I absolutely adored this book! It was laugh-out-loud funny in a way that never made me cringe. The writing was a super fun mix that gave you modern day mixed with aurthurian legend. The characters were spectacular, and I especially fell in love with Art. Each is distinct and grounded in a very real way, each has understandable motivations and flaws. At one point I thought the book was going in a very predictable direction, but it did a quick 180 on me and flipped that on its head, completely surprising me. I loved that! Would highly recommend this super fun and heartfelt read.

Gwen is betrothed to Arthur from birth, but as their wedding date grows near, it is apparent that not only do they not get along, they’re both queer (Gwen is bi and Arthur is gay).

Not quite a King Arthur retelling but more like an alternate Camelot universe, this enemies to friends story is a fun read.

I struggled with the first 30% or so of this book. Gwen is 17 and a princess and Art is a 19 year old nobleman. They’re both bratty and entitled and self centered and pretty insufferable. It’s probably a combination of character growth and the characters growing on you but by 1/3 way through they became more tolerable. I think more than the multiple blooming romances at Camelot, I enjoyed Gwen and Art becoming friends. There was plenty of levity and comic relief - overall and enjoyable read.

This was so good! This book is a lot of things, some expected and some very unexpected. The expected were the cute relationships: f/f, m/m, and m/f. I liked seeing Gwen and Arthur go from enemies to friends as they realize exactly why they’re not a good match. The story is both cute, sweet, and a bit heart wrenching as they all come to terms with who they’re attracted to, the implications, and finding ways to be open with each other and their love interests. Gabriel squeezed my heart the most as the one who struggled the most with who he wanted to be.
The last 80% went crazy though! I was not entirely expecting the bloody action movie it turned into, and what each of our characters had to go through. The ending was ultimately hopeful and sweet. I would have loved a more drawn out and definitive ending or an epilogue though. But I still really enjoyed this book and highly recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a requested copy to review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher for sending this to me as an ARC!

Lex Croucher creates a mystifying world that would captivate any reader on first glance. Medieval worlds, captivating characters, and laugh out loud moments set this book up to be one of the biggest queer romances of the year, in my opinion.

I do, however, think that this world falls a bit short in the first half. Worldbuilding that becomes important later in the story is only half explored at the beginning, making most mentions of it confusing in the first half of the story. The entire plotline about Catholics vs. cultists could have been fleshed out much more quickly and would have made for a much smoother read in my opinion. Along with this, I think that almost all of our character development happens in the back half of this book, making the first half not feel nearly as important.

Despite these flaws, though, Gwen and Art Are Not in Love shines in its witty characters who made me audibly laugh at times, and the relationships in this found family, as well as Lex Croucher's ability to explain emotions that many young people experience in a way that is palatable for any reader. Sindey was easily my favorite character in this book. He is a side character who's romance with Agnes I'd read an entire spin off book of. He is the cause of many of the laughs in this book for me, and his unwavering loyalty is something that I love in a character. The way that the author describes Gwen's emotions throughout the story as she battles her sexuality in a world that doesn't accept her has made me more aware of my own feelings, and I'm sure will put names to feelings of many young queer kiddos who need it. A beautiful example of this is:

"Gwen felt like a child clutching at handfuls of water, unable to understand why it wouldn't stop running through her fingers."

This is just one example. Gwen explores who she is through this novel and as she describes her feelings for Bridget, it opens up the reader to think, "oh, I've felt that, too."

All of this to say that while Gwen and Art is not perfectly written, it will make an impact on this generation of queer readers, and it sure did make an impact on me. I think that is more important than any world building mishap that most teens won't notice anyway.

I wanna preface this by saying that on my rating scale, 3/5 means that the book was pretty good, just not a favorite.

I really enjoyed the messages given in this novel. I REALLY connected with the characters and love how this showed the struggled in self-discovery and acceptance as an LGBTQ+ individual, especially when other paths are expected of you. Croucher did an amazing job at not straying away from this coming-of-age focus to only highlight the blooming romances we see.

With that, I do think that the relationships could have been developed a smidge more. While I do appreciate that it wasn’t just “i’m gay, you’re gay, problem solved”, I would have enjoyed if the characters, especially Arthur and Gabriel, were developed a bit more — even if this was through means other than romance such as friendship or relating to one another. Because of this, I think the book seemed a bit slow and/or repetitive at times, seeming to expand parts that didn’t necessarily need to be prolonged.

Anyways, I loved each and every character and found them all EXTREMELY relatable in one way or another. Art deserves the world, the G siblings are literally me and have my heart, and we stan Bridget for literally everything she’s ever done ever.

This was a fabulous book. It was enjoyable and had wonderful pacing. I would read this author again. I would recommend this book to others.

Overall, Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is a delightful read that is sure to please fans of queer romance, medieval fiction, and witty humor. I highly recommend it.

