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adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-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
Aww. I laughed, I cried, I relieved my Merthur shipping days. This is the most beautiful, sweet, and tragically romantic book, and i can't wait to read from this author again!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Outing, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
This was an absolutely adorable medieval-esque romance and I really had a lot of fun with it!
Still, sometimes it did feel like Chroucher themself wasn't really sure what they wanted this book to be — we've got the Monty Python/Shrek humor but also so many serious plot points about child abuse, war or questions on how to run a country and all mushed together it is a bit messy.
A main characters gets majorly injured in the third act and especially that made the pacing for that act really weird.
While I felt like Gwen and thus her relationship with Bridget got much more attention than Arthur and Gabriel, all the different relationships were still really enjoyable and I really liked how Croucher really leaned into the positive aspects of YA and made Gwen and Arthur's friendship equally as important as the romantic relationships.
Overall, nothing life-changing but still a really enjoyable read!
Still, sometimes it did feel like Chroucher themself wasn't really sure what they wanted this book to be — we've got the Monty Python/Shrek humor but also so many serious plot points about child abuse, war or questions on how to run a country and all mushed together it is a bit messy.
A main characters gets majorly injured in the third act and especially that made the pacing for that act really weird.
While I felt like Gwen and thus her relationship with Bridget got much more attention than Arthur and Gabriel, all the different relationships were still really enjoyable and I really liked how Croucher really leaned into the positive aspects of YA and made Gwen and Arthur's friendship equally as important as the romantic relationships.
Overall, nothing life-changing but still a really enjoyable read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Sexism, Violence, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse
Minor: Animal cruelty, Blood
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
this was a fun romp!! there was endless banter, found family shenanigans, lesbian knights (😳) — everything you’d want in a queer medieval rom com!! i think the pacing was a bit off though, and one of the relationships felt underdeveloped. and while the ending was sweet, it could have been more grounded
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Blood
Minor: Alcoholism
adventurous
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, War
Minor: Vomit
emotional
funny
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Violence, Death of parent, War
dark
funny
lighthearted
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
This book has some great characters, and wonderfully funny dialogue, although they do sometimes speak more modernly than you would expect for the setting. However if your not looking for a historically accurate story and something more like "Our flag means death", it can easily be overlooked.
As for the plot, while I felt it did occasionally drag on in some places, I still enjoyed it.
As for the plot, while I felt it did occasionally drag on in some places, I still enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Blood, Medical trauma, Alcohol, War
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-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:
No
I very much enjoyed this medieval tale of queer romance, reluctant friendships, and disputed crowns. There were a few occasions when the dialogue was a little too modern to be believable, but otherwise I found it clever, funny, romantic, and sweet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War
adventurous
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
Arthur and Gwendoline have been betrothed since their birth, but unfortunately, they can’t stand each other. As they get closer to their impending wedding, they are forced to spend a summer together at Camelot. But it’s not the summer either one of them anticipated.
On the first day, Gwen catches Arthur kissing another book. So Arthur does some digging and finds out about Gwen’s crush on the lady knight, Bridget Leclair. The two make a pact to cover for each other as they’re both swept up in different romances. Until a threat to the kingdom puts their new alliance in danger.
Thanks to Wednesday books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher to review! Being pitched as Heartstopper meets A Knight’s Tale, I knew that I absolutely had to read this. And what a delight it ended up being! I’d say that description is actually a pretty accurate description of this book.
First of all, the whole cast of characters in this is just a riot. They get themselves into ridiculous situations, especially as Gwen and Arthur are both falling in love with different people. Arthur in particular is just so entertaining. With the banter and the setting and everything that’s happening at court, you’ll just have a great time reading this book.
At least, for the first half to ¾ of the book. For the most part, this book has a very lighthearted tone, leaning heavily into the romances and the somewhat complex web they are weaving for themselves. Towards the end, the book takes a slightly odd turn toward a more violent storyline that feels like it comes a bit out of left field. Not that it doesn’t necessarily fit with the overall time period, but it did feel out of place with the tone of the rest of the book.
Nonetheless, this didn’t take away my enjoyment from the story. I still very much enjoyed the characters and the plot/setting. Teens will definitely enjoy it, especially those that love stories set during the King Arthur times.
If you’re looking for a book that will (mostly) be a good time while you’re reading it, I definitely recommend this one when it comes out in November.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, War
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexism, Blood
Minor: Child abuse, Vomit
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
Hundreds of years after the time of Arthur Pendragon, his descendent Arthur Delacey is betrothed to Gwen, the princess of England. If only she wasn't more interested in the only female knight in the realm; if only he wasn't more interested in her brother...
I picked up this book because I was excited by the premise, which seemed sure to have plenty of humor and romance, and because I was interested in the setting, which is a sort of alternate history set in an England where King Arthur is a factual figure whose life and rule is an important part of the country's heritage.
This is a very cute book, populated with lovable characters. I really liked that the developing friendship between Gwen and Arthur was given as much attention as their respective romances with Bridget and Gabriel. It was fun seeing Gwen come out of her prickly shell, and Arthur was just a ridiculous rogue. I also really loved Sid and Agnes, who are often much more sensible than the people they work for. There's plenty of cute, humorous moments throughout that had me laughing out loud.
However, I did think that the book suffered from an uneven tone. The first half of the book is very light-hearted, so the sudden swerve into much darker territory in the second half is jarring, even though the actual plot points were foreshadowed earlier on. I feel that I would have enjoyed the book better had the escalation in stakes was smoother. I also wished we got more of an understanding of Bridget and Gabriel; though we spend plenty of time with them, I didn't feel that we got in their heads as much as I would have liked, especially Bridget.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, War
Minor: Homophobia
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
tense
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Sexism, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, War