This is an utterly charming read about a son of the (lady) President of the United States and the Prince of the UK who fall. in love despite all of the obstacles in front of them.

This is told from the point of view of Alex, who is the son of the first woman President of the United States. I really enjoyed getting to know him and his sister. I'd LOVE a sequel with either her or Henry's sister.

For fans of The Royal We you will delight in this novel.

It’s finally here!! Red, White, & Royal Blue was released just last week, and it hit both the NYT Bestseller’s List and USA Today’s Bestseller’s List. I had plans to buddy read this book in April with Julianna from Paper Blots, but of course, school and exams got in the way… I ended up having to temporarily DNF this book until the beginning of my summer break, and I’m so proud to say that I finally finished this amazing book. It was everything that I expected—it was funny, political, and oh-so-cute. It brought back a lot of feels from the 2016 Presidential Election, yet at the same time, the political drama was nicely balanced with heartwarming family relationships and a sweet romance.

Red, White, & Royal Blue is told from the perspective of Alexandra Claremont-Diaz, the First Son of the United States. His mother, President Ellen Claremont, is the country’s first female President after President Obama. Did I mention she’s also a Democrat from Texas?? *my heart* The story is set between 2019 and 2020 where President Claremont is campaigning for re-election. After Alex and his unofficial, yet self-declared rival Prince Henry have a public fight, the two are forced to fake a bromance and pretend to be the best of friends. However, their bantering soon leads to the beginning of romantic feelings. The romance in this story was so fun to watch unfold. Alex served as a fantastic narrator, and I really enjoyed following perspective as the romance grew from enemies-to-lovers. Plus, Prince Henry was also SO SOFT and the best royal cinnamon roll.

Casey McQuiston’s writing perfectly captures the inner feelings of a 20-something year old. I feel like many authors who try to mimic the language of young adults and older young adults always seem to fall short, and it ends up sounding disingenuous. But! The writing in this book flows easily and manages to contain the right balance of millennial angst and youthfulness. My only complaint about this book is that the chapters are SO FREAKING LONG. This book is 423 pages, but there are only 15 chapters. This means that each chapter is around 28 pages. I’m someone who can’t put a book down until the end of a chapter so having such long chapters really threw me off. This is such a minor complaint, but it is something that I noticed to a point where I wished the book was broken up into 30 chapters instead of 15.

In the midst of the story, we manage to see the everyday life of the Claremont family, and let me just say…I love them so much. Alex’s sister, June Claremont-Diaz, is fun, smart, and an aspiring journalist. As a reader, you can easily see the strong sibling bond they have in their interactions. Unofficially, we also see their relationship with Nora Holleran, granddaughter of the Vice President, who completes the all-star White House Trio. Then, we have the matriarch of the family, President Ellen Claremont who is #momgoals. I loved how she managed to perfectly balance being the President of the United States while still always being there for her children when they need her the most.

Casey McQuiston also did a fantastic job with the story and characters’ representation. Alex is half-White and half-Mexican, and his and June’s experience as First Children of the United States showed that despite your position in power, you may still face racism from the public and other public figures. *spoiler* Alex is also bisexual, and as his relationship with Henry progresses, he discovers what it means to him.

Another aspect that makes this book incredibly touching for me is the presence of politics. I’d like to consider myself as someone who’s fairly politically involved (at least more so than the average person) so reading this book felt both nostalgic and bittersweet because it brought back all the intense emotions from the 2016 elections. I was wholeheartedly invested in the Claremont Presidential campaign because it inspired hope for a better America. Everyone working on the campaign is so passionate about moving the country forward and discussing real policy. It motivated me to feel equally passionate about real-world politics.

Red, White, & Royal Blue certainly lives up to the hype. Alex’s witty and humorous narration was perfectly balanced with Prince Henry’s calm demeanor. The romance, politics, and family relationships made the story entirely endearing and captivating. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone!

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for the eARC of Red, White and Royal Blue.
I am a die hard fan of the TV show The West Wing - I’ve watched the series an embarrassing number of times. I could completely imagine this story taking place in the world of the West Wing — which made me so happy! I loved that the romance was set against a backdrop of political systems and presidential campaigns.
I absolutely adored the White House Trio, as well as their counterparts from across the pond. The characters were so fun & fiercely loyal to one another. When former enemies Alex, the first son, and Prince Henry fall in love, I appreciated how much support they got from those closest to them.
My heart is so full of hope & love after reading this lovely (but steamy!) Book.

Performance – 5
Story – 5
Overall – 5

What a great debut novel!

Okay, I'm not really sure if this is a debut novel or not but I couldn't find anything else by this author on Goodreads or Amazon. If it is a debut novel – wow, just wow. If it's not then still wow! I did a combination of reading this and listening to the audiobook (masterfully performed by Ramon de Ocampo).

