A story inspired by my favourite legend and characters? Yes, please! This was such a cute read, this is the perfect historical queer teen romcom. It is genuinely equal parts hilarious and romantic, the characters were all fantastic and I loved following along on their journey, a few of them definitely come across as quite naïve but it just adds to the charm and sweetness of the story. It really shouldn't have taken me this long to read this book but I'm so glad that I have now and I can read the sequel asap!

Source of book: NetGalley (like a million years ago, sorry)
Relevant disclaimers: Instagram mutuals.
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.

So my personal favourite piece of Arthuriana is the 14th century poem, Gawain and the Green Knight. I think I mostly like it because nobody can super agree what it's about or, at least, what it represents.

The basics of the poem go like this: a young chad King Arthur is having a cheeky Nandos with the lads, but he declares that nobody is allowed to dive into their peri peri until something exciting and knightly, worthy of the tales of old, has happened. What a lege. Conveniently, a big green bro rides into the hall and invites everyone to participate in a fun game of decapitation. Top lad Gawain is up for it, on the understanding that he gets to be the active decapitation partner first. Unfortunately, once decapitated, the green bro retrieves his head and invites Gawain to visit him in a year and a day so he can decapitate him back. The rest of the knights enjoy this top bants and life goes on.

Eventually Gawain remembers he kind of has an obligation to fulfil and sets out, reluctantly, on his quest. He has a bunch of adventures en route that the poet does not deign to share, and eventually comes to a magnificent castle, inhabited by a fellow top lad, his fit wife, and a random old lady? This new top lad tells Gawain that the place where he's meant to be meeting the green bro for a little flip-decapitation is about two days ride and invites him to stay in the mean time so they can get Dominos. Gawain is well up for this. At which point, his host proposes a new game and Gawain, who has apparently not a learned a fucking thing from the Decapitation Incident, blithely agrees: every day the knight is going to go out hunting and Gawain is going to Netflix and chill, and at the end of the day they exchange what they've respectively managed to obtain.

First day, the knight's wife does her level best to bang Gawain but bros before hos and all that. Gawain barters her down to a kiss, which he duly gives to her husband in exchange for the double pepperoni passion he picked up on the way home. Second day, the wife once again tries to sheath Gawain's sword for him, and he, once again, barters her down to two kisses, which he exchanges with her husband for whatever he caught on his hunt (a boar I think?). Third day, however, the wife offers Gawain her underwear (okay technically a girdle is outerwear, but still) which will apparently protect him from any harm like, for example, getting his head cut off. Gawain takes this and instead of giving it to her husband, spontaneously ponies up three entirely heterosexual smackeroos.

Finally the day comes Gawain has to go get decapitated and he trots off to meet the green knight. First time the green knight swings his axe, Gawain flinches like a big ol' sissy and the knight takes the piss. Second time the knight doesn't strike and Gawain is like "dude, stop fucking around, just cut my fucking head off." Third time, the knight leave a tiny nick on the back of Gawain's neck as punishment for being creepy with his wife's intimate garments, and it turns out the green knight was the top bro all along, just cursed by Morgan le Fay, who--TWIST--was the random old lady staying at the castle.

Gawain goes home, full of shame, having determined to wear the green girdle for the rest of his life to remind him of the importance of being honest with your mates. The other knights are all like cool story bro.

Look, it's a really weird poem. And, like, is it about survival versus honour, is it about Christianity versus paganism, is it anti-Arthurian and anti-heroic, is about friendship and accepting each other failures, is it about gender, is it about ethics, is it about masculinity, is it feminist (given the sexual agency of the green knight's wife), is it GAY (I mean Gawain is reasonably indifferent about the green knight's wife trying to bang his brains out and surprisingly blase about snogging her husband when he returns from the hunt). And the green girdle is sort of emblematic of all this. It's this protean garment, that can be tied and untied, and shifts its meaning depending on context and perspective.

Sorry this got really long and tangent-ey, even for me. Where I'm going with my bullshit on this occasion is that Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is a gorgeous green girdle of a book: it's intricate and intriguing and multi-faceted, and I continue to watch Lex Croucher's career, especially their ever-growing confidence as writer, with rapt admiration.

