Overall I thought this was a cute read. I love retellings, especially ones with LGBTQ+ representation. I enjoyed the book from start to finish, and thought it was really well written!

Fake dating, real (gay) dating, royals, and revolts...what more could I ask for? The romantic and platonic relationships between these characters are so flawed yet endearing that you can't help but root for them. I also enjoyed that the romance is the catalyst for much of the plot and the changes in the characters, but that they have lives and problems outside of who they love.

The setting feels like fantasy in a made-up "kingdom far, far away" sense, but nothing is magical. The legends of King Arthur's knights are referenced as historical truth in this universe, but it is acknowledged that the magical aspects either were embellishments or magic has disappeared over time. The amount of times that they mention "magical" traditions, like a replica sword in the stone or a non-mystical Wizard role in the court, had me convinced that someone was going to discover some power or fantastical object at some point but they never do.

I'm honestly only upset that there isn't more! I love these characters and I think that this could be a perfect duology. I really want to see how they grow and love after the life-changing events they went through.

If you like queer history, romance, gay stories, old-timey settings, or King Arthur stories, you should read this.

4.5 stars

First of all thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for approving me of an ARC!

This was definitely the funniest rom com I’ve read in a while. I loved everything about it - the banter, the comedic timing of the characters, the messages behind this book, the friendships, the romance, the characters’ dynamics and especially the characters. This book is soo witty and the banter is so smart and on point that I laughed so much while reading it. As someone who enjoys Casey McQuiston’s rom coms, I think this book has similar humor which I love. I love me a chaotic friend group and characters that are easy to love.

For a book centering two main romantic endeavors (and a third side one), however, I wished they were explored just a tad more but I think that’s the only issue I have with this book.

I enjoyed this one but the pacing was so slow that I kept drifting away. Gwen and Arthur (who are both annoyed by their names) have been betrothed to one another since they were children. They never really got off on the right foot and have been antagonistic toward the other for years. Now, Arthur is brought to be a guest in their kingdom and a date is set for their wedding.

But.

Arthur is really more interested in Gwen's brother Gabriel. Gwen has her eyes on a lady knight named Bridget Leclair.

I thought the end of the book was so action packed that it felt like a different book. I wish it had kept that energy all the way through. I liked all of the characters and thought they were all very interesting but thought they could have been running around so much more to solve the mysteries of what was happening around the castle than everything being a surprise in the end.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

CUTE CUTE CUTE. Mlm & wlw solidarity at its finest here. So cute!! Such an easy and enjoyable read. I will probably read it again!!

While it was well-written, it seemed that nothing really happened over the course of the story that made me want to keep reading. I didn't have that compulsion to keep asking "are they going to be together?" The stakes were incredibly low until the last 10% or so, and as a result the climax came as a sudden and drastic shift in pacing. I'll still recommend this to folks who are looking for soft, romance reads.

Gwen and Art start out as some of the most unlikeable characters I’ve ever encountered. Truly, they were both just awful- and most of the others were too! But the pair of them were so insanely self centered and self absorbed I had a brief moment of panic that this book wasn’t going to be for me. Thankfully, they begin to grow quickly, and become absolutely love able. This book was a (mostly) cute reimagining of medieval Arthurian legend and how that might’ve played out in an alternative timeline. There were some rather dark and heavy elements so please be sure to check any TW- namely for death, abuse, injury, war, homophobia, self harm (emotional), and forced compliance. Overall this was a good read and I enjoyed the story

Being a Princess isn’t too bad until you have to get married. Marriage doesn’t sound all bad if the man Gwendoline (Gwen for short) was marrying wasn’t Art (his full name is Arther, but no one really calls him that). Forced to spend the summer together before they are wed, the only thing the two can agree on is their distaste for each other. Within the first 24 hours, Gwen has caught Art making out with another man, and Art has found Gwen’s diary, where she has written many love letters to the kingdom’s only female knight. The two decide to be hesitant allies and cover for each other, allowing each to have a whirlwind summer romance (just not with each other).

