I beginnning to really come to love Lex Croucher's historical YA romps inspired by classic tales. With heavy Robin Hood inpspiration, though not a retelling, but more of a continuaition, Not For the Faint Of Heart is a sapphic story that feels adventurous and cozy at the same time with wonderful characters and tropes that will have you falling in love with the story as you read or listen along.

I really enjoyed this book overall, though I’d say I still love ‘Gwen And Art Are Not In Love’ more. It took me a little bit longer to get into this one, even though the premise intrigued me as a kid who grew up loving Robin Hood and watching too many adventure movies. I think it felt a bit slow at times and it took a while for me to warm up to some of the characters. It was hard not to love Clem, but Mariel’s was a bit of a stretch for me (and I’m usually all about the grumpy lone wolf character who needs no one). I did really enjoy the sass and banter back and forth, the amusing band of merry ‘men’, and the found family vibes. The narrator was great too - helped keep me invested and listening. If you like the author’s other books, ever thought of running away to live in the woods, or always wished Robin Hood was more queer, check this out - you’ll probably like it. Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook.

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This follows Mariel, Robin Hood's granddaughter and a captain of the merry men. Robin's legacy lives on with the merry men (who are not all men and no one cares), but their mission has changed, and they aren't exactly stealing from the rich to give to the poor any more. Mariel's father leads the merry men and she is desperate to gain his approval, but no matter what she does it never meets his standards. This makes for a great plotline in the book because Mariel is actually a pretty good leader and knows that some of his orders are not in the best interests of the merry men and the people they are claiming to protect. She also knows that it goes against what Robin established before he retired. She puts alot of pressure on herself to be the best captain and leader she can be and not make any mistakes.

Our other main character is Clemence aka Clem, a healer who Mariel and her merry men kidnap for potentially having information about the Sherriff and his son. They really wanted Clem's mentor Rosie, but Clem is fiercely loyal and protective of Rosie and she is a skilled healer in her own right and takes her place. Clem is a terrible prisoner, always cracking jokes and making light of every situation. She is a good healer and tends to her patients whether they like it or not. She quickly endears herself to Mariel's group, who are a rag tag found family and a delight to get to know.

This was slow to start, but the action does pick up about halfway through. There are some heavier emotional scenes, but for the most part things are light and fun. There are alot of humorous moments and some closed door/fade to black romantic moments as well. Overall, this was a fun opposites attract LGBT romance with a Robin Hood vibe and a nice found family.

I enjoyed the audiobook narration and thought the narrators did a great job with Clem and Mariel and it was nice to have dual narration so you knew which chapter and main character you were hearing from.

Not for the Faint of Heart has all of the charm and wit I’ve come to love from Lex Croucher, and I thoroughly enjoyed this standalone sapphic, Robin Hood-inspired story.
Clem, a village healer who loves to experiment with new remedies, is abducted by Muriel, the granddaughter of Robin Hood, as payback for helping the Sherif of Nottingham. Things are all going to plan until Murial’s father Jack Hartley, the commander of the Merry Men, is captured during an ambush and is now missing. Eager to prove herself, Muriel and her band of Merry Men set out to save Jack, with an oddly cheerful Clem in tow. As they try to find Jack, Muriel is forced to confront some uncomfortable truths about how people feel about the Merry Men as they journey through the Wood. Clem’s status as their captive also becomes increasingly blurry as she starts to become a part of their group–and grows closer and closer to Muriel. Both increasingly face whether to stay on the path they’ve always seen for themselves or risk it all for a new path they never imagined.
❤️ What I loved: The character dynamics in this story shine, and it is full of the fun and adventure that one might want from a fairytale-inspired story. Genuinely smart and funny dialogue complements the adventurous plot and evocative setting. Despite all the levity, some unexpectedly serious moments come up in the story and add a nice amount of emotional depth to the characters and plot. I received an audio arc of this book, and thoroughly enjoyed the narration as well!

