Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

10 reviews

lunarlibra's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

4.75

Yes. YES. 
Picked this up on a whim and devoured it. I had such a hard time putting it down! The characters have real flaws that we see them address and grapple with, we have reluctant allies to good friends, we have sapphic yearning, and a group of teenagers coming into their own. 
It's so good and so many things, while also being straightforward enough to read (relatively) quickly and even pick up on the crumbs of foreshadowing scattered throughout. 
I feel like it's about, in no particular order,:
  • first love
  • healing from first love and finding true love
  • learning to stand up for what you believe in
  • queer solidarity 
  • (in some ways) queer mentorship, like when you make your first gay friend or when a baby gay learns from people who maybe never had the option to be in the closet
  • the political and personal importance of coming out of the closet (even if just to yourself)
  • the power of friendship 
  • learning to be brave
  • the pain of parental pressures and disappointment 
  • the almost-miraculous feeling of having your first gay kiss (especially after believing you'd never get to experience it)
  • learning from stories and myths while keeping a keen eye on the present reality
  • the beauty and strength of platonic relationships!!!
  • Did I mention the power of friendship?
  • "changing for love" not in a shallow and misogynistic way, but in the sense of being inspired by someone you respect to work on personal growth

The writing is evocative, funny, and heartfelt. It felt personal to me and like a completely new story. 

It would be a 5 stars read for me if not for one of my pet peeves, which is "miscommunication as the source of drama/conflict". It made sense in the context of the characters, and was somewhat short lived, and given how it wound up fitting into the character development of both of the main characters, so I might change my mind and say it is a five-star read after all. 
This book gave me the emotion that makes me love reading, and love books. I can't wait to read the author's other works!
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enbae's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense 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? It's complicated

3.25

A really good, fun read. A medieval courting story about Camelot's heirs turned queer.
I found the pacing a bit slow, until the end - it seemed a little too fast by then.
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author_d_r_oestreicher's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

 
In Gwen &Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher, newborn Princess Gwendoline (not Guinevere) was betrothed to two-year-old Arthur. Growing up, he teases her, and she breaks his wrist, but the primary obstacle to a royal wedding is that both are gay. The story is set in a post-Arthurian England where the king (Gwen’s father) represents the Catholics and Art’s family belongs to the cultists (followers of Arthur Pendragon, Lancelot, Guinevere, Morgana, and Merlin). Some hope/imagine the wedding might unite these two factions. Unfortunately for Gwen and Art, the two factions are already united by homophobia, and the royal couple is closeted. A delightful queer medieval rom-com for teens and young adults. 

 
Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for Omega Cats Press books and book recommendations. 

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friendly_neighborhood_grandma's review against another edition

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4.5

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pey333's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad 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

4.5

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caelfind's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

4.0

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emilywemily6's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

4.0

This was a funny, queer, YA romance set in post-Medieval England. I laughed out loud a lot at these characters and the anachronisms kept things lighthearted and relateable. The energy is very queer, though things are pretty tame because it is a YA romance. Some of the things that moved the main plot of the book (beyond the romances) felt contrived/like the author was trying too hard, and the main plot twists were predictable. But overall this was a really enjoyable palate cleanser of a read and I could see how a younger person who is exploring their sexuality can gain a lot from reading a book like this, though in a lighthearted and not deep way.
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grets_reads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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

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emily_mh's review against another edition

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lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

For a romance book this was just not very…romantic. It seemed like Arthur only got a crush on Gabe because of proximity, meanwhile we never find out why Gabe likes Arthur at all. I didn’t like how Gabe got to have a D+M about his challenges, but they didn’t have a similar conversation about Arthur’s, as this left their connection feeling shallow. They just didn’t seem to be into each other very much (and no, I’m not referring to Gabe’s personal obstacle and how it impacted their relationship), and their ending was only really an HFN. The situation with Gwen and Bridget was similar. It appears that Gwen gets a crush on Bridget because of proximity, and we never know why Bridget likes her back. Their connection seem to be purely physical, and their ending was barely an HFN. The dual HFNs were rendered even worse as the author tried to establish them in the light of a tragic event which happens with like, 20 pages to go. I was just so disappointed in how lacklustre the romance was. I wanted to be swept away in a whirlwind of romance, historical pining and soulmate-level bonding, but all I got was a small gust of air. 

