this book was basically a light hearted, sapphic Robin Hood retelling. its got this whole grumpy sunshine element and it was really cheesy and haphazardly thrown together =. clemence, or clem, was 10 when she was orphaned and wandered into the woods where she met Rosie a healer old woman who the children called a witch. and clem became her apprentice, Mariel is a captain of the merry men, and the daughter of the leader to the merry men. and she just wants her fathers approval. Mariel is all business and clem has these rose colored glasses on that affect her perspective, her outlook is more positive. the characters are really likable its easy to root for them and want them together
. the book itself just seemed too snappy and predictable.

Light and potentially enjoyable but potential is all I felt throughout this book, despite being a fan of the author’s other works.

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!

*I received this eARC from NetGalley and am providing an honest review.*

I was immediately drawn in by our two main characters, Marian and Clem, in this fun Robin Hood romp! I loved the continuation of characters we knew with a whole host of new characters. Definitely check this out of your into sapphic retellings with a lot of charm!

Fast paced and good humor. I enjoyed the Robin Hood connection. I think HS readers would enjoy it.

I've quite enjoyed all of Lex Croucher's previous books and I really like the premise of this one - the idea that a once-anarchist group has become corrupted as it has grown and changed over time. But unfortunately, the book simply did not hold my attention all the way to 20% when I eventually gave up. I tried to find more of an emotional connection with the characters but it was slow going, especially with Mariel and I definitely didn't feel the connection between the two love interests. I'm giving this three stars because I suspect if I held out, it would have landed in the 3-3.5 star range for me.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars

I love a good Robin Hood story, so I was excited to see that Croucher was doing a queer take on the infamous woodsman expecting it to be a humorous romp through Sherwood Forest. Unfortunately I felt like many of the jokes were forced where the wit in GWEN & ART ARE NOT IN LOVE was much more natural.

The militarization of the Merry Men is explained by the end, but I didn't love that aspect of the plot and wasn't expecting this book to be that type of story. For me Mariel and Clem were outshined by the rest of Mariel's crew (justice for Baxter!!!!) as they were much more dynamic and interesting.

An epilogue a year later would have made the ending feel more complete as not enough of the loose ends are tied up by the last page.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun, queer retelling/sequel to the Robin Hood story.

I really liked Clem, her relentless optimism was funny and the way she rolled with things and confused her kidnappers made me laugh. She just wanted to help people and put everything into that and I'd be happy to be her friend. Mariel is a good fighter, but her grumpy attitude brings her down a bit and I found her to be less interesting.

The first half or so of the book kind of meandered along. We had a vague notion of where things were going, but I would have liked more direction and more going on with the plot in general.

Pretty entertaining read and I enjoyed the diversity of the characters.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the copy.

I think this book would need to be solid gold to meet the high standard that Gwen and Art are not in Love created. That being said, this robin hood retelling was still really great. The author's humor was perfection, I loved the found family and I loved Clem with my whole heart. I think the only place that I could have used a little more was the romance. They worked but didn't have me swooning. The smallest of critiques though, still 5 stars.

Okay look, I really did try to finish this book in November but exams got in the way and I've only been able to sit down properly and finish it now

Anyway... it's a good book to pick up with you're looking for a fast-paced fantasy to read. Clem, Mariel, and the rest of their crew kept me on my fit with their antics and operations. I was even laughing in amusement at some parts. Though parts of it can be predictable, the twists and turns kept me on my feet.

Along with that, I enjoyed the character development, especially Mariel's as she turned from a grump into a not-so-grump. The author really does a good job at making the character's question who they are, push themselves, and eventually grow.

Finally, the romance. I'd say that it's cute but it's definitely a lot more of a side plot since the majority of the book focused on action and adventure. So if you're looking for a romance-heavy book, I wouldn't recommend this.

Anyway thank you to Netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review (even though said review is like six months late).

This book is in the Robin Hood universe, kinda sorta, but isn't a retelling as much as a reimagining. The style is similar to Gwen and Art, but without the same level of connection and chemistry. I love a sapphic young adult story, but this one just wasn't quite right for me. I see what Lex Croucher was going for, and I love the thought behind it, but it really seemed to be forced. The writing was fine, but the characters just didn't grab me. It was a fine, enjoyable time, but nothing that I'm screaming from the rooftops about.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun sapphic retelling of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. I really enjoyed the way this story was told and how it changes the legend we all know and love. This added a lot to the original story and was well told.

I wanted to love this story because it was a different time period and story that we don't see very often. That being said, the book tried a little too hard for me in the voice department, and the style made it hard to connect with the story. Beautiful cover, fun concept, just not for me.

This wasn't for me! I read about 10% over several weeks and just couldn't get into it. I ended up DNFing.

I enjoyed this book! It's not one I would reread again - for that, I highly recommend Lex's first book, Gwen and Art are Not in Love - but my time with this book was fun.

The characters here are relatable, and you are rooting for them to find happiness. At times, the book moves slowly, but it picks up the pace as it progresses. I felt like there was almost not enough plot here for the amount of plot we were consuming, if that makes sense. It felt like there was a "lot" happening but it didn't translate into feeling like much was happening at all as a reader. But you love the characters enough to want to keep going because you want to see their happy endings.

All in all, it's a fun sapphic romance, and I would recommend it for a lighter, fast read.

This is the second historical romance that I have read by Lex Croucher and it was fun! The story is action packed, even if the romance is a slow burn. The main characters have really fun rapport, and the balance of deep topics and charming humor is a big win.

I really enjoyed the author's style of writing, but found the chemistry of the two main characters forced and unreasonable. I didn't see why they should be together, and the ending felt very cheesy.

This was a fun YA story related to the classic Robin Hood. No, it is not a retelling! Although I didn’t love it as much as Gwen & Art, it gets better as it goes on. There is character growth, witty banter, and seamless representation. This is for you if you love a grumpy/ sunshine “forced” proximity romance.

This series of Lex Croucher’s is never allowed to stop. I fell absolutely in love with the writing and characters in Gwen and Art are not in Love and this did not disappoint as a follow up to that series. A sapphic Robin Hood?? Yes please!! The wit and banter were still there, the chemistry was fun and I love the characters.

“You aren’t merry, and you aren’t all men.”
This one surprised me—equal parts charming chaos and real emotional depth. Mariel and Clem’s banter had me grinning, but it’s the questions about legacy, identity, and chosen family that lingered. Not perfect pacing-wise, but the heart? Absolutely there. Lex stays on my auto-read list.