Terrific, romantic, surprisingly emotional rom-com love story, filled with politics, scandal, and swoon-worthy first love.

I loved this book so much! Once I started reading, I couldn't stop. This was the political queer parallel I didn't know I needed in so many ways. RW&RB is so well written and there's so much diversity! This novel breaks the political ground in so many ways with a female president, a biracial First Family, cultural accuracy, and international relations. My only issue was the format of text messaging in the book. This might just be due to my copy being digital, but I found it difficult to tell who the speaker was for each text message because there was no clear distinction.

It's often exhausting to live in contemporary America—and not, generally, the fulfilling kind of exhausting, either. We spend our days at bullshit jobs (she writes, affectionately) making less money than we need in order to get out of debt, contributing to crowdfunding campaigns to pay our friends and colleagues' medical bills, and then we go home and consume stories about how dark an imagined past was or an imagined future will be, pretending the story we're consuming isn't actually about the dystopian world we're currently living in.

I don't think the world is without hope, joy, community, or love—far from it—but I do think nihilism, violence, social isolation, and the abuse of power tend to be the realities of our modern world that are most often reflected back at us through popular culture.

Grimdark storytelling is way overrepresented in our pop culture to the exclusion and deprioritization of other, kinder aspects of contemporary life. It actively affects how hopeful we are about our current world and our potential futures, which actively affects how motivated (or not) we are to engage with working towards that future. That's why it's so worth celebrating when pop culture puts something softer in our paths...

Red, White, and Royal Blue is a queer romance novel about the relationship between the U.S.'s First Son and the Prince of England, set in a fictional alternate universe where the president is a divorced-mom Texan Democrat elected in the 2016 Presidential Election. (Can you imagine? Within the pages of this book, you don't have to.) It is emotionally-engaging, politically-soothing, and a whole lot of fun.

Our protagonist is Alex Claremont-Diaz, the brilliant half-Mexican son of his mom the President, who is up for re-election. Unlike his sister, Alex has always seen his politically successful family as a fortunate stepping stone to his own ambitions: namely, his own career in politics, through which he hopes to make the country and world a more just, inclusive place. #goals

The other main character in Red, White, and Royal Blue is Henry, the seemingly stuffy, unfeeling Prince of England. Alex has hated Henry since he met him a few years prior at the Olympics (as you do), but, when the tension between the two causes a PR problem during a royal wedding, they are forced to pretend to be best friends for the 'gram.

This isn't a straight-forward "coming out" story (if that even exists). While Alex is initially surprised by his bisexuality, he doesn't freak out (much) about his attraction to men. He's never afraid that his family will disown him, so much as he is worried how the public knowledge would affect his mother's chances at re-election. As she is running against a bigot with a cornucopia of abuses of power in his history, the stakes are quite high.

Much of the angst Alex has surrounding this development in the understanding of his own sexuality is about the identity of the man in question—a person he kinda, sorta thought he hated until five minutes ago—rather than that man's, um, manhood.

The relatively quick progression of Alex and Henry's physical relationship is perhaps one of the most notable differences in telling this story about twenty-something adults for the new adult field rather than about teenagers under the YA book umbrella, the latter of which is often where queer romances tend to be most frequently championed.

Alex and Henry are two characters who are much more comfortable in their sexuality, generally, compared to teen characters. While neither character has expansive relationship experience, in no small part due to the added pressure and scrutiny that comes from their fame, they both have a fair amount of dating (in Alex's case) and sexual experience (in both of their cases).

When Alex and Henry first admit their attraction to one another, there is very little waffling in terms of their sexual relationship. It gets steamy and, as they spent more time together, finding time for clandestine hookups on both sides of the Atlantic, Alex realized that it's quite possible he has been misreading his intense feelings towards Henry for a long time. (Spoiler alert: he has been.)

In fanfic slang, if you speak that language, this is the Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Royalty, Fake/Pretend Relationship-ish AU with notes of Families of Choice and depictions of Anxiety that you've been waiting for. It pairs well with Netflix's Knock Down the House documentary, the wonderfully soft hockey bros comic Check, Please, Mackenzi Lee's The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, and Frank Turner—or all four! Make it a month of hopeful media. I dare you.

This book made me cry—not because of the excellent, well-written romance at its center (which is both fun and emotionally rewarding), but because it imagines a world in which Trump was never elected, a world in which powerful men who have grown up in power respect and love women, a world in which America's soul is challenged and found whole.

The world of Red, White, and Royal Blue, as touched upon in the book's excellent author's note, is not a perfect one—"still believably fucked up, just a little better, a little more optimistic." When McQuiston began writing the book in 2016, she said it was meant to be "a tongue-in-cheek parallel universe," but, as our sociopolitical cycle progressed, it became an "escapist, trauma-soothing, alternate-but-realistic reality." Oof.

