Joined in 2023 
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sid and art's friendship? perfect. they're unbreakable, humorous, and each other's best friend. i ADORE them together and as separate people. It was a bit too metal for me at the end. I definitely wouldn’t classify the second half of the book as a romance novel: too much death and limb loss (sorry but it’s no Kresley Cole). It took a while for the couples to pair off and then it took even longer for emotional things to develop and then there were battles and death and it never rest regained the happy, charming feel of the beginning. Gwen & Art might not be in love, but I’m in love with them and with Gabriel, Bridget, and above all Sidney! F.T. Lukens’ vibrancy and banter meets Alexis Hall’s wit and drama. Fun and genuinely funny, with lovely friendships and first-rate dialogue. Gwen and Art may not be in love, but I fell for both of them' - RAINBOW ROWELL, # New York Times bestselling author of the SIMON SNOW trilogy The chapters alternated between Gwen and Arthur's perspectives at a rather imbalanced rate. They didn't feel like the story was progressing at each meeting - it was more like reading a glimpse into a diary entry to one said part of their life and then we don't get any immediate follow-up to it, jumping right into the other character's situation. And as each chapter was relatively short, it would then be almost a necessity to have another chapter from said character's POV, to complete that scene. I mean, what's the point of alternating POVs one at a time, and then having two chapters dedicated solely to the character's POV? It just makes for inconsistency and abrupt cut-offs without really allowing the depth of the story to sink in. 🤔
Gwen & Art—a princess & a noble—are betrothed to be married, but find themselves far from loving each other considering they're both queer. Gwen can’t help admiring the only woman competing in the palace’s tournament of knights, while Art is falling for Gwen’s brother, the prince soon-to-be king. Fun and genuinely funny, with lovely friendships and first-rate dialogue. Gwen and Art may not be in love, but I fell for both of them.” - Rainbow Rowell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Simon Snow trilogy An utter delight. Croucher conjures a fresh new Camelot, full of jousts, hijinks and exuberantly queer characters that will make you swoon. This is the gay Camelot I always wanted! - C S Pacat Hundreds of years after the time of Arthur Pendragon, his descendent Arthur Delacey is betrothed to Gwen, the princess of England. If only she wasn't more interested in the only female knight in the realm; if only he wasn't more interested in her brother...Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is non-binary author’s Lex Croucher (they/them) YA debut, having previously written adult romcoms. They bring a welcome breath of fresh air to the genre with this diverse tale of reluctant allies and the search for self-acceptance in a polarised world.
Fun and genuinely funny, with lovely friendships and first-rate dialogue. Gwen and Art may not be in love, but I fell for them both' RAINBOW ROWELL, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of the SIMON SNOW Trilogy to be truly brave, first you must be afraid—and to be afraid, you must have something you cannot bear to lose.” sidney was so much fun. a former manwhore that has been wooed and wowed into a faithful man who only has eyes for agnes—who i also, undoubtedly, love dearly. sidney was so loyal, and you could feel his utmost love for art, who he stayed by the entire book and didn't once falter on his loyalty. his retorts to art's mood swings and little jabs would also count as a plus.
Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher – at a glance
This historical YA romp is a delight, and I’m secretly hoping for a sequel! Read this one when it’s out in November 2023, everyone!!! You won’t be disappointed! yes.” agnes should have been very angry at her—could have raged at gwen for depriving her of her last glimpse of Sidney—but instead she reached over and took gwen’s hand. this book messed me UP tho. i’m glad i had mariko to hold my hand bc i wouldn’t have survived otherwise lmaooo Nobody else is ever going to care as much as you do about the things that you want, Gwendoline. So it’s up to you – you can put them aside forever, if you can live with that, or you can put on your big-girl girdle and demand more for yourself.’ If you enjoyed that movie from yester-year, The Knight's Tale, then I'm sure the writing would definitely be to your liking. It was just too hip, too modern, too uncharacteristically unfitting to the timeline it was representing. I get that it's 'historical-ish' and I should just treat it as an Arthurian romcom set in a medieval-ish setting, but there's only so much I can take when 'shit' is part of their daily vocabulary or knowing what century the characters were living in! 😩
look, this review is gonna be a mess cos i can barely form thoughts about my love for this book but let’s try & get something coherent on the grid shall we? 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. 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. 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. BRIDGETTT! woman knight = perfection. i don't make the rules here, so... anywayy, i love her so much. she knows what she wants, and she doesn't let anybody tell her what they think she should. even though she faces soo much discrimination being the only female knight (to put herself out there), she still stays focused on her goal. she wants to be better, she wants to become a great knight, and she has no intentions of letting anybody try to force her to stop.I really enjoyed this book for the first 70% or so. I found it very entertaining and the humor was right up my alley. The historical details bring the story to life and allusions to the tales of the original King Arthur and his knights are appealing. There are the usual medieval tropes – knights and princesses, flirty ladies in waiting, jousting, even a legendary sword in the stone (technically Excalibur Nine, the previous incarnations having been lost or stolen down the years). There’s also modern language, political intrigue and a hearty dose of sarcasm.
Can we please have more amazing, queer, romantic comedies like this?!?! I think the world would be a better place, if people read adorable books like this more often. Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is an engaging read that will appeal to fans of Rainbow Rowell and Alice Oseman who are looking to stretch their reading tastes into the realms of historical fiction.
Lex Croucher Press Reviews
We follow a princess, Gwen, and her betrothed, Arthur, and they are as much in love as this book is an arthurian retelling, which is not at all. In fact, Gwen has eyes for a knight, Bridget that comes to participate in the tournament every year, and Arthur is starting to feel something he definitely isn't supposed to, towards the heir to the English throne, Gwen's brother, Gabriel. Mt favourite parts of this book were definitely towards the end, but also the scene in the shed??? and the first kiss between Gwen and Bridget??? iconic, outstanding, never done before. Love it. But love stories are hardly straight-forward, and Gwen and Art find themselves in various bouts of trouble during the annual royal tournament. Gwen’s royal Parents are ushering her toward her nuptials at an alarming rate when all she wants is to cling to Bridget’s side and protect her through battles and stolen moments. Arthur is taking bookish Gabriel’s dismissals of how far their growing feelings could go to heart, despite encouragement from his best friend and sort-of wing-man, Sidney. And all the meanwhile, Camelot is in increasing danger from an enemy creeping close within. Even with rivals Gwen and Art throwing their shields down and actually growing on each other, it’s not enough to prepare for war—and just how much they’ve got that will be lost in the battle. Gwen and Bridget were a very cute couple. Gwen being so smitten over her knight in shining armor was adorably written and even if Bridget was the more sensible one of the two, I liked that Gwen was able to bring out the fun and frolic in her - even with her armor on - literally and figuratively. 🥰 Arthur and Sidney were a fun pair - their banter wasn't so much very funny and witty, rather snarky and clever, which really showed how close best friends they were, that genuinely cared for each other. 💕💕
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