Set in a kind of Medievalish AU where the legacy of King Arthur is closer to history than myth, Gwendoline (not Guinevere) is the royal princess of a fractured, factionalised, partially catholic England. She has been inescapably engaged to Arthur, the son of a powerful local lord (and Arthurian cultist) since infancy. There is, however, a major problem here: Gwen and Art are not in love (title drop, boom). Actually there are bunch of problems: there's Arthur's scheming father, there's the hot lady knight Gwen has a crush on, there's the seething resentment between Gwen and Arthur, there's Gwen's brother Gabriel, and his determination to be the perfect king irrespective of the personal cost, and, of course, there's the gathering threat to the kingdom.

As you can probably tell from the summary, this is a book with a lot going on. It is, in fact, ambitious as all hell and, mostly, I felt those ambitions paid off. Unlike Croucher's Regency-set series (which I deeply adore), where the POV tends to be close single person, this is dual-POV between Arthur and Gwendoline. Given their flaws, their blind spots, and their insecurities, as well as the girdle-esque knot of relationships that lies at the heart of the novel, it's ultimately a story of competing perspectives. Of learning to see things--and yourself--as they truly are. I mean, there's even a cat one character calls Merlin, and another character calls Lucifer. I see you & your feline-themed, multi-purpose metaphors, Croucher: just as the kingdom is torn between its Arthurian past and its Catholic present/future, so must the characters navigate the tensions between who they feel they're supposed to be and who they are, and thus we end up with a cat called Merlin AND Lucifer, comfortably both.

Like the Regency-set series, Gwen and Art is also a book about growing up. While, on the surface, Medievalist-ish Arthurian AU would not be something I'd naturally reach for as an allegory for queer adolescence, in practice it works extraordinarily well. It's a deeply fractured world, burdened with a history that has shaped the present in the way the current generation are not responsible for but nevertheless live with the consequences of, where pursuit of selfhood is situated oppositionally to duty, familial harmony, and social good. I mean, I can't speak for anyone else, but that's what being seventeen was like for me.

More broadly, there's something about Croucher approaches queerness that I connect with in a very ... a very personal way. I don't know if it's because we're both British or because--if Croucher's sense of humour is anything to go--we were exposed to similar media at impressionable ages but I always feel very seen by Croucher's books. And because identity is (and should be permitted to be) a complex and subjective thing, that feels like a rare and special gift from an author to a reader. I think what Croucher does for me, that's honestly difficult to do, is they approach queer joy and queer pain with equal depth and boldness.

Aware as I always vaguely am of The Disk Horse, I feel we're in in this quite specific place at the moment in terms of the "how" of presenting queer identity. I mean, I've spent most of my career defiantly putting queer joy page (something that continues to be devalued by supposedly queer and queer-supporting institutions, especially in the UK) but that doesn't mean I want to pretend to queer pain isn't real or doesn't exist. Of late, though, I've begun wondering if the pendulum might be swinging the other way, at least in the genres I'm interested in, because I've been seeing increasingly strong pushback from certain groups of readers about the inclusion of literally *any* conflict, bad feels, or compromise required from the characters. Don't get me wrong, it's nice that there are books that are, essentially, just chill queer vibes and I'm glad such stories exists, but they're not the "right" or the "only" way to represent queerness in fiction, but I don't think the cultural answer to a past of too much queer tragedy is the complete rejection of all queer pain. Not to put too fine a point, the idea that we are somehow "past" all that is a deeply privileged perspective because, while I love that so many young folks are apparently growing up completely accepted and unchallenged in who they are, that isn't a universal situation. And dismissing texts, or art, or media or, indeed, *people* who are still grappling with pain and shame is essentially to double reject those have already likely experienced rejection. Essentially I think I would like to reach a intracommunity equilibrium where we accept that the celebration of queer joy does not require the abandonment of those who are, or who have experienced, suffering.

