Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Gwen & Art Are Not in Love

disorganised thoughts!!:

i love that the narrator is kind of in gwen/art's head but not really. it's not like stream of consciousness and it's not boring, everything has character and personality. and so funny too!! in a real way, like pls the dialogue is so fun.

so well written, easy to read but never boring. same with characters, sometimes they're difficult but they're SO loveable. i like how the intensity and serious-ness grew at a rate that was surprising and interesting but not overwhelming or unbelievable.

also diversity! in multiple ways, and it never feels forced. like an Asian lesbian love interest? and she's SO fucking cool?? yes

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justinareads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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frenchpants's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

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bree_h_reads's review

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adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I was really looking forward to this book, so I’m glad I overall found it enjoyable.

The characters are where my thoughts are the most varied. I found all the dynamics and relationships to be varied and unique. Each once seemed to interact in an understandable and in-character way. It really helped me to understand WHY they played off of each other the way they did. The family backgrounds being varied also lent really well to characterisation. Gwen and Gabriel had the most obvious family dynamic, but Arthur’s family was major in his character and even Bridget’s came up and gave more insight into who she is and why. It was a great way to build on characters and why they are the way they are. However, that’s not to say there were no flaws. I personally found the character arcs to be a bit weak. It felt like I was missing the deeper insight into WHY the characters were changing or having revelations. Then, there’s my problem with Arthur. Personally, I found him deeply obnoxious and self-absorbed for most of the book. When the time came for him to show his growth it caught me off guard as well. I don’t think this is entirely the fault of the writing. Personally I think the narrator chosen for Arthur’s POV just wasn’t the best choice. The voice he gave Arthur was never serious and always had a more chipper, carefree sense regardless of scene tone. He also made the women in the book sound whiny and obnoxious which left a bad taste in my mouth for the character.

I also think the balance between the romance and political plot could have been done better. The romances, understandably, had a lot of focus. Gwen and Bridget’s specifically was especially well-written. However, there was a lot lacking in the political plot. There would be crumbs hinting at a larger struggle that would shake the foundations of the characters’ world. It would grab my interest and get me properly interested, only for it to remain untouched for 75% of the book. It was disappointing and made the book feel lacking.

Finally, I think the discussions and theme the book aimed to explore were interesting. I think the exploration of struggling to understand being queer and come to terms in a society where that’s not a thing were well-done and very relatable. I also liked the additional discussion of historical queerness and its erasure to push a certain idea. What felt a little lacking was the books more feminist angle. It touched upon the struggles of gender roles and how women are put down for stepping outside of that, but never went deeper. When it’s such an influence on the sapphic romance, and even a minor one on the achillean romance, I feel like it should be given more attention.

Overall it was a good read and I think if the book struck a better balance with the plot it could be an easy 4 stars.

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kathyq10's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The characters are the best part of this book. The author very sweetly displays different forms of love and intimacy in both romantic and platonic relationships. They help each other grow into better, more secure versions of themselves. I was routing for all of them and pleased with the ending!

On the negative side, the writing style was not very dynamic, and the use of certain words (like “yeah” “okay” and “chill”) took me out of the world of the book because they definitely weren’t saying that as slang in the thirteen hundreds. The world building was not great and slightly confusing (the King Arthur and Guinevere and Lancelot of legend existed a few hundred years before this book is set and are now the basis of a cult / religion in opposition to Catholicism) but it sets up enough for the story to mostly make sense.

Overall a very cute YA read if you’re looking for fun banter, found family (including pets!), queer teen angst, and some loosely Arthurian-adjacent lore.

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boowa22's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I immediately fell in love with the titular characters and their inner circles. Everyone is complex yet lovable, and the reader is empathetic to their individual struggles. My only critiques would be that the world building lacks some necessary details and the B-plot (especially towards the final act) is a bit predictable. Though it is set in the medieval period, there’s some modern social elements added to make the book more digestible to YA romance readers. I do not mind these changes, but I wished they had been outlined more clearly as it sets the stakes for the characters’ relationships and ambitions. Overall, though, this is a fairly lighthearted, fun read.

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lisamsalgado's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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callidoralblack's review

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adventurous emotional lighthearted

Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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