When I originally picked up the sample of this book to review, I wasn’t sure what type of book it was. I had such a good time with the sample and was so excited, but genre-wise? Yeah, I was unsure. So for those of you who, like me, we were wondering, this book is a historical rom-com with some references to Arthurian legend. It’s super queer, easy to read and hilarious. So this is definitely one you need to be picking up. Thanks to Nina Douglas of Nina Douglas PR and Bloomsbury for a copy of this one.
Gwen is the Princess of England, Arthur is a future lord, and they’ve been betrothed since they were young. The only problem is that they hate each other. But when Arthur returns to Camelot and Gwen catches him kissing a boy, he suspects she might be queer too. He digs up her diary entries on how she feels about a certain lady knight. The pair decide to pretend to be in love for their mutual protection. The only problem is that they might be unable to keep up the ruse for long, as soon Art falls for Gwen’s brother as she spends more time with Lady Bridget.
I’m super picky with anything historical, as it really doesn’t take much for me to be put off. But apparently, I do get along quite well with historical stories that are written with a more contemporary tone. This could be your typical YA romance; it’s just one that happens to be set in the medieval period with an imaginary royal family.
I really adored this book. I laughed out loud so many times. The characters were just so much fun. Art was my favourite, for sure. I find myself drawn to male characters who are very gay, just a little bit broken and are often snarky with it. Art was perfectly that. Plus, on top of that, he sure wasn’t a fighter for someone named after King Arthur. But that made it fun. It was wonderful to see the girl characters taking charge and kicking butt.
The romance was also something I really enjoyed. Obviously, I adored Art and Gabriel as I loved Art, but Bridget and Gwen were just so cute too. Gwen would get so dreamy over her, and I loved that her lady-in-waiting just knew but didn’t say anything.
And yeah, that leads me to say that the friendships in this book were just as good as the romances. Art has Sydney to start with, but Gwen doesn’t have anyone besides her brother. But you see her begin to meet people and give them a chance, and it was lovely. Gwen really came into her own as a character when she started to open up to others.
Plot-wise there isn’t really much to say. There is one. It gets very political. The way that side of the story goes is a little predictable. That wasn’t a problem for me; I still really enjoyed the book and liked the tension it bought. But the book’s primary focus is the characters, which are interesting enough to hold your attention.
I am utterly obsessed with this book now. A few days have passed, and I’m still thinking about it. I know there’s no need for a sequel, but I’d still love to see more of these characters. I hope everyone else will love this book as much as I did and that we can actually get merch based off of it.
5/5 Stars
Title: Gwen & Art Are Not In Love
Author: Lex Croucher
Genre: Historical Romance
Age Range: Young Adult
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: 11/5/23 (UK) / 28/11/23 (US)
BUY LINKS
Amazon UK | Amazon US | Waterstones (Exclusive) | Waterstones (Standard) | Bookshop Org
Lace and Dagger Books 