Infamous: 'Bridgerton's wild little sister. So much fun!' Sarra Manning

Product Information

But Amy is unwell and needs a doctor, their father is gone and their mother is useless, so here Emily is, pretending to be something she's not. The members of the Edwards Family soon endear themselves to the reader, even troubled Aster, and the rest of the supporting cast have so much personality they probably all deserve their own stories - I know I’d read them. Well, I’m looking forward to it,” said Rose. “And besides—my parents are so proud. Not everybody is guaranteed a grand coming out, Ed. It’s a privilege. If you do anything to ruin it for me, or them, I’ll throw you overarm into the Thames.”

The book is silly, fun, heartwarming and romantic, described by Croucher as an “enemies to reluctant allies to friends” story, a twist on the “friends to lovers” trope. As Croucher is keen to emphasise, the friendship is the most important love story in the book, even though both Gwen and Art have their fun with romantic love, too. I wanted to play around in a fantasy/historical timeline and do something where there aren’t any rules GWEN AND ART was exactly what I need right now – a delightful, heart-warming, hilarious historical romp, overflowing with queer panic and terrible jokes. I loved it.' ALICE OSEMAN, bestselling author of HEARTSTOPPER

The … what? What was what? I don’t know,” Rose said, flushed and red-lipped and looking mortally embarrassed. I’d only read the first couple of (impactful) sentences but I already knew I was going to enjoy Trouble - and I did, greatly, but perhaps not for the reasons I first thought. These titles include Lily Lindon’s recently published Double Booked, about a 26-year-old woman who realises that she is bisexual, and two queer coming-of-age novels: Cynthia So’s young adult novel If You Still Recognise Me and Henry Fry’s First Time for Everything. It’s a boom reflected in film and TV, too, notably with the release of Netflix’s Heartstopper, based on Alice Oseman’s graphic novel of the same name. No,” Eddie said, sitting up very straight and staring at Rose in genuine horror. “They’re terrible! They’re monstrous! The only absolutely minuscule shred of joy to be found in them is that I can attend them with you, and as I can attend anything with you, that leaves them with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.”

When Gwen catches Art kissing a boy and Art discovers where Gwen hides her diary (complete with racy entries about Bridget Leclair, the kingdom's only female knight), they become reluctant allies. By pretending to fall for each other, their mutual protection will be assured. Rose lived only two streets away, in one of the more modest terraces, and was present at dinner at least three times a week for the next fourteen years. At one point she and Eddie had attempted to calculate how many dinners that added up to, but they had given up on the mathematics after five minutes and had to open a bottle of wine to recover. Over the years their interests had matured from exploring the wilderness of the small garden to swapping horror stories and snatches of poetry by candlelight in the attic; from standing at the window, throwing stones at passing boys to see how many they could hit, to lurking in the corner of their parents’ dinner parties, throwing grapes at passing boys to see how many they could hit. All right,” said Beatrice magnanimously, followed a second later by the loud metallic thud of something heavy hitting the floor. “You look very red in the face. Were you and Eddie having a fight?” Fun and genuinely funny, with lovely friendships and first-rate dialogue. Gwen and Art may not be in love, but I fell for them both' RAINBOW ROWELL, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of the SIMON SNOW Trilogy No,” said Eddie. “My version imagines them as young academics, disguised as men so they can study at university. They meet for the first time in a teahouse, both reaching for the last piece of gingerbread. A tense argument ensues.”

More in Offers

Witty and light, this is sure to be a hit with anyone wanting a queer Jo March-ish historical heroine." –– BuzzFeed Told in dual POV alternating between Gwen, the stubborn and highly-strung princess of England and Art, the rougeish and thoughtless man she has been betrothed to her entire life, the book manages to explore themes of internalised homophobia and coming-of-age with ease. Lex Croucher has a gift for making even the most frustrating characters incredibly lovable, and there wasn't a single member of the core cast that wasn't fully fleshed out and wonderful. Gwen and Art may not be in love, but I am in love with THEM, your honour. And Gabe and Bridget, for that matter. This had been a highly anticipated read for me, since I absolutely fell in love with Croucher's romance novels, and adored the concept of this. I think this is why it fell slightly short for me, because I think I expected it to be something different than it was. The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle has connected with straight and LGBTQ+ readers alike, Cain says. “Queer fiction can be freeing for all kinds of people who’ve felt limited or rejected or shamed by society,” he says. It was the very first sign that Rose did not in fact coinhabit Eddie’s brain, and it was extremely jarring.