Gwen and Art Are Not in Love is a hilarious historical romance about a noble betrothed couple, who have hated each other since they were young. Art, is sent by his father to live in Camelot for the summer, and as such is forced to live with Gwen, a situation neither is fond of. It is quickly revealed that the two are incompatible in more ways than just their shared dislike of the other. After Gwen catches Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur finds Gwen’s diary, which speaks of her crush on a female knight, and so the two decide to call a truce and to cover for each other. 

Every character in this story is incredibly lovable, flawed, but still trying their hardest to be the best person they can be. The others around them only serve to better them as people, and improve the way they see and experience the world. Every one of them at one point or another makes a mistake that had a lasting impact on their relationships with each other, and each mistake is dealt with in a way that doesn’t feel too harsh or like they character just had to apologise and it is forgotten about. The characters communicated, learned, and grew from their actions, and the actions of those around them. I was also pleasantly surprised about how the side characters and love interests were handled. Giving the love interests specific wants and goals that are actually addressed and not just thrown to the side, or altered, just so there can be a “perfect” happy ending was incredibly refreshing and something I hope to see more often from authors in the future.

The more serious, overarching plot was well planned and thought out. It played out and was mentioned throughout the entire book, always there, but never really distracting from the fact that this is still a romance. While I enjoyed the more serious aspects, the humor of this novel is what really sells it to me. There were many times I had to pause just so I could tell a friend about a scene, moment, or line that had me laughing the entire time. Art and Sidney’s dynamic specifically was a joy, and the humor that came from the two of them playing off each other was something I looked forward to in almost every scene the two had together.

The novel as a whole was an absolute delight to read, it was so much fun and there is so much I loved about it that I could not fit into this review without it being three times as long as it already is. I cannot wait to get a physical copy in my hands to add to my bookshelf.