This is my second Lex Croucher book--the first being 2023's Gwen and Art are Not in Love--and, on the whole, I enjoyed this more than its predecessor. It contains many of the things that I thought made Gwen and Art wonderful, including goofy, tongue-in-cheek, The Princess Bride-esque dialogue (without ever veering into out-and-out silliness) and historical queer romance. Because this book is only telling one love story as opposed to two, I felt like the plot had a lot more room to breathe and the relationship more room to develop, and it's clear that Croucher was having so much fun playing with the Robin Hood story, taking our heroes on adventure after adventure at a steady pace that made this a fairly quick read. I also appreciated that the world Croucher has built is queernormative and contains diversity among its cast of secondary characters, with no over-explaining of why there are non-white people in ye olde England (as if diversity hasn't always existed). If I have a single quibble with this fun, lighthearted read, it's that the conflict felt resolved a little too quickly, and (without getting into spoilers) a series of betrayals near the end of the book left me wondering who, exactly, I was supposed to be mad at. I also had a hard time at times with the main relationship, but that could be a matter of personal preference; this book markets itself as leaning into the "grumpy/sunshine" relationship trope, and it certainly does that well (I love Clem!), but sometimes Mariel's grumpiness went to such an extreme that I wondered what a kind, positive person like Clem even saw in her, apart from that she was hot. But overall, very enjoyable and very satisfying; I hope Croucher has some more queer historical romances up their sleeve!

Sapphic Robin Hood- not retelling, but this story builds off of the Robin Hood lore. Also makes Robin Hood gay- yay! This follows Robin’s granddaughter. Low stakes. YA story that wasn’t bad. I would recommend just borrowing this. It did take me a while to get through it. Things moved a little too slow for me. Plus not a ton happened in the storyline to equal page count.

Special thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital ARC.

This was a delightfully fun puff pastry of a novel featuring a lot of wacky gay characters with a charming Sapphic romance in the center, mixed with the best of the found family trope. Exactly the sort of sheer, exuberant escapism I've needed lately, in this horrible news climate, with Southern California burning around my ears.

Lex Croucher's latest queer reimagining delivers! I've been eagerly anticipating this release since its announcement, and it exceeded all expectations.
Croucher's approach is less about strict retellings and more about vibrant reinterpretations, breathing fresh life into familiar stories and creating wonderfully imaginative worlds. "Not for the Faint of Heart" is a delightful blend of found family dynamics, heartwarming sapphic romance, laugh-out-loud rom-com moments, and compelling, character-driven storytelling. Highly recommended for anyone seeking a charming and inclusive read!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Lex Croucher for this ARC for a honest review.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. Croucher is one of my go-to authors for fun queer romance these days while Gail Carriger is self-publishing and not on NetGalley. This time, Croucher focuses on the grandchildren of Robin Hood and the Sherriff of Nottingham and their ongoing battles. As always. the text focuses on an opposites attract couple where they both learn from each other and grow, one much more than the other. I skimmed past some of the battles because I wanted to get back to the characters and did enjoy the somewhat open ending for having hope. 3.75 stars.

Lex Croucher has done it again. I have been looking forward to this one ever since I finished Gwen and Art are Not in Love and it did not disappoint (although I think I prefer Gwen and Art a tad bit more). I like that the "retellings" fall more in line with "reinterpretations", which makes the world building feel more creative. Again, she's assembled a great cast of characters whom you can't help but fall for all of them.

I was so excited to read this book after reading Lex Crocher's Gwen & Art are Not in Love. Lex has a very unique voice and both stories made me laugh out loud several times.

A robin hood story is always my jam, and this was no different. Can't wait to read more historical/Arthurian based stories (or really, anything) by Lex!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this.

Life hit hard and it took a bit to get to, but I'm glad I read it.

I really enjoy Lex and their writing style. This story was no different.

It has all the makings of a reread in the future for sure.

I enjoyed the characters and the representation.

I look forward to the next book from this author!

Not for the Faint of Heart is all that it is promised to be: a lighthearted, quippy, queer medieval rom-com following Robin Hood’s granddaughter, Mariel, and an optimistic healer, Clem.

I loved the nod to the Disney animated movie in the very first sentence, “The morning the Merry Men came for Old Rosie, Clem was trying to put a hat on a fox.” The book is packed with delightful, whip-smart observations about a hostage situation gone hilariously wrong, and how the Merry Men are not all merry, nor are they all men.

The story Is primarily character driven, focusing on Mariel’s band of Merry Men after they accidentally kidnap Clem—a kidnappee who doesn’t act very kidnapped. We are then introduced to the Merry Men and witness how they have changed under Mariel’s father’s leadership. The book goes on to pose the question: have they stuck to Robin Hood’s original purpose? Are they still the Merry Men? The pacing picks up towards the end of the book when Mariel and her band of Merry Men begin planning and scheming.