There were a few places were the novel seemed a bit slow in the beginning so I switched from reading to listening. Then I found myself getting distracted while listening (not the performers fault) so I switched back to reading. The last 35% was all listening and I was totally engrossed. Ramon did a fantastic job with all of the many different voices in this book – and there were many of them, perhaps more characters than any other book I've listened to.

The story has a bit of enemies-to-lovers, or maybe frenemies-to-lovers, vibe as well as forced proximity. Alex feels an unexplained animosity towards Prince Henry. When they met at the royal wedding of Henry's brother things go horribly wrong. I loved the progression of the relationship between Alex and Henry.

One of my favorite authors writes male/female romance stories centered around royalty and I love them. But for some reason I never imagined someone ever writing a male/male story involving the royal family. I loved everything about this book. It had a West Wing feel to it (an early 2000's TV show that I loved) so even though I found some of the political-speak hard to follow at times I still loved it.

Most of the sex is fade-to-black but the book is liberally sprinkled with four-letter words. While I'm not offended by this at all, the use of the F-word seemed a bit excessive; so, if this bothers you, you might want to pass this one up.

Speaking of sexy times, a book doesn't have to be explicit to be steamy. The steamy scenes between Alex and Henry, especially later in the book, are so wonderfully romantic. The love they felt for each other, while not yet declared out loud, was palpable and I could absolutely feel their connection.

This review is already too long and not doing the book justice at all. All I can say is if you'd like to read a contemporary love story that's a bit different from your average male/male romance I highly recommend Red, White & Royal Blue.

A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.

My joint review (with Sirius) on Dear Author appeared on May 22nd, 2019:

https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/dnf-reviews/joint-review-red-white-royal-blue-by-casey-mcquiston/

What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?

A delightfully fun book to read. Memorable characters and laugh out loud moments.

Loved this book by Casey McQuiston! This was my first m/m book and I loved it! It had everything you could want in a romance including humor, great characters, sexiness, and a well earned HEA! Can't wait to see what else this author has in store for us!

Red, White and Royal Blue is a story you might be familiar with . . . .

“Oh my God, this is like all those romantic comedies where the girl hires a male escort to pretend to be her wedding date and then falls in love with him for real.”

The only difference? This time it’s the Prince of England and the son of the President of the United States who are forced to play nice after a melee between the two at a royal wedding goes viral, leaving the world questioning the state of affairs between the two allied countries. You know what happens next, right?????

“You are the absolute worst idea I’ve ever had.”

This book was absolutely adorkable. Surprisingly sexy (why do I keep getting fooled that these cutesy covers contain stories that don’t bring the heat?????), but low on angst and high on banter and pop-culture-referencey good times . . . .

“All this time, I thought I was the Ferris Bueller of this relationship.”

“What, did you think I was Sloane?”

This is a read that will have you saying CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES, COME ON!

For anyone who wants to comment that this story isn’t realistic or what-have-you, I say: NO SHIT. It’s a romance, they aren’t steeped in reality. But wouldn’t it be nice to live in a world where it could be?

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

This book is probably one of the gayest things I’ve ever read…and my god, it was glorious. After the last two Netgalley ARCs I reviewed ended up sitting around the two-star mark, I was seriously starting to panic about ending up blacklisted for being a massive grump. Thank goodness for Red, White & Royal Blue.

WHO, WHAT, WHERE?

Alex Claremont- Diaz is the son of America’s first female president and has big plans for his own political career. That is, until a confrontation at a royal wedding between Alex and his so-called “nemesis”, Prince Henry of Great Britain, is caught on camera, posing a threat to international relations. With the PR teams in damage control, a plan is devised to fix it: stage a fake friendship between Alex and Henry. Alex can’t imagine anything worse. However, as the two spend more time together, they start to realise that maybe the other person isn’t who they thought they were. As President Claremont kicks off her re-election bid, Alex finds himself in the middle of a secret relationship, the last thing he needs getting out to the press. But is being with Henry worth potentially jeopardising not only his own future but that of his family?

I LOVE YOU ALL!

I’ve had a lot of trouble lately finding book characters that I really love, but good gosh did I love these.

Alex: Cocky, smug, loud-mouthed, and YET, a damn national treasure. Never underestimate his ability to make you spontaneously break out into a giant grin. Honestly, he’s that little shit of a character that were he a real person would drive you up the wall but be impossible not to love. If that doesn’t convince you, let me also say, he’s a) mixed race, b) the grandchild of immigrants, c) bisexual, and d) has undiagnosed ADHD.

Henry: If you were sitting there going, I need another sweet, cinnamon roll character in my life, LOOK NO FURTHER. Henry George Edward James Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor has arrived. Henry is closeted gay and feels trapped by the expectations placed upon members of the royal family. He’s a romantic, big on both Star Wars and classic literature, a little more reserved, and genuinely enjoys charity work. He also has a thing for boys with chin dimples who insult him.

Henry & Alex aside, RW&RB is also full of great side characters. Even better, so many of them are amazing women. Firstly, there’s June (Alex’s sister) and Nora (granddaughter to the VP), who are the kind of people you 100% need in your support network. They’re smart, confident, ambitious, fantastic wing-women, and good at keeping Alex’s ego in check.

