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friendly_neighborhood_grandma's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, War, Gore, Medical content, Classism, Death, Violence, Vomit, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, and Medical trauma
Minor: Stalking, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Lesbophobia
Skin picking, quite a few vomit scenes but they didn't trigger my emetophobia.vr_alyssa'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? No
3.75
I really enjoyed the elements of Arthurian legends, England's history, as well as (of course) the romance. Sometimes I found the back and forth between POV's a bit distracting at times, but it was also enjoyable to witness the story from two perspectives (I don't think it would've worked otherwise).
The characters were easy to connect to, despite their stubbornness at times. It was easy to root and feel sad for them as the story progressed. The last 100 pages or so threw me for a spin.
All in all, an enjoyable 'light' read, couldn't put it down. I'd say: a Sunday well spent.
Graphic: Death of parent, Alcohol, and Cursing
Moderate: Violence
Minor: War, Child abuse, and Bullying
knockoffrainbow'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
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Cursing, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Vomit, War, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Bullying, Grief, and Gore
kittiesss'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? No
5.0
Minor: Vomit, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, and Alcoholism
vaguely_pink'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
4.0
This was real cute. I'm not the biggest historical fiction reader, but this queer Arthurian reimagining with just the most delightful cast of characters had just enough magic and fantasy vibes to keep me hooked start to finish. The whole ensemble cast is wonderfully written. The banter? Amazing. I loved them all from the jump. Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a masterclass in how to write all the kinds of representation. (The scene where
Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Medical content, and Mental illness
Minor: Bullying, Gore, Chronic illness, Vomit, War, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Body horror, Cursing, Grief, and Violence
nefariousbee's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.75
some things bothered me, like the way race was underdeveloped (that's not fair. not developed is better) even tho it was tapped into, the internalised homophobia, the domestic abuse, it was all laid there and then it didn't have time to get into in any meaningful way and that's a shame, really.
as it is now, it's an easy, sweet YA romance book inspired by the Arthurian myths. nothing more, but also nothing less
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Alcohol, Physical abuse, War, and Violence
Moderate: Medical trauma, Bullying, Vomit, Blood, and Gore
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
queerloras's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: War, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Grief, Bullying, Death, Religious bigotry, Blood, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Vomit, Homophobia, Misogyny, Alcohol, Classism, and Hate crime
readingwithkaitlyn's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
This is the first book I’ve read centered around Camelot/Arthurian times/etc so my knowledge on that is very little. I cannot speak to how similar it may be to the stories or if fans of that will be pleased but from what I can tell there are tons of references back to the origins. In fact the story was pulling up information I learned in the past but forgot about.
Obviously this story has a queer twist to it, with Gwen and Art not actually being in love. Although sexualities are never specifically stated it seemed to me that Gwen is Demi/Bi while Art is gay. I kind of wished there was confirmation for the other queer characters in their sexualities. Either way, the book gives what it says it will, which is queer romance with a lot more angst than I was expecting.
The story is very character driven surrounding their personalities and relarionships to eachother as well as circumstances seemingly beyond their control. The main plot point happens within the last couple of chapters and felt a bit rushed and skimmed over. I think if this happened 10 chapters earlier with more development into these characters and their relationships with eachother while enduring that plot point would have upped the ante. I think given that it is a romcom it is unsurprising that those moments happened as an afterthought that it will just come down to reader and preference. For myself I would have liked more but I do think a majority of readers will not be disappointed by the pacing.
As for critiques I have several. There is character growth and the transformation is lovely but the beginning was a bit overkill. I kept thinking “okay we get it, they hate eachother.” And if I’m remembering it correctly, the one character sort of stirring the pot and making things worse never apologized. Especially when there is blackmailing involved, which is fine to some but not my cup of tea when I’m supposed to be rooting for these two characters.
The sexism and misogyny is very period typical but once again, it was hard to stomach at times. I’m not anyone who thinks characters need to be perfect or morally correct, in fact I prefer them flawed, but I would have loved for the women being targeted, like Gwen, to get one over on them all. I think she takes the mistreatment from literally everyone and directs that frustration towards others like Agnes and other women. It madeAnd I worry people will not give her grace like they might with Art who, despite his quirks and growth, I didn’t care for. He agitates Gwen and Gabriel from start to finish, often pushing boundaries and I was hoping by the end he would have settled that.
I also felt like certain characters were pushing others to come to terms with their sexualities, as expressed by said character being pushed, and it is just not something I personally care for. For the sake of the story I get why there is inklings of this, and it might come down to perception, but again, not my cup of tea.
Despite my critiques, I think there is some great growth without feeling too inauthentic. It felt more like they were in the beginning stages of growth rather than magically being a different person after getting a critique. These things can be a process. I wish we had seen more of this with Agnes and Gwen but it was alright for what we did get.
Even though this book does deal with struggling to accept yourself, fitting into shoes you’re not sure you can feel, dealing with a patriarchy, and growing as a person, there is still often a lighthearted tone. The characters really draw you in even if you’re not the fondest of them at times. I can see the appeal that is captivating so many people.
Overall, I will be recommending and think it was actually sort of nice to get queer characters that are messy and flawed. I might not have loved everything about their flaws but that is what makes them flaws. At the core of the book you can see the heart and intention.
Graphic: Murder, Alcoholism, Sexism, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and War
Moderate: Outing and Vomit
Minor: Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Body shaming, and Sexual assault
Invasion of privacy, blackmailing.