I recommend this book for readers who love:
+ queer rom-coms
+ found family
+ character driven plots
+ playful retellings

Thank you Wednesday Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

3.75 ⭐️ Not for the faint of heart is a cute historical queer romance that is set in the world of Robin Hood years after he has retired. The story is told from the POV of the two female leads: Mariel the granddaughter of Robin Hood who is desperately trying to earn the respect of her father, and a backwoods healer named Clemence (Clem) who is always telling jokes and just wants to help people. The story starts off with Mariel and her merry men accidentally kidnapping Clem instead of her mentor Rosie and hi-jinx ensue.

The things I really loved about this story were the diverse cast of characters, the found family, the sapphic romance and that it was full of humorous and heart warming moments. The things I didn't like so much were that it felt like the story was a little slow at the start and then really rushed at the end. Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend to anyone looking for a cute, funny and queer historical romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

This was one of my most anticipated ARCs of 2024, and I am so delighted it lives up to the hype! After adoring Gwen and Art Are Not in Love, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Not for the Faint of Heart...and I fear I may have a new auto-buy author.

Like Croucher's first YA release, Not for the Faint of Heart strikes a perfect balance between humor and serious moments, giving us two flawed, yet still lovable MCs and a delightful cast of supporting characters. Where Gwen and Art took on Arthurian legend, Not for the Faint of Heart reimagines Robin Hood and the whole Sherwood Forest gang for a truly fun and unique tale. Clemence "Clem" is a healer who's often heard tales of the Merry Men but never seen a green cloak up close. Mariel is Robin Hood's granddaughter, and is always striving to prove herself to her father, the new captain when Robin retired. So when Mariel accidentally kidnaps Clem, she can think of no worse fate for her budding career as a leader of the Merry Men. Clem is sociable and charming, easily fitting into Mariel's gang of Merry Men (er, well, Merry People - it's gender inclusive here), and Mariel can't stand it; this is NOT how a hostage situation's supposed to go. But when Mariel's father is kidnapped by the Sheriff of Nottingham, she has to accept that Clem is here to stay -- because Clem is more than ready to patch up the gang after skirmishes, and because Mariel just may feel her hard heart starting to crack.

I often struggle in rom-coms with the tone, especially historical ones, but the tone is one of the things that made me fall in love with this book. It's accessible and modern, but never in a way that feels jarring. There's wit aplenty and I found myself smiling throughout; it's just a joyful book, but, like I said, Croucher does know when to sober up. There's a scene towards the end involving a favorite character of mine that had me sobbing and putting my e-reader down. But besides the tone, I think what struck me the most is the character arcs here. There is so much character growth here, and it's so beautifully done. From Mariel realizing that becoming another version of her father is quite possibly the most toxic thing she could do to Clem realizing her own inner strength, both MCs feel fully realized. The romance between them is beautifully done as well. It's relatively chaste (a few kisses here and there, and hints at some more towards the end), but so pure and lovely. Lex Croucher writes the queer YA romances I wish I could've gotten my hands on as a teen.

There is so much more I could say about why this book is so perfect and why I wish (like Gwen and Art -- I'm sensing a theme here!) that it was a series. I fell in love so hard with not just the worldbuilding here, but the side characters as well (Will Scarlet's grandson Baxter is a highlight here, as is the budding romance between him and another side character, Kit). All this to say that if you love YA romance, humor, and contemporary riffs on historical legends, you'll love Not for the Faint of Heart. I have yet to read a Lex Croucher book that's anything less than 5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Saint Martin's Press/Wednesday Books, and Lex Croucher for gifting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

A very interesting read. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this book. It wasn't really for me, but I am sure that it will be loed by the right audience.

So glad I got the chance to preview another queer, historical fantasy from Lex Croucher! If you like lesbians with daddy issues and Renaissance Faires, this might be right up your alley!

I'm not a huge fan of blood and am easily made queasy, so Croucher's grounded fight scenes are a little tough for me to get through and this story adds on many medical scenes on top of that which made it even harder for me. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book!

I always prefer romances where there is an overarching plot and characters also happen to be falling in love because it makes the characters feel more dimensional. Characters who don't have something they want to do with their life other than be someone's partner, are incredibly dull to read about and then the stakes are very low because, worst case scenario, they're single. Croucher avoids this and ratchets the stakes up to life or death and gives their leading ladies core guiding principles that they must either stick to or re-evaluate as they go on their journey to defeat the Sherrif and return honor to Robin Hood's Merry Men.

I really enjoyed this YA take on a story related to Robin Hood. In this novel we follow Mariel the descendant of Robin Hood and Clem a healing witch. Clem was funny, the banter between Clem and everyone else was great! Mariel was a bit rough around the edges, but she finally loosens up after a while. The Merry Men is shown sort of as a found family for Mariel. A solid use of the trope. This is also what I would call a slow burn sapphic story. There were some slower moments but overall, I enjoyed reading this one.