To bring this back to Gwen and Art, while it can be very joyous to be queer in Croucher's books, it is not always easy--and, maybe I'm just contrary, but I find it reassuring to see that explored with tenderness and care. For me, one of the most devastating and complicated moments in the book (mild spoilers ahead) is when Gwen attempts to come out to her brother (who is also queer) and he (unable to accept himself) rejects her. They do later reconcile, of course, but ooof. What a moment. It's probably one of the hardest hitting moments in the whole story (although it is lightly foreshadowed by Arthur and Gwen *also* attempting to use recognition of the other's queerness as a weapon) just because it goes to places that aren't always easy to discuss or admit to ourselves i.e. that a sense of queer community isn't as perfect or as resilient as we would wish it to be (or are often pretending it is). On a purely personal note, I found it hard to forgive Gabriel during this section of the book but I don't think that was about the character. Given what Gabriel is dealing with on his own account, it's understandable he wasn't in a place to be the perfect brother just then and Croucher really does set up and resolve this particular conflict with skill and nuance. It just reminded me of every time my own fear, shame or pain has prevented me from being there as I should have been for someone else struggling in their queerness.

Anyway, in case I'm making this book sound terribly heavy and srs, Croucher, as ever, approaches their subject matter and their characters with a wonderful blend of darkness and light. For all the angsty gripping of my heart I did while reading this, I also laughed out loud several times and I am not, as a general rule, a laugher-out-louder. I smile, I may issue a small chuckle. But Croucher makes me *laugh*. Not necessarily a great compliment, if I'm honest, because I have an incredibly immature sense of humour:

‘The last time you were here,’ the king said finally, ‘you set fire to something.’
Arthur grimaced down at his hands. ‘Yes. I mean–my apologies.’
‘What was it, do you recall?’
Arthur pretended to think about it. ‘Er– I believe it was your wife, sire.’


*snarfles*

To be completely fair, as I try my best to be, I think sometimes the dark/light balance isn't always completely struck for me in Croucher's work and Gwen and Art are not exception here. It didn't diminish my admiration for the book, nor my pleasure in it, but some shit goes down in the final 25% and, while it was clearly being set up to go down from the get-go, it ended feeling both like a lot and not quite enough. By which I mean, the stakes get very high very suddenly and are resolved almost too quickly for the nature of those stakes. What does really come together, however, is the character work that Croucher has done in the first 75% of the book. It is genuinely lovely to see how the characters have grown and developed through their interactions (romantic and otherwise) with each other, and for that growth to manifest in the strength to navigate the crisis that rocks the kingdom. But, you know what? This is obnoxious of me because one critiques the art in front of you, not some art that exists only in your head, but I honestly feel there are two books in Gwen and Art. Book 1 is creating all these personal connections and allowing the characters to grow into the best and strongest versions queer AF versions of themselves (i.e. the first 75% of Gwen and Art) and book 2 is putting that to the test (i.e. the final 25% of Gwen and Art expanded to really pay off all the previous work).

Except also: that's just me. Maybe I'm just pining after two books instead of one because I adore all these characters and want to indulgently spend more time with them. Maybe I'm just the kind of helpless nerd who loves a well-built world and wanted more of that. Who knows? Let me make it super clear, though, that the fact there is only 1 book of Gwen and Art is not damaging to the book as it stands. I think it's more that, to me, there was scope here for 2. Especially because there were some plotlines that got wrapped up pretty hastily and some really big moments--like Gwendoline riding into battle towards the end--that didn't get the chance to land as hard as they potentially could. I also felt poor Arthur got short shrift at times, especially when it came to his relationship with his terribly abusive father. It's not that I needed that to be resolved exactly (although it sort of was), it was just it ended up feeling emotionally siloed from everything else going on in the book because it's never something that anyone else interacts with or ever has opportunity to truly acknowledge. And maybe there's an element of dark realism to that--some abuses, after all, never go acknowledged--but I guess I just wanted ... more for him from the people he loves. There's also a moment where the plot demands everyone believes Arthur has betrayed them, while also not allowing him any opportunity to clear up the misunderstanding, which I found slightly frustrating. It kind of reminded me of the political intrigue equivalent of those 80s romances where the hero arbitrarily decides the heroine is a whore on the basis of no evidence whatsoever. Arthur does nothing, the whole book, to make anyone suspect him of malfeasance. In fact, he mostly out of his way to help people. I do understand that plots have to happen but I wish there'd been a way to bring about the same set of circumstances without completely devaluing however-many-hundred pages of Arthur's emotional labour.

