Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

100 reviews

kmartro's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted tense medium-paced
  • 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

4.75

There is nothing I could possibly say against it, it's actually perfect. I ran out of tabs marking every time I laughed.

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ariep's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective tense slow-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

4.5

Really enjoyed this read!! It was such a fun story, and I thought the characters were unique and lovable. It reminded me of a webcomic I used to follow, High Class Homos! I thought it had a good balance of fun and funny moments along with emotional and dark moments as well. The characters felt very fleshed out, and the world was intriguing, I truly enjoyed this book. 

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tinyjude's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • 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

I thoroughly enjoyed the main dynamic between the characters and how much they learnt from each other, especially how such a silly and relatable character like Arthur is able to help so much amidst the drama and hilarious scenes. They are all dramatic queens and we love it. I appreciate the representation of dread/self-loathing/depression Arthur brings due to his relationship with his father. Same as Gabriel's whole conflict about being the ideal he thinks his father and people want him to become when he inherits the throne and what he actually wants. This dilemma is reflected in all the characters beautifully and painfully.

AND DONT GET ME STARTED ON GWEN AND BRIDGET. OH MY LESBIANS. MY PRINCESS AND KNIGHT TROPE WINNING AGAIN. This was soooo made for me. I will never say no to a scene between them, the knight teaching the princess how to use a sword and the typical *sword against the neck and intense stares*. I screamed when they finally kissed, my girl went through so much pain but she was brave and allowed herself to be happy.

I liked how it tackled important issues while also providing comedy, so it turns out to be a lighthearted, easy to read novel, which uses elements of Arthurian legends and medieval fantasy settings with a twist. I loved how queer it was and how it wasn't shy to discuss the fear and self-hate a lot of us go through while figuring things out or trying to communicate who we are to our beloved ones.

I wished we had more time to explore in depth the relationship between the couples and we got to hear Gabriel's speech (I think it could have been an incredible final note or epilogue, I wanted to hear his thoughts so bad) in the end, but still I loved every main couple so much. And, especially, the main focus also on the siblings dynamic, which is not always a focal point but is one my favourite things of all time.

To sum up this book: LETS GO LESBIANS AND GAYS! (and the minor straight couple that somehow was also cute, we love Agnes and Sidney in this house, both really good friends to Gwen and Art).

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zophiebrown's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • 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

4.75

A really fun read with a delightful set of characters finding their way to happiness.

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wolafinch's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
  • 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

i was prepared to be a hater (ok, so its camelot, but they're all gay and they all have trauma and Daddy Issues, this sounds like a book-tok book with no depth behind it) but i was smitten

even arthur, who i really started out really not liking, i grew to enjoy (like a fungus or a mold, as another character describes him)

for a book about camelot, princes, and princesses, it was surprisingly grounded and realistic (in a good way), the main characters all felt like rounded people and their character develop was all really nice and natural, and reminded me in parts of my own coming out process

ofc, all the non-main characters can end up feeling kind of one note and like, you can tell they're characters in a book (sidney at one point just falls alseep when the plot doesnt require him anymore), but theyre still enjoyable and i can tell effort was made. Just an especially sharp contrast against the main characters

didn't really like the ending tbh, just with some character choices that felt off from how i wanted it to be, but whatever, and not bad enough it ruined the book or anything








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chrisreads52's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • 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

4.25


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ronniethereader's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • 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

5.0


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seventhswan's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced
  • 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

3.25

April's read for book group: I don't think I ever would have picked this book up of my own accord, as YA isn't a genre I tend to gravitate towards, but I found plenty to like about it. The characters were endearing without being overly irritating and the main storyline, while nothing new or groundbreaking, kept me invested. Everything was fairly tropey and predictable, but as a lighthearted, escapist romance, this worked. 

Where this book fell down for me was the final few chapters. The story moved away from romance to more serious depictions of battle, which were well-written but didn't really fit with the tone of the first two-thirds of the book, and meant the conclusions to the romance storylines didn't get properly finished. I wonder if perhaps the author was trying to leave the door open for a sequel? The pacing in general was a bit off, too - to start with I wished the plot would move along faster, and then the ending felt rushed.

Delighted to see not only lesbian, bisexual and gay representation in this story but also characters with a range of disabilities and of various races! I tend to be wary these days of reducing books to good/bad Representation TM, but in books for children and teenagers it does feel more objectively important, for reasons I can't fully articulate. 

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madlysoph's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a fun book, a delightful, relatively simple, comedy. Arthur in particular is hysterical and made me laugh many times throughout the book. The relationships in this book are what make it so good, from the familial, to the platonic to the romantic, the relationships are what this story is founded on. 

Arthur and Sidney are an absolutely hilarious duo whose antics and banter were so fun to read. Once they stop fighting, Arthur and Gwen are equally hysterical. Their friendship is the heart of this book and it’s lovely to watch develop. They have great banter and are funny but also have a very tender connection. Despite the romances, friendship is the heart of this book and what makes it work. The romances were sweet and fun to watch develop. 

I found the world building very interesting, it was a unique take on Arthurian(kinda) England and how that legend became distorted and revered over time. The world building was simple, but effective. Thankfully there is no explicit homophobia in here, just vague mentions of it. Overall this is a fun book about friendship and coming to terms with yourself. 

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btorsi's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • 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

4.5

i'm not going to lie and say the beginning wasn't slow af. i almost didn't get through the first hundred or so pages. and the summary on the jacket isn't very accurate -- it boasts a fun arthurian romance, but this book was so much more than a romance. in fact, the romance was staggeringly less than i expected, especially between gwen and bridget. but the characters were lovable, the dynamics were so fun, the dialogue was funny as hell, and the plot sure did heat up. by the end i was the one in love. but it's not 5 stars bc of the slow beginning.

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