Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - Gwen and Art Are Not in Love

Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

194 reviews

violet_viper's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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

5.0

Content Warnings

cruel's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny 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

3.5

the first ~20% is kinda slow but it quickly picks up and i zoomed right through it. the interactions between characters were great - arthur and sidney being the stand outs. i actually liked it way more than i expected to. however i had to knock off some points because i'd left annoyed that, shocker, arthur and gabriel got WAY more spotlight and overall time to develop, while gwen and bridget were just kinda brushed over; it seemed like the chapters focusing on arthur(/gabriel) would last for ages, while you would blink and miss gwen(/bridget)'s turn.

Content Warnings

frenchpants's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Content Warnings

bree_h_reads's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

kirkspockreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny tense 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? Yes

4.0

This was fun and cute! I liked the alternate history sort of thing the author did with England and Arthurian legends and that

the main characters find love letters between King Arthur and Lancelot because hi hello QUEER PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE?!

Anyway, Arthur is babygirl and I’m also in love with Bridget (how can you not be) and I loved the cat! Books should have more orange cats in them.

I do have to wonder why sexism and homophobia and religious bigotry exist in this book but racism doesn’t? The main male character is brown and the female love interest is also brown but no one objects to them being nobles? Idk, there should have been more thought put into that. Seems like a weird thing to gloss over.

Content Warnings

enbae's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense slow-paced

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

3.25

A really good, fun read. A medieval courting story about Camelot's heirs turned queer.
I found the pacing a bit slow, until the end - it seemed a little too fast by then.

Content Warnings

briely's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.75

Art’s narration was way too over the top, so I ended up reading the physical book for those chapters and listening to Gwen’s. Overall fun and silly, but the ending was so sudden it felt like whiplash.

Content Warnings

bootrat's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

Another excellent book by Lex Croucher! I've loved all their books so far, but this is probably my favourite. All the characters were excellent, and I was rooting for all the relationships. The end felt a little rushed, but I've felt that with all of Lex's books so I think that's a me thing and I know to expect it now so it doesn't lose anything for that. I definitely recommend this book!

Content Warnings

author_d_r_oestreicher's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

In Gwen &Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher, newborn Princess Gwendoline (not Guinevere) was betrothed to two-year-old Arthur. Growing up, he teases her, and she breaks his wrist, but the primary obstacle to a royal wedding is that both are gay. The story is set in a post-Arthurian England where the king (Gwen’s father) represents the Catholics and Art’s family belongs to the cultists (followers of Arthur Pendragon, Lancelot, Guinevere, Morgana, and Merlin). Some hope/imagine the wedding might unite these two factions. Unfortunately for Gwen and Art, the two factions are already united by homophobia, and the royal couple is closeted. A delightful queer medieval rom-com for teens and young adults.

For my extended notes: https://1book42day.blogspot.com/2024/07/gwen-art-are-not-in-love-by-lex-croucher.html

Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for Omega Cats Press books and book recommendations.

Content Warnings

kathyq10's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

More...