Add this to your TBR right now. It's a queer YA medieval rom-com advertised as "Heartstopper" meets "A Knight's Tale" and it had me guffawing and binging most of it in a day. I don't know how it happened that most of my planned ARC reads this month are medieval and humor-based but I am having the best time.

The title might throw you, but this is not a retelling. It takes place in Camelot a handful of generations after King Arthur's time, and his story has already faded into more legend than fact. The myths surrounding King Arthur and his court motivate a sect of cultists who believe he will return one day and take his place as true king, and you know I love a religious fanatic subplot, but this isn't about THAT Arthur and Gwen.

The story is dual POV, switching between Gwen, a second-born princess of Camelot, and Arthur (again, not that one), a lord and her betrothed since birth. Unfortunately, they hate each other, so a happily ever after is not imminent. Until they realize that they're both queer and that if they carry off a fake dating/courting scheme, they can be each other's beards and maybe even ... friends? Gwen has a fat crush on Lady Bridget LeClair, the only female knight in the realm and a total badass. Arthur is just generally here for a good time, maybe specifically with Gwen's uptight and unattainable brother, the crown prince, Gabriel. Gabe rescues injured corvids, names all his pets after Arthurian figures, reads books, and is repressed. We love him, but not as much as we love Arthur, because he is a delightful disaster.

Arthur and his bodyguard, Sidney, are some of my favorite characters I've read recently. Their friendship and banter had me wheezing and highlighting entire pages, I loved them so much. I think if this book had been only from Arthur's POV, or even Arthur and Gabriel, I may have given it 5 stars on vibes alone, but I didn't love Gwen as much as the boys, so even though she grew on me as she came into herself her chapters weren't my favorites. I do always appreciate a good m/f platonic relationship though, and her and Arthur were adorable friends by the end.

The majority of this book is just hijinks, but then the last ~25% takes a turn and goes darker when some of the political foreshadowing comes to fruition, which caught me by surprise. I wanted a little more from the ending, it felt a bit abrupt even though the events themselves fit. I mostly just wanted to hang out with these characters for a bit longer, though. I'll definitely be checking out Lex Croucher's other work!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, & the author for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.