For as long as the book was, the relationships really weren’t given enough space to develop, just with how the book was paced and plotted out. I guess the way the book ended in the last third needed to happen so they could all get their HEAs…but I guess I’m not entirely happy and honestly the characters didn’t really either?? Just sad and a bit miffed all around. The book was very long and kinda felt that way towards the end.

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 Strangely enough, the only character I really did like was Gabriel - despite his own personal misgivings and view on the world, I would have liked to have known more about him. Maybe I'm so accustomed to dual POV's alternating between the two love interests, I FELT SOMEWHAT deprived of getting a glimpse into his mind - what he was thinking, what he was truly feeling at those moments with Arthur. 😢 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? 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. 🤔crouch’s debut ya novel is absolutely overflowing with sugar-spun prose and a thoughtful mix of era-appropriate lexicon as well as more facetious modern-day idiom. this is not a historical fiction work nor a retelling and in skirting the limitations of such, crouch is given more room to play around with the story and keep it all fairly light-hearted/unpretentious. that is, until we enter the last third of the novel wherein the tone assumes a darker pitch. this variation of the novel’s character stumbled on so suddenly i experienced a tremendous degree of whip-lash and not for the better. by the end however, i came to a slightly begrudged acceptance of this new direction for the plot and the ending was beautiful albeit tempered with bittersweetness.

Gwen and Arthur were often pretty insufferable and bratty, but I absolutely loved their banter, as well as the banter between Arthur and Sid. Sid is such an amazing and loyal friend, I loved his friendship with Arthur so much. Gabe, Bridget and Agnes were just as wonderful and the romance part of the story was really sweet.GWEN & ART ARE NOT IN LOVE is everything i want in a novel. a queer, medieval rom-com following the undesired betrothal of the princess of england and the descendant of king arthur himself, lex croucher’s upcoming young adult debut is a gorgeous exploration of love, friendship, history, and self-discovery that joyfully tears down the idea that we must sacrifice our truths to be happy and make a difference in the world. no book i’ve read all year has made me laugh, cry, and read with such breathless abandon as this and i can’t wait to make myself as dramatic and insufferable as possible about it in the new year. 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. I mean, for one thing, I don’t really believe you,’ said Sidney. ‘And for another – don’t you think you should meet people where they are?’ gwen's character was annoying at first, she was judgmental, crass, and often felt like everything was targeted regardless of it was or not. i felt so proud seeing her character development! watching gwen grow from someone who assumed the worst and sort of outcasted herself to someone who was doing things out of her comfort zone and deepening her relationships. she becomes so sweet and an overall joy (flaws and all). she's also such an introvert, and i love that she's not forced to become some social butterfly. however, we do get to see her find a spine and her own voice. seeing her be more understanding of bridget's situation? mwah. 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.

To be truly brave, first you must be afraid - and to be afraid, you must have something you cannot bare to lose." gwen and art are not in love. in fact, they can’t stand each other. but they are promised to each other due to a deal their fathers made when they were young. they’re spending the summer together in camelot, where gwen lives, and within twenty-four hours they discover something about each other: gwen saw arthur kissing a boy, and arthur found gwen’s diary, in which she describes lady leclair very romantically. they agree to cover for each other, which proves especially helpful as gwen grows closer to lady leclair…and arthur to gwen’s brother. February 2023: what the actual hell am I supposed to do now that this book is over? I would give my life for every single one of the citrus six and truly don't know how I'm going to cope without them 😭 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.I cheered Bridget on when she jumped into a fight to save someone, and I said aww, when Gabriel took care of a wounded baby crow. I laughed out loud when Sidney told Art that he probably wanted to be held like a baby crow too, and Gwen and Art, well, they just captured my heart. Gwen, who needed to be a bit braver to color outside the lines, and Art, who hid his self-hatred behind a wild and playful mask. While this lifelong betrothal is (slightly) better than an unexpected marriage to someone far older to ensure a political alliance, Gwen considers Art to be the devil incarnate. He tormented her relentlessly as a child and their years apart (after a ‘prank’ resulted in a broken wrist) has not softened Gwen’s view of him.

It was dangerous to want things, and Gwen was out of practice. in fact, the only thing she had truly wanted for years was to be left alone.“ GWEN AND ART was exactly what I need right now – a delightful, heart-warming, hilarious historical romp, overflowing with queer panic and terrible jokes. I loved it.' ALICE OSEMAN, bestselling author of HEARTSTOPPERHundreds 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... 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. 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. Kurt Vonnegut once famously said that true terror is waking up one morning to discover your high school classmates running the country. I'll raise him a millennial variation: true terror is reading a book that you can tell was written by someone who used Tumblr at the same time you did. it was dangerous to want things, and gwen was out of practice. in fact, the only thing she had truly wanted for years was to be left alone.”