It's hard to truly understand the ways in which most mainstream storytelling is not made for you until you find a story that feels like it is made for you. Red, White, and Royal Blue references Jane Austen, quotes Alexander Hamilton's love letters to Eliza and John Laurens, and obviously thinks Doctor Who is cool. It is a millennially-minded West Wing meets Jane Austen meets the Hallmark Channel meets something much more diverse than anything that has ever aired on the Hallmark Channel.

Most of all, Red, White, and Royal Blue is incredibly hopeful and empathetic, which is a perspective I am actively trying to hold on to in a world that seems to always be finding new, terrible ways to try to steal it from me. Reading this queer romance political AU felt a bit like coming home: a safe, familiar, cozy place to rest my head for a while. Red, White, and Royal Blue doesn't ignore some of the very scary realities of living in our world right now, but it hopes with everything it has nonetheless.

Sometimes, it can feel like we punish ourselves with the pop culture we make and consume, as if engaging with fun, hopeful, or kind storytelling is an irresponsible luxury we can't afford rather than a practice that makes us better equipped for dealing with life's complex, devastating, sustained challenges.

Yes, seeing the ways in which things are bad can be a helpful tool for both conversation and action, especially when grimdark storytelling has something important and specific to say, but it can also often make us feel like we are doing something when we are not—as if watching The Handmaid's Tale is the same thing as taking place in direct actions against institutional misogyny or actively supporting and believing the women in your life. As if watching consuming the "right" media makes us more moral.

I don't need fictional reminders of the ways in which our society is failing; it's all too clear in the world around me. What I do need from stories is hope that there are futures that look different from the grimmest parts of our present extrapolated out into various flavors of apocalypse. I need stories that hope engaging with real-world problems can make a difference, and call that hope something other than naive.

I need stories that fill me up with something other than anger, fear, and desperation, that offer possible solutions or at least sources of comfort in the face of solution-less problems rather than simply pointing out the harsh realities and stopping there, as if there is more skill involved in screaming your pain into the darkness than there is in finding love, healing, and empathy in spite of that pain.

"What I hoped to do, and what I hope I have done with this book by the time you've finished it, my dear reader, [is] to be the spark of joy and hope you needed," McQuiston writes in her author's note. Mission so very much accomplished, Casey McQuiston.

"Should I tell you that when we're apart, your body comes back to me in dreams? That when I sleep, I see you, the dip of your wiast, the freckle above your hip, and when I wake you up in the morning, it feels like I've just been with you, the phantom touch of your hand on the back of my neck fresh and not imagined? That I can feel your skin against mine, and it makes every bone in my body ache? That, for a few moments, I can hold my breath and be back there with you, in a dream, in a thousand rooms, nowhere at all?"

Just rereading this quote makes me want to swoon, smile until my cheeks break and die because my heart exploded with too much love, all at once.

It's been almost two months since I finished this book - since I got an ARC for it, which was one of the happiest moments of my year at the very least (eternally grateful to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity!) - and I've been dreading the moment I would have to sit down and write a review.

How do you translate giddiness into words? How do you explain, in a manner that other people would understand, warmth spreading through your insides, starting at the pit of your stomach and climbing into your cheeks, a sense of happiness so bright and truthful that for a moment, for the single moment you're reading a book, you actually forget about things that were making you feel bad?

There are people who hone the kind of ability to do that for years. Alas, I am not one of them. All I can do is try.

You've probably heard of this book by now. It's been hyped to the moon and back. And it deserves every single word that sang its praises.

The story of love flowering between the U.S.'s first son and the prince of England might make you go, "Why has no one thought of this before?". There probably has been some fanfiction written about it, I'd think. But I'm so thankful that the one person who got to pull this concept off was Casey McQuiston.

Because the truth is, what makes this book are its characters, both the main ones and their cohort of friends and family. There's something to be said about finishing a book and longing for its characters the way you'd long for a childhood friend who's lost touch; someone who's been with you for years and who knew you inside and out, and vice-versa. I am someone who values character building and dimensional relationships above all else in a book, and as such, whenever I find one of such gems, I keep them close to heart.

I could try to go on and do my best to wax poetic, but I don't want to be repetitive. This book's birthday was yesterday and you've probably been seeing reviews flock here and there recommending it to any and everyone. What I can and will do here is be supportive of those people: yes, you should read it. Yes, you should jump on the hype bandwagon.

Trust me in one thing: you will not regret it.