💔 What I didn’t love: Overall this book is a big win, but there was just a little something missing for me in the connection between the two main characters and so it isn’t my favorite of Lex Croucher’s works so far.
I’d highly recommend this book to fans of adventure and whimsical stories with a fun cast of characters. It’s another unique addition to the YA fantasy genre from Croucher, and I hope we continue to see more of these retellings!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 (4-4.5)

Acknowledgments & Disclaimers ✨ Thank you to NetGalley, Lex Croucher, and Macmillan Audio, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book. ✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. ✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

I really enjoyed this! I’m a major fan of Lex Croucher, and while I didn’t quite like this as much as their first Ya, I did still enjoy this, particularly in audiobook format

What a fantastic book. Mariel, grand-daughter of the famed Robin Hood, lives in a different Greenwoods than the good old days of the Merry Men. Her father runs them like a militia, with ranks and full battles against the sheriff and his men. She wants nothing more than to impress him and live up to his impossibly high standards. Clem is a small-town healer and a prodigy at that. She's the best healer around, so it makes a ton of sense when a band of Merry Men (more like Merry Teenager) come and kidnap her. Only, it turns out that they don't actually want her for her healing prowess, it's a power play for healing the sheriff's men. And when Mariel's father gets kidnapped by the sheriff, she sets out desperately to rescue him, dragging Clem along for the ride, as she gets increasingly attached to Mariel's ragtag company and the young captain herself.
Where to begin? This book is hilarious. Laugh out loud funny. It manages to be anachronistic without being annoying with how characters talk and act. The characters are a delight. Obviously, prickly Mariel and joker/genius Clem are wonderful, but Mariel's company steals the show. Baxter, her step-cousin, the gentle giant who just wants to make people happy by throwing things. Morgan, the emo little former noble running from their past life and doing it all with the anger and vibes of a wet cat. Josie, a terrifyingly quick assassin who's good at everything. Kit, a cook and healer and general cool dude. The chemistry in the group was so good and well written and funny. And then, even though it's the funniest book I've read this year perhaps, it is also the first book to make me cry. The pacing was great, the emotions were palpable, and it was such a good story.

This was a fun continuation of the Robin Hood tales with many of the typical tropes such as a band of merry men, evil lords, and villages (reluctantly) in need of saving. Only now, it's been rewritten for 21st century teens with queer female main characters and a diverse band of merry men.

This is the story of Robin hood's granddaughter and a captured healer's apprentice who goes from captive, to a member of the group, to the love interest of the leader as the story progresses and she proves her usefulness and dedication to the cause.

There was always something happening in this story which kept me wanting to keep listening: another adventure, another struggle, a new reveal about who the good guys and bad were.

I'll definitely be recommending this to teens who like lgbt+ fantasy adventure stories.

Ah, Lex Croucher does it again.

This was a blast of a book. It’s a historical retelling about the descendants of Robin Hood and the Merry Men, and it strikes the most perfect balance between romantic, funny, and action packed. We have two polar opposite FMCs who fall unlikely in love, a literal band of merry men, a feud against law enforcement, and all manner of unexpected twists and betrayal.

I did feel as though the romance was a bit under developed in this one; especially in comparison to other titles I’ve read from Croucher. It was still a blast to read, but the romance really didn’t drive the story forward for me at all. Rather, it was the rest of this zany story that kept my attention. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook copy!

This book did not land for me as much as the first in the series did, which was a bit sad. Honestly I had a hard time following the plot, there was so much back and forth that was not clearly defined. I also did not form the same connection with these characters as I did with the last book. I am not sure what was missing for me, but I am sad because I really expected to love this one just as much. Hopefully the next book will land better for me, I will definitely give her next book a read as well.

