, it’s not a point of contention for the two of them. While they never seem to discuss the future after they are married, it seems like each would allow the other to take on a partner on the side, so long as they maintain the show. They both understand the supposed need for such a thing, and neither would run away from duty. They’re kind of stupid and loyal like that. Which, at least Gwen isn’t going to take the throne so the pressure isn’t as great. She could very well have run away.

Gwen’s confidence grows, with Art’s help, and with the help of Bridget, a female knight and Gwen’s crush. Gwen finally begins to see herself and her actions from an outsider’s point of view and she realizes how cowardly and removed from her own life she has been. She’s not even real friends with her ladies maid, nor does she have a close confidant, beyond her brother Gabriel. And even in that, she can’t tell him that she likes women because it would disrupt her whole worldview to admit it out loud. The main cast of characters are wonderful, especially Art and Bridget. Bridget’s family sounds great and supportive of her becoming a knight, and she proves herself over and over again yet it’s never enough for the people. She’s absolutely amazing and I can definitely see why Gwen fell for her. We do see more of Gabriel, since he’s Gwen’s brother, than we do of Bridget, so Bridget feels a little pushed aside to me. But her amazingness speaks for itself, especially in the end scenes. She’s true to herself and honest to Gwen, even if Gwen does feel a little slighted because she perceived things differently through sheer force of will.

The story is set hundreds of years after the time of Merlin and Arthur. It was real but this is not a retelling or a second coming. In fact, it pokes fun at the names people are given in memory of the golden age of Albion. I mean, Gwen and Arthur? Arthur and Guinivere? I kind of thought the story was gearing up for a second coming of Arthur but am glad it didn’t, though I would give anything for a BBC Merlin revival where that’s the plot. I’ve read more than my fair share of continuation fics.

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is fun and genuine, a story set in the world of Merlin, in a world of magic, but not reliant on that story. It holds up well, all the uncertainties of being in love with the wrong person, the wrong gender, but set against a medieval background. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants queer romance set against a medieval background, to people who enjoy witty repartee, and to people who enjoy character transformations and facing one’s own faults.

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher is a captivating historical romance that is both hilarious and filled with witty banter. This enchanting novel is guaranteed to sweep readers off their feet with its swoon-worthy storyline.

I want to start this by saying that overall, I really enjoyed this book. The characters — especially the supporting characters — were all well-rounded and a lot of fun. There were several quips and one-liners that left me laughing, and even though Gwen and Art themselves were rather unlikable at the beginning, I feel like it added to the story.

The difficulty with this book is that it is trying to tell two stories at once. With the dual POVs, the reader gets glimpses into the lives Gwen and Art as they work to not only form a bond themselves, but win over Bridget and Gabriel in the process. While there was technically a lot going on, the seemingly sporadic POV shifts made it hard to really get into either side of the story, and I was left wanting more.

The overall narrative was creative and fun. I can see how it’s being referenced as a modern A Knight’s Tale, but I feel the story would have benefited by being split into a duology.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review

I think that I may have overhyped this book for myself due to seeing other people review it really well. That being said, I still really liked it. It had the perfect mix of funny and serious moments throughout, and I loved the dynamics between each of the characters. This has easily become a favorite read.

overall, this book + characters gave me such a heartstopper vibe, fans of alice oseman will totally love this one when it's released. reading a book with characters that are on both sides of the spectrum when it comes to accepting parts of their identity that can either be a joyous or terrifying experience was so refreshing to see alongside a ton of silly shenanigans. i already know so many queer readers, young and old, will read this and feel so many feelings. I can't wait to see everyone experience this fun book! reading this with its audiobook (also from netgalley) was such a fun experience and I would 100% recommend listening along with the book!

I am a huge fan of Morgana, a staple figure in the Arthurian legend, especially in BBC's Merlin (she was hot, queer-coded and played by Katie McGrath). But, she only symbolically exists in Gwen & Art Are Not in Love as this story takes place in the same world generations later; it is not a retelling. Although, I would not be opposed to gay Morgana fiction in the future.

“The path to love never did run straight.”

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a comedic queer medieval rom-com YA debut about love, friendship, and being brave enough to change the course of history. Gwendolyn and Arthur have hated one another since they were children, have been betrothed for years and are forced to spend the summer together in Camelot leading up to their nuptials. When Gwen discovers Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur finds Gwen's childhood diary outing her crush on a girl they quickly realize they might make better allies than enemies.

Lex Croucher aimed to tell two romances at once and while I enjoyed both, I wish there was a primary focus. This would've worked better as a duology with each book dedicated to a pairing. While I enjoyed watching Gwen trip on her toes swooning over lady knight Bridget Leclair, we weren't given the space to see their relationship fully develop (although it was given way more growth than Gabriel and Art's romance). It almost tries to do too much in a short time. We lose out on the chance to explore each love interest's character in detail because the dual perspectives are between Gwendolyn and Arthur rather than between a main character and their romantic partner.

The medieval setting is very A Knight's Tale, especially with the princess, Gwen, catching the eye of a brave knight; Bridget competing in the King's tournament; and Arthur and Sidney embodying Heath Ledger and Alan Tudyk. Which brings me into the friendships, the best part by a long shot (okay maybe second to the sapphic pairing). I did not expect to enjoy Gwen and Art as co-conspirators and friends as much as I did. They were both annoying and bratty, and it was kind of perfect. The characters were all sublime.

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is split into two clear halves. The second, being much darker. And the story isn't given enough time to recover/return to its charming, light feel we experienced in the first part. No one really felt completely happy by the end??? Overall, the story was sweet with found family, witty banter, well-written dialogue, lots of enemies-to-friends and a classic miscommunication trope snuck in. I would recommend reading this book despite my slight critiques. I really did enjoy it!

CW: Alcohol as a coping mechanism, internalized homophobia, violence, death, loss of limb, parental neglect.

This was such a fun read! The Arthurian retelling I never knew I needed.
Queer romance? Check. Found family? Check. Grumpy and sunshine? Check. Woman in armor? Check!
There were so many instances in Gwen and Art are Not in Love where I genuinely laughed out loud. Without spoilers - I would 10/10 recommend this for anyone who was a fan of Red, White and Royal Blue. Fun, witty writing and a the queer romances we deserve.