This book is a Robin Hood inspired spinoff cozy fantasy YA sapphic romance full of adventure and vibes. This is not a plot-heavy book, but it is humor-heavy. The world is queer-normative and full of characters whose cheeks I just wanted to smoosh. The found family was so perfect and the grumpy sunshine trope came with heaps of both grumpy and sunshine. Ironically, this book is probably perfect for the faint of heart because it was so sweet and cozy. The ending did leave a little to be desired for me with the focal relationship of the story, but otherwise I had a delightful time.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Lex, let’s talk. Just real quick because…what the heck?? How dare you make me fall in love with these characters knowing I can’t be with them? This was such a fun book and I loved every second of it. From beginning to end, I was captured by the prose and how well done the writing was in this book. I had a blast reading, as I tend to with Lex’s books and can’t wait for the next one!

DNF at 25%.

I loved Lex Croucher’s other books and Gwen and Art Are Not in Love was my favorite of their books, so I was so excited for this book. But it didn’t click with me. I was kind of bored with the plotline and couldn’t connect with the characters. I was excited for a queer Robin Hood retelling but this one didn’t work for me

[note: I do not post reviews of books I do not finish beyond marking a book as DNF on Goodreads and Storygraph]

Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher is a delightful YA queer reimagining of the Robin Hood tale.
Lex Croucher never disappoints!
With these memorable characters and fantastic writing this was an absolute pleasure to devour.
Clem & Muriel are fantastic. Which made this grumpy x sunshine trope even more fun.
The writing style was light and easy to follow, the characters were lovable, and the story had me hooked from start to finish.

5 stars

It's a young adult queer romance with action and adventure, found family, and some light kidnapping, what's not to love? Getting to see a new generation of Robin Hood's Merry Men was so fun but also makes sense that maybe those immediately after Robin didn't have the best of intentions. I had a great time throughout and really loved the whole crew. I laughed, cried, and wanted to be a part of them (but sleeping inside and without all the stabbing).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Picture if you will..... Robin Hood has retired. His son in law has taken over the family business, and things may have shifted a bit from the original "rob the rich to help the poor" mandate. His granddaughter, Mariel, is trying desperately to prove that she has the chops to move up in the family business, but the combination of her less-than-neurotypical squad, a messed up kidnapping (and a highly loquacious and attractive kidnappee), and her own confusion about what the "right" path might be is making that challenging. Throw in the fact that her absentee mom seems to have taken up with the Sheriff of Nottingham and her dad's been taken hostage, and there's a lot going on right now.

Lex Croucher manages a balance between the traumatic family stuff that's happening and the not easy, but eventually joyful self-discovery that Mariel and her crew (and their hostage, Clem) are figuring out. There's some romance of all genders, ages and queernesses, a very, very solid group of supporting characters (if possible, I wanted even more of them), and a genuine sense of truth in the characters. Things take a while to get going, but once they do, it's really quite a deep and fascinating rollercoaster ride. I am a sucker for a snarky lead, and both Clem and Mariel provide that. Unexpected truths are a theme, and Croucher lets her characters struggle with those as they appear. It's not easy, but there's some real beauty in it. There's laughter here, too, but it is the big theme of figuring out who you are (and all that carries with it) that really stuck with me. Blurb and cover are both lighter than what the book brought me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday books for the e-arc.

I didn’t want the book to end because I fell in love with all the characters of Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher. I want to make these “Merry Men” into my found family. Kidnap me next. Clever story and funny. ARC was provided by Wednesday Books/St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I had a harder time getting into this one, I'll be honest. I really liked Gwen & Art by Croucher, so maybe I set the bar too high. But the setup to the story seemed to take a long time, which didn't let me really get to know the characters.
Not one I'll brag about, but it was a fine read.

While this book wasn't for me, tonally, I can see it being a big hit with YA readers, particularly those who like a sarcastic, quirky voice. The themes of found family with Mariel's troupe were great, and so important for LGBTQ+ youth to see reflected. Our two protagonists had a strong sense of self that blended well together. It wasn't my favorite read so far this year (I'm finding myself being less in love with this type of writing style lately), but I am definitely including it on my recommended reading list for LGBTQ+ teens.

