Alex Claremont-Diaz is the First Son. Aside from his mom being POTUS, he’s got a lot going for him - he’s witty, handsome and hyper-smart. Prince Henry of Wales is his British counterpart - intelligent, gorgeous, sharp, plus it’s all wrapped up in that trademark English reserve. These two eligible bachelors have one more thing in common: they don’t like each other, never have, never will (okay maybe they will). After a disastrous international incident ending in both of them crash-landing into a wedding cake, the tabloids go nuts and Alex and Henry’s people make plans for damage control. Fake feelings soon turn real and they begin to wonder whether love is harder in secret, or in front of the world.

Confession: I’ve read 4 novels classified as “romance.” And one of them left me not so sure that romance was for me because the characters felt like cutouts, I didn’t believe in their connection, and the plot was fire fire fire without much substance. Well colour me rainbow, because Red, White and Royal Blue is the opposite reading experience. McQuiston’s characters are as real as any I’ve read - and not just the main characters, but all of the secondary players too. They’re delightful. The dialogue sparkles. People who like some fire will be happy, but those of us who have been super judgy-mcjudgypants about romance being all fire and little depth will be silenced because the themes explored artfully here inspire readers to think about and discuss important issues both current and timeless. I’m gonna be bold and predict that this book will end up on my Top Ten of 2019.

The debut of Casey McQuiston introduces readers to royalty both in the States and across the pond in an adorable and tears-of-joy worthy New Adult novel. McQuiston seamlessly blends the addicting twists and turns of reality TV-like drama with adorable romance and young love with an inclusive cast of characters, none of which were even remotely unlikeable. I didn't think I felt true, pure joy and comfort before reading this book. It could easily be said that "Red, White & Royal Blue" will become this generation's more mature and sophisticated "Elanor & Park." I cannot wait for everything else Casey McQuiston happens to dream up in their coming books.

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This above is my original review and to be honest I'm not changing it because there is no way actual words can convey my feelings any better, but alas as a """reviewer""" I should write something more uh, proper, which sucks because so many people have written so much and so much better than I could ever do.

It's been months since I've read this book and I've thought about it every single day since, and my three brain cells have come together to form this single thought: Red, White & Royal Blue is the literary fiction of romance.

There's something here for everyone. More politically-oriented readers. Romance readers. Casual readers. But especially this is a book for QUEER readers, this is our chance to see a queer romance of internationally epic proportions, with incredibly high stakes. This is our chance at butting our noses into (fictional) international gossip of pretty much the highest level you can ever imagine to find, to be curious about what would happen IF.

Too many aspects of this book are worth talking about and I fear I will only be able to do so after a reread. But: the humor is what hit me at first. I was laughing out loud like, two pages in and I haven't stopped throughout the book (except when I was crying or screaming or squealing). The romance was much more than I ever could have hoped for. Alex figuring out his bisexuality later in life was exactly what I needed to read, written exactly the way I needed to read it. And a reality in which a democratic woman is the POTUS was so fucking nice to lose myself into for a few hours.

The romance is something you need to experience for yourself, and I really think I will only be able to (maybe) properly talk about this book more in depth after a reread. So have this mess of a semi-review for now and just know this book is worth all the hype.

TWs: public outing, homophobia, discussions of loss of a parent, anxiety, panic attack.

If you’re like me, you’re already anxiously giving some of your attention to politics, hoping that we don’t end up with Trump winning the 2020 election.
And I’m already a ball of stress. I want good things to happen, but I’m also keeping my hope close to my chest.
However, Red, White, & Royal Blue was like a perfect future and a wonderful alternate world. Not only is there a biracial First Family with a female president, but everything is going pretty darn well (except for a few mishaps, here and there).
In general, Red, White & Royal Blue gave me so much hope. It made me happy and bubbly inside—not just about politics, but also because of Alex and Henry’s romance.
It was just such a fun and feel-good book and that’s ultimately what I liked most about Red, White & Royal Blue. It made me feel happy.
I totally adored the slow burn between Alex and Henry—the flirtationship and texting and Alex being both oblivious to Henry’s feelings and unsure of his sexuality. I was all for the wait even though I was cheering them on!
And I like how McQuiston played around with not just that, but also so many other themes—they write about Alex’s family and his parents’ divorce and being first son and so much more. This book isn’t just romance, it also has a lot of other things going on with international relations and PR stunts and family and much more.
I had so so much fun with this and loved the slow burn and the chemistry. I’d totally recommend to anyone who wants a book that instills hope, although I want people who fetishize m/m fiction to stay the hell away and let everyone else read this in peace.
I’ll know if you’re that person when you diss McQuiston’s upcoming f/f book. I’m watching you. If you aren’t hyping up that f/f book as much as you do this m/m book, I’LL KNOW.
Anyways, READ THIS TO FEEL SO FLUFFY INSIDE AND SO HOPEFUL AND SO JOYFUL. Totally recommend to everyone who wants a great slow burn romance!