Nora grins. “Hmm.” She pretends to think hard about it. “Risk assessment: FSOTUS failing to check himself before he wrecks himself will result in greater than five hundred civilian casualties. Ninety-eight percent probability of Prince Henry looking like a total dreamboat. Seventy-eight percent probability of Alex getting himself banned from the United Kingdom forever.”

“Those are better odds than I expected,” June observes.

Alex’s mother, President Ellen Claremont, somehow manages to be both a respected leader and a supportive parent (but that won’t stop her from making jokes about faking your death for sympathy votes). There’s also Zahra, the President’s Deputy Chief of Staff, who has no time for anyone’s, especially Alex’s, crap. She’s half scary, half hilarious. Regarding Alex’s profile fact sheet to help Henry fake their friendship:

“Does he get one of these for me?” Alex asks helplessly.

“Yep. And for the record, making it was one of the most depressing moments of my career.”

Ouch.

LAUGHS FOR DAYS

This book cracked me up, repeatedly. Sometimes it was the situations, but mostly, it was the banter. My lord, the dialogue, the quips, there’s just so many winners here. Throughout the book, Henry and Alex spend a lot of time texting, calling and e-mailing each other from across the world, and these exchanges are fantastically done. The two just bounce off each other magically and the chemistry is off the charts.

“In world’s most boring meeting with Philip. Don’t let the papers print lies about me after I’ve garrotted myself with my tie”…

“[W]as it a meeting about which of your cousins have to marry each other to take back casterly rock?”

** ***** **

“Alex?…Have you really rung me at three o’clock in the morning to make me listen to a turkey?”

“Yes, obviously.”

SHIP THAT ROMANCE

The relationship between Alex and Henry progresses nicely over the course of the book and I feel like having the story take place over a period of more than a year really helped with this. I adored watching these two characters grow from having a rather strained relationship to friends who could light-heartedly poke fun at each other and then lovers. While the amount of gushy-lovey-dovey-ness in the middle of the book did get a bit much for me (there’s a lot of e-mails involving romantic quotes from literature and history), it’s hard to mind too much because these two are so darn cute together. Just….argggggg…*unintelligible noises*

EXTERNAL ANGST

One of the things that frustrates me a little in romances is when characters cause conflict unnecessarily by acting stupidly or worrying about silly things. While there is perhaps one moment of slightly internal based conflict in Henry & Alex’s relationship, it’s resolved quickly (mostly by Alex swearing loudly at a bunch of people). The rest of the issues they face are more of an us-against-the-world variety which is so much easier to get behind.

POLITICAL COLOUR

While I massively enjoyed the main romance storyline, I also like the fact that the US election was more than just a background element. By having a proper contribution to the overall plot through some choice drama moments, the story felt better tied together and the ending was much more satisfying. Some of it may go over people’s heads, but for those that are disillusioned with the current American political situation, this alternate reality will make you feel a little better (and think about what could have been).

CELEBRATE QUEER
Honestly, this book is just so wonderfully queer positive, I can’t even find the right words to express it. Is it all a little bit too good to be real, yes, but who the hell cares? You’ve got: *SPOILERS*

- Alex questioning his sexuality, realising that he’s bisexual and coming out to his family with amazing support
- Henry proclaiming that he’s gay, refusing to cover it up again and finally having his family rally around him.
- A publicly gay senator, despite adversity, kicking ass in his political career and fighting against abuses of power
- The broader international community standing up for Henry and Alex’s relationship

All of the yes.
____________________________________________________________
I could go on, but I won’t. To put it simply, this book was wonderful, and I enjoyed almost every minute of it. If you’re a fan of contemporary romances and looking for something sweet, funny, charming and positive, RW&RB will be the ray of sunshine your week needs.

5 STARS

*** ARC received from St Martin’s Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I liked it. But this was almost a 2 star read for me. A cute and sweet (almost the death sentence there for me) MM romance between America's First son and a Prince of England. I thought there were some funny parts and the relationship/chemistry between the two main characters was great.

I honestly almost quit 20% in, the tense this book was written in was god awful (like a weightlifter talking about himself in 3rd person all the time) and if Burberry was mentioned one more time, I was likely to find one of their coats and set it on fire.

It really just wasn't the book for me.

This book was one of my favorite of the year so far. It was hopeful (a woman president! Americans supporting gay rights!) and fun with royals. I liked the behind-the-scenes workings of the first family working with the administration and the tongue-in-cheek references to very recent political debacles (elections hanging on leaks from private email servers). It was smart and well-written, and I can't wait to see what else this author does in the future!

