Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is a sweet post-Arthurian (is that a thing?) queer YA rom-com. Lex Croucher once again crushes the writing -- it's witty, fast-paced, banter-full, and character-driven. The story switches seamlessly between the perspectives of Gwen and Arthur. While I found Gwen rather intolerable at times (her annoying qualities seemed very intentional, however, and she does grow throughout the book... but still), Arthur (who is also a bit of a ding dong and also certainly has flaws) was a true pleasure to read.

This book was so much fun. Such and amazing concept and the way it all fit together with the twists and turns and resolutions made this a plot to remember. I will definitely be recommending this book. I look forward to reading more by this author!

I really enjoyed Gwen & Art Are Not in Love and have few notes beyond this. This story (not a retelling of the King Arthur tales), finds Gwen and Arthur, engaged from birth for political advantage, becoming reluctant allies in the effort to pursue their own interests and motivations. Throw in a bookish crown prince, the only lady knight in the kingdom, and an overly permissive bodyguard, and you have fuel for an exciting medieval adventure. I found the characters charming and the plot a nice mix of personal and political conflicts. The shifting POV between Gwen and Art never feels frustrating; the scenes from each POV overlap enough that there is some tension but I never wanted to skip through a scene to get to a resolution.

There are some discussions of mental health, including depression and alcohol abuse, as well as conflicts around abuse and sexual identity. I found that these topics added depth to characterization and conflict without leaning toward despair; this story remains hopeful throughout, despite some dire circumstances.

Readers who like strong characters, snarky dialogue, and a compelling plot within the backdrop of medieval England should give Gwen & Art a try.

this was a very cute read that perfectly balanced the romance and comedy with the more serious moments! Gwen, Gabe, Arthur, and Bridget (and Agnes and Sidney, the more side characters) were all very interesting and I felt like I got to know all of their personalities separately. Gwen & Art is not so much of an Arthurian retelling as it is a story set in the same world far in the future and deeply entrenched in the history. This book is a treat! It's funny, romantic, and filled with banter. I loved it.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was really awesome. The concept it really cool, a historical fantasy vibe. I loved switching off POV between Gwen and Art every chapter, it was a really sweet YA romance and if you love queer royalty stories you are guaranteed to enjoy this. It was sweet, exciting, and funny. (Sidney put up with so much but he's kind of hilarious.) One of my only issues with the book is that towards the end it kind of wraps up quickly and skips over resolutions I would have liked to see happen. A lot of time is YA books I personally find I wish there were 20 to 50 more pages of story. Regardless, I enjoyed this book, had fun reading it, and kind of wish we would get more of these charter's story/lives.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, this book was disappointing for me. While it is not a King Arthur retelling, and simply takes place in the same world but many years later, it felt very minimally inspired by his story. There was little that took place in the book that actually were relevant to being in King Arthur's world. I would've loved to see more of the lore directly involved.

This story felt like there was no plot. It was character driven, which is how it should be, but the characters were not very in depth. The main character wasn't likable and I think the story would've improved if there had been more pressure put onto Gwen in order for her to have to undergo some character development.

The actual writing was okay and I didn't have any stand out complaints from the style, other than the fact that the characters sounded very modern for having been in the era they were.

Gwen and Arthur Are Not in Love was my first 5 star read of 2023!
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This is a YA medieval romcom that releases November 28th of 2023
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I absolutely adored this book! The characters were beautifully written and all had their on flaws to work through. Reading this book felt like growing with them as they found their true selves. The alternating POV’s let’s you really delve deep into the character’s emotions and desires. There is also great gay, lesbian, and bisexual representation.
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Each chapter brought laughter, tears, and heart wrenching moments. I didn’t want the book to end.
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I read this book as an arc on net galley in exchange for an honest review. A big thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for letting me read this amazing book!
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My review will be posted on my Instagram @eliza.bethreads tomorrow as well as my Goodreads account : https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/138904998-eliza?fbclid=PAAaYuQPa2e4ZLwwIrfwJvh6AnYW0MMo7LZ_nxE04ILYJsABb46WypkQ2hTnE

As someone who spent a lot of time watching and rewatching A Knight’s Tale as a youth, this book was a treat. It was filled with truly funny banter, enemies to friends, medieval games, and a group of young adults changing Camelot for the better. The ending was so wholesome and lovely, exactly what I wanted for this story.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC for my honest review!

I've read a lot of Arthurian retellings, and I think this one has ended up being my favorite. Several generations removed from the original characters, King Arthur's descendant (also named Arthur) is engaged to the princess of England, Gwendoline. The problem is, Arthur and Gwen hate each other, and have gone years without seeing each other until the summer they're meant to be married. Soon after their reunion, the pair find out each other's deepest secret: they're both gay. They reluctantly make a pact to protect each other's secret, which leads to better friendships, romantic flings, and some minor political tension. I really liked the characters, the summary mentions A Knight's Tale, and that's perfectly accurate in terms of the dialogue, where the characters talk in a more modern way than the setting would suggest. They were interesting and varied, and the friend group Art and Gwen build together ended up meshing well and being the best part of the book. The plot itself tends to drag, there's hints here and there of political movements behind the scenes, but when things do hit the fan, it sort of comes out of nowhere. I felt that there could have been more focus on the plot and less on Art and Gwen antagonizing each other, the switch from enemies to allies to actual friends took a long time and ended up switching rather suddenly. Overall though, this was a fun book and I really enjoyed reading it.

This book did not start off strong. There was a lot of telling instead of showing in the first half as well as several pages of straight info dumping. There was also a lack of anachronism in early chapters especially with use of phrases such as “work-life balance”, “silly me”, and addressing birds as “sinister raptors” when the story is set in medieval times. The lack of anachronism made it hard to push through the first half as I was taken out of the story each time.