Clem is quite content with her life as a village healer, using her unconventional remedies to help the people of Greenwood Forest. But that life is upended when a band of Merry Men arrive to kidnap her guardian Old Rosie, and Clem volunteers to go as their captive instead. What were once a band of happy vigilantes are now a disciplined militia, and these Merry Men have come to punish the healers for aiding the Sheriff's men. But Clem and Old Rosie have a code: they help anyone who requires their services.

Mariel Hartley-Hood feels the weight of all the expectations on her shoulders. She is Commander Hartley's daughter and the granddaughter of Robin Hood himself. She knows that she is a competent and capable captain, but this ragtag group of misfits under her command can't even kidnap the right healer. Now she's stuck with an overly chatty, perpetually cheerful healer who doesn't seem to understand that she is being held captive.

When Commander Hartley is taken prisoner by the Sheriff, Mariel sees an opportunity to prove her mettle to her father. With Clem in tow, Mariel and her Merry Men set off on a rescue mission across Nottinghamshire. But she soon begins to encounter some hard truths about her father's leadership of the Merry Men and must decide how to best serve the people of Greenwood Forest in the future.

I really enjoyed the action-adventure and spirit of derring-do of this novel. The author's re-imagining of the Merry Men, tracing their actions after Robin Hood's retirement, was a really thought-provoking and interesting concept. I really appreciated this aspect of the novel and thought that Mariel's character arc (and the implied arc of the Merry Men as a group) was very well done.

The romantic sub-plot was less interesting to me because Mariel was just not appealing to me as a romantic lead. The stick was just so very far up her butt that she was intolerable at times. She was wrestling with a lot and teens can be like that. But... I did not see whatever redeeming qualities Clem found in her.

The banter and found family relationships are all wonderfully done. At first, I did have a hard time keeping the characters straight, but was able to catch up pretty quickly. There is a character death that had me crying at the gym as I read on the treadmill. Always a mark that a character was well-written!

Highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a bit of historical action. This is written for a YA audience, so do keep that in mind for your expectations.

Sherwood Forest, after Robin!

Did you ever wonder what really happened to Robin Hood and his Merry Men, the after story? Wonder no more Lex Croucher has given us a rollicking good tale of Robin’s granddaughter Mariel.
Told through the eyes of apprentice healer Cleminson who was kidnapped by Captain Mariel on orders from Commander Jack. Well really Mariel was supposed to take the healer Rosie. Rosie’s old so Clem volunteered. Apparently Jack doesn’t like the healer’s policy of treating all. Treating the Sheriff’s men is a bridge to far.
Marial tries to please her father Jack Hartley, the Commander of the Merry Men. He’s wanting the merry men to be organized, an army. As old Rosie says they really don't care about the people.
Mariel is drawn between wanting to please her father and do the right thing.
When Commander Jack is taken by the Sheriff things become complicated.
This was a fantastic tale of people coming into their own including gender preferences, love decisions, friendships, along with plenty of twists and turns, and fighting. Humorous, with wonderful moments of understated sarcasm, Clem’s a gem! I loved this!

A St. Martin’s Press ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

lex croucher the author that you are!!

while GWART will always hold a supremely special place in my heart due to my pure love for anything arthurian, getting to experience their work in another retelling that i have less of an attachment to was truly a lovely experience. they made me laugh and fall in love with characters i never really thought i would ever fall in love with. and reading this book shortly before going to their publishing event in nyc and seeing them explain just why they picked certain moments or aspects of the story made me enjoy the story even more.

lex truly just has a way to imbue peak british humor completely throughout their stories. i was laughing the whole time at clem’s jokes. i was laughing at how serious mariel took herself even when there was no! need! to! the two of them becoming one of my favorite grumpy x sunshine pairings to date says a lot. genuinely, lex just has a way to make your soul feel lighter and fuller when reading their books. genuinely, i had the widest smile throughout the whole story. and it just reminded me why i loved their writing so much when i was introduced with them last year for GWART.

as many others have said, don’t go into this book expecting it to be plot based. we’re here for the vibes of riding around (often blindfolded in the back of a cart) throughout sherwood forest. we’re here for a rag-tag crew of misfits that are just doing their best to make the merry men crew proud. and if you can accept that it’s all vibes, little plot, i think you will truly love this book. it was just so fun. and sometimes that just what we need, ya know?

i can’t wait to see what other english mythological/historical figures they decide to write about next, but i will sure as hell be right there waiting to pick it up!

