Not For The Faint Of Heart is a hilarious and heartfelt YA romcom in the form of a gripping forest adventure.
It was written by London-based author Lex Croucher, whose YA debut Gwen And Art Are Not In Love is a New York Times bestseller and won the 2024 YA Book Prize.
Set in Sherwood Forest, the story begins when Clem, a generous and relentlessly optimistic healer, is kidnapped by Mariel, granddaughter of Robin Hood.
Despite being at first frustrated by her overly cheerful kidnappee, Mariel begins to warm to Clem and we follow their relationship as it develops into romance, featuring some well-loved romance tropes along the way.
Mariel is the captain of a small band of Merry Men, an eclectic gang of lovable teenage outlaws who I immediately became very attached to.
Unfortunately, nothing goes to plan for them, and as Mariel and Clem grow closer, the group must risk it all to rescue Mariel’s father and protect the greenwood, all while navigating politics, romance and all kinds of other perils.
Croucher’s writing is full of witty phrasing and endless quips which had me properly laughing out loud throughout the novel, and I can easily claim this book to be the funniest I’ve read in a long time.
But the author equally shows depth and emotion as the diverse cast of characters all struggle with their own problems, and I could easily empathize with them all as Croucher perfectly articulates their feelings.
I really felt for Mariel in particular, as she grapples with a difficult relationship with her father, the leader of the Merry Men whom she can never seem to impress.
As well as their perilous battles and rescues, the book follows the mental journeys of the group of Merry Men, with important and serious topics touched on as well as the light-hearted side of the story.
Croucher should also be applauded for the excellent LGBTQ+ representation in this book, incorporating the experiences of many characters with queer identities, but in a way which normalises it and doesn’t make this the main focus.
Overall, reading this book gave me so much joy and I highly recommend it to other teenagers who are looking for an exciting historical fantasy romcom.
