Absolutely adorable ( )

Rollicking with great dialogue and complex relationships, this is just plain fun! I couldn't put it down. Gwen & Art, Gabriel and Bridget are all well-developed characters, as are most others. Love the twists on Arthurian legend, such as the current king having a rectangular table. ( )

WHAT A TREAT. This is adorable, sweet, funny, witty, well written. I've never really been into historical settings, but this was really very sweet. I really had a fun time reading it, especially with how well written the dialogue was. I love the characters, and how they're developed.

Fun :) ( )

In Camelot, hundreds of years after King Arthur's death, Princess Gwendoline has been betrothed since birth to Arthur, who she's hated almost as long. Her brother and best friend, Gabriel, is destined to be king, though his preferred style of kingship is different from their father's. When Arthur and his man Sidney come to Camelot to stay for the summer, Arthur and Gwen form an agreement to pretend to get along, to keep their parents off their backs - and because they've each discovered a secret about the other. Arthur is gay, and Gwen is has a crush on the only female knight in the realm, Lady Bridget. At first it's all tournaments and banter, but there is a real threat to the status quo in Camelot, and they are all in danger. Can Gwen, Gabe, and Arthur all summon the courage to fight for what they believe in?

An absolutely delightful romp. See also: Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (contemporary romance), Dickinson (TV show), A Knight's Tale (movie).

Quotes

"Nobody else is ever going to care as much as you do about the things that you want, Gwendoline. So it's up to you..." (Arthur, 115)

"The problem with compromise...is that, often, oeverybody loses. You sit on the fence for so long that you discover you've built a kingdom on it." (Gwen and Gabe's father, the king, 121)

"I suppose it's much easier to devote yourself to the idea of somebody, instead of the flesh-and-blood person. Much neater." (Arthur, 135)

"You don't know that...You don't know for sure how people might react....Shouldn't we just...tell the truth? And let everybody make up their own minds?" (Gwen to Gabriel, 285) ( )

Recommended: eh, if you are really excited by the synopsis
Not for likeable characters. Come to this for a whole lot of story that happens with some relatable personal conflict, though

Thoughts:
Look, if we weighed the quantity of things I liked versus didn't you'd think this would be a five star book. Unfortunately the one thing I didn't like tarnished everything else, and that made the whole experience lackluster overall for me.

So what was the issue?

Y'all, I HATED both these main characters. We get perspectives from both sides, but even knowing each of their own thoughts and motivations behind their actions, they were just so unlikable. He's obviously a prick, insensitive and dickish and making "jokes" so often I wanted to punch him in the throat. She's barely better with her insufferable prissiness and complete lack of humor. I've also rarely encountered someone I would straight up identify as a coward but well, here she is. Strangely, their love interests were excellent and way more likable, so it's a shame the stories weren't told by them. If they had been though, I'd have seen Gwen and Art and been like "why tf are they even bothering with these crappy people?" So maybe it's better off.

So look, if you can read the first few chapters and not be completely sick of them both, then this will probably go over much better for you. Like I said, there's a quantity of good things in this, if they can outweigh the annoyance of the people telling the story.

First up is just the sheer scope of this story because holy shit does it escalate. This isn't "just" a cutesy romance with forbidden gayness. I mean yeah that's there, and there's a ton of discourse about the struggles and pressures the characters have with their identities in conjunction with their public positions and cultural attitudes. But holy damn y'all, this really ramps up in the second half so if you make it there you are in for a banger of an ending.

And while the characters are annoying, the personal conflicts all four of them face are very relatable. Impressive considering they're fake royalty in medieval times. As with any romance, there's some kind of barrier to the lovers getting together. In this case it's a mix of internal and external issues, and the way both sides were handled was great. There's actually a good amount of honest conversation in this, just... not between the two main-main characters. The way Bridget responded to one of the crux moments between her and Gwen was admirable and I was so happy with it. I know that's super vague, but just trust that it's a good vibe and I supported it.

As is common with stories featuring "enemies" the reason for their animosity is incredibly stupid and could've been solved with a conversation basically ever. That said, I also don't like either of them, so maybe it's not surprising they don't like each other, either. 🤷‍♀️

Overall, eh. I didn't love this book which was a shame, but if you can get behind the characters despite how super annoying they are (see: dickish petty jokes / prissy bossy coward) then you might have better luck.

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for a free advanced copy. This is my honest review. ( )