The characters themselves were similarly disappointing. I’ll begin with the MCs, Gwen and Arthur, whose perspectives we read from. Honestly, Gwen’s storyline was about getting her hand held by those less privileged than her as she realises that maybe she should use her power to help others. There was development in this area, which was something, but overall I found it exasperating. 

There was so much potential with Arthur’s character, but it was squandered. Arthur is suffering domestic abuse and (let’s be real) with alcoholism, yet neither of these factors are given the weight they deserve. I feel like no one talked to him properly about his home life; he never got that chat and chance for support and connection regarding it. Arthur also has an alcohol problem which he decides won’t be a problem anymore and then miraculously it’s gone. Also, his trust issues, which are set up in the beginning, aren’t actually a thing? When situations crop up that would trigger them, they don’t. Instead his character is reduced to someone who exists to support Gwen and Gabe. This is a poor way to treat any character, but is especially concerning in light of the fact that Arthur is Iranian, and Gabe and Gwen are white. (Please let me know if I’m stepping out of my lane here, or have read the situation wrong.) 

Bridget, Gwen’s love interest, is similarly poorly developed. We never get a sense of her as a person. Granted, we know what she likes, what she is good at and wants to do, but Croucher gives her no depth. For example, what is her history? Was she born in England or did she move? Where are her parents, who are so important to her? Also, we don’t see her just talk, just be, we only really see her framed by Gwen’s physical attraction. Like Arthur, she ends up existing only to handhold Gwen. This is again a poor way to write a character, even more so considering Bridget is Thai while Gwen is white. (Again, please let me know if I’m stepping out of my lane here, or have read the situation wrong.) Furthermore, Bridget has endo but this rep felt tokenised. If you’re going to give your character a chronic illness, then you need to show it as a consistent part of their character, not as something that shows up once. Bridget’s symptoms only make the page once when she is on her period (this book takes place over several months, by the way, and endometriosis symptoms are not limited to times of menstruation). 

On a more positive note, Gabe was the most interesting and dynamic character to me, and we didn’t even get his POV! I was so engaged by how he was torn between duty and himself, being so focussed on serving others that he didn’t even know what he wanted for himself, let alone allow himself to voice and seek those wants. I was struck by the ways in which Gabe set impossible standards for himself, and the lengths he would go to to meet them, including suppressing an essential part of who he was. He felt like an actual person with real and understandable reactions to the impossible situation he found himself in. 

In terms of plot, it was meandering at times with repetitive moments, especially between Arthur and Gabe. I wish there had been a little more direction with fewer random time jumps. With the writing style, I wasn’t a fan of the attempts at humour. I think authors think the type of dialogue employed here is unique when nowadays it’s very much not, and so makes characters seem generic. Also, it was just overdone in this specific instance. 
So given all the negatives I’ve recorded here, why the 2.5 stars? Firstly, because I found the book to be a comforting space to be in, in terms of the nostalgic European fantasy vibes. The political element was compelling. Also, I genuinely was enjoying it for a while, because I was expecting it to go places. It didn’t. 

Rep: sapphic MC, gay biracial English-Iranian MC, Thai sapphic LI with endometriosis, gay LI 
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thebookcoyote's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

TW/CW: Violence, death, mild sexuality 

REVIEW: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and am voluntarily writing an honest review. 
Gwen & Art Are not in Love is a story of two royal teenagers in the Middle Ages who are being forced into a marriage that neither of them want – mainly because she is into girls, and he is into guys. They decide to pretend to be falling in love as a cover to their real feelings. 
I really wanted to like this book. I love the idea of it. Unfortunately, it didn’t really live up to what I wanted. First of all, this book really has absolutely nothing to do with King Arthur. There are brief mentions of him throughout the book, but nothing that is really important to the story. Secondly, nothing really ~happens and for most of the book it’s actually pretty boring. Thirdly, there’s really not a single likable character in the book, which made it really difficult for me to connect. 
The three stars I’m giving this book are for the following thing: LGBTQIA+ representation! There need to be more books like this, in that way. The writing – although little happened, the writing was solid and easy to read. And the fact that this book is pretty short – quite a few of the last books I’ve read were way over-long and I appreciate that this one wasn’t. 
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