I LOVED THIS BOOK. It was everything I wanted out of a royal queer romance. I can’t describe how much I loved this book, but it felt perfect. I loved all the characters and understood their struggles. At times, I was giggling and kicking my feet, while at others, I wanted to talk some sense into *certain* characters. Truly a fantastic book. If you enjoy queer romance, I must suggest this book.

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a really entertaining queer story set in a medieval background. I loved the querulous banter between Gwen and Arthur. All the characters were so much fun with many having completely different personalities from other stories of King Arthur. Worth reading. 3.5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Betrothed since childhood, the time has finally come for Gwen and Arthur to set a date for marriage. The big surprise, they both would rather be in a same sex relationship. These enemies are complete opposites in this medieval story. Arthur is daring and not afraid of going after men he's attracted. While Gwen is serious and unsure.

For majority of this book nothing really happens except some stolen kisses. Why did this book need to be 400 pages?

Arthur is truly the heroine of this YA romance as he helps others navigate secret desires including Gwen. I enjoyed his romance more than Gwen's, and wanted more of it.

Thank you Wednesday Books for the complimentary copy.

**Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5**

One of my favorite Young Adult reads of 2023!

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a genuinely funny, Arthurian-inspired tale of finding the strength to be yourself, while finding friends and love in unexpected places. Gwen—the princess of England—has been woefully engaged to Arthur—a (very) distant relative of King Arthur—since childhood. After years spent apart due to a strong distaste for one another, Arthur has been brought back to court so that they can officially move their courtship forward. While the pair initially do everything they can to avoid one another, when they both find out a secret about the other (Gwen discovers Arthur kissing a boy, while Arthur find’s Gwen’s diary confessions of her love for a lady knight), they embark on a mutually beneficial pact to fake the success of their relationship in public so that they can both pursue their own interests in private. As they find themselves in complicated romantic relationships, and an unexpected friendship with one another, they need to find the bravery to fight for what they love against threats from both inside and out.

This is one of those books that I just had a great time reading. I loved the cast of characters and found myself pulling for them all to find happiness, and I especially loved our “enemies-to-friends” relationship between Gwen and Arthur! The plot of the book was also really well-paced, and took some unexpected turns that made the story feel compelling. I additionally appreciated the variety of queer experiences represented in this book, and how a variety of complex dynamics about queer identity and coming out were explored in a thoughtful way throughout the book.

This is a great YA story that I look forward to recommending to my upper-middle and high school students—especially those interested in romance and adventure—but I think it has a broader crossover appeal due that will endear many adults as well. This was my first Lex Croucher book, and I look forward to reading more of their work!

**Acknowledgments & Disclaimers**
✨ Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

I found this book to be really engaging and I loved the premise. I'm a sucker for anything Arthurian so this story was right up my alley. It was great to see tbe legend turned on its head. I am looking forward to reading other books by the author.

I received both a digital and audio copy of this book.

I’ve always been fascinated by Camelot and King Arthur retellings. So when you say Camelot but make it gay, I’m 100% in. This story didn’t disappoint. The portrayal of internalized homophobia was very well done. The deception by some of the court officials was very shocking to me. I also loved the portrayal of gender roles, the weakness of women, and women only being welcome for producing heirs; watching our main cast of friends crush a lot of these expectations was wonderful. Finally, the audio narration was wonderful. I loved that we had a narration for each POV

Gay Arthurian legends? Yes please
Big thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for letting me read this absolute delight before it came out in return for a review
This book follow Gwen who is betrothed to a man she can’t stand, Arthur. As the story progresses they learn each other secrets and meet a whole bunch of other characters, Gabe, Gwen’s Brother; Bridget, the attractive lady knight; Agnes, Gwen’s Lady Maid; and Sidney, Arthur’s Body Man.
This book has everything you want from an Arthurian themed book; good politics, swords, and maybe just a touch of magic.
The characters were so vivid and real. There is just the right amount of angst.
The climax was excellently executed and the resolve was sweet
I don’t have a bad thing to say about this book