But, honestly. I think most of these minor rough patches are the book falling victim to its own scope and ambition. Like if you are going to write a book about three separate romantic couples, whose participants independently have (non-romantic) relationships with each other too, set that book in a complex and fascinating world, take on a bunch of complicated ideas about gender, queerness, identity and self-agency, engage meaningfully with several pieces of Arthuriana, and then throw in some well-constructed political intrigue AND A WAR something, somewhere is going to give. The fact that Gwen and Art has all this going on, remains structurally and emotionally coherent, and is besides deeply moving and funny as hell, is an incredibly impressive achievement.

It took me away too long to make the point, but I meant it when I said this book was a green girdle. It's so clever with its interweaving of its characters and its plot and its themes, and its ending is a delicate knot, full of equal parts of hope and uncertainty, which is my personal favourite kind of ending. Basically, Gwen and Art is a unique, bold and special book, and if a hot lady gives it to you, you should definitely risk decapitation to keep it.

PS - I also can't believe I wrote an entire review without finding space to mention Lady Bridget.

PPS - Also, this is a "take your meds mate" style nitpick but I am unreasonably irked by the fact the book is called Gwen and Art Are Not In Love and hardly anyone calls Arthur Art for the entire book.

Gwen was a princess, already betrothed to Arthur since she was still a kid. One summer when Gwen almost 18, Arthur ordered by his father to spend the summer at Camelot castle to get to know Gwen better. Soon its discovered that they both had crushes to other people, despite their betrothal. Then they agreed to keep their charade and keep each other’s secret.

Honestly i couldn’t really connect with the story. Sure it was funny sometimes, but they seemed to be just fucking around without any concerns about other stuff. All that matter were their romantic affairs. And the fact that they’re all barely adult????? I know that’s because the book’s age range is YA but it didnt sit right with me somehow.

Then suddenly after 80% mark its action packed. At that point I couldn’t care less about the book, thought about dnf it but didn’t want my time wasted for nothing. So here we are.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

Admittedly I didn’t know who Croucher was in their YouTube days but I have gotten to know Croucher as an author over the last year or so, thanks to their series of regency novels and this more medieval work.

Characters were engaging and the story was funny and interesting throughout,

It was a YA but didn’t feel like one. It was by no means as risqué as it could have been but it didn’t feel immature enough to put readers off. I’m definitely looking forward to what Croucher has in store next.

I enjoyed this book, it was a cosy read with a slight reference to Arthurian legends. The main characters were interesting and mostly lovable and I loved the two main characters relationship come the end!

This wasn't quite what I expected, and while it certainly had elements I loved - a Lady Knight (I grew up with Tamora Pierce so more Lady Knights please), and the sapphic romance hit the mark for me; overall, it was a bit of a disappointment. I'm not a fan of the modern terms/references in a historical setting, and that through me out of the story a little too much. And I did not take to Arthur at all - although he did improve throughout the book. One thing, I did like though was the shift in turn towards the latter part of the book, and that is where it felt like the characters came a little more into their own; although the ending itself felt a little abrupt.

Unfortunately, this title fell very flat for me. I loved the concept and thought it would be a book I really enjoyed but unfortunately I didn't. I found the main characters themselves to be quite unlikable so I struggled to engage with them and root for the romance. I also felt like the chemistry between the characters was almost non-existent so I, again, struggled to continue through it. Finally, what really killed this book for me was the stereotypes that I found among the characters. I felt the representation of LGBTQIA+ characters followed more of the typical stereotypes, for example, I thought Art's characterization was just that he was a chaotic partyboy and he didn't have much else going for him and the lesbian character who is the only female knight.

I was genuinely really disappointed because I wanted so much to love this book but unfortunately it is not one I will be recommending in the future.

I really wanted to love this book and it's why I requested it. I love the Arthurian legends and thought a modern retake would be exciting.

I'm afraid I struggled to read this, the characters could have been fleshed out more and needed more depth. The main characters seemed superficial - particularly Gwen or self absorbed - Art.

I hoped as I read more this would improve but this was just not a book for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read this, I do appreciate it and am sharing my honest review.

