Staff Pick
Arthur and Gwendoline attempt to live up to their namesakes in this medieval romcom that is, delightfully, not an "enemies-to-lovers" tale, but an "enemies-to-queer-solidarity-that-bucks-tradition-and-arguably-fate" romp. If you thought the only thing A Knight's Tale was missing was a queer love story, or if you did time in the BBC Merlin fandom, this one's for you. Recommended By Madeline S., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
"A total, rollicking delight. Gwen & Art gave me the same cheeky, swoony, giddy, irresistible high of the first time I saw A Knight's Tale. Lex Croucher is one of my favorite romcom authors, and they should be yours, too." Casey McQuiston, #1 New York Times bestselling author of I Kissed Shara Wheeler
Heartstopper meets A Knight's Tale in this queer medieval rom com YA debut about love, friendship, and being brave enough to change the course of history.
It's been hundreds of years since King Arthur's reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other.
They're forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen's childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom's only lady knight, Bridget Leclair.
Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, they make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen's royal brother. Lex Croucher's Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is chock full of sword-fighting, found family, and romantic shenanigans destined to make readers fall in love.
"Fun and genuinely funny, with lovely friendships and first-rate dialogue. Gwen and Art may not be in love, but I fell for both of them." Rainbow Rowell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Simon Snow trilogy
"Gwen & Art Are Not in Love was exactly what I needed right now — a delightful, heart-warming, hilarious historical romp, overflowing with queer panic and terrible jokes. I loved it." Alice Oseman, New York Times bestselling author of the Heartstopper series
Review
"An utter delight. Croucher conjures a fresh new Camelot, full of jousts, hijinks and exuberantly queer characters that will make you swoon. This is the gay Camelot I always wanted!" C.S. Pacat, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Rise
Review
"Congrats to Gwen and Arthur on their permanent acquisition of my ENTIRE heart. Suffice it to say that I loved this book to a degree that's slightly ridiculous." Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Kate in Waiting and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Review
"This book does a flirty tango with the Arthurian legends while also sticking a KICK ME sign on their back: it contains enough sword fights and banter to keep the pages flying, but it's also a sharp and compassionate look at the terrifying wonder of being a queer young person coming to terms with yourself. Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is a work of hilarious and heart-mending genius. I read it in a joyous rush and I can't wait to buy it for literally everyone I know." Freya Marske, nationally-bestselling author of A Marvellous Light
About the Author
Lex Croucher grew up in Surrey, reading a lot of books and making friends with strangers on the internet, and now lives in London with an elderly cat. With a background in social media for NGOs, Lex now writes historical-ish rom coms for adults (Reputation, Infamous) and historical fantasy rom coms for teenagers. Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is their YA debut.