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A review by librovermo
Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher
4.75
Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is funny, it’s sweet, and it’s got young queer people who are like “omg these feelings are weird wtf do I do with them?” which I would have massively related to when I was younger.
The dynamic between Gwen and Arthur in the beginning (and in the stories of their childhood summers spent together) reminds me of the 1994 animated movie The Swan Princess, which I watched over and over until I knew all the lines. They hated each other and then they grew up and fell in love (I have traced my love of enemies to lovers back to this movie, except now I like it queer tyvm). So even though I knew that, ya know, Gwen & Art Are Not in Love, I was in love with the fact that at least for a bit, the book reminded me so much of one of my favorite childhood movies. And then it went off on it’s own path and I loved that, too.
Every character is THE BEST™ but I can’t decide between Bridget and Arthur for my favorite. I love when they’re all so good, I can’t pick a favorite. Bridget’s confidence and the fact that she knows so well who she is is admirable, and I love the whole knight in shining armor thing she’s got going on. Arthur is a mess in the best way and I loved getting to know him and learning more about why he is the way he is. He was also the source of most of my laugh-out-loud moments, so of course he’s high on the list.
I liked the sort of slow burn of the romance(s) and the political intrigue that kept the story moving was super interesting. As a fan of Arthurian legend, I found the Arthurian cult and lore mixed in (and mixed up!) extremely entertaining. I love Arthurian retellings and looking at those stories from different angles.
It was an excellent read and I’m really looking forward to Lex Croucher’s next book!
PS I wrote this before I started Lex Croucher’s new book, Not For the Faint of Heart. I’ve started it now and it’s already great YUSSSSS
The dynamic between Gwen and Arthur in the beginning (and in the stories of their childhood summers spent together) reminds me of the 1994 animated movie The Swan Princess, which I watched over and over until I knew all the lines. They hated each other and then they grew up and fell in love (I have traced my love of enemies to lovers back to this movie, except now I like it queer tyvm). So even though I knew that, ya know, Gwen & Art Are Not in Love, I was in love with the fact that at least for a bit, the book reminded me so much of one of my favorite childhood movies. And then it went off on it’s own path and I loved that, too.
Every character is THE BEST™ but I can’t decide between Bridget and Arthur for my favorite. I love when they’re all so good, I can’t pick a favorite. Bridget’s confidence and the fact that she knows so well who she is is admirable, and I love the whole knight in shining armor thing she’s got going on. Arthur is a mess in the best way and I loved getting to know him and learning more about why he is the way he is. He was also the source of most of my laugh-out-loud moments, so of course he’s high on the list.
I liked the sort of slow burn of the romance(s) and the political intrigue that kept the story moving was super interesting. As a fan of Arthurian legend, I found the Arthurian cult and lore mixed in (and mixed up!) extremely entertaining. I love Arthurian retellings and looking at those stories from different angles.
It was an excellent read and I’m really looking forward to Lex Croucher’s next book!
PS I wrote this before I started Lex Croucher’s new book, Not For the Faint of Heart. I’ve started it now and it’s already great YUSSSSS