Scan barcode
julalbert56's review against another edition
adventurous
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
I absolutely loved this book!! The characters were so endearing and the Arthurian-descendants lore was unlike anything I’ve read before. The last 30% of the book was an insane tonal shift, but tbh I didn’t mind, it was epic and gruesome and brought the death “needed” for Gabriel to change the Kingdom. My only critique was that I felt Bridgette fell into the shadows compared to Gwen, Art, and Gabriel. The most I know about her is that she’s a skilled swordswoman. Why does she fall for Gwen specifically? What’s her home life like? I’d love a Bridgette spinoff!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and War
Moderate: Vomit
talasterism's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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
liked it more than i thought i would! the characters were fun, i loveee arthur gabriel dynamic, i also just love arthur - "im partial to being adored"??? what a bitch /pos ! some parts were meh - like the part that made the least sense to me is that it doesn't show in many ways that homophobia is prevelent or even a thing in this world, its only ever said like a fact, yet thats the biggest conflict but like? noone seems to have an issue w that apart from the good ol "you must have kids as a royal" so that inconcsitency in stakes was a bit annoying. also bridget is such an icoooon
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence and Vomit
Minor: Homophobia
ktame001's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Alcohol, Death of parent, War, Homophobia, Violence, Death, Blood, and Emotional abuse
angelofthetardis's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
3.5
Princess Gwendoline of Camelot has been betrothed to Arthur DeLacey since the day she was born. There are two problems with this: 1, they cannot stand each other. And 2, her romantic interests lie elsewhere. When Art is sent to Camelot for the summer to prepare for their upcoming nuptials, it goes about as well as expected. Until Gwen discovers Art has a secret love too. Playing along to distract the world from their real feelings, might events conspire to allow them a true happily ever after? Or will they be stuck together forever, definitely not in love?
I'm not usually one for the fake dating trope, but the fact that this one comes with a bit of a twist makes it much more enjoyable to me. I was more invested in the development of the relationship between Gwen and Art purely because it was clear that there wouldn't be any romance between them; I was intrigued to see how far they would move from enemies to friends, and just how it would be achieved. While they do bounce off of each other very well, I will be honest and say that I much prefer Art as a character - he's the lovable rogue; the confident, cocky young buck compared to the petulant teenager that is Gwen. She does improve as the book progresses, but even her 'heroic' moment is quite muted compared to Art's.
While the story overall is a fun, lighthearted ride, and the ingenuity of the setting - a Camelot that knows King Arthur existed and is trying to recapture his magic, even though his story has faded into legend - is brilliant, I did feel that the writing lacked purpose. None of the characters, with the possible exception of Art, have much depth to them; even the love interests feel more like rough outlines rather than fully fleshed out people.
Similarly, the plot was fairly limited and, while there are a couple of moments that hit the mark, more seem to be trying to set up a sub-plot that don't go anywhere, or are moments of intrigue introduced far too late and wound up far too quickly. Likewise, a lot of the 'revelations' lose their impact or are overshadowed by wider events - it feels like there are so many missed opportunities. I just wanted more of everything!
Nevertheless, it is an enjoyable read and I would like to see a sequel dealing with the newest version of Camelot - there's plenty of scope for more from these characters!
I'm not usually one for the fake dating trope, but the fact that this one comes with a bit of a twist makes it much more enjoyable to me. I was more invested in the development of the relationship between Gwen and Art purely because it was clear that there wouldn't be any romance between them; I was intrigued to see how far they would move from enemies to friends, and just how it would be achieved. While they do bounce off of each other very well, I will be honest and say that I much prefer Art as a character - he's the lovable rogue; the confident, cocky young buck compared to the petulant teenager that is Gwen. She does improve as the book progresses, but even her 'heroic' moment is quite muted compared to Art's.
While the story overall is a fun, lighthearted ride, and the ingenuity of the setting - a Camelot that knows King Arthur existed and is trying to recapture his magic, even though his story has faded into legend - is brilliant, I did feel that the writing lacked purpose. None of the characters, with the possible exception of Art, have much depth to them; even the love interests feel more like rough outlines rather than fully fleshed out people.
Similarly, the plot was fairly limited and, while there are a couple of moments that hit the mark, more seem to be trying to set up a sub-plot that don't go anywhere, or are moments of intrigue introduced far too late and wound up far too quickly. Likewise, a lot of the 'revelations' lose their impact or are overshadowed by wider events - it feels like there are so many missed opportunities. I just wanted more of everything!
Nevertheless, it is an enjoyable read and I would like to see a sequel dealing with the newest version of Camelot - there's plenty of scope for more from these characters!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Violence, War, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Lesbophobia, Vomit, Grief, Homophobia, and Cursing
lindseyhall44's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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 listened to Gwen and Art are Not in Love via audiobook, and it did not disappoint! The cast of narrators were phenomenal, and they brought to life such a fun, engaging read. I especially loved Bridget and Gwen’s relationship, and Gwen’s character development over the course of the novel. The last 30% or so did catch me off guard, but it was still a read I would highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, War, Death of parent, Death, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Vomit
zgreyz's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
very fun characters and funny banter amongst them.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, War, and Vomit
edamamebean's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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
3.25
I really enjoyed the characters and I think that’s what kept me reading past the hundred-page mark, but honestly wtf was that plot? I really wish the stakes had been slowly raised over the course of the book instead of just getting a few hints here and there while the characters bonded for 300 pages and then all of a sudden getting smacked across the face with a plot in the last 100 pages. And after all of the time spent developing the relationships between the characters, I still didn’t feel like the relationships were as compelling as they should have been. What I’m trying to say is that I think this story could’ve been done better in far less pages. Also, one of the characters is set up to very clearly have an alcohol problem, which is addressed many times throughout the first half but then just resolves itself without any sort of self-realization or conflict? Still, the characters themselves are charming enough to save the book from a worse rating from me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Vomit, Violence, Alcoholism, Death, and War
_oo_'s review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Misogyny, Alcohol, War, Death of parent, Blood, Homophobia, Vomit, Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Violence
sea_sea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
I loved this book so so much!!! The romances were so cute and well written and the plot too!!
The twists and turns this story had?!?!? Also it was so funny xD
A cute queer camelot romcom! xD
Would 100% recommend!
The only thing that threw me of a bit in the beginning was the modern language, because the book plays in medieval times, but I got used to it quickly.
The twists and turns this story had?!?!? Also it was so funny xD
A cute queer camelot romcom! xD
Would 100% recommend!
The only thing that threw me of a bit in the beginning was the modern language, because the book plays in medieval times, but I got used to it quickly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Vomit, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Death of parent, Mental illness, Violence, Murder, Lesbophobia, War, Homophobia, Blood, and Gore
erins_bookshelf_'s review against another edition
emotional
tense
fast-paced
5.0
I AM SO OBSESSED WITH THIS!! This was one of my most anticipated books and I was so sure it would be 5 stars (spoiler alert: it was) that I could hardly wait for it. Anyway I loved it so so so much and I’m hoping we get to see more of these characters in some format because they’re amazing and I love them 💕
I’m actually so sad that I read it so quickly because now I’m thinking my next read won’t be as good but I might come back to this one a lot because it’s so good :)
Personally I think this would make a fantastic movie so let’s get on that okay movie producers? Someone do that please 🙏
I’m actually so sad that I read it so quickly because now I’m thinking my next read won’t be as good but I might come back to this one a lot because it’s so good :)
Personally I think this would make a fantastic movie so let’s get on that okay movie producers? Someone do that please 🙏
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Alcoholism, Vomit, and Homophobia