A review by gingervandorsten
Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

adventurous emotional 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

 
This book follows the titular characters as they navigate their intense hatred for each other and their more positive feelings (i.e. slightly disastrous infatuation) for others. The story is what it says on the tin: a queer historical YA novel that centres on the relationships, both platonic and romantic, of the main characters. I will say that the marketing of the book makes it seem a little like the book is an Arthurian myth retelling – which it isn’t. Arthurian myth is certainly mentioned a lot, especially later on in the book, but Gwen and Art are not Guinevere and King Arthur. I found this a little disappointing because media like BBC Merlin and the Legendborn cycle gave me a big love for Arthurian myth, but the disappointment faded very quickly because this book is just so damn lovable. 

I loved that Croucher did not make this book solely about the relationships between Gwen and Arthur and their love interests, but made a big portion of it about the warming up of the relationship between Gwen and Arthur. As an ace person who is probably also on the aromantic spectrum I really appreciate when authors give close friendships the attention they deserve. The romantic relationships, between Gwen and Bridget Leclair, a lady knight (she is everything I wanted to be as a little girl) and between Arthur and Gabriel, Gwen’s older brother and the heir to the throne, didn’t really feel like the most important things in the book to me. There was a lot of kissing quite early on which felt quick to me - despite the couples being cute and having some chemistry (not as much as the platonic chemistry between Gwen and Arhur, though), it seemed like their feelings were only confirmed by them kissing, and to me, at least, there wasn’t enough buildup. But then again, the relationships don’t come to fruition until later on in the book, so maybe I’m just one of those people who can only relate to slow burn romances because I take approximately 6 months to tell someone I’m interested in them. 

I also enjoyed the characters a lot. I didn’t get deeply attached to them, I will say, and I don’t know if I felt quite as much pathos in the sadder moments as I could have, but I liked the fact that Gwen was a strong-willed young woman who knows what she wants but still had softer sensibilities and hobbies, while also being called out on her slight not-like-other-girls mentality. She’s one of the most multifaceted YA protagonists I’ve encountered. Arthur was a little more of an archetype of the charming aristocrat with zero survival instinct but I always fall for characters of this archetype. Gabriel reminded me a lot of the kind of characters I tend to write about myself, and I liked his story arc a lot, but Bridget fell a little flat to me and her and Gwen’s romance seemed to have less substance than the other relationships in the story, but this is also talked about. Sid and Agnes were also great, though I would’ve liked to see a little more of Agnes and Gwen’s relationship. 

The end of the book felt somewhat out of the tone for me.
I think it was foregrounded and foreshadowed well, but for a pretty feel-good YA romance book the whole battle and the death of the King at the end, although fitting for the story and well-written, seemed out of place. But I enjoyed the way the story resolved and it made sense for Gabriel to have to take on the role of King at the end, and reveal the whole thing with the letters (I would’ve liked to be able to read some of the letters, though
). 

All in all, I really enjoyed this story, mainly for the interpersonal relationships and the complexity of the characters, and I also love how unapologetically itself it was. Would recommend for anyone who likes fun queer stories with emotional depth and well-rounded characters in non-contemporary settings, with the vibe of those mediaeval adventure movies we all ate up as children. 



 
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