I loved both narrators. They suited Gwen and Art perfectly. Another plus, I was able to listen to this audiobook at 2x plus speed and still understand both narrators and other nuances in the the audio.

As someone frequently buys audiobooks, I definitely plan to add this to my collection when it comes out.

If you had an an arthurian phase as a child (or are really into the BBC show Merlin) and are now gay, this is the book for you. If you love queer romance, then this book is for you. If you love books that will keep you hooked the entire time, then this book is for you. This book not only deals with the topic of finding one's self in a time or place where it might not be okay to be that self, but it deals with loss, addiction, and love. This book was written so well that I couldn't help but finish it in one sitting. The characters are so dynamic and complex, that even some characters that you thought you would hate at first you find empathy for. The plot drives in a way that you think you expect, but then don't see coming at the same time.

I recommend everyone give this a read, as well as a listen. The narrators of the audiobook bring a new life to the incredibly well crafted story. I can't wait to see what's next in store for this author.

A charming medieval rom-com with a hilarious cast of queer characters!

Gwen and Art are not in Love follows the story of princess Gwendolin, who has been engaged to Arthur since birth. Thing is they absolutely hate each other! When Gwen sees Arthur kissing a boy and Art reads that Gwen has a crush on a girl in her diary, they decide to team up to make things easier for each other in a society where being queer isn't yet acceptable.

I thought the audiobook narrators for this novel were great! They had clear, crisp voices that were pleasant to listen to. I loved the male narrator; he did a great job bringing Arthur's joking attitude across to the audience. I did at times have a hard time telling which character was speaking with both the male and female narrators; they didn't make each character have a distinct enough voice. But it was still very enjoyable to listen to, especially since I probably wouldn't have ever picked the physical book up!

The story itself was enjoyable to listen to. It had great representation of queer characters, and was fairly humerous and fast paced. I would definitely recommend this to both teens and adults looking for a queer romcom! The one thing about the plot that I felt was unbelievable was that Bridget would be interested in Gwen. She just seemed so much older and more mature, but I still like how it turned out in the end.

4/5 stars.
Thank you to netgalley and Macmillian audio for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first Lex Croucher novel I have read, this is also the first romance novel set in Medieval times that I have read. And I really enjoyed it.
Croucher takes an interesting spin on Medieval novels. It still includes all of the best parts, such as jousting tournaments, classic sword fighting, and knights. But does so in her own way in a way that makes the novel such an interesting read. A female knight? Iconic.
The issue I have with this novel is that I did not feel the chemistry between the main couples, and I felt that the conflict wrapped up quicker than necessary. The engagement between Gewn and Art was not really being sold to the public as much as I would have assumed it would have been.
Overall I enjoyed the novel, I found it to be a quick read with a lot of humor, it is perfect for any fan of Medieval lore and legend, and is great representation. The focus on of equal parts on family, friends, and romance was the best element of the story.

It’s been centuries since the legendary King Arthur reigned, and now his descendent future lord Arthur Delacey has been betrothed to Gwen, the princess of Camelot, much to both of their dismay. Gwen and Arthur despise each other and can’t seem to agree on anything except the fact that are very much Not In Love. However, when Gwen discovers Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur finds out about Gwen’s crush on the knight Lady Leclair, the two reluctantly agree to help each other out, potentially changing history in the process.

It’s been days and I’ve yet to stop thinking about Gwen and Art Are Not In Love. I had some pretty high expectations going into this book, but never in my wildest dreams did I think Gwen, Arthur, and the rest of the Citrus Six (I’m taking full responsibility for this name) would make themselves as at home in my heart as quickly (and rightfully) as they did. And now that they’re there, I don’t think I’ll ever let them go.

There’s Gwen with her spitfire temper and anxiety ridden heart, still trying to figure out where she belongs in this world; Arthur with his sarcasm and bravado, hiding behind humor to conceal his true fears; Bridget with her sword and ambition, determined to keep fighting no matter what; Gabriel with his books and quiet demeanor and his steadfastness to do the right thing for his country (even if it’s not what’s right for himself); and Sidney and Agnes with their constant support and protectiveness toward their friends. Each one a messy, imperfect thread to the embroidery on Gwen’s tapestry. Separately, they might be a bit all over the place, but over time, as they grow and change and slowly weave their way into each other’s lives, growing closer and closer until they’re one big intertwined family- god it was beautiful. Enemies to found family hits so different and this book was no exception.