First: look at that cute cover; isn’t it adorable!! As for the story, it’s an irresistible romcom between offspring of two powerful family that had me captivated from start to end! RED, WHITE, & ROYAL BLUE pretty much indulged readers’ (as in ME) imagination on love story between ginger-haired English prince and an out, proud, political-aspire first son of America, by deftly taping into modern way of networking, communication, and - of course - social media. While we often read/watched stories US president as black or woman, McQuiston upped the ante by presenting people from mixed-race as the first family. Another point on diversity without being in-your-face about it.

Revolving on the life of Alex Claremont-Diaz and Henry of Wales, RED, WHITE, & ROYAL BLUE also chock full of lively episodes, the ups and downs made merrier by assorted supporting characters spanning from likable to dubious. As a newbie to the author’s writings and a non-regular NA reader, it was a bit of a gamble for me picking up this book but boy was it worth it!! Alex, Henry, their friends, and sisters had me on a ride I had so much fun following their escapades. The even pace, slow burn romance, and even slower secret romance between the prince and first son spanned months but flew so fast on page! I smiled, snort-laughed, sniffled, cackled, scorned, and whooped with joy along with them.

Reading this close to my own country’s general election served as eye-opener. I commend the author to employ as much as reality into the story while infusing hope and best-possible outcome to come to play. The conclusion might not be something of a surprise (although still a relief for this reader). But I was thrilled with how the author go about it. For sure after (reading) this book, I’m going to check out McQuiston’s backlist titles and [fingers crossed] relive the joy I found reading the banter, camaraderie and pleasure in RED, WHITE, & ROYAL BLUE.


Copy of this book is given by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow I really enjoyed this book. I actually was surprised how much I liked it. It was fun and up lifting M/M romantic comedy. And I loved the characters so much. It was a really warm and wonderful read. My first book by this author and I am sure it won't be my last. I recommend it for people that are into this genre or even for people who like to experiment with new to them authors and genres. Thank to the publisher and netgalley for the chance to read it.

Alex is the President's son. Henry is the Prince of England. They hate each other. Or do they?

I'd seen a review of this book on twitter where someone was saying it was their book of the year...in February! I had high expectations after reading that but I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did. Once I started, I couldn't put it down! When my alarm is set for 6am, it takes a really good book to keep me up until 1am but this book did just that! I was so engrossed in Alex and Henry's love story that I couldn't stop reading. I cried, I laughed and I was gutted when it was over. This book was pure joy. 5 stars!

This book had so many of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, fake friends for the media, and royal romance! And the best part was that it had so much more as well.

Alex is the first son of the United States and Henry is England’s most eligible prince. After a media disaster for the two young men, their public relations teams suggest the two pretend to be best mates to avoid any further media storm, especially given Alex’s mom is soon up for re-election.

This book has so much heart. You really root not only for Alex and Henry, but for the entire ensemble surrounding them...well except maybe a couple people. The friendship Alex has with his sister and their best friend was the unexpected standout of the novel, and if things hadn’t worked out with the romance, it would have been the best aspect.

I also really enjoyed the political aspect of this. I know this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I found it gave an added depth that sets this book apart from other young adult/new adult romance novels. You become just as invested in Ellen Claremont’s campaign as you are with whether or not Alex and Henry will make it through all the tabloid buzz.

This is such a strong debut novel by Casey McQuiston, with a well-paced plot, organic dialogue, and enough fluff to fill eighty pillows. Heads up that there is quite a lot of sex throughout this novel, so if you aren’t sure that’s your thing, proceed with caution.

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

Henry’s mouth spreads into a slow smile, and Alex kisses it.

I have SO many highlights from this book, it's just that enjoyable! I absolutely loved this sexy, romantic and FUNNY political/royal romance. I went into this one with very low expectations and I can say that I was simply blown away by the fresh and very timely story.

Alex is the son of the female President of the United States. And he his half-Mexican. And gay! His whole life is lived in a bubble with every move and every comment filtered and scrutinized by the world. But his life is not nearly as tightly controlled as Prince Henry of England.

Alex and Henry are compelled to spend time together in a fake friendship for the sake of continued good relations between the US and England. But in a classic enemies-to-lovers trope with a twist, they begin a relationship. Alex at first declares himself to be bisexual while Henry is 100% certain of his feelings towards other men.

"He needs a list. So: Things he knows right now. One. He’s attracted to Henry. Two. He wants to kiss Henry again. Three. He has maybe wanted to kiss Henry for a while. As in, probably this whole time."

The author takes the time to build the characters and their attraction to each other. I really felt the epic connection between Alex and Henry which is SO important to me while reading a romance! When Alex and Henry finally share their first kiss, it is nothing short of epic! I am still swooning.

"Alex makes a mental note to figure out which shadowy gay noble taught Henry all this and send the man a fruit basket. "

There are several excellent supporting characters and also lots of political intrigue. All of the supporting characters are smart and funny. The story feels very modern and while not realistic in some parts, it is a swoony and low angst romance. I enjoyed every word! The dialogue is fast-paced and witty and very funny.