The first time I heard about Casey McQuiston’s debut, it was over on Twitter and I recalled me squealing at the thought of finally getting a queer, royal romance. (1. It’s the superior trope, don’t @ me and 2. I’m a sucker for all things m/m, so…) That was late 2017 or early 2018—I’m sorry, but my memory’s failing me—and I couldn’t be more thankful to have finally read it, thanks to the generosity of the author herself and the team behind Wednesday Books. It’s everything I imagined it would be and more! I read it in less than a week and now, I kinda wish that I took my time with it, savoring every page and chapter. Seriously, you guys, this book is so, so good, and I have no doubt that lots of readers out there, whether you be an advocate for LGBTQ+ stories, or just a romance reader in general, that you’ll love this too. Read on to know what I thought of this fabulous NA debut.

Red, White & Royal Blue is a new adult contemporary romance about Alex Claremont-Diaz, the First Son of the United States of America as he falls madly in love with His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales. A hate-to-love romance novel about queer love, politics, friendship, and what it means to have a royal duty that is equal parts heartwarmingly charming and mind-blowingly sexy, Casey McQuiston’s debut NA novel will surely grip your hearts and squeeze it hard until all you can feel is love.

One of the many MANY things I adored about this novel is that it features a romance story that is wholesome and sweat-inducingly sexy at the same time. (Bear with me, I swear I can explain this concisely, ok?) I say this because Alex and Henry’s love story comes from a place that is filled with love and good intentions and the way they cared and looked out for each other was delightful and I’m not sure if it’s already obvious at this point, but my heart is just about ready to burst. They started off on the wrong foot back when they were younger, and as time passed, they became fake friends, paving the way for them to become passionate lovers later on. I’m not sure if that sounds plausible at all, but that’s the truth. Now, you might be wondering as to how I could say this. Let me count the ways, then:

Alex and Henry’s email exchanges are the absolute sweetest and I’m not sure if I’ve ever read anything more swoon worthy in my life.
The way they fitted in each other’s families, friends and lives in general seemed perfect and from the very moment they became more than friends, it’s like they were born to be together and as I’m writing this, I’M 100% SURE I’M BLUSHING.
Alex is a planner. And the way he almost re-arranged his entire life to accommodate Henry and their love for each other made me just about READY TO BURST WITH ALL THE FEELS.
Henry practically defied all the odds just to prove his love for Alex. He has the utmost respect for his family and their traditions, and so even if it almost cost him his inheritance and his entire family’s love, he still went through with it, and NO I AM NOT OKAY. I AM STILL VERY EMOTIONAL.
Following up to that, I wanted to talk about the writing style and the dialogue next. Casey McQuiston’s writing techniques won me over mainly because of how impressed I am with the way she created these characters and gave them their individual voices and mind spaces. At first, I was completely at a loss for words because of how well thought of these characters were but then, after reading a few more pages, it hit me—McQuiston has an innate talent for writing and it was at that point that I realized that she’s one of those few writers that I know I will support up until my last dying breath. Her stories, whether or not she chooses to publish all of them, will be instant favorites for me, I’m sure. Get this: she even got me interested in politics. I mean… I haven’t seen myself so invested in politics up until the moment I rooted and prayed for Ellen Claremont to win the fictional 2020 election. (Politics, at least to me, is a dirty game full of cheaters, manipulation, and crime. I’ve seen just how many good people turned bad because of their lust for power and glory and it was years ago that I concluded that I will never care for it so much ever again. Until this book came along. AND THAT’S A HUGE DEAL TO ME, obviously.)

Next, let’s talk about Alex’s relationship with his amazing sister June, adorably sexy best friend Nora, and his mom, the POTUS, Ellen Claremont. From the very first page, readers would easily find out that Alex and June are quite inseparable and that they have each other’s backs no matter what happens. I love how they’re always there to support one another in each and every aspects of their lives—Alex with his flings and political interests and June with her chosen career field, etc.—and I’ve grown quite fond of their dynamic. Nora, on the other hand, has to be one of the most interesting and is definitely one of my favorites about this whole story. The way she shows her love, and support for Alex and his family is THE PUREST THING and I couldn’t get enough of her. As for Alex’s mom, I have no words to describe just how much I appreciated the fact that even though she’s the freakin’ President of the United States of America, she was still very much present in Alex’s life. She was there when Alex came out, and there’s a certain scene where she said:

“I am your mother. I was your mother before I was ever the president, and I’ll be your mother long after, to the day they put me in the ground and beyond this earth. You are my child…”

And I just about lost it! Even though she was busy and half the time, she was portrayed as this campaign-winnin’, soul-slayin’ mom-boss who would NEVER take any shit from anyone, she was always, ALWAYS, there for her children. Which obviously goes to show that the only thing that keeps parents from being present in their children’s lives is… THEMSELVES. All kinds of parents have no excuses left so y’all should do better.

“Red, White & Royal Blue offered me quite a unique and memorable reading experience, one that I, undoubtedly, won’t be forgetting about any time soon. No book in this universe can ever make me feel giddy the way that this book did. It puts a spotlight on a romance that is sexy and wholesome at the same time, family dynamics that will no doubt every contemporary reader would appreciate, a wonderfully diverse set of characters that were easy to root for, a plot line that’s infinitely gripping, and COME ON JUST READ IT, OK? You can thank me later.”

