Reviews tagging 'Biphobia'

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

7 reviews

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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readwithria's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted tense 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

Gwen & Art Are Not In Love is a fun, gay coming of age story with romance, adventure, and intrigue. I had a great time reading it!

Gwen and Arthur are wonderful POV characters, and I really liked getting into their heads and seeing their growth. I was rooting for their friendship, the whole book, and loved seeing it develop.

I also loved the secondary characters! Gabriel, Sidney, Brigit, and Agnes all added to the world and the story in unique ways, and I really enjoyed reading about them. I wish we had spent more time with Agnes and Brigit, but the time we did spend with them was lots of fun.

I do think that the pacing was sometimes a little wonky, especially toward the end, but overall this book was what I wanted it to be in a very good way. 4 stars
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fanboyriot's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

4.0

♡ Rom Com
♡ Royal Fantasy Vibes
♡ The Lady Gets the Knight (but make it Sapphic)

I loved the humor in this book.  The way the characters interacted was nicely done as well. 

When I read this I wasn’t in much of a mood for it but pushed through and ended up really enjoying it.  The plot wasn’t too confusing as some fantasy books can be, but this kept my interest.  It was such an entertaining read.

And the queer rep was better than I was expecting actually.

Spice Level: n/a
Angst Level: 💧(1/5)
POV: Duel, Third Person
Release Date: 28, November 2023
Rep: Sapphic (Main Couple), Achillean (Main Couple), Thai (Side Character), Biracial Iranian/White (Side Character)
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mattiedancer's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted sad 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

4.0

Writing: 4.5⭐️/5 
Lex Croucher did a good job with this novel. Not only did I feel – viscerally and fully – the emotions and internal conflicts of the character, but I also understood deeply the mood and tone of the novel with ease. I liked the ease of writing, which at moments did turn to beautiful prose. 

Characters: 4.5⭐️/5
I thought the characters were extremely fun to read about. Where some of the characters may have felt a little trope-y, I’m willing to forgive because they also felt real and raw and conflicted. I loved their struggles to come to terms with both their histories and their desires and how to move forward in a world that is unlikely to accept them. 

Plot: 3.5⭐️/5 
I think 90% of the plot is so well done. At the end of the novel, it takes a turn I wasn’t expecting and, though it made sense in the course of the book, it really moved it from a fun, romantasy read to a more serious fantasy plot. The sudden change was jarring, but overall the plot was still enjoyable. 

Who Should Read This Book? 
  • Fans of King Arthur retellings – with twists
  • Those looking for a light fantasy-esque novel with LGBTQIA+ vibes

Content Warnings? 
Death of parent, death, war, violence, homophobia, biphobia, outing, misogyny, sexism, gore, blood, classism, emotional abuse, gaslighting, injury, injury detail, excrement, vomit, physical abuse, 

Post-Reading Rating:  4⭐️/5
Cute, sweet, and a little jarring at the end.

Final Rating: 4⭐️/5
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gillian_aftanas's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted sad 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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vaguely_pink's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

4.0

**Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review eARC**

This was real cute. I'm not the biggest historical fiction reader, but this queer Arthurian reimagining with just the most delightful cast of characters had just enough magic and fantasy vibes to keep me hooked start to finish. The whole ensemble cast is wonderfully written. The banter? Amazing. I loved them all from the jump. Gwen & Art Are Not in Love is a masterclass in how to write all the kinds of representation. (The scene where
Gwen sticks up for Bridget when her pelvic pain is dismissed by the royal physician
??? My heart is healed even if my uterus isn't.) While I agree with many of the reviews that the latter 30ish% is a major tone shift and a bit jarring, it didn't impact my enjoyment of this book, especially since I'm much more of a fantasy reader than a romcom reader. Highly recommend!
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refrejarator's review against another edition

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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

5.0

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!
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