I’m just going to come right out and say it: READ THIS BOOK. Seriously, though. This is the super queer royally charged political rom com we all needed desperately. It is pure gold and I still feel like I’m floating because of all the emotions. So many FLAILS and SQUEE’S! The hate to love trope DELIVERED in this book. Alex absolutely loathes Henry and makes sure to tell the prince to his face. I cackled so hard at all the jabs and snark! Casey’s writing is pretty much pure magic and I felt so connected to this story. The sarcasm was on point always and all the characters had their own quirks which just added to the hot chaos that is Alex and Henry.

Speaking of Alex, I loved how passionate and emotional he was. When he gets going there’s no stopping him from doing potentially stupid things. This story deals with him kind of finding himself and rediscovering what he wants in life. He’s down to earth and all about politics and family. Henry is a prince trapped in a life he doesn’t want. He has to keep his true sexual identity a secret from the world to save face and avoid scandal. Needless to say, he’s living a double life and tired of not getting what or who he wants.

Basically every time Henry and Alex were together I swooned all over again. Don’t even get me started on those Super Romantic emails. The romance in this book is like a slow death because it’s agonizing to see two people want each other so much only to push each other away. Like I said, chaos.

This book is steamy, heart melting goodness and if it wasn’t already obvious, I’m going to be reading everything Casey McQuiston writes. I can’t wait for more queer stories like this one. I’m totally not okay in all the best ways. My heart barely survived this book and I’m ready for more. If you need me, I’ll be busy screaming at everyone to pick up this beautiful book.

Everything about this book, from the pace of dialogue to the way the plot unfolds, is spot-on perfect. The best reading experience I've had so far this summer, I am shoving this book at every person I come across!

This was so cute and I didn't want it to end! This was so fun to read and it's perfect to read for pride month! I highly recommend!

This book was perfection!! The chemistry between Alex and Henry was off the charts. I loved seeing their relationship evolve from enemies to friends to lovers. And all of their emails and text conversations had me smiling so hard. I also really enjoyed all the political elements in this!
Will definietly be reading anything Casey writes in the future

Loved it! What an enjoyable story this was. THink teens will enjoy this take on royal and political romance.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Let me be yet another person who gushes about this book. I LOVED it. I will admit to being too sure with it in the beginning, I wasn't sure where things were going, but quickly I was pulled into this charming story and the pages flew by me.

The unfortunate part of this review is that it has been over a month since I read the book, so I can't recall everything I wanted to say about it. I do know that I am already ready to re-read it.

Look, the characters are charming and likeable. They are ones that I could read 1000+ pages about with no qualms. There is fantastic dialogue-- witty, funny, and at times powerful. Even the side characters have personalities that shine through. I would totally read a book about Alex's sister or his best friend, heck even Henry's friend! While at times I feel like the side characters fell way into the background, I don't think it really detracted anything from the story. Still, I could and would read more about them.
I will say that for guys who are so smart, they had moments where I thought "no, duh!" like something would seem obvious, but they just didn't do it...

The romance... so, so, so cute. I just wanted to bask in all it's glory. I wouldn't exactly call this enemies-to-lovers... perhaps rivals-to-lovers??? But, I mean, this is totally a personal take. They are so adorable though. Their conflict 100% made sense and not once did it feel overdone or obligatory. I was with this book every step of the way.

My biggest complaint? This is Casey McQuiston's first book -- meaning there is nothing else by her for me to read!! I'm a fan and eagerly awaiting her future books.

If you like romances with witty dialogue, cute moments, with a dash of politics thrown in then you should really check out this book!

Cute story.

Pros:

-Enemies to lovers
-Banter
-Forbidden romance
-Feel good
-I liked the supporting cast.
-The emails and texts were the real highlight for me.

Cons:

-Not enough clear definition between scenes at times, and I was sometimes caught off guard. This threw off the pace of the story.
-It had more politics than I enjoy reading in my romance.

Overall an enjoyable read.

3.5 Stars

I don't think I can accurately describe how much I loved this book. The review is live on The Young Folks, snippet here:

I’ve started and restarted this review a few times. Since Red, White & Royal Blue is now a New York Times bestseller and has been reviewed everywhere, I’m finding that my words are coming up short each time I try to articulate what this book meant to me and what reading it felt like and why you should stop, drop and roll your way to the bookstore nearest to you to buy it immediately. I guess I can tell you about what the Claremont-Diaz family meant to me. How I wished that they existed so that I could be friends with them, this group of people who are genuinely good and are actively trying to make the world a better place. I could tell you that my heart broke and was then rebuilt within the pages of this book, not only because of the wonderful romance but because of the politics, which are so like and so unlike our own. President Claremont and her opponent might not be exact analogs for the presidential candidates of 2016 but the similarities hit a little too close to home at times. There’s even one moment where someone remarks, “I don’t think this campaign is going to hinge on an email server.”

