Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher. I fell in love with the cover when perusing NetGalley almost a year ago, and I’m super excited to finally have read the book. I also obsessively read everything Arthurian-related I can get my hands on. So, I couldn’t pass this one up. It will be released in the U.S. tomorrow, November 28, 2023. Although, I saw it out early on the shelves of my local Barnes & Noble last week.

Heartstopper meets A Knight’s Tale in this queer medieval rom-com YA debut about love, friendship, and being brave enough to change the course of history.

It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other.

They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run-up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy, and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen’s childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom’s only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.

Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, Gwen and Art make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight, and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen’s royal brother. Lex Croucher’s Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is chock full of sword-fighting, found family, and romantic shenanigans destined to make readers fall in love.

***Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing a copy of Gwen & Art Are Not in Love via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love was an absolute delight to read. I went into this book expecting witty humor and adorable romance, and that is exactly what the story delivered. I was surprised to find there was also a dash of court intrigue and some pretty brutal action at the end, which caused an odd tonal shift at times but made sense given the overarching plot.

I think reader expectations will be key to whether someone enjoys Gwen & Art Are Not in Love. If you are looking for historical fiction or an Arthurian re-telling, this probably isn’t the book for you. This story reads like a YA rom-com that happens to have knights in it. It seems to happen outside of time almost, but the events of the story are impacted by the history and legends of King Arthur. The writing and dialogue were quite modern, and most of the time the story didn’t seem to take itself very seriously. It created a fun tone to the storytelling that I enjoyed.

The characters and relationships in Gwen & Art Are Not in Love were all engaging and interesting to follow. The romantic partnerships were cute, and I adored all three of them. The real highlight for me, though, was the development of the friendship between Gwen and Arthur. They started out with a passionate hatred for one another, but they became very close over the course of the story as they slowly peeled away each others’ layers of defense. The two of them had so many great scenes together that felt beautifully intimate. The supporting cast around them was fantastic, as well, leading to hilarious banter that had me cackling and heartfelt found family vibes that had me in my feelings.

Given the light tone of most of the story, I was not expecting Gwen & Art Are Not in Love to tackle heavy thematic content as hard as it did. Gwen and Gabriel dealt with a queer identity crisis and navigating whether to come out or continue to hide their true selves. Arthur struggled with core beliefs about worthlessness from a lifetime of abuse from his father, which also interacted with the way he viewed his sexual orientation and his ability to be loved. Bridget provided excellent commentary on gender roles and the struggle of being a woman in a male-dominated field. Each theme was explored in a way that made it accessible and entertaining while still being insightful.

All in all, Gwen & Art Are Not in Love was a great YA rom-com, with wonderful characters, side-splitting humor, and the exploration of important themes. I loved the way it linked to the Arthurian legends while still being entirely its own thing. I also really appreciated the ‘queer was always here’ message inherent within the story. Therefore, I rate this book 4.25 out of 5 stars.

Have you read Gwen & Art Are Not in Love? Does it sound like something you’d enjoy? Let me know down in the comments!