The flow and storytelling improved for the second half. The references to Arthurian legends were more smoothly worked into the plot and didn’t come off as forced. I appreciated the growth and character arcs throughout the story especially since Gwen and Arthur did not come off as lovable in the beginning.

3.5 Stars – Rounding up to 4

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader's Copy of Gwen and Art Are Not In Love. I‘ve been interested in reading this since its announcement, and appreciate being provided the opportunity to read and review it.

I thought this book was so much fun, and its strongest moments were those exploring the various relationships between Gwen, Gabriel, Arthur, Bridget, Sidney, and/or Agnes. I would’ve enjoyed seeing them develop even further. I particularly enjoyed Arthur and his friendship with Sidney.

Overall, I recommend this book, especially if you’re looking for a fun, gay, medieval read.

I really wanted to like this queer YA, but it didn't work for me. Tried too hard to be modern and hip in medieval times and I just didn't like Art or Gwen as characters.

This book was a very fun take on the story of King Arthur. The romance was very cute and the characters were positively charming.

A fantastic tale, packed with witty banter and humor. Highly recommended for fans of King Arthur as well as Fantasy and even Romantic Comedy readers.

Princess Gwen and her betrothed, Arthur, take turns narrating each chapter. Arthur's family is supposedly descended from King Arthur's line and he's about to marry into the royal family. We start following him just as he's about to spend the entire summer at the castle. He and Gwen hate each other, both have eyes for other people, and his body man and Gwen's lady in waiting instantly fall for each other.

What follows is a summer of self discovery, royal obligation, and humorous, drunken shenanigans. Don't miss this one!

If Red White and Royal Blue was a YA novel set in medieval England, and featured the coming out story of two royal siblings with some nods to Arthurian legend, you’d get this book.

A fun queer romp that ends with our characters more mature and self-actualizases, even after some heart-breaking turn of events.

Special shout-out to this book for giving us a gender bent, butch lesbian knight that our baby butches deserve. Definitely channeling Bridget LeClair for future gender euphoria inspo. ❤️❤️❤️

Review in return for ARC:
This has got to the BEST book I've read all year!! It was exactly what I wanted: snappy dialogue, loveable and charming characters, mystery, action, and sweeping romance.. if this is the last book I ever read, I'll be happy!

I found this book so easy to get into, which isn't always the case for historical fiction - it was the right blend of history-bending and accurate, and the characters were so vivid. Croucher's talent with creating relatable, well-rounded characters is huge, and one of the best things about this story for me was being able to track the character development of Art and Gwen. They make such a great team when they're trying not to maim each other!!

I cannot wait to buy this book when it comes out and read it again!!

Synopsis from Goodreads:
It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other.

They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen's childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom's only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.

Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, they make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen's royal brother.

Gwendoline and Arthur have been betrothed since childhood. But guess what, they’re gay! This tale takes place in medieval times, Camelot style, with castles and jousts. Arthur is a daring, goofy jester type of guy. Gwen is a more serious, goody-two-shoes type of gal. So naturally, they do not get along very well.

The 1st chapter felt a bit slow to start and didn’t draw me in, maybe it was the alternating perspectives?

At 100 pages, not much has happened. Very slow developments. Not super funny but I have to remind myself this is YA….but YA can be funny! This is mostly…silly.

Ok, I’m sold on Arthur’s love interest.
It is so sweet, so precious, how Art guides him and helps him with his vision. Also, he is brilliant in helping him come to terms with his identity. Art also helps Gwen really go for it, in terms of her secret desires, and I admire that.

Lady Bridget Leclair, knight extraordinaire, was so hot. I want a gorgeous knight in shining armor!! That’s exactly what I want! I was so disappointed by how things played out for Gwen and Bridget. I wanted more from them!!
For some reason, Art’s romance felt more believable than Gwen’s. I was left wanting more emotion and passion from the characters.

Overall, I enjoyed this and there were exciting moments but I was left wanting more from the plot, and the sapphic side of the story. I connected with Art the most.

I really want to know how the speech went at the end, is there a sequel? I'd give this 3.5*.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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

*Thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the chance to review this ARC*

Gwen has been betrothed to Arthur since she was born. Art hates Gwen. Gwen hates Art. They both hate the Camelot references in their names. Add into the mix that they're both very, very gay, and you accidentally end up with a fairly fragile truce.

I really enjoyed this book. Taking part in a post Camelot world (set a few hundred years after the epoch of King Arthur) England is much as you would expect it (albeit with a few more cultists around). The book has a bit of a slow start, but Gwen and Arthur really push each other out of their norms and it was great to watch their friendship grow. Despite being set in a more historical period, family, acceptance and belonging are real focal points of this story.

Content warning re Arthur, his father is very neglectful and abusive, which is definitely heartbreaking.

Complete with knights, a tournament, and an awful lot of wine, this boon was really lovely read, was sorry to see it over so soon.

If this isn’t on peoples favorite lists for this year or the next I will be very surprised. This was such a good time. It was magnificently written, had all the witty banter one could want, and the right amount of gay panic.

Our main characters are flushed out and are flawed, and just work brilliantly together. I imagine if you were to put Heartstopper in jolly ole England and were to add some of John Gwynne’s Malice to keep on your toes, this would be the result, and it is wonderful. The action scenes were perfect, pacing was excellent, and the plot was *chefs kiss*

Prepare to be sick of me in November when this delight comes out because I promise I won’t shut up about it.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a LGBTQ historical romance about two foes who make a pact to keep each other's secrets.

I really enjoyed this book. All of the characters were interesting and the story was fun! Sometimes I get bogged down in the language in period pieces but this was very easy to follow. The end battle sequence dragged on a bit but otherwise the plot was very compelling. I enjoyed the reimagining of Camelot.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.