I found this queer tale of love and friendship set in medieval Camelot to be hilariously irreverent, absolutely delightful, and rather insightful. Hundreds of years after King Arthur, Lancelot, and Guinevere’s time, the current king of England is trying to keep the peace between the cultists and Catholics by reigning from Camelot. It’s summer; the annual tournament is underway (picture A Knight’s Tale or the jousts at a Renaissance festival); and this is the year the king’s daughter, Gwendoline, is set to marry her longtime betrothed, Arthur. But, well, Arthur and Gwen do not so much like each other, you see. Gwen and Art are not in love.

As the two are forced to spend time together, they realize that in some ways they have more in common than expected, and they come to care for each other as friends. Gwen has fallen in love with the lone female knight in the competition, Bridget Leclair, and Arthur? He has eyes for Gwen’s brother, the king-to-be, Gabriel.

So, while this is a love story, it has a major focus on friendships and the importance of acceptance. Arthur, despite his cheekiness, antics, and merrymaking, turns out to be quite perceptive when it comes to Gwen and what she is going through. I ended up finding Arthur and his man, Sidney, to be endearing. There are some fun animals friends full of personality. And this is a time of political unrest, so expect to see some scheming and clashing of swords along the way as well.

I received an advance copy of the ebook from Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

Really good book!!! I liked most of it, I would read it again someday. Really good book!!!!! Honestly I liked the characters too much I would say

I want to start off by saying thank you Net Galley for the ARC of this novel, I've been highly anticipating this novel by Lex Croucher. I have always been fond of the Camelot-lore and so this book hit the right spot for me as a reader. I thought the characters were an interesting interpretation of Arthur and Guinevere. Them being queer and not quite fitting into the heteronormative story that we created was nice to see and I found myself rooting for the main characters' success with love. I thought the story was well paced and the romance, although not super explicit, was sweet. I also loved that this wasn't a more traditional retelling. I feel like not a lot of modern authors have tried to do King Arthur retellings and so this was a nice break from the normal historical romances that I've seen and read so far.

Now onto my critics, I think that the writing for this novel was younger than I'm used to. This is a YA novel, so it makes sense that the writing appeals to more of a youthful crowd, it just wasn't for me. I thought there could have been more details at time and that Croucher could have taken the novel a step further by exploring more in-depth writing. With YA novels, as someone who reads primarily adult novels, I find them to read awkwardly at times and so that was another problem here as well. I'm hoping to see improvements from the ARC to the final addition though and I will do another read of this book when it gets released.

Again, thank you Net Galley for the early copy of this novel. Definitely recommend it!

this book really went above and beyond. i loved it so much. i don't know where to begin. it had lovely medieval vibes.

A whopping 4.5 stars! This was a delightful romp of a book with the power to make you seventeen again. Butterflies were aflutter! It was like experiencing the giddiness of a schoolgirl crush. Gwen and Bridget's romantic development had me on the edge of my seat. The stares, the build-up, the little smirks, the tension, it was all so excruciatingly real between them. Gwen's youthful naivety clashing with Bridget's unwavering sense of self was such a fascinating, and occasionally frustrating, dynamic. There is something to be said about the way that Lex Croucher embodied these characters using the chaos and spirit of adolescence. The characters felt tangible, they were teenagers with the weight of the world on their shoulders causing them to act on recklessness, fearlessness, and anger.

Arthur and Gabriel were a spectacular pair and I wished they got the opportunity to be that more often. Gabriel's burdens throughout the book were clear and connected well with his character's actions. And yet, I wished that we got to watch him let loose and have fun as much as the others. I truly hope we get to see more of the Arthur/Gabriel and Gwen/Bridget dynamic in the future!

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I struggled to connect with these characters and the story. The plot finally captured my interest 80% into the book. I still plan to read two other books I have purchased by this author which were recommended by a local indie bookseller.