‘Gwen & Art Are Not In Love’ review: A romantic romp by Lex Croucher

Lex Croucher nearly nails it with Gwen & Art Are Not In Love. The romance is a self-contained, playful romp that explores Arthurian legend through the eyes of some of its descendants. Written with flirtatious prose that winks and nudges the reader in equal measure, the novel is a quick read that maintains our attention as we become increasingly immersed in the outcomes of these lovable characters. It’s the Camelot we all know and love, though it’s even better now since all of our knights, princesses, and would-be kings are all gay. Told through the queer lens, the story opens itself up to a more interesting, invigorating story about the perils of young love and the expectations that come by way of those who raise us. 

The arranged marriage plot

Set hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign, those in and around Camelot have yet to let his story turn to embers. His distant descendant, Arthur — Art — has been betrothed to Gwendolyn, the princess of England, since birth. They can’t stand one another but soon come to an agreement that’s mutually beneficial. Forced to spend summer together at Camelot in the lead-up to their impending marriage, the two become allies in order to allow Arthur to continue to kiss boys while Gwen pines for the kingdom’s only female knight, Bridget Leclair. Things are obviously further complicated when Art begins to feel the first brush of romantic inclinations towards Gwen’s brother, Gabriel, who is poised to be the successor of the crown. Not to mention the mounting tension in the background as Arthurian fanatics push back against the current country’s rule. 

Problems with pacing

The fun and engaging plot starts to really move after the first couple of introductory chapters. That said, by the time big, climactic moments arrive, the storyline loses all coherence. There were two decisions the author might’ve made to improve the pacing and overall emotional impact of the book. The first would be to split the story in two with the first novel tackling the characters’ relationships, their sexuality, along with the development of Gwen and Art’s friendship and bond with the second being the political drama and the historical context that adds to the characters’ plight. 

The second option would just have lengthened the book a smidge. The greatest hurdle the novel faces lies in the pacing, indicating that there either needed to be more story or a two-parter or stronger structure and editing that moved us to the meat of the story quicker. It’s fun existing in the heads of our protagonists but the constant sniping at one another is only interesting for so long and the book lingers on it.

By allowing Gwen and Art to fully embrace one another as friends sooner, or, at least, move into a place of understanding rather than always assuming one is out to get the other, the story would’ve given us the camaraderie that helps jettison some of the other, bigger, plot developments. Instead, the cycle of the two being against one another and miserable on their own continues past the point of being enjoyable and becomes redundant. 

Instead, by the time they’ve grown on each other while burgeoning romantic relationships on the radar as well, the requisite third-act misunderstanding rears its ugly head, and all character growth is stalled. It means that by the time we’ve moved to some of the bigger drama of the story that involves insurrection and a nation on the verge of potential disaster, it’s incoherent. We understand the basic bits and why one side is against the other but it’s all been worked out in the background, with the main narrative involving the dynamic between Art and Gwen and then, of course, Art and Gabriel and Gwen and Bridgette. All four play a significant role in the turning of tides later in the book too and even their moments of heroics or spotlight lack cohesion as we try to figure out why a certain character might be involved in a certain moment. 

Good characters shine through

The best portions of the story are the characters themselves. The best relationship — albeit platonic — is between Gwen and Art, to the point where the romance aspects feel ancillary. There’s plenty of swooning language used to describe Gwen’s pining over Bridget, and Art’s inner monologues regarding Gwen’s brother Gabriel are clever and heartwarming, but Gwen and Art and their growing understanding of one another remains the highlight. It especially helps flesh Gwen out as she’s able to recognize herself in another person after having hidden her sexuality for so long. 

Art, though, is where the book derives most of its color, to the point where, unfortunately, we wish we could spend more time with him. This is especially true when we get past his bluster and performative ego and get to the root of him and his self-hatred which is only ever flirted with. He’s given some of the best lines, however, in a book full of hilarious and quick-witted dialogue, often anchoring the story in tethered realism. In a devastating line that speaks to the thematic core of the book, Art tells Gabriel: 

“You know…fathers aren’t always right just by virtue of being fathers. Or even…just by virtue of being kind.”

The line bits with necessary insight. While so much of Gwen & Art Are Not In Love is about the gentle, yearning, romances of our main characters, it also seeks to tell a story about legacy and what it means to confront a history that’s borne timeless myths and its heroes. 

An imperfect, charming story

Gwen & Art Are Not In Love is perfect for fans of novels such as Red, White & Royal Blue, and Boyfriend Material. A queer retelling of history, the story is a punchy, clever romance that, despite its poor pacing, manages to maintain interest throughout the entire story. It needed another, thorough edit to tighten up pieces of the story that go on too long, but there’s no denying the infectious characters and addicting story that makes us wish for more time spent with the characters in order to get to know them even better. 

Gwen & Art Are Not In Love is available to purchase here.

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Featured Image Courtesy of Macmillan Publishers