While I do enjoy Lex Croucher's novels, there is just something about them that makes me not end up not fully loving them. I think it may be that for being set in medieval/King Arthur/Robin Hood times, the characters feel far too modern for me and it winds up taking me out of the plot for a minute. It's hard to suspend my disbelief that much in a book that otherwise feels pretty "authentic" (in terms of the time period).

Clem felt a little bit TOO ditzy for me to believe that she is a truly accomplished healer, and Mariel seemed too mean for me to believe that these two are going to end up falling in love. The storyline was okay, but I never really felt connected to it or to any of the characters so there was no sense of urgency for me to continue reading. I would go on for days at a time without reading and then remember I was in the middle of a story and that I should probably finish it.

I was also able to guess a lot of what was going to happen - not just based on what would normally happen during that time, but because Croucher's story formula was almost identical in their last book. It was a bit boring, but I think that teens (who are obviously the main market that this book is trying to appeal too) will still really enjoy it.

3.5 stars. This was a fun retelling (or continuation, really) of the classic Robin Hood story. I did lose steam toward the middle, but the story was able to grab my attention again after taking a break. I liked the diversity of characters, and how they were somewhere in between coworkers, friends and (dysfunctional) found-family. I listened to the audiobook and think I would have actually preferred it without the dual narrators. The two readers did a good job but I feel like they had different interpretations for Clem which made the listen a little less seamless.

I did the audio arc for this and tried to listen to it twice. I could not for the life of me remember what happened and had zero connection to any of the characters. Based on the other reviews it has to be a me problem but I just did not vibe with this book unfortunately!

I really liked the last Lex Croucher book I read, but for some reason, I just could not get into this one. However, I talked to some friends who absolutely adored it. I think maybe this was just not for be, and certainly not a badd book, so I'll refrain from posting negative reviews on other sites.

What a fun jaunt! "Robin Hood" is really a genre unto itself and and Lex Croucher just gets it. They have a particular gift for character and story, and "Not for the Faint of Heart" is neat, clever, and altogether charming.

The novel takes a bit of a dark turn towards the middle I wasn't expecting, and I think some drastic choices were made when it would have been better to allow this lovely cast a happier ending. Still, 4.25 stars for a delightful book for any age.

Read if you like:
⚔️Enemies to Lovers
⚔️Fake Dating
⚔️Forbidden Romance
⚔️Opposites Attract
⚔️Slow Burn
⚔️Forced Proximity

Set in an 18th-century world filled with social intrigue, the story follows the dynamic between the spirited and independent protagonist, Jane, and the brooding, complex Nicholas. Their relationship starts off with plenty of animosity and misunderstandings, making for an electric enemies-to-lovers arc that is packed with chemistry and emotional depth. As they are forced into a fake dating arrangement—primarily to maintain appearances—what begins as a purely practical partnership slowly evolves into something far more complicated and deeply personal.

Croucher does a fantastic job of weaving humor, heart, and tension throughout the story. The slow burn romance is perfectly paced, with the two protagonists moving from rivals to lovers as they navigate their differences and uncover each other’s vulnerabilities. The chemistry between Jane and Nicholas is palpable, and it’s hard not to root for them as they break down each other’s walls, revealing more about their true selves.

The tension between public appearances and private desires is beautifully portrayed, and the characters’ emotional journeys add a layer of depth to the romance. Jane’s development, in particular, is a standout—she grows from a rebellious, misunderstood woman into someone who learns to balance her independence with her ability to love and trust.

Croucher’s writing is sharp, engaging, and full of clever dialogue that keeps the story both light-hearted and emotionally resonant. The side characters add humor and richness to the plot, creating a well-rounded world full of both endearing and frustrating individuals.

Overall, *Not for the Faint of Heart* is an irresistible blend of romance, humor, and historical charm. With its well-executed tropes, lovable characters, and satisfying emotional arcs, it’s a perfect read for fans of historical romance with a bit of edge and a lot of heart. Lex Croucher has crafted a story that will have you laughing, swooning, and rooting for its couple every step of the way.