The story follows Gwen, a young woman who is forced to marry Arthur, a prince she doesn't know. Despite their initial dislike for each other, Gwen and Arthur slowly start to love each other as they work together to solve a series of mysteries.

One of the things that makes Gwen and Art Are Not in Love so enjoyable is the characters. Gwen is a strong, independent woman who is not afraid to speak her mind. Arthur is a kind and gentle soul who is just as intelligent as he is handsome. The supporting characters are also well-developed, and they add a lot of humor and heart to the story.

The plot of Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is fast-paced and engaging. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep readers guessing, and the ending is satisfying. The author does a great job of weaving Arthurian lore into the story, and this adds an extra layer of depth and interest.

Thank you to Lex Croucher, and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Lex Croucher for providing me with this eARC.

As a queer imagining of Arthurian legend I knew I had to pick up this book, even though it’s not a retelling. I genuinely loved the characters from Gwen and Art Are Not in Love so much. Each of them grew in their own ways on an individual level and within their relationships. Despite there being less of a focus on the romance between Gwen and her love interest, Bridget, and Art and his love interest, Gabe, than I expected I found that didn’t really matter to me. I was much more invested in Gwen and Art’s friendships, both with each other and the other characters, including their own and each other’s love interests. The book was very character driven, but the very end was quite plot driven. The ending was very interesting and enjoyable but it felt like there was too slow of a buildup to it. Besides that one detail I truly loved the book and the characters in it.

I'm not usually one for Arthurian tales, but not only are Gwen and Art not in love, they are also not Guinevere and Arthur Pendragon. They're just teenagers saddled with their legacy, and trapped in a betrothal. And therefore, it was downright delightful! I curled up into all the happy things like sassy banter amongst a quickly cohesive collective of queer young adults, of surprisingly diverse backgrounds, with medieval shenanigans in the background. Only complaint would be the sometimes jarring anachronistic turns of phrases that would be more in line with Gen Z speak rather than the period this is supposed to be occuring in. Regardless, excited to check out more Lex Croucher!

3.5 stars rounded up!! I really love the found family trope, especially if there’s royal ties and complexion and queer relationships within it. It definitely delivered with that. My only complaint is that I felt like there was a lot of unfulfilled knowledge of what was happening outside of the main group. This didn’t create plot holes, just a less informed audience. I will say the last 100 pages blew me away. I really liked this book!!

I absolutely loved this book as much as I thought I would. It was written in a light easy to read manner but had poignant themes. Arthur was sarcastic and hilarious, but just the right kind of mess to have on your side. I love how the characters ended up embracing their true selves at the end and stepping outside their comfort zone to share that with the rest of the kingdom. I highly recommend this book!

From what I read I really liked this book. I liked the story well enough even though it seemed to take quite a while to fully take shape. Not sure how it ended so I’m going based on what I did read. Too bad my arc ran out before I finished.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the arc.

Give this book to any teens that enjoy going to Renaissance Fairs/Festivals, that loved the Alanna books, legends of King Arthur, Heartstopper series, etc. It's a modern take on historical fiction with some legendary references thrown in (and tossed on their heads for fun!) Check it out!

This is a super cute and adorable story. I always love Lex’s writing. It’s very fun and queer, borderline fantastical, and silly.

It’s still odd to be that this is out in the UK but not here in the US? Publishers make some interesting choices. Overall, a fun tale.

4.5/5 stars!! Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher easily ranks among my favourite reads of the year so far! The characters were dynamic, the romances achingly sweet, and the humour sharp. The plot was perfectly paced, never once did I find myself longing for more action; it all fell into place seamlessly.

Gwen is the princess of England, Arthur a future Lord. Betrothed since birth they are forced to spend a summer together in Camelot in preparation for their upcoming wedding. In a story of enemies to allies to friendship, the two spend the summer sneaking around and falling in love - Arthur with Gwen's brother (the future king of England) and Gwen with the kingdom's only Lady Knight.

Croucher's engaging writing style effortlessly builds the story and characters out so well that I felt an immediate attachment to each of them.

The story navigates the beautiful complexities of identity and sexuality. An important exploration of vulnerability, acceptance, and the profound ways in which the people we least expect can have the greatest impacts on our lives.

While it is definitely not a Gwen and Arthur retelling, references to Arthurian literature play a large role in the world-building of this novel, and does an excellent ode to the lore in my opinion.

Finishing this book left me with a deep longing for more, I beg of Lex Croucher for a sequel

This book had me at “God, I hope she stabs me” because sword lesbians are my favouriteeeee 🥰

I’ve been seeing this book all over bookstagram and I was ecstatic to receive the ARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley!

Personally, I was a big fan of Arthur and Sidney’s friendship throughout the entire story, it reminded me a little of Arthur and Merlin from the show. 🥹 Gwen wasn’t my absolute favourite character but her growth over the book reminded me a bit of myself so I felt very deeply for her! Personally I kept mixing up all the lords and sirs but I think it was just because I was enjoying the book so much and not paying a whole lot of attention to side characters, so totally on me.

