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

Gwen and Art are Not In Love is a sweet, thoughtful hug of a book that delivers the perfect balance of relationship-building with a seemingly low-stakes plot.

In essence, it’s one of those slightly addictive stories that’s more about the characters than anything else, and that made it brilliant.

It’s filled with banter, amazing dialogue, characters that feel real, and while you know where the story is going, it’s not clear how you’ll get there. Which made it comforting but still entertaining.

Gwen and Art has an almost Disney-like quality. It’s fun, lighthearted, but with a message you know you're going to get to, and when you do, it’s going to hit hard.

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Content Warnings

ezrazoe4'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

4.75

Pretty good YA romance. I liked the writing style and humour, and the characters are fun. There was a slightly jarring tone shift at the end, but overall I still enjoyed it.

I liked how Gwen was allowed to be a flawed mc and learn and grow throughout the book. It was nice to see how the ‘not like other girls’ mindset was treated by other characters in the book (negatively) and I’m glad she admitted her mistakes and started to change.

I also like how Gabriel has to deal with his internalised homophobia and inadvertently hurts Gwen in the process. It makes it seem more real and grounded. Arthur was funny. I wish Bridget had more scenes, because she didn’t feel as fleshed out as other characters. It would have helped with the chemistry between her and Gwen as well. I feel like it might be because Gwen, Gabriel and Arthur all have backstory together, so there’s a reason why they’re so close to each other. Bridget is kind of an outsider.

The war was a big tonal shift. It went from fun medieval romance to bloody fight scenes with no warning. I don’t know how to feel about it, but I didn’t dislike it, so I’d count that as a positive. It did feel like a completely different story at the end, though.

Overall, I enjoyed it. More queer novels please!

Content Warnings

chloetremain's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

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sapphicsoilscientist's review against another edition

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The idea is fun, but the male audiobook narrator has apparently never heard of different types of inflection. He’s supposed to say things ‘under his breath’ or ‘hissed out’ and they’re all ‘british valley girl’ and it does not carry any of the charisma expected. Might try the paper format, because I can tell the book is pretty well written and it’s just the narrator throwing me off.

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ceridwen33's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted medium-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? It's complicated

4.25

A fun romp of gay panic and enemies-to-friends mischief as they learn to trust each other. There are some heavier emotional moments, but overall a very satisfying and hopeful read!

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ekgranstro's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

4.75

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