Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was good, just not as good as I thought it would be unfortunately! I didn't really connect with the characters and felt it was a little too slow at times. Good premise just not what I was wanting. The narrators did a good job.

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher is a reimagining of the story of Arthur and Guinevere with an LGBTQ+ twist. Described as Heartstopper meets Knight's Tale, this book hit the mark! This book was such a good time. Although Gwen & Art might not be in love, they do form alliances to help each other find the love they deserve. Do yourself a favor and check this one out!!!

I loved the multi-POV complete with 2 voice actors, who did a fantastic job carrying the story!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first ya novel I’ve listened to in a while. The story of art and Gwen was very cute. I think it was a little overshadowed by the political story happening in the back. I loved the characters. They were both well developed. The narrators were perfect. I don’t know if I would haven’t gotten as deep into the story without the accents of the narrators. I do wish there was a better epilogue but it leaves plenty of room for imagination

This book was really good! I love how the author weaved arthurian legend in. The characters were really cute and I loved the ending! This was my first audiobook ARC and I thought it was really good.

DNF@15%

I really wanted to like this book. It had a beautiful cover. I thought the premise was a fun take off of an old tale. Something about this did not work for me, personally. The audiobook narration did not hook me. The characters fell flat for me. They felt like cutouts of the myths with very little thought put to them. There felt like there were no real stakes in this book. It felt too winking at the reader at times. I did not get very far obviously but I no longer finish books I'm not enjoying. I might try this again in the future though.

A rollicking great YA reimagining of the King Arthur myth in which his descendant, a whole other, and very gay Prince Arthur, is betrothed to Princess Gwendoline even though she has a crush on the kingdom's only female knight and despises Arthur.

Forced to spend the summer together in Camelot, Arthur and Gwen go from enemies to reluctant allies as they help cover for each other as each pursues other romantic relationships while coups and unexpected deaths create extra drama.

Perfect for fans of the movie A knights tale and anyone who enjoys queer YA retellings. Great on audio too narrated by Alex Singh and Sarah Ovens. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I love all things Arthurian legend so this title grabbed my attention right away. I wasn't fully sure what to expect, but I enjoyed it immensely. This book fully embraced the potential for queer jokes which I found hilarious and relatable as well.

Gwen was incredibly relatable for me and her and Bridget's relationship was my favorite in the book, but I enjoyed Arthur point of view and his relationship with Gabriel too. Gwen and Gabriel's sibling relationship was also great, I liked how much they were there for each other.

This is the third or fourth book I've read this year that's included periods and it's such a little thing but I can't really remember reading any books growing up that normalized periods in any regard, let alone in a historical (fantasy-ish?) kind of book.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a cute and fun rom com set in medieval times. Highly recommend! The narrators were excellent as well, and embodied the main characters, Gwen and Art, quite well.

I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for a honest review.

Gwen and Art don't like each other but they are betrothed to be married since they were little. When Gwen sees Art kissing another boy she's shocked and about to tell her parents when he finds her journal about her feeling for the girl knight in town. So they compromise. They will pretend to like each other and hopefully the marriage possibility will disappear. I'm not sure how they thought that would work but it doesn't. Wedding plans advance as Art tries to fix up Gwen and Bridgette the forementioned knight. And as Art falls for Gwen's brother the future king.

So much goes on in this book! SO much to enjoy and just fall into the make believe of Camelot. I almost wish this was the start of a series because I'd love to see how these characters take on the new world they are creating.

"Don't wink at him," Gwen said. "The point is to make it seem like we're getting together, not that this is some kind of ... mildly incestuous free-for-all."

"Gwen & Art Are Not in Love" by Lex Croucher is a delightful blend of wit and romance. The humor is well-timed, weaving through the story seamlessly, and I genuinely laughed several times throughout reading it. The relationships, especially Arthur & Gabriel, and Bridget & Gwen, are endearing and I could see their genuine connections. The book truly excels in combining a compelling storyline with a solid romantic element, offering a heartwarming and entertaining read. I thoroughly recommend this book to everyone and I'm glad I picked it up.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

GWEN AND ART ARE NOT IN LOVE follows royal siblings Gwen and Gabriel in a story that is equal parts charming coming-of-age and historical comedy, with just a sprinkle of tragedy thrown right on top. I found this to be completely compelling and to handle the reality of same-sex relationships in such an unforgiving time period in a way that felt (pretty) believable. This is not the book you are going to read if you are looking for a historically representation of any given time period. Gwen, Gabriel, Arthur, and Bridget all have a delightfully Gen Z-esque je ne sais quoi that makes this book completely approachable to teen readers of 2023.

The cover is smashing as well :)

Historical queerness is my jam. The cover is so beautiful and the story was so fun. I cared so much about where the plot was going and how the character's relationships were developing. The found family was so beautiful and I will be recommending it to all my friends. The narrators did a really great job. The narration was very clear and expressive. This was a really engaging read.

It was so fun to read about LGBTQ characters in a medieval setting! It was refreshing to see Gwen and Art struggle in that context. It made me root for their happiness all the more. I wish I had this book when I was younger.
The banter and eventual friendship between Gwen and Art was a delight to watch develop. I like that they still have each other in the end, just not as betrothed, and they picked up their own love interests on the way!
The text itself is 5 stars, and the narration was well done. It is a pet peeve of mine when certain characters get squeaky, which happened in Singh's narration. I don't think it was neccessary.