Full review on THE YOUNG FOLKS, here; https://www.theyoungfolks.com/review/133480/red-white-royal-blue/

Red, White, & Royal Blue is a swoony New Adult romance with great writing. The authors gives wonderful characters with great banter. Henry and Alex are fleshed out characters dealing with real issues. Politics and issues are very timely and relatable. I adored Alex's family and his "squad". I highly recommend. Thanks St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this title.

DNF'ed at about 10%. I simply couldn't take it anymore. The main characters are the most immature people I have ever seen. Are they 10 years old!?!?!?! I wanted to slap every single one of them. At this point I don't care one bit what will or won't happen to any of them.

This book was so cute! <3<3<3

I loved this. It's cute, funny and steamy as f*ck. It put a big smile on my face and I didn't want to put it down.
It's the romance I needed in my life, and I think many more needs it too. I don't even know what to write to properly explain how great it was.

So I'll write this: if you want a great (more than great, words are escaping me) summer read - read this.
If you're looking for a romance - read this.
If you want to have a grin on your face because of snarly conversations and cuteness - read this.
If you like your romances with steam - read this.
The list can go on but you get it? READ THIS!

I absolutely loved this and have been recommending it to both library staff and patrons alike. It's a great rec for Pride Month!

I absolutely loved this story!
I loved how fast paced it read but the romance aspects were a slow burn.
I really liked that the book was based equally around love and discovering who you really are

This book made me so happy! I will be completely honest, I was a little nervous picking up my first M/M romance. I was curious what it would be like and if I'd feel uncomfortable at any point. I was hooked from the first page. Alex's infectious personality jumps off the page which is a fun contrast to Henry who kept me turning pages with the hope of learning more about him. I absolutely love the beginning when they're at odds (love me an enemies to lovers trope!) and was swooning as they became text buddies and eventually more. I found it very interesting how Alex's partner preference realization came to be, it was very refreshing and unlike anything I'd read before. Love, politics, royals, and scandal, I mean, I really couldn't have asked for anything more. This is hands down a 5 star read for me. Dying for a sequel.

5 stars. REP: One narrator is Mexican American and bisexual and the other is gay and it's implied he has anxiety/depression. A prominent side character is also bi and in my headcanon she is aro (Nora). I also got serious bi vibes from another side character (June), but it isn’t canon. I’m crossing all of my fingers that we get a companion book following Nora and June. Other characters are POC, trans, pan, and I have some more headcanons for polyamorous and other aro characters.. CW: panic attacks, depression spirals, loss of a parent, homophobia from strangers and family, "but her emails", constant threat of being outed and that having repercussions because people suck. This story really is adorable. It is also definitely not YA; these characters are all in their twenties and dealing with related issues (college, careers, etc.). For anyone wondering about the level of steam, I'd say it's mature but not explicit (based on Archive of our Own’s rating system). The fear and need to stay closeted were a little rough for me, and there were times I sort of wanted to bop Henry or Alex on the head, but I highly recommend this to folks looking for a romantic dramedy.

As a small side note, I originally wrote this review based on my first reading of an ARC I received at ALA. Since then I’ve purchased the audiobook and I’ve already listened to it twice, and I’ve increased my rating from four to five stars.

It feels as though the whole book world is talking about this book right now, so naturally I needed to find out what was so special about it. The idea of a first son and a prince falling in love is something new for me but a story that feels like it should have existed already, especially considering how many of us are enticed by forbidden love stories and the high amount of straight royal romances that surround us.
So this book needed to be published and the reason why it is popular is because it is very exciting. It does read like fan-fiction, in the sense that the 3rd person narrator seems to want us to remember that this is a fantasy, a wish-fulfilment, but that it’s a realistic one that could, potentially, happen… someday. It’s quite entertaining, as are the majority of stories that feature love-hate relationships and I was rooting for Alex and Henry to have a happily-ever-after the whole time.
One thing you need to know though is that politics are important to this story, since Alex is the First Son and his mother, the president, is running for re-election. This situation creates more problems for him, of course, since his family cannot afford a scandal. Yet a scandal will be pending if First Son Alex and Prince Henry continue with their very, very forbidden relationship. *evil smile*
I liked it a lot. The fan-fiction vibe is what keeps me from giving it five stars—perhaps a 1st person POV would have worked better—but as mentioned I am happy this story exists and I’m curious about this author’s future release. Now I’m thinking a lesbian forbidden romance between two princesses would be delightful. Don’t you think?