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tamlamreads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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
thebookpantheon's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with an ARC (my very first one!).
I am a big fan of historical fiction and fantasy, but lately, I've been in a romance mood, so when I saw this book, I thought it would be a perfect blend. I wasn't necessarily wrong, but I also wasn't right. This book is set in some vague post-Arthurian England society, but these characters - and their personalities - are written to be incredibly modern. I wasn't sure how much I would like this book but when I saw the author had written the literal quote-for-quote of Riverdale's most iconic scene ("the epic highs and lows of high school football") into the first scene, I was hooked.
And not because it's a good quote or because I enjoy Riverdale (I actually don't), but because I knew her humor was similar to mine, and I couldn't resist a cringy yet self-aware pop culture reference. And boy, was I right about us sharing a sense of humor. This book had me audibly laughing the entire time. Croucher's humor and ability to write banter are phenomenal. Arthur is the shining star of this book and could whip out a joke or jest at the drop of a hat. I will admit, Arthur deeply annoyed me in the beginning and all anyone would hear from me is that Arthur sucks. If you begin to read this book and think that way too, please just give him a moment, he's working through things, and at the end of the day, HE'S A GOOD MAN, SAVANNAH, A GOOD MAN.
Obviously, I have a soft spot for Arthur but I also enjoyed Gwen, Gabriel, and the myriad of other characters. The characters really made this whole entire book. Unfortunately, they actually did make the whole book. The plot was a little lackluster and the majority of the book felt stagnant. The pacing was a bit slow at times and I found myself just skimming to the parts where the characters interacted with each other. I wish the subplot and conflict had been more thought out and developed throughout the story so that the ending was more impactful. The conclusion felt a bit rushed and almost flippant to the very real problems Gwen and Gabriel will be facing. I guess that's just my historical fiction-loving self wishing for more realism of court intrigue and the social warfare of power vacuums (not really the vibes I got from this book so, understandable).
I also wish there was more emphasis on the "Arthurian" theme. It felt as though it was a pretty loose theme and was only used to pluck vague references and tie in the underlying plot of the book. It had a lot of potential and I wished it was used more. In turn, as someone who doesn't know a lot about Arthurian legend, a lot of the references went over my head and I wish we had gotten a little more explanation or information to help readers like me understand it better.
All in all, it was definitely a cute weekend read and I would recommend it! I actually might buy a copy of the book just because the cover is so nice too.
I am a big fan of historical fiction and fantasy, but lately, I've been in a romance mood, so when I saw this book, I thought it would be a perfect blend. I wasn't necessarily wrong, but I also wasn't right. This book is set in some vague post-Arthurian England society, but these characters - and their personalities - are written to be incredibly modern. I wasn't sure how much I would like this book but when I saw the author had written the literal quote-for-quote of Riverdale's most iconic scene ("the epic highs and lows of high school football") into the first scene, I was hooked.
And not because it's a good quote or because I enjoy Riverdale (I actually don't), but because I knew her humor was similar to mine, and I couldn't resist a cringy yet self-aware pop culture reference. And boy, was I right about us sharing a sense of humor. This book had me audibly laughing the entire time. Croucher's humor and ability to write banter are phenomenal. Arthur is the shining star of this book and could whip out a joke or jest at the drop of a hat. I will admit, Arthur deeply annoyed me in the beginning and all anyone would hear from me is that Arthur sucks. If you begin to read this book and think that way too, please just give him a moment, he's working through things, and at the end of the day, HE'S A GOOD MAN, SAVANNAH, A GOOD MAN.
Obviously, I have a soft spot for Arthur but I also enjoyed Gwen, Gabriel, and the myriad of other characters. The characters really made this whole entire book. Unfortunately, they actually did make the whole book. The plot was a little lackluster and the majority of the book felt stagnant. The pacing was a bit slow at times and I found myself just skimming to the parts where the characters interacted with each other. I wish the subplot and conflict had been more thought out and developed throughout the story so that the ending was more impactful. The conclusion felt a bit rushed and almost flippant to the very real problems Gwen and Gabriel will be facing. I guess that's just my historical fiction-loving self wishing for more realism of court intrigue and the social warfare of power vacuums (not really the vibes I got from this book so, understandable).
I also wish there was more emphasis on the "Arthurian" theme. It felt as though it was a pretty loose theme and was only used to pluck vague references and tie in the underlying plot of the book. It had a lot of potential and I wished it was used more. In turn, as someone who doesn't know a lot about Arthurian legend, a lot of the references went over my head and I wish we had gotten a little more explanation or information to help readers like me understand it better.
All in all, it was definitely a cute weekend read and I would recommend it! I actually might buy a copy of the book just because the cover is so nice too.
moiscool's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I thought it was going to be more campy and fun, but there was a lot of lore and plot establishment that i wasn’t really interested in. I didn’t really like any of the characters, especially Gwen. I also didn’t really love the weird bridgerton-like diversity where it’s not just POCs in a historical setting but a rewrite of history to include POCs. Idk for some it might feel like good representation but it doesn’t do it for me.
ado_o's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
caitlaird's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really enjoyed this. Arthur would really frustrate me sometimes though, he was really rude and annoying, taking his personal issues out on other people and never apologizing for it.
The romance was good but not really the main focus. It’s a lot about friendship.
The romance was good but not really the main focus. It’s a lot about friendship.
readwithria's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
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
4.0
Gwen & Art Are Not In Love is a fun, gay coming of age story with romance, adventure, and intrigue. I had a great time reading it!
Gwen and Arthur are wonderful POV characters, and I really liked getting into their heads and seeing their growth. I was rooting for their friendship, the whole book, and loved seeing it develop.
I also loved the secondary characters! Gabriel, Sidney, Brigit, and Agnes all added to the world and the story in unique ways, and I really enjoyed reading about them. I wish we had spent more time with Agnes and Brigit, but the time we did spend with them was lots of fun.
I do think that the pacing was sometimes a little wonky, especially toward the end, but overall this book was what I wanted it to be in a very good way. 4 stars
Gwen and Arthur are wonderful POV characters, and I really liked getting into their heads and seeing their growth. I was rooting for their friendship, the whole book, and loved seeing it develop.
I also loved the secondary characters! Gabriel, Sidney, Brigit, and Agnes all added to the world and the story in unique ways, and I really enjoyed reading about them. I wish we had spent more time with Agnes and Brigit, but the time we did spend with them was lots of fun.
I do think that the pacing was sometimes a little wonky, especially toward the end, but overall this book was what I wanted it to be in a very good way. 4 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Violence, Blood, Lesbophobia, and Biphobia
bekaxoxo's review against another edition
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
4.5
valpacheco's review against another edition
4.0
I really loved the modern medieval setting and feel of this book—it’s a time period that I read about in many of my intro college literature courses and I liked the references I was able to follow and light refresher. The characters greatest weaknesses proved to be strengths for other characters to learn from which I appreciated. Gwen and Art’s arc of childhood enemies to their beautiful platonic friendship was a joy to read. Also each relationship (Gwen & Bridget and Art & Gabe) developed at a pretty good pace and had the appropriate obstacles in the way; I appreciated Bridget’s speech in how she didn’t simply live her life around Gwen’s secretly although she liked her a lot. The only thing that was a little hard to follow were the political moves by the different lords who I initially found hard to keep track of and separate from one another.
crickett06's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
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
4.75