First let me start by saying I highly recommend this and hope everyone will read this book. It’s very applicable to today’s political world. *Note* This story does take place in a somewhat altered reality to ours, where the 2016 election is not won by you know who but instead won by a woman:

“
“[Alex] was born in the hill country of Texas to the daughter of a single mother and the son of Mexican immigrants, all of them dirt-poor…” ” ‘It ever make you laugh to think how much this pisses assholes off,’ [Oscar] says (Alex’s father), gesturing to encompass the whole scene: two Mexican men putting their feet up on the railing where heads of state eat croissants.”

Also, the Royal Family is not comprised of those in reality – they are made up royals who do share the same history (as far as I know) to the real royal family.

It’s funny because I have always wondered about the royal family and what would happen if one of the princes turned out to be gay – would they be allowed to be gay? Would they be forced in to a marriage to a woman for public purposes, but allowed to be themselves behind closed doors? I think the only way we will find out is if a.) someone in the royal family comes out, or b.) someone from the royal family responds to this story and makes a statement about what would really happen. But, I at least have my fictional accounting of what would happen and really, that’s all I ever wanted. I wanted an HEA for the gay royal and I never dreamed it would be with the first son of the US. That was a bonus.

Now that I have rambled on enough, lets get to the meat of the story. Alex is the first son to the first female US President. He is smart (scarily so), has political asperations of his own, and has no idea on a conscious level that he likes men in that way. With 20/20 hindsight, Alex is able to see what he didn’t allow himself to focus on when he was younger, but that’s not truly important to the story. The story is about Alex and Henry, possibly the two most famous bachelors in the World. And after a scuffle that results in a lost wedding cake, the two must fake a friendship to save face. And they learn their feelings for each other are more then frenemies – they are deep and real, and a 1000%.

I loved this story from the start. The characters felt real, and their love for family and country, doing the right thing, wanting to be happy, worrying about their future and their career aspirations – it was so very…insides melting. And then there is the snark. OMG, Alex and his snark is hilarious. He thinks Henry is a royal robot who doesn’t know how to let loose, or do anything but toe the royal line. As they spend more time together because of their “friendship” Alex sees a side to Henry he didn’t know existed, opening his eyes to possibilities. It was beautiful to see.

When Henry and Alex share their first kiss, it’s glorious. When they share their 2nd kiss, it’s all fireworks and teeth and rough. And I LOVED it! Then we are shown several chapters of them trying to find time to be together, and also not give themselves away. They do have help.

When their secret is outed, it’s a very big deal and very close to the Presidential election. Alex and his family work hard to fix the hacking and stealing of Alex’s emails from their Private Email Server, and also save Alex and Henry’s relationship. The whole story behind the hacking and the other half to that felt very much over the top and unnecessary. Hacking of emails, I can get behind that – the storyline behind it – not so much. Very overly dramatic when there is enough drama already.

Aside from that, I have no issues with this story and would love to see more of these characters. Even though this is a fictional telling, I think the ending is probably reality. The world unites to celebrate the love between Henry and Alex. Yep, they are gay and out and proud and in love – and the world showed they supported them and loved them. If this were to ever happen for real, I believe they would be supported.

I didn’t want to put the book down and fought sleep several nights in a row to try and get more in. Henry and Alex are sweet together and I loved every minute seeing their relationship grow.

4.5 stars/9 pots

This book had been circulating all of my social media for weeks, and I admit that was one of the main reasons why I was so interesting in reading this title, and now I can totally understand the hype because this book was such a fluffy and adorable romance story and I really enjoyed it.

I have to say that probably the main reason why I didn’t love this book as much as everyone else was because I was in reading slump by the time I read this novel, and because of that I didn’t give it 5 stars. However, that didn’t keel me from enjoying the storyline or finding it cute and amazing.

I really enjoyed the cast of characters that was in this novel. Though there were times I wasn’t as engaged with them, I still think they were such incredible individuals. I adored the dynamics between the two protagonists and how their relationship evolved as the story progressed. Their interactions didn’t feel forced, and I think the relationship’s development was so well done and angsty at times.

The book was also such fast paced. I still think it was a bit too long and there were some things that could have been edited out, because there were times where I was a bit bored (again, I don’t know if me being in a reading slump had something to do with that), but apart from that, there were times where I was laughing out loud because these characters were simply hilarious.

Overall, I think this was such a refreshing and fast paced story, with incredible, funny and complex characters and I was pretty surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

https://thereadingreaper.blogspot.com/2019/05/65-red-white-royal-blue.html

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins press for this arc that came out on May 14th, i really had planned to read and review this before release date but life got in the way :(

Before i begin im just going to point out that i dont read contemporary, i dont like contemporary and i havent reviewed a contemporary here in a really long time. Having said that- this was bloody fantastic!

