Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Gwen and Art are Not in Love was written specifically for me. This I believe wholeheartedly. As someone whose greatest passions are silly little romcoms, the writing of Lex Croucher, and Arthurian legends, this book has been my most anticipated read since the moment it was announced. With so much excitement for this book, I was worried it might not live up to my own personal hype, but somehow it managed to surpass all my expectations.
Told in dual POV alternating between Gwen, the stubborn and highly-strung princess of England and Art, the rougeish and thoughtless man she has been betrothed to her entire life, the book manages to explore themes of internalised homophobia and coming-of-age with ease. Lex Croucher has a gift for making even the most frustrating characters incredibly lovable, and there wasn't a single member of the core cast that wasn't fully fleshed out and wonderful. Gwen and Art may not be in love, but I am in love with THEM, your honour. And Gabe and Bridget, for that matter.
The plot was perfectly paced and the twist was very well forshadowed in a way that made sure it didn't come from nowhere but was still shocking. I couldn't put the book down for the last third, I was so gripped! The ending was satisfying bittersweet in a way that almost made me cry, and Gabriel's journey of self acceptance especially was so incredibly crafted.

In conclusion, as I said after Infamous: Lex Croucher has done it again, folks.

A really sweet, queer YA novel about Gwen, a princess who likes girls and is engaged to Art - who likes boys. Very entertaining and funny at points, an engaging read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

Lex Croucher has delivered another delightfully fun historical fiction title, their first YA book and it lives up to the standards they set with their first two. I really loved the ensemble cast of characters in this one - they were all very distinct personalities who all developed really well over the course of the book. I loved the enemies to reluctant allies to friends arc for Gwen and Arthur, and Gwen and Gabriel's sibling relationship too - it all really worked, and I thought the minor ensemble characters (Sidney and Agnes) were well integrated. The sense of humour is great (though the normal, innocent men joke was maybe a little too much for me) and it was eminently readable - I raced through this book in a couple of days (and stayed up far too late to finish it!). I wasn't necessarily expecting such high stakes at the end but I really liked the climax of the book and was very invested in the outcome because of how much I cared about these characters - it also added a bit of potentially traumatic drama that wasn't related to the queerness of the characters. I think the one weakness was potentially in the world building, but I wasn't reading this book for that so I didn't pay much attention to the political nuances. After loving both Reputation and Infamous, Gwen and Art didn't disappoint and I will be eagerly awaiting Lex's next book.

This is everything I wanted in a story. It was heartwarming and exciting, filled with queer joy and amazing characters, and topped off with medieval Arthurian fun.
It had me laughing out loud, especially with Arthur who is truly a wonderful character (but then I have a penchant for messy characters who can't help themselves). If you don't like sarcastic, self-deprecating lordlings, never fear because there are strapping lady-knights to sweep you off your feet, beautiful princesses, and sensitive book nerds.
In other words, I loved everyone and everything in this book. The whole time I was kicking my feet and giggling at every interaction.
Perfect for fans of Heartstopper or people angry with the ending of BBC's Merlin. I'm now off to read all of Lex Croucher's work.

Wow!! I am not surprised that Lex Croucher has done it again! Another incredibly funny and heartwarming story. Gwen and Art are wonderful characters and I wish I could stay in their world, with their rag-tag assembly of found family (and swoon over Bridget) for longer… I loved it! It’s refreshing to read such an accessible, queer and diverse story set as a medieval rom-com! Now I want a spin-off just about Bridget… and Lucifer!!

An Arthurian inspired queer historical tale where a princess (who actually fancies a female knight) & a noble (who really fancies her brother) are betrothed. Confusing world but lighthearted & funny.

"To be truly brave, first you must be afraid - and to be afraid, you must have something you cannot bare to lose."

I was so excited to read this book after reading Lex Croucher's 'Infamous' and this was just as good! Another historical romance with LGBT main characters, banter and an engaging storyline. Perfect for fans of the BBC series Merlin.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

This had been a highly anticipated read for me, since I absolutely fell in love with Croucher's romance novels, and adored the concept of this. I think this is why it fell slightly short for me, because I think I expected it to be something different than it was.
That's not to say I didn't enjoy it--there were lots of parts I loved. I really loved Arthur's banter and there were parts of his dialogue that genuinely made me laugh out loud. I also really liked Bridget's character--I thought she was a strong figure to have alongside Gwen, and loved that she often subverted expectations.
Gwen and Gabriel, however, I did find quite unlikeable at times, though I suppose that's partly the point. The internalised homophobia in this novel is high, and this is something that I don't think I expected quite to this degree. Without going into detail, I found the ending to be a little too neat, especially considering my previous point. It felt slightly rushed as well, in comparison to the battle and main conflict, which I found slightly confusing to follow at time, as I don't think enough time was spent laying the groundwork for it.
Overall, though, I do think the pace picked up in the second half, and I really liked the character development Gwen eventually got. This was a fun read, and I'd definitely recommend it.

I don't know what to write in this review because I loved this book so much. The characters are wonderful, charming and delightful. The dialogue is so witty I was cackling while reading. I was kicking my feet and swooning at the romance. I cried at the heartwrenching moments. I am going to be thinking about this for weeks at the very least. No notes

How do I write this without crying?

I must say, despite being extremely excited for this book, I was quite worried. I couldn’t get into some of Croucher’s previous work but this one called out to me. Any time there’s sapphics, I’ll be there. And my God, it did not disappoint.

Now it would be easy to focus on the romantic relationships in the book (there are plenty) but what really stuck out to me was the character development. There is a deciding moment for every single character, protagonists and side characters alike, that sparked a change in their personalities. And that’s what I loved most about this book. Despite being plot heavy, we still got a good balance of characters learning and messing up and learning again.

I LOVED the dynamic between Gwen and Arthur. Their scenes together made me laugh out loud, made me tear up a little, and made me smile with so much joy.

I highly recommend this book to everyone and anyone.

4.5 OUT OF 5 STARS

I thoroughly enjoyed this and read it all in one go. We know Lex Croucher because we so often sell their adult books in Bath - Jane Austen meets Gilmore Girls is irresistible for visiting Bridgerton fans. I knew this would be fun but I was very pleased to discover how good it really is! I love a YA title that can't really be compared to anything else, especially as YA so easily gets bogged down in trends and copycats, and I think we're going to be selling a lot of this. The characters are very well pitched at teenagers too - I find some of the villainy a little 2d, but given how fun the main crew and the rest of the dialogue was I'm very willing to forgive. There's also some really fantastic and enjoyably meta ideas about the legacy of arthurian legend which I especially enjoyed. All in all it felt rich and fun and thoroughly enjoyable. I'll be keeping a keen eye out for all future works by this author!