Overall, the story was super fun to read, I had a hard time putting it down because I just wanted to keep reading! Absolutely going to be buying my own copy of this once it publishes, I can see myself reading it a few times over.

4.5/5 ✨

I'm normally not a huge historical fiction fan, so I was worried I wasn't going to like this book even though the premise really interested me. I ended up really, really enjoying this! It was easy to get transported to that time period. I felt like I was rewatching A Knight's Tale with how vividly I could picture the setting.

All of the main characters - Gwen, Arthur, Gabriel, Bridget, and Sidney - were so loveable and easy to root for. I adored the relationship between Gabe and Art. The slow-burn friendship between Gwen and Art, though, was my favorite part. It was so sweet to see that they actually had more in common than they thought and slowly let themselves care for one another.

Truly, the only gripes I have with the book are minor things. The perspective shifts every chapter, alternating between Gwen and Arthur. But at one point in the book, it doesn't alternate and there are two chapters in a row from one character's perspective. It threw me off just a tad. Also, I was slightly disappointed that the book ended without including Gabe's speech. I think it would've been nice to see him conquer that task and show something monumental that the book was building up to.

All in all, I really loved this book and can't wait to buy a copy once it's published!

Gwen and Art are not in love belongs on your bookshelf.
There is truly a character for everyone- whether you like the quiet, smart Gabriel and his worldly compassion; the bluster and (seemingly) easy swagger of Arthur; Bridget’s steel and strength; Gwen’s unabashed quick wit and take no crap attitude. There is someone for everyone to connect with, but the magic is watching four different distinct and often oppositional personalities learn to fit togethers. What begin as rivalries turn into friendships. Forever chaotic, this is a queer romance you don’t want to miss.

Mostly lighthearted and incredibly funny this book falls into my must read for queer youth shenanigans. Genuinely laugh out loud. I would love to see a sequel!
Tropes: slow burn, coming of age, fake dating.

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

From the first page to the last, Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher is some of the most fun I've had reading a novel this year. It is genuinely funny and quite literally left me laughing out loud at times. There is a barrage of witty batter and hijinx that is balanced with a captivating storyline. The quippy writing style and often mad-cap dialogue create a book that delivers its reader a great time.

The story follows the titular characters, Gwen and Art, two people with nothing in common and undisguised disdain for one another. Gwen is a goody-two-shoes that is trying desperately not to rock the boat. Aurthur is a party boy with a reputation to match. Unfortunately for them, they are betrothed and destined to marry and solidify fealty to the king, which is currently on shaky ground. Things go more than a little haywire when they discover each other's secret. However, both characters being resilient and shrewd, decide upon an alliance of sorts. But you know what they say about the best-laid plans...

Most of the characters are queer, a phenomenon usually seen in fanfiction. Rather than queerness being relegated to side characters or even a gay main character in a sea of straights, the author put LGBTQ identities at the forefront of the novel. (If anything, it turns the trope of the token gay character on its head by filling that role with the very heterosexual Sydney.) By giving the reader fun but complex characters, the author provides a relatable experience for some while challenging heteronormativity for others. Also, the ethnicity or race of the characters is never explicitly mentioned. Still, based on their descriptions, at least a couple are characters of color.

The story also weaves in themes such as friendship, loyalty, substance abuse, and agency. This, along with a cast of characters that feel fully realized, contributes to a dynamic, multilayered narrative that keeps the reader consistently engaged. The pacing is strong and even, even in the moments devoid of hilarity and hijinks. The author strikes a balance by providing heartfelt moments of character growth that feel authentic. And while the side characters distinctly fall into the category of sidekick, the pitfall of being merely plot devices is deftly avoided.

Unfortunately, Art and Gwen Are Not in Love perfect comedic timing cannot mask that the novel falls short in the realm of worldbuilding. It fails to establish a clear sense of time and place, leaving readers with a vague and unsatisfying understanding of the setting. And while the setting is not central to the storyline, the lack thereof keeps the story from being as immersive as it could have been. The lack of detail about the government based on the legendary Arthur and Guinevere feels distracting. The best way to describe it is vaguely medieval, in a world that could be our own or, more likely, a universe that runs parallel to ours. And unfortunately, a rather large plot point is the monarchy structure.

Still, the good far outweighs the bad with this one. With its queer rep, a level of depth that doesn't feel like pandering, and dynamic comedic timing, Art and Gwen Are Not in Love is a highly satisfying read. This is perfect for readers looking for a book on the lighter side with a smidgeon of action that's heavily character driven.

Thank you for NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

it was a cute and fun read. i'm not gonna lie that I'd get into this book only for the arthurian but make it ver gay legends. but I really enjoyed my time reading this. I loved the characters, the writing, the plot was ok.