This book follows the story of Alex who is the first son of the USA, his mum is president and Henry who is the prince of England. They fall in love (in short) and its beautiful and exactly what i needed to read without knowing it. Alex is involved in politics and is a bit of a loner, he hangs out with his sister June and the VP's granddaughter Nora, he dreams of getting involved in politics and following in his mothers footsteps. He is mixed race and his parents are divorced so he comes from a blended family which seems so unlikely in 2019 that this would happen in America but it NEEDS to (especially a female president)! Henry is the grandson of the queen, his dad was a movie star and passed away when Henry was younger, his mum isnt overly involved as she is swallowed by her grief. Henry is close with his younger sister Bea but not so much his older brother Philip.

Alex really dislikes Henry and after a PR disaster it is agreed in the interest of both nations that they appear to be friends at events and on social media, as they are pushed together they begin to realise that they do have feelings for each other. Henry has always known that he is gay but struggles with what that means in terms of the monarchy and him not fulfilling his duties. Alex has always believed he was straight until he starts reflecting on past events that lead him to the realisation that he is bisexual.

What i enjoyed most about this book is that its not one of those tropey annoying reads that they meet, fall in love, break up and then ultimately get back together as those stories have been done time and time again! This was fresh and interesting, a new take on what it means to be in a same sex relationship whilst being in a power position. The topics discussed were so important, the role the tabloids play in these peoples lives and social media and how harmful it can be but also the pure side of two people being so utterly obsessed with each other whilst not only being long distance but it also being forbidden. Gahhhh it was just everything.

i am in absolute awe that this is a debut novel, it reads so refined and it really well put together. Typically this isnt a book i would enjoy, i dont enjoy romance or anything about royalty, i dont like 'fake friendships or relationships' but i LOVED this! It made me laugh constantly, made me angry and weepy. Honestly it was a rollercoaster of emotions but ultimately so so good.

My only issues with this were that some characters were a bit flat. I like a strong friendship group in a book but this was mainly focused on Alex & Henry. The development of their relationship wasnt as slow burn for me, it wasnt insta love either somewhere in between but i think i would have liked it to take a bit longer. The transition from enemies to lovers was so so fast for me.

Red, White, and Royal Blue has a very interesting and intriguing settings. A first son and a royal prince together? It was a no-brainer decision to read this book.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I found myself not being able to put the book down. Casey McQuiston managed to catch our attention right from the first page of the book. Let’s start with the characters. Both Alex and Henry are witty and intelligent. This was very apparent in their conversations and email exchange they had throughout the book. Both characters are well-rounded, but doesn’t mean they don’t have flaws. Alex’s emotions sometimes created more issues than necessary. But Henry’s cool and collected manner is definitely a good match to Alex. There are many hilarious moments in the book as well as intense scenes between Alex and Henry. Yes, the book has it all. SO MANY SWOONY MOMENTS!

Although the main topic in this book is romance, there are much more being discussed in this book. We got to see how Alex actually struggled with his mixed heritage as a high-profile half white, half latino first son. Henry struggled with anxiety and the two of them bonded over the struggle and the heavy weight of carrying on their family legacy. On top of that, I love McQuiston’s in-depth writings about the political side of things. As someone with massive interest in royal families and political figures, nothing makes me happier when the settings are done well in fictional books.

In terms of storyline, it’s pretty predictable but you’ll be surprised by sprinkle of wit and funny moments in the book, especially towards the end. Red, White, and Royal Blue is truly well-written fiction and I wish there were more of these characters!

BOOK REVIEW: RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE BY CASEY MCQUISTON
There are many things I love about Red, White & Royal Blue.

MY FIRST ROMANCE AUDIOBOOK
The audio for Red, White & Royal Blue is utterly fantastic. I’m so grateful for Macmillan Audio to give me the opportunity to be an early listener. For a while now, I’ve wanted to dive into a romance on audio. Ramon de Ocampo is a brilliant narrator. He really brings the characters of Red, White & Royal Blue to life. It’s safe to say, this is one of the most enjoyable audiobooks I’ve listened to in recent history. The audio makes the love story so much more enjoyable. I looked forward to waking up in the morning and continuing the story.

MY FIRST MALE / MALE ROMANCE
First, I had no idea this was a male/male romance. I’m still fairly new to the romance game. While I’ve wanted to read a m/m romance for a while, I picked this one up based on the cover alone. Yes, I know. There certainly are two males on the cover, so I must have only glanced at it. No matter, I’m here for it & excited to dive in!

I loved the romance in Red, White & Royal Blue. The enemies to lovers aspect, the forbidden love, the poetry, the cover-up. I have so many romantic comedy vibes, I’m really hoping this one makes it to the big screen soon.