There’s also something to be said about how special historical fiction is, especially stories like this one. One that carves out a little pocket of time and space and makes it so beautifully real, tangible, and fun. And especially one that leaves no room for speculating: queer people truly have been here all along, even in the most unlikely of places, and we will always be here. Gwen and Art might be fictional, but their presence in history is anything but, and the reminder of their existence has me feeling both humbled and very grateful.

Gwen and Art Are Not In Love somehow managed to exceed all my expectations and I’m still trying to figure how to cope with it being over. Despite Suffering™️ through a good 15% of this book, it’s easily one of the funniest, most heartfelt books I’ve ever come across and I felt right at home in its pages. I feel so lucky to have a physical copy so I can give it all the hugs and kisses it deserves. Go ahead and do yourself a favor and preorder this one- you won’t regret it.

This was entirely delightful. I thought the added rainbow mafia elements were deftly woven into the known history and/or legend, so it stands as a very convincing story. I was never able to spot where the holes could be, so good job Lex!
I did find that there were points that were very saturated with action, which was a bit confusing, and I found myself occasionally unclear about what was happening, or supposed to be happening. For the most part, the context clues were enough to bring me back in, but sometimes I simply had to wait for the story to unmurk itself again.
But that listening experience was a grand old time— it made me laugh so much! I never once listened to the audiobook without smiling, and it was very easy to slip into, even if I had been confused at an earlier point. Also, kudos to the excellent voice actors, who were very consistent and joyful in their reading of the story.

Gwen and Art have been betrothed since infancy and have grown up hating each other. When Gwen catches Art kissing a boy and Art realizes Gwen too likes someone of the same sex, they come to an understanding.

The antics of the characters made me laugh quite a bit but I struggled to connect to either character. Their personalities were so loud they clashed in big ways that came off as obnoxious.

Another challenge I had was the ending. There was very little foreshadowing for the big plot twist and while it played out fine, it felt rushed and then over.

I felt the narrator for Gwen did a great job, but the narrator for Art was too shrill. I don’t fault the narrator for this, as I think the intent for Art was to be shrill, but it made me pause and stop the book a lot.

Overall Gwen & Art Are Not In Love is an okay book. I didn’t love it, but it wasn’t the worst.

Thanks to McMillan Audio, McMillan Young Listeners, and NetGalley for the advanced readers audiobook.

Gwen and Arthur are betrothed in spite of being enemies. Arthur is sent to spend the summer with Gwen when they both discover a mutual secret. A cute, Queer romance with great characters and character development. This book was lightheaded and cozy for the majority and then it took a turn I didn't expect towards the end. It felt disjointed but still an overall great book! The audiobook performance is excellent! The banter and wit between the characters is heightened with the audiobook!

Listen, I was very scared at the end there for a second. I assumed worst case scenario and that everyone was going to be dead. Luckily, only one person was dead. And they weren’t a major player in the book plot itself, so it’s okay.

Arthurian legend, dual pov, lgbtq story, woman knight, coup, cat, clean romance, period romance

Spoiler Section

I’m not gonna lie, as much as I like this book, I almost stopped listening because I didn’t like the voice the male narrator used for Arthur. We just always sounded so happy, but Arthur has a lot going on so it didn’t go well with all the lines. Other than that it’s a solid audiobook.

Gwen as a main character is annoying in a good way. She is so unsure of herself and insecure because she doesn’t feel like she fits the mold she’s supposed to, that she comes off a bit whiny, but justified whiny. Her grievances are valid, but she doesn’t do anything to change it until she (finally) starts being around Bridget. Let me tell you, I love Bridget, she’s the best character in this book, second best if we count Lucifer the cat. Bridget is the perfectly done gender-norms-bend, a only child woman who was allowed to train in combat and fights in tournaments and is a total badass, so what if it’s clique, I’m a sucker for it.

