Gwen and Art Are Not in Love

This might be the best queer YA novel I've read since [b:Red, White & Royal Blue 41150487 Red, White & Royal Blue Casey McQuiston https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566742512l/41150487.SY75.jpg 61657690], although surprisingly, the romance plot isn't the highlight. Croucher's YA debut takes place in an alternate medieval England, several centuries after the legendary King Arthur and his Round Table. Nobody believes the magical aspect of that story anymore except a few crazed cultists. The current king's daughter, Princess Gwendoline, has been betrothed since birth to Arthur Delacey, the son of a politically important nobleman. Unfortunately, Gwen and Art, who spent time together as children, viciously despise each other. But now Arthur is ordered to spend the entire summer at Camelot, with the not so subtle hint that it's time to get serious about the happy couple's upcoming nuptials. Gwen is peevish and withdrawn, unhappy that she has no control over her life and confused by the strange feelings she gets when she sees Lady Bridget Leclair, the kingdom's only female knight. For his part, Art knows that he is gay, but due to his future as Gwen's husband, he is resigned to quick meaningless encounters. But there's something about the royal heir, Gabriel...not that Art has any feelings for the quiet, bookish prince, or that anything could happen if he did. Meanwhile, Gwen's lady-in-waiting Agnes and Art's snarky bodyguard Sidney are eyeing each other with interest. The book's tone is light for the most part, with plenty of spirited (and modern-sounding) bro banter between Art and Sidney, and sarcastic one upmanship from Gwen and Art. The story becomes darker and more violent in the last 20% as Camelot's peace is brutally shattered. And despite all of the jokes, the MCs experience significant character growth; Gwen becomes less passive and more daring, while Art learns there are better ways to manage depression than binge drinking and extreme sarcasm.My favorite arc of the book was actually the relationship between Gwen and Art. No, they are not in love, but as the story progresses they go from enemies to mutually-assured-destruction partners to supportive allies. They become less self-absorbed as they help each other, even if they rarely admit their mutual admiration. The romances are....fine, but they are underdeveloped. Art and Gabriel in particular have so few scenes together that it's difficult to worry about the futility of the future king considering an ongoing queer relationship. The found family of the three couples (M/M, F/M, and F/F) is endearing. I wouldn't mind reading more about their adventures in the new, greatly changed Camelot, which would no doubt feature Gwen and Art still messing with each other into their old age.I received an Uncorrected Digital Galley of this book from Net Galley almost nine months before publication, so it may change significantly before release (but I hope it won't).