DREAMING OF A BLUE TEXAS
Politics are a large part of this novel. I’ve seen some reviews saying the book felt a little long to them. But, as someone who watches MSNBC on the regular, attends political rallies & thoroughly enjoys politics, I loved it. I was stoked to find one of the main characters, Alex, is from Texas. He’s not just from Texas, but he’s from Travis County, Texas. Same as me. Instantly, I felt a big connection to this story. I love all the Texas tidbits thrown into the novel. It makes it all the more special to me.

I only wish this story is true. I’m hopeful one day it will be. President Claremont sounds like a respectable, strong & responsible leader. Our first female President & she’s from Texas? Claremont is someone we can really stand behind. It made me want to read Charlotte Walsh again.

THE VERDICT
I am Really Into This book. The romance is sweet & sultry but not too steamy. For me, the political element is a ton of fun & the narration is stellar.

Special thanks to Casey McQuiston, Macmillan Audio & St. Martin’s Press for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

A new favorite romance and new favorite of all time, probably. I tried so hard to read this slowly because I didn’t want it to be over! Alex is the son of the first female president, Henry is the prince of England. They hate each other, and when a political plan forces them to be friends, they quickly fall into something much more. I loved every moment of this book, the primary love story of course, was the MOST adorable thing, but also every side character was so well developed, you will love them all too. I could read one million sequels to this book.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

It’s always indescribably difficult to sit down and attempt to write a review for a book that you know, immediately upon finishing, will almost certainly land at the top of your list of favorite books of the year; a book you realize, furthermore, has absolutely earned a spot on your “forever favorites” shelf on Goodreads. But here I am, reviewing this gem of a book that now owns a piece of my heart. Red, White & Royal Blue is the sweet, smart, fresh, current New Adult book I’ve been dreaming about for years. And it’s a DEBUT (honestly? probably the best one I’ve ever read).

Red, White & Royal Blue is told from the perspective of one Alexander Claremont-Diaz, the First Son of the United States. His mother, President Ellen Claremont, is the nation’s first female President, elected post-Obama– oh, and did I mention she’s a Democrat from Texas? *cries in red state Dem* This book is set in 2019 and 2020, so the story chronicles the characters’ lives during the period when President Claremont is running for reelection. RWRB is told in third-person present tense, which normally gives me pause, but the narration is so engaging and the way Alex interacts with the world so relatable that I adjusted easily to the present-tense narration.

After Alex and his self-declared rival, Prince Henry of Wales, get into an altercation at a royal wedding that turns into a PR nightmare for both sides, the two are forced to fake a bromance for the press as damage control… and, of course, love and banter and lots of excellent sexy scenes ensue. Both men have to juggle their growing feelings for one another while walking the tightrope of life under intense media scrutiny, and, in Alex’s case, discovering that he’s maybe not as straight as he’s always believed.

I’ve read a lot of books with excellent bi rep, but Alex’s bisexuality is perhaps the one that feels most true to my own (I believe the author also IDs as bisexual). Like Alex, I didn’t realize I was queer until my early twenties, and it hit me like a ton of bricks once I unpacked all of the societal norms and internalized feelings that prevented me from seeing this about myself all along. The bisexual representation in RWRB alone is enough to make me hold this book close to my heart forever, and I can’t thank Casey McQuiston enough for somehow putting this experience into words. Alex is also biracial: half white, and half Mexican. This is discussed often, because Alex and his sister, June, face a unique brand of public scrutiny as the brown children of a white President. You can be the child of the most powerful person in the world, and not even that can protect you from both overt and covert racism. Really, I saw so much of myself in Alex and the way he engages with the world around him. Like Alex, I’m a person who often comes off as too much, too loud, too opinionated, too aggressive, which is often just a product of his brain firing at all cylinders, all the time (Casey McQuiston has actually confirmed that he has undiagnosed ADHD). Also, this book is laugh-out-loud funny on all levels, but Alex’s internal monologue is what had me losing it the most. He’s always ready with a witty one-liner, whether he says it out loud or just thinks it.

This brings us to Henry George Edward James Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor: actual prince charming, hufflepuff cinnamon roll, writer of love poetry in email form, and closeted gay royal who bursts into Alex’s life and heart like the Kool-Aid Man. Not only is Henry able to charm the pants (literally) off Alex and (figuratively) off the reader, but his earnestness is the perfect counter to Alex’s acerbic wit. These two dumb idiots balance each other so perfectly. While, yes, obviously there is incredible sexual chemistry between these two, I loved their emotional connection even more. They are able to work through some very real things together– Henry’s lingering grief over his father’s death and the pressure he feels to be the perfect royal his family wants him to be, Alex’s need to just chill the fuck out and slow down sometimes– and that’s exactly what our best romantic relationships do for us. They make us into better people and allow us to grow as individuals as well as as a unit.

