Another great one from Lex! I love everything they write.

ARC from the publisher via NetGalley but the opinions are my own.

The setting, the character attitude, and the plot felt tacky and absurd. It made it really hard to care about the characters or the story.

I'm not typically one who reaches for historical fiction books. This one looked cute and ended up being so. I struggled at the beginning, as it starts very slowly, but eventually, I began to enjoy it,

I devoured this book, enthralled by the witty banter and humor that permeates every page. The characters are lovable, if slightly flawed, and I found myself laughing out loud at their ridiculous antics. Gwen, Arthur, Sid, Gabe, Bridget, and Agnes are all well-written and relatable, each with their own unique quirks and charms.

The romance is sweet and tender, with a delightful slow-burn quality that builds tension and anticipation. I loved watching the relationships unfold, particularly between Arthur and Sid, whose friendship is warm and genuine. The medieval setting, inspired by the Arthurian legend, is a delightful backdrop for the story.

I enjoyed the book overall. The humor, characters, and romance are all top-notch, making it a great read for fans of queer romance. If you're looking for a fun and cute medieval rom-com with a modern twist, "Gwen & Art Are Not in Love" is definitely worth checking out.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy to review. As always, my thoughts are my own.

I am withholding my review in solidarity with the #SpeakUpSMP boycott and will provide feedback once SMP secures the safety of their influencers, employees, and authors who may have been harmed by the behavior within the publishing house.

I’m sad I didn’t love this one as much as I thought I would? I adore King Arthur retellings (which this was not) and books set in medieval settings but this just wasn’t it for me. I think the biggest problem I had was the tone of the story telling. Everything just felt goofy and like a big joke and for some reason (idk why) it was grating on my nerves lol. The humor wasn’t very humorous at all. I enjoyed the characters and what this book was trying to do. But the writing style or something just wasn’t clicking with me unfortunately. Also I’m not a huge romcom reader and if I am, they’re set in modern times, so that could also have been the issues. This was more of a it’s me, not you kind of situation lol.

This was the first Lex Croucher book I’ve read, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. Since this is her young adult debut, there was a balanced mix of strengths and weaknesses to the execution of the story. There were also points where I genuinely enjoyed this story, while other moments where I struggled to push through it.

If there is one thing this reader loves, it’s using fiction to take back history and its heteronormative nature. And, wow, did this book deliver in that aspect. I could not look away from the moments where that commentary came through and related to its modern-day reader. While subtle at times, the commentary did a great job of pointing out the ways that religion (in the case of this book, Catholicism) erased LGBTQ+ history and acceptance in society. Watching the characters work through that lesson and re-embrace their power and agency made me choke up at times, and I respect how well Lex Croucher handled that topic.

The writing style fits in well with other young adult novels on the market. However, there was a strong use of colloquial language within the novel’s medieval setting. I’ll admit the colloquial language often took me out of the story; with the descriptions and introspective moments feeling more aligned with the medieval setting, that colloquial language choice felt a bit random. Outside of that, Arthur and Gwen provided the comedy and banter that was needed to balance the last section of the book.

When looking at the plot, I would say this book was character-driven. (If there is one thing to know about me, I do prefer a plot-driven story.) I did struggle with that aspect a bit because so much of the book seemed focused on the characters’ day-to-day lives rather than focusing on their internal journeys to acceptance of identity and agency. (I will say the character development was done well; you could see Gwen, Gabriel, Arthur, and Bridget all change because of each other. I loved that quartet!) The plot culminated in the last sixty or so pages, when the conflict and cartoonish villain arose, which didn’t feel fully set up within the front half of the novel. The set up was subtly present, but I wish it was drawn out a bit more to help offset the random feeling the last part of the novel has.

Overall, this was a fun, witty, and often sweet young adult novel. I wouldn’t say it was my favorite young adult novel, but it was enjoyable all the same. I look forward to reading more of Lex Croucher’s books in the future.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

This was such a cute title! I adored the cover, and I thought that the author did a really good job of remixing Arthurian legend. I loved all of the characters, and I thought that the romance was written very well.

This was an excellent read featuring a diverse cast of intriguing characters. It would have been even better to have a more thorough exploration of the repercussions of the ending. Overall a fun read.

To be completely honest, it took me multiple times to get into this one. I kept starting and putting it off. I love the trope and I loved the idea of the story, but it only held my attention a little at a time.

I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed the character dilemmas, I enjoyed the humor, and I enjoyed the romance in it. I didn’t love it though.

It wasn’t the worst, but I didn’t connect with it.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC

4 ⭐️ All the characters are so well-written. They are a bunch of lovable idiots who sometimes find themselves in the most ridiculous situations. I can't even choose who my favourite was or whose relationship I loved the most.
Gwen and Arthur were often pretty insufferable and bratty, but I absolutely loved their banter, as well as the banter between Arthur and Sid. Sid is such an amazing and loyal friend, I loved his friendship with Arthur so much. Gabe, Bridget and Agnes were just as wonderful and the romance part of the story was really sweet. I will definitely be picking up other books by Croucher!

Though the plot felt predictable at times, the charming characters and witty banter kept me entertained. If you enjoy found family, sword-fighting, and romantic shenanigans, give this one a try!

One of my favourite reads of the year so far, I loved this from start to finish. This was my first read of Croucher's and will definitely have me going back for more. Historical romance at its most fun and engaging.

It took a second to get into because I didn't necessarily vibe with the writing style in the beginning but it was ultimately fun and entertaining. Had a good time reading it.

This was a fun and cute read. I loved the spin on Arthur and Gwen, it was very well done. I loved all the characters in this book.

I loved how this book took a novel approach to a story we thought we knew so well. I loved having the OG Arthur and Guenevere as the backdrop and seeing how their legendary status shaped this Art and Gwen's journeys to be true to themselves. I laughed out loud at several points but was also deeply endeared by both Art and Gwen's struggles. I was so glad to see them become close friends even if they never romantically ended up together. I think this is an excellent LGBTQ romance/story to recommend to YA readers and new adults alike.

This is an extremely entertaining twist on the whole Guinevere and Arthur story. I read it in one sitting and then reread it because it was so much fun.

Gwen and Art have been linked to be married but both of them can't stand each other.
When Art comes for a tournament they both realize there's more to the story.
Lgbtq
King Arthur retelling

A fun, cutesy, and queer Arthurian set YA.

This is not a retelling, and if you go into it thinking it will be, you will be disappointed.

This type of literature is so powerful for young readers, and this one especially is well written.

I didn't love the assault against Art, or the final battle. I felt like they were out of place in the story, despite seeing the knight's tournament earlier in the story. It made the story feel more adult than YA (which I didn't mind since I typically read adult fiction) but it felt a little out of place in the story.

Overall, a 4.5 star read rounded to 5!

The perfect LGBTQIA+ retelling of Arthur and Guinevere. Anyone who knows me knows Arthurian Legends are my favorite and this book did not disappoint. The struggles and fears of being judged are so real to life and the coming out dialogue was written so well that I teared up while reading. In addition to some tears being shed there were also quite a few laugh out loud moments because the banter in this book is on point, not just between the MCs. The relationship between Arthur and (name) was one of my favorite parts of the book. I felt the entire story flowed so well, I appreciated the cultist elements and the battle scenes had me sitting on the edge of my seat. I went into this not knowing exactly what to expect and loved the entire book. My only regret was not reading it sooner.
Thank you to Netgalley and McMillan Publishers for my free digital copy in exchange for my honest review.