And Gabriel, by sweet little boy that I just want to protect. While Gwen doesn’t have trouble discerning how she’s feeling and admitting it, Gabriel seemed to have had a lot of trouble accepting that he could do anything about what he felt. Arthur, while having ulterior motives *wink wink*, gave fantastic pep talks to Gabriel to help him understand that he can want something for himself and it’s okay to pursue it. So at the end when Gabriel has finally given into his feelings, also after he almost died, he is able to make a proclamation that it’s okay to feel like this and there were relationships between two men in Arthurian legend. Now how true this actually is, I’m not sure, I do not doubt it for one second though. Since Arthur is likely a conglomeration of a few Welsh kings, it’s hard to tell. But, these relationships have existed for all of time, and they

Gwen & Art Are Not In Love is a fun, charming, queer, medieval romp.

Gwen and Art are betrothed but have hated each other since childhood. When their betrothal becomes a striking reality, they decide that they would make better allies than enemies to get what they want.

This tells two love stories in one, which did end up affecting my enjoyment. There’s a lot of cute repartee but having both love stories seemed to spread the story and connection to the characters a little thin.

I thought this alternative “medieval, yet not medieval” England was pretty fun as well and enjoyed the lore of Arthurian legend shaping the current political sphere. Medieval stories are always a blast, I mean … who doesn’t enjoy a good jousting match?

All in all, I feel like I don’t have a lot to say about this book. It was enjoyable but it didn’t change my world. I could see why a lot of people love it – the smart characters, adventure and romance is a real selling point – but I thought (other than the setting) it felt like a lot of other LGBT+ YA contemporary books.

4/5 stars. To be released November 2023.

Gwen and Art have been betrothed since they were children. Too bad they hate each other and also have feelings for someone else. But after Art is forced by his father to go to Camelot for the summer, Art and Gwen begin to realize they could work together to get what they each truly want. Together they work to fight for who they love and against a force betraying their kingdom. While it has nothing to do with King Arthur himself, there are many references to Arthurian legends throughout the book.

I wasn’t a huge fan of Art’s narrator but loved Gwen’s. There was playful banter between the characters with Arthur as the comic relief with his often aloof comments. All in all, it was a very engaging read with enjoyable characters.

I'm a sucker for queer reads and even more so when its queer YA giving the rom-com vibes of Heartstopper. Did I know really anything of Knight's Tale? Nope but I'm digging this retelling!

The characters in this one were great. While it takes a while for those to actually pair off and the end of the book gets less romance and more action, it does mean this offers something for every reader. What I lacked in relationship complexities in terms of romance, I got from the plot and the drama. Even the friendships in this one gave some great vibes for me- though way easier to jump into some deep and believable platonic relationships vs a romantic one.

The insider POV offered from Art really got me. I just want to squeeze and love on on him. He's moody and those methods of sheltering his self-doubts hit all too close to home. Sidney is an absolute blast of a character, I'm petitioning now to be best friends. Gwen I struggled with in the beginning and it 100% was a me getting in my own way as a reader on that one but that development was top tier. All in all, this cast of quirky characters really are just a well rounded group that many readers will be able to relate to in one or multiple ways.

DNF @44%

I don't have a specific problem with this book. It's fine, I'm just not all that interested. The premise sounded more entertaining than the execution has proved to be and I'm not invested enough in the characters to keep going. This is loosely a queer reimagining of the Arthurian legend, but set generations in the future with Arthur's heir (also named Arthur) and his betrothed Gwendolyn. Unfortunately, both of them are gay so they make a deal to pretend they like each other while they pursue other people. Again, a fun premise and a perfectly okay YA book that I'm just not that interested in and I didn't want to finish it and rate it low for being bored. Your mileage may vary. I received an audio review copy of this from NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

It’s swoony and cutesy and a true treasure of a book that’s beautifully narrated in the audio book form!

Actual Rating 4.5

Gwen & Art are Not in Love by Alex Coucher is an extremely funny, witty, and well written queer romcom about King Arthur's descendant, Arthur who has been betrothed to Gwendoline since birth. They've been enemies since child's and have never gotten along but they end up making a reluctant pact to cover for each other while Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen's royal brother.

I enjoyed this quite a bit. There were so many scenes that had me laughing aloud. It's chockfull of innuendo and with. A spoiler free funny quote is:
"Walk like you don’t care where your limbs are," Agnes said, doing a much better job of it than Gwen "as if it’s no consequence to you where they end up. Like this. (…) and you should act at all times like your crotch is a burden."
"Now hang on," said Arthur "I’m a man and my crotch isn’t a burden"
"Maybe not to you," said Gwen, "but it’s a burden on the rest of humanity."