While we’re on the subject of characters, I have to mention the incredible cast of side characters (I hesitate to even call them side characters, because this is just as much their story as Alex’s and Henry’s, in so many ways) that brought Red, White & Royal Blue to life for me. The White House Trio and, later, the Super Six, immediately skyrocketed to the top of my favorite literary friend groups. There’s June Claremont-Diaz, Alex’s polished, protective, aspiring-journalist older sister who is exactly the kind of Southern lady I gravitate toward and aspire to be. Then we have Nora Holleran, granddaughter of the VP and the third member of the White House Trio: data genius, religious Drag Race watcher, Alex’s fellow disaster bi, and IRL chaos demon. We have Henry’s older sister Bea, recovering addict, defender of gay royal siblings, and exactly the kind of cool princess who could have been a rock star in another life. Finally, there’s Percy “Pez” Okonjo, Henry’s best friend, millionaire philanthropist, life of the party, and fashion icon. The friendships and sibling relationships felt intensely real and true-to-life. Everyone knows a Pez, a Nora, a June, a Bea. All of the side characters enrich the lives of the MCs, but they also have their own internal motivations; they aren’t simply props or plot devices. The author struck the perfect balance of presenting a cast of characters who lead glamorous lives and get opportunities most of us can only dream of, but who still feel very human and relatable– to use a political cliche, the type of people you could grab a beer with. And I can’t tell you, as a 23-year-old, how refreshing it was to read about a group of friends navigating the limbo that is post-college life together, even if it was a very swanky version of post-grad life. (Also, let me make something crystal clear: I would date and/or die for Nora Holleran.)

The family dynamics were also a highlight. Even though Alex’s parents are both politicians, they always, always put their children first every time, even if it’s to the detriment of their political standing. This meant to much to me. Ellen Claremont is the badass Texas mom who you trust to get! the! job! done!, whether “the job” is solving an international crisis or disciplining her rowdy children. (And as someone who was raised by a Texan mom from Austin? I lived for it.) A PowerPoint queen and a force to be reckoned with, truly. I also really appreciated the depiction of divorce here, as it’s something I don’t often see done well in books. Both of Alex’s parents have their flaws, and they’re not best friends, but they do have their children’s best interests at heart, always.

Another huge strength of this book is the dialogue, both written and verbal. So much of Henry and Alex’s romance occurs through emails and texts, and hell if their email correspondence wasn’t just as swoony as their IRL interactions with one another. Also, Casey McQuiston excels at writing the way actual 20-somethings communicate through online conversations and texts. Mostly, she has mastered the art of capturing the group message, in all its chaos, on the page. Both the online dialogue and the in-person dialogue had me CACKLING aloud (I was sitting on my couch reading this on my day off, and my roommate texted me to ask if I was okay because I could not stop laughing at one point and she could hear me dying all the way from her room). This is one of the goddamn funniest books I have ever read in my life. Most importantly, the banter and the witty one-liners, in addition to being hilarious, felt organic and natural to the characters. The dialogue never feels forcibly quirky or like it’s trying too hard, which is a huge testament to Casey McQuiston’s strengths as a writer.

Now we arrive at the thing about Red, White & Royal Blue that perhaps played the biggest factor in why I loved it: the politics. Anyone who knows me knows that I am… a huge political nerd. I’m constantly looking at polling, I listen to political podcasts religiously, I spend hours of my life volunteering on campaigns during election season. Being engaged in politics has always brought me a sense of enthusiasm and purpose, but ever since 2016, that enthusiasm politics used to bring me has waned significantly (as I’m sure it has for a lot of folks). Red, White & Royal Blue was EXACTLY what I needed to read going into 2020. I plan to bottle the feeling of hope this book gave me and sip from it as necessary for the next 18 months leading up to the general election. As my dear friend Melanie put it in her review, “this book made me simultaneously believe in love and believe in America.” This story presents America as it is, flaws and ugliness and all, but it approaches America with a sense of cautious optimism. It presents the version of America, and the version of the South, that I hold in my deepest heart of hearts. As a Democrat in a deeply red state, who, like Alex, has never and will never give up on my state and the people in it, no matter the doomsday predictions from people outside the state… let’s just say the ending had me crying an endless stream of happy, emotional tears. Having the President in this alternate reality be a woman Democrat from Texas meant so much to me. This book is, in so many ways, a love letter to red state liberals who are trying to make people’s lives better, even when others don’t often recognize their efforts. Upon flipping the last page of this book, I wanted to immediately start volunteering on a 2020 campaign. The best books allow us to escape for a few hours and imagine a better world, and reading Red, White & Royal Blue brought me both escapism and catharsis.

Overall, if you haven’t already deduced this from my review, Red, White & Royal Blue captured my heart from the first page and never let it go. I laughed, I cried, I swooned, and I fell head-over-heels for every character in this book. It’s a story that feels incredibly timely and current, but that I think will also endure the test of time. I see myself returning to it often in the future when I need a little hope and sunshine. I can’t recommend it highly enough– if you haven’t already, you can preorder it here! This story was a joy to read from start to finish, and I plan to support Casey McQuiston and their queer romances forever and ever, amen.

What a delightfully fresh, warm, and romantic book that fills you to the brim with fizzy delight! I absolutely adored reading this love story. Highly recommended!