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tinyjude's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
AND DONT GET ME STARTED ON GWEN AND BRIDGET. OH MY LESBIANS. MY PRINCESS AND KNIGHT TROPE WINNING AGAIN. This was soooo made for me. I will never say no to a scene between them, the knight teaching the princess how to use a sword and the typical *sword against the neck and intense stares*. I screamed when they finally kissed, my girl went through so much pain but she was brave and allowed herself to be happy.
I liked how it tackled important issues while also providing comedy, so it turns out to be a lighthearted, easy to read novel, which uses elements of Arthurian legends and medieval fantasy settings with a twist. I loved how queer it was and how it wasn't shy to discuss the fear and self-hate a lot of us go through while figuring things out or trying to communicate who we are to our beloved ones.
I wished we had more time to explore in depth the relationship between the couples and we got to hear Gabriel's speech (I think it could have been an incredible final note or epilogue, I wanted to hear his thoughts so bad) in the end, but still I loved every main couple so much. And, especially, the main focus also on the siblings dynamic, which is not always a focal point but is one my favourite things of all time.
To sum up this book: LETS GO LESBIANS AND GAYS! (and the minor straight couple that somehow was also cute, we love Agnes and Sidney in this house, both really good friends to Gwen and Art).
Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood and War
Minor: Death of parent
zophiebrown's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Moderate: Alcoholism and Violence
Minor: Emotional abuse and Homophobia
ronniethereader's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Medical content
Moderate: Violence and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Vomit, and Alcohol
emsies's review against another edition
3.5
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and War
ktame001's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War
kreid503's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Emotional abuse
dananana's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia, War, and Injury/Injury detail
_oo_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Minor: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and War
jkneebone's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Against this backdrop, we have the story of Gwen (the princess) and Arthur (a lord's son who is descended from/named for the legendary king himself), who have been betrothed since they were children. There's just one problem: they absolutely hate each other. Although they haven't seen each other since they were children, when Gwen tricked Arthur into breaking his arm, this is the summer they are finally going to be married. So Arthur and his manservant/best friend/bodyguard Sidney arrive in Camelot, glad to be away from Arthur's controlling father and ready to wreak havoc.
Although our POV characters are Gwen and Art, we also get a lot of screen time from Gabe, Gwen's bookish older brother who is the reluctant heir to the throne; Bridget, the only female knight in the country, who Gwen is fascinated by; the aforementioned Sidney; and Agnes, Gwen's lady-in-waiting. The impetus of the plot is that, after Gwen and Art discover that they both aren't interested in marrying someone of the opposite gender, they decide to pretend to be infatuated with each other to get everyone else off of their scents. Although at first they are still putting up with each other, they eventually become friends, while also growing their romantic relationships with other characters.
One thing I really enjoyed about Gwen and Are Are Not in Love was how it felt fresh and modern, but also semi-believably historic. Croucher clearly put some thought into the King Arthur-obsessed alternate historical background, and it paid off. The characters were diverse in terms of race, sexuality, and even neurodivergence, but not in a way that felt like putting modern diagnoses or terms into a setting where they didn't belong. (Maybe it's just my reading, but I definitely got neurodiverse vibes from most of the main characters, haha.) The dynamics between all of the different characters were equally lovely - Gwen and Gabe's sweet sibling relationship, Gwen and Art's reluctant friendship, Sidney being so ride-or-die for Arthur, and of course the romantic relationships as well - and I loved how they all became a group working together by the end. I also liked the backstory/subplot of unrest between the Catholics and the cultists, and Gabe's preparation for becoming the next king of England.
For me, this is only a 3.5 star read rather than a 4 star read because of the tone shift at the end.
In terms of language (none/extremely minimal) and sexual content (on page kissing and extremely brief allusions to more) this is totally high school appropriate. I'd hesitate to hand it to a younger reader because Arthur and Sidney are drunk a lot in the first half-ish of the book. Obviously this is a situation where the characters are teenagers, but adults in the world of the story, so it's not underage as such; it's also made pretty clear by the other characters' reactions - and even Arthur's own self reflection - that he knows his drinking is a problem.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Homophobia
sea_sea's review against another edition
- 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
The twists and turns this story had?!?!? Also it was so funny xD
A cute queer camelot romcom! xD
Would 100% recommend!
The only thing that threw me of a bit in the beginning was the modern language, because the book plays in medieval times, but I got used to it quickly.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and War