Thanks so much the publisher for my gifted ALC!

I have wanted to read a book by this author and was excited to receive this arc copy. I think that readers will enjoy this book if they like reading about a ragtag bunch of youths who somehow found each other in this big wide world. You will love this book if you have some sort of emotional connection to the story of Robin Hood.
The main crew of characters in this book were enjoyable, although I do think that some of the side characters were lacking a bit in terms of personality, but they were not a major focus. I do think there were times when the plot felt a bit directionless, and as soon as a mission/direction was identified, the group went into it so impulsively that there wasn't a lot of buildup with major story events.
Overall, I liked this book and would recommend it. I won't be knocking down doors and screaming from the rooftops trying to get people to read it, but I will definitely be bringing it up in conversations because I know many people will love it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio preview.

Hilarious coming of age story / YA romcom in Lex Croucher's pitch perfect voice. They are writing the funniest YA out there today!! Narrators captured the snark, wonder, and heart of the main characters perfectly.

I wish I liked this as much as I hoped I might. I have enjoyed some of Croucher’s other works and the Robin Hood aspect intrigued me. But I felt that there wasn’t enough substance in the plot to highlight any of the characters (many of whom fell into the background.)

I enjoyed the dual POV and the narration style, it flowed nicely between the characters and chapters. I was able to know which character was which, outside of obvious clues, which is a great touch.

While it was not my favorite book of the year my reading (listening) was very fun. It has all the enjoyable hallmarks of a queer YA romcom, albeit a sloppy execution in certain areas.

This book was such a fun read!! I loved that it played off of Robin Hood's legacy instead of just being a retelling. This book is SUPER queer and had so many powerful storylines.

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Mariel, granddaughter of the infamous Robin Hood, is a new Captain in the Merry Men. She's desperate to live up to her family legacy, which puts a lot of pressure on her. Clem, a cheery backwoods healer, is taken prisoner by Mariel, and the MM, as retribution for Clem's guardian offering healing services to the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Forced proximity abounds as Mariel and Clem travel along together doing Merry Men things. Everything seems to mostly be going to plan, when Mariel's father, Jack Hartley, Commander of the Merry Men, is captured in an ambush. Now Mariel and the remaining MM, including sweetly-innocent Clem, must try to get him back.

With the woods at war, not everyone believes in the Merry Men as they used too. Soon enough, even Mariel is questioning what they stand for. Will they be able to get Jack back? And will the Merry Men continue on their current path, or switch things up for a new generation of bandits?

This is a cute story that showed off Croucher's signature witty writing style. I wouldn't say I connected to this one at the same level that I did with Gwen & Art last year, but it's still a solid Historical YA Rom-Com. As with Gwen & Art, I did listen to the audiobook and definitely recommend that format. The accent of the narrator lends itself well to these stories, and truly helps to bring the action to life.

I appreciate how quickly Croucher can create characters I love. Both Clem and Mariel were so fun to get to know, though for different reasons. It definitely has a Grumpy-Sunshine element to it that evolved beautifully over the course of the story.

I particularly liked the journey for Mariel. As a member of an infamous family, she's had a lot of assumptions made about her and preconceptions made about who she is as a person. She's had a real struggle trying to overcome those things and figure out what exactly her path is going to be.
I also enjoyed her learning more truths behind her famous family. Going in, I had forgotten this was connected to the legend of Robin Hood. I loved that inspiration.

I also really enjoyed, and was impressed by, how even though this is a magical and witty tale, Croucher again managed to seamlessly weave in some heavier topics. There's a lot here for Readers to enjoy.

For me though, as mentioned above, I never ended up connecting with this as deeply as <i>Gwen & Art</i>, and I'm not sure how memorable it will be for me long term. With this being said, it's still a great YA book with a lot of important topics explored and representation. I'll keep coming back for all Croucher's future releases.

Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I love this kind of funny Historical romps, and hope Croucher continues writing them!