I read the first paragraph, laughed out loud, and knew I was in for a good time.

The banter, the sarcasm, Mariel as the straight woman with everyone else just being ridiculous worked for me in the *best* way. As someone who babbles when they're anxious, I related to Clem from the moment she opened her mouth and said something absurd. The characters were all lovable and the romance between Clem and Mariel was so deliciously slow it didn't feel out of place or take over the plot.

I loved this one even more than Gwen & Art and I really hope that Lex writes more stories like them!

NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART is such a fun Robin Hood retelling, taking the traditional story, and twisting it for the better to include more diverse characters and a complex generational storyline. The book has incredible banter, true grumpy/sunshine characters, and found family vibes. However, the book does fall a bit short when it comes to developing the central sapphic romance.

The story is of Clem, a healer who is the true definition of sunshine and "delusional optimism," who gets kidnapped by the Merry Men, now a generation removed from helping the poor by stealing from the rich that Robin Hood intended. Clem is kidnapped by none other than Mariel, the straight-laced, no nonsense granddaughter of Robin Hood and a captain of the Merry Men.

The dynamic between the Merry Men and Clem is the best part of this book, as they battle against the Sheriff's men to create bonds of friendship and loyalty. Clem changes from kidnappee to someone the Men respect and value, and each become more entwined in seeing each other as more than just people, but as family. The jokes they share, the witty dialogue, and the playfulness that the group demonstrates is honestly the reason I'm rating it so highly. To me, it is excellently done and a real highlight of the book, one that I think will resonate with those reading it. It takes a great writer to create this feeling in a novel.

And while I was rooting for Clem and Mariel, I felt that the relationship in the book was underwhelming and could have used some fleshing out. It isn't until about halfway through that there is any hint of feelings between the two, and even then it comes on almost suddenly. I think the book spends so much time on the found family dynamic that it leaves the romance as an afterthought. And as I said, I love the found family aspect of the book, but it created an almost vacuum in the narrative itself.

Overall, readers who love sapphic romances, complex and interesting retellings, found family vibes, and the grumpy sunshine trope will adore this book. It is entertaining, provides multifaceted main and side characters alike, and is an emotional ride that will make a reader laugh as well as cry. It is a story of camaraderie, self-discovery, and loyalty that will stick with you long after you finish the final page.

3.5 stars rounded up.
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Robin Hood retelling but make it gay? Sign me up.
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This delivered on being a very fun, snarky romp of a time. I was entertained pretty consistently throughout this, despite the action ebbing and flowing.
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A lot of my enjoyment could be accredited to the “found family” aspect of the story. I enjoyed seeing Clem interact with her Merry Men kidnappers and quickly winning them over. I also liked the irreverent humor present throughout the book.
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My reason for not rating this higher was the romance (or lack thereof). This was definitely marketed as a romance as well as a fantasy of sorts, but I felt like it didn’t deliver on the romance front. Namely, I just didn’t really feel any spark between Clem & Mariel. They didn’t really have much chemistry or reasons to like one another. I actually thought Clem had more chemistry with Josey, which I don’t think was the intent. It was kind of just like all of the sudden they’re kissing and really like each other. But, like, why?
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I think this could’ve been better if either the romance was made more believable or if it was left out entirely. The story was entertaining enough on its own, for me.
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Still, this is a fun time and if it seems like something you’d like, I’d say go for it!
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Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for gifting me a copy of this so I can provide this honest review! 💕

This is a cute sapphic YA rom-com about the granddaughter of Robin Hood, and a whole new generation of Merry Men. I really loved the author’s previous book “Gwen and Art Are Not in Love,” so I jumped at the chance to dive into this book. Though the plot setup of this one was a little convoluted at the start (so many kidnappings!), the modern banter and loveable found family made this a fun read. I wasn’t completely invested in the romantic subplots, as the relationships felt a little underdeveloped, but I appreciated the themes of friendship and self-discovery, and I will always enjoy reading about a society that embraces all kinds of love.

Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A 3.5 read. I liked the idea of this book and similarly to Gwen and Art I liked the idea of the characters being related to these historical/myth people, and having the influences of them while being a different story. I found Clem to be a very funny character, with her acceptance of being kidnapped to helping the merry men. Meriel was a different story, it took me a while to warm up to her but by the end I think she found her own way. There were a lot of twists and turns within the book and I enjoyed how it played out in the end.

The more I read from Lex Croucher, the more I want to read from Lex Croucher. I absolutely loved this queer reimagining of the Robin Hood tale, with even more Merry Men to love.

Not for the Faint of Heart follows Mariel and her crew of Merry Men, as well as Clem, the ahead-of-her-time healer who will stop at nothing to help someone. When Clem is "accidentally" kidnapped by Mariel and her bandits, they learn a thing or two about each other and what really helping people means. An emotionally resonant love story with the most exquisite found family feelings.

I absolutely fell in love with Clem and Mariel, the definition of a grumpy/sunshine romance. Mariel was the prickliest of cacti, and Clem had the most golden retriever energy. The side characters, as with all of Croucher's novels, really stood out and had their own distinct personalities and stories. Every character contributed to another, and I loved the interactions between all of them. The contrast between the serious, emotional scenes and the hilariously witty interludes was fantastic and kept the book moving along at an excellent pace.

The plot was great, short and sweet, with just the right amount of Robin Hood backstory. I absolutely loved the queer reimagining of Robin Hood's story, as well as the truly diverse cast. The struggles the characters went through were realistic and resonant, and I loved the development every single character went through. I loved that the characters weren't exactly how they were first portrayed, which made the twist of who the villain was and who the heroes were even more surprising.

Another absolute stunner of a novel by Croucher, and I will continue to read everything they write!

With Not For the Faint of Heart, Lex Croucher has firmly cemented themself as my favorite rom-com author. I was pleased to find that this book has the same sweet and adorable slow burn I enjoyed so much when reading Gwen & Art Are Not in Love, as well as a cast of characters that are all so lovable, I can’t choose a favorite.

Main characters Clem and Mariel have traumatic family histories that had a strong hand in shaping them into who they are as young adults. Clem is free-spirited, fun, and silly (she reminded me a lot of a less ditzy Miss Bickle, my favorite character from Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall!) with a passion for helping anyone who needs it. Mariel has an extremely tough exterior, trouble showing her emotions, a strong sense of justice. They have a black cat/golden retriever thing going on with excellent and extremely entertaining banter. The supporting characters (fantastic LGBTQIA+ rep, btw) are all lovely. I have an especially soft spot for Morgan, but I grew attached to everyone and did not want to say goodbye at the end of the book.

The plot itself is sooo good, so much fun. Mariel is Robin Hood’s granddaughter so the timing isn’t too far removed from the formation of the Merry Men and Lex Croucher’s evolution of their story is really interesting. It’s pretty much nonstop adventure from beginning to end, with a twist that made me gasp (which made the man sitting near me in the library laugh) and an event that made me cry (while still in the library).

If you enjoyed Gwen & Art Are Not in Love, there’s no reason you won’t like Not For the Faint of Heart. You’ll also like it if you enjoy LGBTQIA+ (specifically sapphic) slow burn romance, and/or adventures in the vein of Robin Hood!

This sapphic reimagining of the Robin Hood story is appealing more for vibes than plot. It does have witty banter along with the grumpy/sunshine, slow-burn enemies to lovers, and only one bed tropes.

Adorable and perpetually-perky healer Clem has been kidnapped by a group of Merry Men and their Captain Mariel, the granddaughter of Robin Hood. Mariel spends her time trying to win the approval of her demanding father Jack Hartley, the commander of the Merry Men. Clem cracks jokes under all circumstances, including being abducted. The Merry men are possibly on the slightly wrong side of history now, but this group of them is a little slow to realize.

I did like the humor of this but it felt a little odd to have modern vernacular in a historic reimagining. Clem was a likable character; the rest were either unpleasant or we didn't get to know them well. The book did have a lot of queer representation but it was odd having modern terms attached to a historical fiction.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for this ARC to review!