An awkward mashup of historical setting and modern style of speech, Gwen & Art Are Not in Love has a lot of problems. It's pitched as a queer Arthurian romp, but it's bursting with misogyny, substance abuse, and internalized homophobia. The title characters, ostensibly doing an enemies-to-friends thing, spent most of the book sniping at each other, which was so unpleasant that I had a hard time liking either of them. The romances, friendships, and political/action plot progressed in fits and starts that made the book feel disjointed and aimless. I think this is being marketed as YA, given the age of the characters and kisses being the only physical intimacy, but between Arthur's serious drinking problem and the violence, it leaned more adult for me. I wish this had been more like the blurb. Just not for me. I read the audiobook, and want to commend Sarah Ovens for the way she voiced Gwen; I was less keen on Alex Singh, who made Arthur so goofy that his underlying sadness and self-disgust, which would have made the book as a whole more poignant, were totally lost.

It was Queer and sweet every thing I would want in a romcom. Unconventional royal romances are a lot more fun that I give them credit for. This one was an all-around good time with easy banter between protagonists, and several heartwarming moments between both couples. Art and his bodyguard were too funny for their own good, while Gwen and her brother tugged at my heartstrings all throughout this story. I flew through this book in a day. I was honestly shocked by how crazy the climax was. When I tell you I was stressed for these characters, I mean it. It’s a shame the ending wasn’t a bit longer, I really wanted more!! This was a really fun story, with so much genuine heart and meaning spread throughout both protagonists’ experiences!

This queer Camelot retelling was such a fun read. Our flawed but lovable main characters are Gwendolyn, a princess, and Arthur, the lord’s son who she’s been engaged to since birth. Unfortunately, they’ve hated each other ever since they were children. The story finds them striking an unlikely alliance as they navigate budding romance (not with each other!) and even face a threat to the kingdom.

I enjoyed this from start to finish. I was particularly partial to Gwen’s relationship with the young lady knight Bridget, although Gwen and Arthur’s eventual friendship was heartwarming as well. As far as the audiobook, it was a great way to consume the story. Both narrators were good, although I especially loved the narrator for Gwen. The slightly squeaky dialogue during Arthur’s narrated portions was a little grating at times.

Though I very much enjoyed the story, the perpetually chipper (borederline whiny) tone of Arthur's narrator almost stopped me getting through the book and often took away from the more serious moments. I found it hard to stay invested in the story during his chapters. Gwen's narrator, however, was fantastic! I would be more likely to recommend that someone read the book rather then listen to it.

I was hoping the book would be more of a true, queer Arthurian tale, rather than just using the well known names in a cute, double romance. Despite this dissapointment, I ended up really enjoy the book! I liked both of the romantic plots and was pleasantly surprised by the secondary political plot that took over near the end of the book. Bridget was easily my favorite character and I would read a book just about her in a heartbeat!

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy non-contemporary teen romances, though I would be hesitant to recommend it to a patron looking for an Arthurian retelling. Additionally, I had a hard time placing the time period this book was supposed to be set it, besides olden-time England. Though this did not personally bother me or get in the way of my enjoyment of the book, I would also not recommend this book to a true historical fiction reader.

A Triumph! Vibrantly queer, and relentlessly funny. I fell in love with the characters, the setting, and the way Croucher drew on Authurian legend. The final chapters were hard to get through emotionally, but excellently written and necessary for the development of the characters. I wish we had gotten a few extra chapters or an epilogue. The final chapter gives you a good idea of where everyone is headed but I still have a few questions. Both narrators were excellent and I enjoyed having different narrators for the duel perspectives.

If you're less than 12% into this book and thinking about DNFing - don't do it yet!

After a bit of a slow start, I did really enjoy this book. It took me a while to make sense of the larger plot and find reasons to enjoy the characters, but once I got through the first 10-15% of the audiobook, I really enjoyed it. Gwen & Art are Not in Love is a story about teens in Camelot many years after King Arthur's reign. Some are grudgingly betrothed to others, and the rest are exploring dating for the first time. Ultimately, it's a story of found family, queer romance, and finding our place in society. I'm also gearing up to go to my local renaissance festival next week, so being in Camelot for a while was really fun.

I was graciously given the chance by #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio to listen to an audio arc of this book, and I do recommend reading it in this format, the voice acting made it really simple to keep track of a relatively wide cast of characters.

I really enjoyed this audiobook! It really did give major A Knight’s Tale vibes, with bits of Athurian Legend (not a retelling), but it was wonderfully gay. It was lighthearted and humorous until the end which got a bit intense, but it is set in medieval times so it wasn’t too surprising to me. The characters were memorable and fun, except for Gwen who I can’t really describe at all. Arthur is annoyingly charming, Bridget is a total badass, and Gabriel is a bookish introvert (me too Gabe lol). I enjoyed the minor characters also.

I wasn’t moved in any deep emotional way, but I enjoyed it nonetheless and the two narrators did a superb job!

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is available for preorder now and comes out on November 28, 2023. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for access to an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.