• Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2023 January #1
  A Renaissance fair in Texas provides a distinctive setting for the story of Maddie, who has grown up traveling the Ren fair circuit with her parents and helping sell handmade journals and jewelry in their stall. Almost a year after her mother's death, 17-year-old Madeline has become averse to change and is afraid of getting really close to anyone again for fear of losing them, too. Arthur, a strolling bard and the son of the fair's owners, attempts to befriend Maddie, calling her Gwen (for Guinevere). But Maddie, who sees herself as fat, can't believe that he's really attracted to her. Her engaging first-person narrative chronicles the ups and downs of her experiences as the fair's reluctant princess, her slowly shifting view of herself, and the development of her relationship with Arthur. The colorful backdrop often puts the characters in costumes, adding an interesting historical dimension to the unfolding drama of seemingly one-sided attraction. A lively, gentle romance novel featuring two well-drawn main characters whose frequent verbal sparring reveals their wit and their vulnerabilities. Grades 7-10. Copyright 2023 Booklist Reviews.

ASHLEY SCHUMACHER is the author of Amelia Unabridged, Full Flight, and The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway, and has a degree in creative writing from the University of North Texas. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s either singing Disney songs, finding new and exciting ways to pester her family, or trying to find her inside voice, which has been sadly missing since birth. She lives in a small town north of Dallas with her husband, son, and more books than strictly necessary.