When Clem is kidnapped by Captain Mariel and her crew of Merry Men, she assumes it's because reputation as a healer who is experimenting with more effective treatments, instead it's to make sure her guardian understands that consequences of healing anyone associated with the Sheriff of Nottingham. Clem gets pulled into the the fray as Mariel and her band work to save their commander.

I thought this was a fun re-imagining of Robin Hood focused on the granddaughter of Robin Hood and the way the struggle between the Merry Men and the Sheriff of Nottingham have grown over time.

This was a wonderful story, equal parts humorous and emotional. I thought this was a retelling, but more specifically it takes place in the Robin Hood universe and is wonderful add on to the lore. Loved the grumpy/sunshine relationship and strong found family threads within the story. Recommend this for everyone, even if YA isn't your usual choice.

01/17/2025 || Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher || #NotfortheFaintofHeart #NetGalley #QueerReads

Thank you NetGalley, Lex Croucher and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for making this e-ARC available!

Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author and myself.
All of my thoughts are my own~

4.25 Stars

Pardon the time it took me to get around to this book, I ended up having a very chaotic and hard Fall time.

What worked for me:
I enjoyed the diverse and inclusive cast- I loved everyone so much, though I seemed to care more for the secondary cast compared to the main girls, Clem and Mariel. I understood both girls were a tad unlikable due to their traumas and issues, and I loved how they found each other, but Croucher really created 2 (two) whole sapphic girls I didn't like. Usually when Croucher makes one unlikable stinker, they make up for it with another MC who balanced them out - but while neither girl were my fav, I was so obsessed with how they were each other's favorite person. Their relationship was truly grumpy X sunshine and I really love that! Mariel's team was truly full of gems and I low key need novellas of each and everyone of them! (hint hint)

The magic of Robin Hood was really endearing and enjoyable and Croucher's writing has been drastically improving book after book and this one truly shined. The humor was top notch and the banter was perfect and loved the forced proximity, and one bed tropes present here!

I think this was an excellent edition to Croucher's already strong title list.

What did not work for me:
On a less serious note, or more positive note- I wanted more. It was so unfair we didn't get to explore more of the world that Croucher hinted at. I wanted to spend more time in the wood and with the Merry Men. I wanted more happy times with everyone, and I feel so bummed that we as the reader just sorta jumped in and jumped out and left everyone behind when there is so much potential for more fun story line time. This is not a fully bad thing, but I think Croucher really needs to get more into their worlds and explore them more just a tad- all their works only touch a bit of exploring moments and that would be so much more enjoyable!

Also, I think Croucher is really in a new era for their writing with revisiting lores and myths of England (referencing to the previously published title Gwen and Art are not in Love here) after publishing a handful of other historical titles that seemed to either reference modern movies or tropes that really worked.

I feel like either I didn't have enough background knowledge or understanding of the tale of Robin Hood being American, or Croucher really took this one and ran with it. I understand that this book is 2 generations removed from the OG Robin Hood gang, I just found myself......unsure how to digest this tale? I really liked it (as described above) but also, everything lacked. I think it was maybe the change of character arcs and how usually Croucher introduces back stories in the first 10-15% of the book, this one explores the main characters throughout the book more slowly. That's fine, but I just don't think it worked for me personally.

I also cannot believe Croucher committed character death and I hated it. I prefer the trope of we think they passed but last minute they started breathing or something.

This was such a good book. I really liked the concept with Robin Hood’s granddaughter. Also love a good sapphic read!

A really cute YA story but intimately I don’t think I was the best audience and would be suited for those a bit younger! I think the cover is absolutely stunning and a perfect book to showcase lgbtq representation!
I would gladly read more from this author!

In this fun and fascinating LGBTQ+ story about the granddaughter of Robin Hood and the girl she kidnapped, readers meet Mariel, a new and grumpy captain of the Merry Men, and Clem, a backwoods healer who is working on a series of new cures to help people, when Mariel’s band kidnaps Clem as retribution for her guardian helping the Sheriff of Nottingham. However, the capture of Jack Hartley, Mariel’s father and the commander of the Merry Men, really throws a wrench into the plans, forcing Mariel to set up a rescue plan that might expose cracks in the Merry Men and their cause. As the relationship between Mariel and Clem, as well as their own stories and secrets about their lives and dreams, evolve over the course of the novel, readers will discover what happened after Robin Hood left the Merry Men and how the world changed. These characters are complex and well-written, and Croucher has created a new, fantastic storyline that fans of historical fiction will love. With Mariel and Clem alternating perspectives and the two young women going on this magnificent adventure with its high stakes, fans of Croucher’s previous book will love this new title and the world it focuses on.