A Dual-Romance with Quippy Characters
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love: A Novel
Teen & Young Adult LGBTQ Romance, Teen & Young Adult Fantasy, Teen & Young Adult Historical Fantasy
Wednesday Books
November 28, 2023
ebook, audiobook, hardcover
416
"A total, rollicking delight. Gwen & Art gave me the same cheeky, swoony, giddy, irresistible high of the first time I saw A Knight’s Tale. Lex Croucher is one of my favorite romcom authors, and they should be yours, too." - Casey McQuiston, #1New York Times bestselling author of I Kissed Shara Wheeler
Heartstopper meets A Knight’s Tale in this queer medieval rom com YA debut about love, friendship, and being brave enough to change the course of history.
It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other.
They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen's childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom's only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.
Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, they make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen's royal brother. Lex Croucher's Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is chock full of sword-fighting, found family, and romantic shenanigans destined to make readers fall in love.
"In this frivolous medieval romp of a queer rom-com, Lex Croucher toys with Arthurian legend to delightful effect." - Entertainment Weekly
“Fun and genuinely funny, with lovely friendships and first-rate dialogue. Gwen and Art may not be in love, but I fell for both of them.” - Rainbow Rowell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Simon Snow trilogy
“Gwen & Art Are Not in Love was exactly what I needed right now—a delightful, heart-warming, hilarious historical romp, overflowing with queer panic and terrible jokes. I loved it.” - Alice Oseman, New York Times bestselling author of the Heartstopper series
“Arthur Delacey, heir to the title Lord of Maidvale, was—in Gwen’s opinion—the devil incarnate.”
Lex Croucher is giving reader’s a new take on the traditional Arthurian legends by giving us all a glimpse into medieval Camelot but with modern flair and not just one, but two queer romances. With a synopsis that begins with “Heartstopper meets A Knight’s Tale” I found myself both smitten and intrigued with the premise of Gwen & Art Are Not in Love.
I truly enjoyed the reimagined characters from the Camelot of lore. Gwen is the spare to her older brother’s heir status to their father, the King of Camelot. While not the once vibrant hub of legendary Arthur, Camelot has since devolved into a bit of a run-down attraction. Stuck between wanting to cling to traditions and the desperate need to be yanked into a more modern and progressive way of life is the point in which Gabriel, Gwen, and their father continually find contention. Betrothed to a peer since infancy, Gwen is quite determined to avoid marriage as long as possible. Her interests lie nowhere near her future husband, Arthur Delacey. Instead, she finds herself drawn to the enigmatic and chivalrous female knight, Bridget, who definitely doesn’t occupy her thoughts at all hours of the day.
“Why does the word ‘experienced’ sound like it means ‘ an unstoppable harlot’ coming out of your mouth?”
As luck would have it, Arthur isn’t interested in Gwen either. Sure, he’s got a reputation as notorious as the infamous thief from Sherwood Forest, but Arthur is more inclined to to marry Gwen’s brother, rather than Gwen herself. I think Arthur is the most affable character out of the main four that we are introduced to. His side kick, Sidney, nearly deposes Arthur as the comedic outlet. Balancing a dual-romance with two couples is no easy feat, and the presence of Sidney along with Agnes provides relief to an otherwise angsty teen romance.
It’s not easy to manage two couples in a YA romance, but Lex Croucher pulls it off well. Though we get a tremendous introduction to all the main characters, there is also the intrigue of a mutinous plot as well that is threaded throughout the story and becomes the climax to the novel. The humor is jam-packed throughout as well as some miscommunication and other hijnks that prevalent with a YA novel. Seeing the character transformation of Gwen and Bridget along with Arthur and Gabriel follow seamlessly with the overall plot made for a truly enjoyable read. Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a tale that is guaranteed to charm you.
Jes is a self-proclaimed bookworm, who recently moved from the PNW back to the Midwest. When her nose isn’t in a book, she’s spending time with her husband, two kids, and her three fur babies, or exploring the globe. She also firmly believes that you should start the day with coffee, and end the day in bed with a good book.
