emilywemily6's review against another edition
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
4.0
This was a funny, queer, YA romance set in post-Medieval England. I laughed out loud a lot at these characters and the anachronisms kept things lighthearted and relateable. The energy is very queer, though things are pretty tame because it is a YA romance. Some of the things that moved the main plot of the book (beyond the romances) felt contrived/like the author was trying too hard, and the main plot twists were predictable. But overall this was a really enjoyable palate cleanser of a read and I could see how a younger person who is exploring their sexuality can gain a lot from reading a book like this, though in a lighthearted and not deep way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, War, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Classism, Medical content, and Alcohol
Minor: Grief and Sexual content
bookobsessedmommy's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
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
3.5
Gwen and Art are betrothed, but neither is the least bit interested in the other romantically, bit quickly realize they have more in common than they realized. The romance in this is all very sweet and innocent, but it just didn't strike the right chord for me. I'm not sure if it was a lack of chemistry or something else. The story is set during a jousting tournament, so I expected a bit of gore, but there was quite a bit more than I expected. This book is mostly vibes, and minimal plot until it's almost over, and then you get drowned in it. Not my favorite Lex Croucher novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Violence
maheandco's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Homophobia and Misogyny
flashandoutbreak's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Misogyny, War, Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, Gore, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
savreads28's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Homophobia, Death of parent, Blood, Medical content, War, Alcohol, Violence, Lesbophobia, Murder, and Misogyny
booksandteatime's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Vomit, War, Death, Sexism, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Misogyny
aliteraryescape's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
reflective
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Gore, Blood, and Misogyny
efsimpkin's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.25
I haven’t yet checked other reviews but my main flaw with this book was that it felt like it wanted to be two different books. On one hand you’ve got two lovely romances (I so wished we had seen more of Art and Gabe, I feel like Bridget and Gwen got a lot more screen time) that aren’t given enough room to breathe. On the other hand you’ve got a fantasy-typical political intrigue that also doesn’t really make much sense until it suddenly does, catastrophically changing the tone of what had been a cute and hilarious book to something with teeth.
I loved the glance of the epilogue we had and wish that would become a sequel, just to see how all the characters continue after the events of the book, but idk I feel like the marketing and cute cover and blurb completely missold me on this
I loved the glance of the epilogue we had and wish that would become a sequel, just to see how all the characters continue after the events of the book, but idk I feel like the marketing and cute cover and blurb completely missold me on this
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Violence, and War
Moderate: Blood and Alcoholism
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-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
4.25
Thanks to Macmillan for the free copy of this book.
- GWEN AND ART ARE NOT IN LOVE is everything I hoped it would be. Queerness and silliness and strong personalities and deep emotions, what else could you want?
- I loved that both Arthur and Gwen got to have unlikable characteristics but were still granted full humanity by the others.
- For all the shenanigans in this book, there is still a layer of darkness as well. The crown weighs heavy on all of them in different ways, and each character needs to figure out how they will approach the life they've been dealt.
- GWEN AND ART ARE NOT IN LOVE is everything I hoped it would be. Queerness and silliness and strong personalities and deep emotions, what else could you want?
- I loved that both Arthur and Gwen got to have unlikable characteristics but were still granted full humanity by the others.
- For all the shenanigans in this book, there is still a layer of darkness as well. The crown weighs heavy on all of them in different ways, and each character needs to figure out how they will approach the life they've been dealt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Death, Alcohol, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, and Cursing
Moderate: Homophobia
nefariousbee's review against another edition
emotional
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
an easy YA read. there are two romances in this book so there was not enough space to really dive into both. it's not necessary bad, it's just a thing that has to be done if you wanted to have an average length novel.
some things bothered me, like the way race was underdeveloped (that's not fair. not developed is better) even tho it was tapped into, the internalised homophobia, the domestic abuse, it was all laid there and then it didn't have time to get into in any meaningful way and that's a shame, really.
as it is now, it's an easy, sweet YA romance book inspired by the Arthurian myths. nothing more, but also nothing less
some things bothered me, like the way race was underdeveloped (that's not fair. not developed is better) even tho it was tapped into, the internalised homophobia, the domestic abuse, it was all laid there and then it didn't have time to get into in any meaningful way and that's a shame, really.
as it is now, it's an easy, sweet YA romance book inspired by the Arthurian myths. nothing more, but also nothing less
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Alcohol, Physical abuse, War, and Violence
Moderate: Medical trauma, Bullying, Vomit, Blood, and Gore
Minor: Adult/minor relationship