For as long as the book was, the relationships really weren’t given enough space to develop, just with how the book was paced and plotted out. I guess the way the book ended in the last third needed to happen so they could all get their HEAs…but I guess I’m not entirely happy and honestly the characters didn’t really either?? Just sad and a bit miffed all around. The book was very long and kinda felt that way towards the end. I mean, for one thing, I don’t really believe you,’ said Sidney. ‘And for another – don’t you think you should meet people where they are?’ All the characters are so well-written. They are a bunch of lovable idiots who sometimes find themselves in the most ridiculous situations. I can't even choose who my favourite was or whose relationship I loved the most.

No,’ Arthur said, sounding unconvincing even to himself. ‘I don’t. But he intrigues me. And he feels like one of my own, you know? I ought to help. Tell him he doesn’t have to be a lost lamb, stealing kisses in secret and then agonising over them afterwards.’ Gwen & Art might not be in love, but I’m in love with them and with Gabriel, Bridget, and above all Sidney! F.T. Lukens’ vibrancy and banter meets Alexis Hall’s wit and drama.

LoveReading4Kids Says

Gwen & Art—a princess & a noble—are betrothed to be married, but find themselves far from loving each other considering they're both queer. Gwen can’t help admiring the only woman competing in the palace’s tournament of knights, while Art is falling for Gwen’s brother, the prince soon-to-be king. Overall, The ambiance of the book was incredible, and it definitely hit that A Knight’s Tale modern historical mark, but I wish it developed the romances fully. I loved the friendships in the book as well. The one between Sidney and Arthur REALLY embodied that Heath Ledger and Alan Tudyk energy. I’d have preferred this book be split into two books in a duology, rather than the one with both relationships. But even then, I feel like the book as a whole will work better for me via audio, as that creates a more cinematic experience.

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, # New York Times bestselling author of the SIMON SNOW trilogy god i love these medieval idiots. i laughed my ass of again. i sobbed again. i fell in love with this rag tag group of stumbling kids who form a family within themselves, somewhere they truly feel seen and belong, and i feel so happy for them. sid and art's friendship? perfect. they're unbreakable, humorous, and each other's best friend. i ADORE them together and as separate people.With Gwen and Art Are Not in Love, I felt that Lex Croucher was attempting to 'kill two birds with one stone' - trying to write a book that successfully portrayed a romance of two different pairings. It's a big feat to pull off - sometimes it's a hit, sometimes a miss. After reading it, though, I have to say that it was definitely the latter, for me. it was dangerous to want things, and gwen was out of practice. in fact, the only thing she had truly wanted for years was to be left alone.” yes.” agnes should have been very angry at her—could have raged at gwen for depriving her of her last glimpse of Sidney—but instead she reached over and took gwen’s hand. Can we please have more amazing, queer, romantic comedies like this?!?! I think the world would be a better place, if people read adorable books like this more often. to be truly brave, first you must be afraid—and to be afraid, you must have something you cannot bear to lose.”

This had been a highly anticipated read for me, since I absolutely fell in love with Croucher's romance novels, and adored the concept of this. I think this is why it fell slightly short for me, because I think I expected it to be something different than it was. PDF / EPUB File Name: Gwen_and_Art_are_not_in_love_-_Lex_Croucher.pdf, Gwen_and_Art_are_not_in_love_-_Lex_Croucher.epubArmistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments I cheered Bridget on when she jumped into a fight to save someone, and I said aww, when Gabriel took care of a wounded baby crow. I laughed out loud when Sidney told Art that he probably wanted to be held like a baby crow too, and Gwen and Art, well, they just captured my heart. Gwen, who needed to be a bit braver to color outside the lines, and Art, who hid his self-hatred behind a wild and playful mask. gwen and art are not in love. in fact, they can’t stand each other. but they are promised to each other due to a deal their fathers made when they were young. they’re spending the summer together in camelot, where gwen lives, and within twenty-four hours they discover something about each other: gwen saw arthur kissing a boy, and arthur found gwen’s diary, in which she describes lady leclair very romantically. they agree to cover for each other, which proves especially helpful as gwen grows closer to lady leclair…and arthur to gwen’s brother.

but i didn’t say no to you, gwen. i said no to giving up my whole life to wait around for moments with you, whenever you could spare them. that’s not who i am, and it’s not what i want.” The ending was bittersweet rightfully so, but rather abrupt; unless the author intends to continue the story, I would have liked some more closure to how people would react to the future king and his shift in values. I am glad everyone got their own version of a happy ending, in whatever possible way conceivable, but it just felt like something was missing to tie it all together. 😔 Thank you to Lex Croucher, and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. While this lifelong betrothal is (slightly) better than an unexpected marriage to someone far older to ensure a political alliance, Gwen considers Art to be the devil incarnate. He tormented her relentlessly as a child and their years apart (after a ‘prank’ resulted in a broken wrist) has not softened Gwen’s view of him.

About Lex Croucher

crouch’s debut ya novel is absolutely overflowing with sugar-spun prose and a thoughtful mix of era-appropriate lexicon as well as more facetious modern-day idiom. this is not a historical fiction work nor a retelling and in skirting the limitations of such, crouch is given more room to play around with the story and keep it all fairly light-hearted/unpretentious. that is, until we enter the last third of the novel wherein the tone assumes a darker pitch. this variation of the novel’s character stumbled on so suddenly i experienced a tremendous degree of whip-lash and not for the better. by the end however, i came to a slightly begrudged acceptance of this new direction for the plot and the ending was beautiful albeit tempered with bittersweetness. There’s Gwen with her spitfire temper and anxiety ridden heart, still trying to figure out where she belongs in this world; Arthur with his sarcasm and bravado, hiding behind humor to conceal his true fears; Bridget with her sword and ambition, determined to keep fighting no matter what; Gabriel with his books and quiet demeanor and his steadfastness to do the right thing for his country (even if it’s not what’s right for himself); and Sidney and Agnes with their constant support and protectiveness toward their friends. Each one a messy, imperfect thread to the embroidery on Gwen’s tapestry. Separately, they might be a bit all over the place, but over time, as they grow and change and slowly weave their way into each other’s lives, growing closer and closer until they’re one big intertwined family- god it was beautiful. Enemies to found family hits so different and this book was no exception. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it--there were lots of parts I loved. I really loved Arthur's banter and there were parts of his dialogue that genuinely made me laugh out loud. I also really liked Bridget's character--I thought she was a strong figure to have alongside Gwen, and loved that she often subverted expectations. When Gwen catches Art kissing a boy and Art discovers where Gwen hides her diary (complete with racy entries about Bridget Leclair, the kingdom's only female knight), they become reluctant allies. By pretending to fall for each other, their mutual protection will be assured. But how long can they keep up the ruse? this book messed me UP tho. i’m glad i had mariko to hold my hand bc i wouldn’t have survived otherwise lmaooo