This was so much fun!!
I don’t think I’ve read a medieval YA romance before and I was pleasantly surprised. I loved Lex Crouchers other two books immensely and was super hyped to read their first YA one.
The MCs were amazing and I laughed out loud many times.
Lady Bridget Leclair is my new wifey goals.
I didn’t expect to get so invested in this and the ending completely blew my mind! I was on the edge of my seat!
I wish there would have been a bit more of an elaborate ending tbh, because after all the struggles the queer characters experienced in this and the social disadvantages shown I would have loved to see what actual changes happened in this world.
For me some parts were also drawn out a little and more of an everyday life kind of plot than actually focusing on the main plot.
All in all I enjoyed this a lot though and can’t wait to read Lexes next book!

GAY GAY GAY GAY GAY

Those were my thoughts the whole time reading this. I loved how the world was curated, how the relationships were built. It's the perfect rom-com for teens.

Characters I loved from the very first page. Wonderful banter with a romance you will not forget. I was not prepared for how much I would love this. Thank you for the early copy to review.

I absolutely adored this creative retelling of a tale everyone believes they know. It was interesting to see how Lex created a world where King Arthur's legacy impacted so many lives (for better and for worse), and I enjoyed the concept of Gwen and Art's fake dating trope. I really would love to go back to this world and hope there will be a sequel!

Despite feeling that this was a little too long, I enjoyed this book.

Four very loveable teens who are struggling to find their place in the medieval world. Which isn't helped when you have been betrothed since birth but you'd much rather someone of your own sex.
There are a lot of genuinely laugh out loud moments and the banter is brilliant.

I really wanted to like this but it just wasn't for me. The characters felt really annoying and immature, and the writing style was also quite young I felt. I just couldn't finish it. DNF around the 25% mark.

It’s been months since I’ve read this but it was a great story with humour, great character dynamics and relationships. A great twist to the classic Arthurian legend with strong female characters and a cool coming of age and discovering of self.

This is such a cute and charming book about a married couple Gwen and Art who are both queer. I absolutely loved it

The fake dating trope in GWEN & ART ARE NOT IN LOVE is what caught my eye but it was the great characters that really hooked me.

GWEN & ART ARE NOT IN LOVE is a YA historical romance that I (falsely) assumed was an Arthurian retelling. Instead, it’s a sort of loose sequel, set in a medieval-lite world where Arthur, Merlin etc were once real people, but have already become a vague memory.

The bulk of the book has all sorts of fun rom-com tropes – there’s three different couples in play, lots of miscommunication, rivals to friendships, will-they-won’t-they, and all sorts of snark. The entire gang are a delight and the sneaking around, flirting, fancy parties, weapons training, and wilfully-blind longing are lots of fun. Croucher delivers a banger of an ending, adding a lot more action and drama that helps balance out the different elements of the story so that the historical/Arthurian angle doesn’t feel secondary.

I loved Gwen. She was a little unlikeable at the start of the book, but she needed to be, and I loved the growth we see in her by the end of the story. I wanted to protect Arthur with my life. I love how his façade gradually cracks over time, giving us a really layered character. The romances aren’t quite as prevalent as I’d expected, but I was perfectly happy to focus in on the friendships and dynamics between the group as a whole instead. However, I would have liked the ‘main’ love interests, Gabe and Bridget to have got more development.

GWEN & ART ARE NOT IN LOVE is perfect for reader looking for a fun, light rom-com, as well as readers looking for light Arthurian vibes rather than a weighty retelling.

This is one of the best YA fantasies I've read in ages. Gripping, very funny, and delightfully queer, it strikes the perfect balance of entertaining and dramatic. As far as Arthurian legends go, this is a great one. The characters were likable and I was invested in both romances, though Bridget and Gwen's was ultimately my favourite. Arthur grated on me at times (he seemed too silly and childish in a lot of the serious moments), but I could forgive that since the rest of the book was so good.

I will be coming back to this book in the later time as for now it was unfortunately a dnf. I was not in the mood for the genre.

Absolutely loved this! Lex Croucher is the master of writing accurate, fun and deliciously witty and romantic dramas. I’ll read everything they write!