A lot of the banter reminds me of Hamilton the Musical where characters would ping-pong off each other with just a word and the double meanings of those words. It’s so interesting and quite a breath of fresh air.

About halfway through, there's a small women's health disability rep scene that teenage girls would definitely find welcoming to read and subsequent discussion on that is pretty good as well..

I thoroughly enjoyed this save for the male audiobook narrator whose voice cracks and squeaks reminding me of a boy experiencing a growth spurt. While probably fit for the actual character of the book, it made for a uncomfortable reading experience as I couldn't quite modulate the audio properly to adjust for this.

This truly would be such an entertaining read for an upper YA audience. Overall, this was a brilliant read and I cannot wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In this medieval YA romcom, princess Gwen and future lord Arthur are betrothed yet want nothing to do with each other. They eventually discover they share a secret of same-sex crushing and work together to cover for each other. The target of Gwen's affection is lady knight Bridget Leclair (who I kept picturing as Brienne of Tarth despite the book's descriptions painting a different picture). Arthur is a bit more loose initially but ultimately ends up with Gwen's royal brother, which made me feel like this was a Shakespearean comedy. Of course, there's other knightly conflicts that the book blurb promises to evoke A Knight's Tale vibes. Unfortunately for me, I found the characters a bit unlikeable- a bit fickle, a bit irritating, a bit whiny, very swoony, and creating a bit more chaos/shenanigans than necessary. I listened to this audiobook via NetGalley and am grateful for advanced access to this queer historical romp.

Gwen and Art are Not In Love was SUCH A DELIGHT!

Seriously, this book was so fun! A closed-door romance with a cast of quirky and lovable characters that had a found-family feel and a plot that was fun and hopeful! Gwen and Art’s friendship arc was so heartwarming and I adored it.

The only negative thing I have to say about this book is about the narrator for Art, Alex Singh. Their voice when they were voicing characters or parts with a higher pitch can only be compared to nails on a chalkboard. It sounded like when men mock women and make them sound shrill and it’s an affront to women everywhere. I almost DNFd this book because of it but I limped through their POV’s narration and eventually became numb to it. Alex Singh is just not for me. The other narrator was great and I loved their voice.

This was SO entertaining! Binged the audiobook in one day - the narration was amazing, the banter was top notch, the chemistry was unreal - I loved it all. Loved that the Arthurian legend was a background to it all and that it wasn’t a retelling. It was so fresh and fun and brilliant, with an actual well developed plot to boot. Officially have to read the author’s adult books now!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio, NetGalley and Libro.fm for the ALC!

3 stars

Gwen and Art are not in love...with each other, but this is still a cute romance and the relationship between the titular characters is vital to that outcome.

The highlight of this book is the representation, and the audiobook features extremely engaging narrators.

While I enjoyed this read overall, transparently, I really struggled to stay invested in the characters and outcomes, and I feel fairly sure that if not for those aforementioned positive notes (rep and narration), I'd likely have bailed somewhat early in the novel. I hoped for, and never quite found, more charm, depth, and messaging.

I'll recommend this to students but more as a sweet listen than a compelling and memorable tale, unfortunately.

There are two reason I am so sad that this book doesn't publish until the end of November. 1.) I want all of my friends to be able to read it immediately and 2.) I really want a finished copy in my hands right now.

This book was an absolute delight. I had initially thought this book was going to be about *that* Gwen and Art, but I think that it ended up being even better the way it is. There's still some relevance and ties to the original Arthurian Legend, but this book has the ability to stand on its own two legs (and a handful of wink wink references to the original legend). Now do I still want a book about Guinivere falling in love with Morgana (which is what I thought this was)? Yes. Absolutely. But I really am happy with what I got.

There is so much humor and heart in Gwen & Art Are Not in Love. There's fabulous lessons in friendship, family, and what we believe we are meant for. So much packed into such an unassuming book. I feel like me saying "I loved it" really doesn't do it justice, but I also need y'all to understand how obsessed I am with this book because I want everyone to read it immediately.

I also listened to the audiobook which was its own level of awesomeness. The narrator for Gwen was especially great.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Please read Gwen & Art Are Not in Love when it comes out in November 2023.