There are some serious themes in the book such as Alex's racial background, right-wing politics and what it means to live your life under the constant glare of the tabloids. But this is a romance after all, and everyone gets their happy ending.

I appreciate the twists in the contemporary romance genre and adored Alex and Henry. Opposites really do attract! There's a lot to love about this book and I highly recommend it. The writing is fresh and vibrant and the story is modern, sexy and heart-warming. Casey McQuiston really delivers with 'Red, White & Royal Blue'!

“You are quite literally Queen Victoria’s worst nightmare.”

“And that’s why you love me.”

Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston is a fun romantic comedy featuring the First Son of the United State and the Prince of Wales, a tabloid leak, and the fallout/ damage control during an election season. I know, it isn't my regular go-to genre, but I thought this sounded like quite a bit of cute fun when I requested it on NetGalley. It mostly delivered for me. I particularly enjoyed getting to know Alex and Henry. the political aspects and real world issues that the story deals with, the dialogue, and Alex's family. I would have liked to have seen a dual perspective with Henry as well, so we could see how things are going in his home country and with his family/ friends directly. Plus, some of the twists weren't exactly original or surprising. Finally, I don't this needed to be anywhere near 432 pages long. If you're looking for an LGBTQ romance with a fun sense of humor and diverse characters, I have a feeling you'll enjoy Casey McQuiston's debut novel.

I truly enjoyed Red, White and Royal Blue. This was a fun and lighthearted read! This book is perfect for me because it has a female president and enemies-to-lovers romance which is my favorite! Any books with royal themes catch my attention immediately but this one was full of heart and emotion which is more than I can say for other light royal reads. Alex and Henry are characters that will stay with me forever. 5/5 stars from me!

Alex Claremont-Diaz is the future of America. Along with his sister, the First Siblings are known in all of the tabloids for being intelligent, driven and incredibly easy on the eyes.

He’s the perfect picture of diplomacy. Unless, of course, Prince Henry of England is involved.

“June, I’m the son of the President of the United States. Prince Henry is a figurehead of the British Empire. You can’t just call him my ‘archnemesis,’” Alex says. He returns to his donut, chewing thoughtfully, and adds, “‘Archnemesis’ implies he’s actually a rival to me on any level and not, you know, a stuck-up product of inbreeding who probably jerks off to photos of himself.”
“Woof.”
“I’m just saying.”

Prince Henry lives a life of responsibility. He’s the face of the Royal Family to the entire world. But what they don’t see is that he leaves a little piece of himself in every hospital and with every child that he visits.

He can remember the very first time he encountered Alex all those years ago and it was then that he knew that he should stay far away.

But now he has no choice after they make a spectacle of epic proportions at a royal wedding. It’s a punishment of the deepest kind.
With each visit and with every late-night text, Alex makes him believe that love can always overcome hate. With him by his side, he’s finally going to find the strength to prove it.

“Here we are,” Bea says when they’ve reached the front row. “These are ours.” Henry looks at the lush green cushions of the seats topped with thick and shiny WIMBLEDON 2020 programs, right at the front edge of the box.
“Front and center?” he says with a note of nervousness. “Really?”
“Yes, Henry, in case you have forgotten, you are a royal and this is the Royal Box.” She waves down to the photographers below, who are already snapping photos of them, before leaning into them and whispering, “Don’t worry, I don’t think they can detect the thick air of horn-town betwixt you two from the lawn.”

Red, White & Royal Blue is so much more than just another Rom Com! Casey McQuiston’s smart and hopeful prose elevates this story to a completely new level of excellence. Her characters shine bright with their witty banter and are not only relatable, but they are also heartbreakingly beautiful in their truth.

This is a world that I would love to live in. I want to know the Claremont-Diaz family and vote for them at the polls. And that is a sure sign of a winner…

Red White and Royal Blue is one of my favorite romances this year. It is the kind of RomCom that hits you in the heart with all the feels. I loved the family dynamics that were so real and relatable.

“Stop telling me what to do! You’re not the prince of me!”

There are so many things I loved about this book!
I loved the storytelling,
The Swoony-ness,
The humor and banter,
The call to Liam,
The PowerPoint from Mom,

“He’s unsure of the dress code for inviting your sworn -enemy -turned -fake -best -friend up to your room to have sex with you, especially when that room is in the White House, and especially when that person is a guy, and especially when that guy is the Prince of England.”

This story is SO GOOD! Enemies to lovers, Forbidden love, a little sex, mostly fade to black. Just fun, flirty, ROMANTIC, and oh so swoony!!!!
-5+ Stars!!-
-Diane-

I put this on my TBR when I saw it on Reads Rainbow’s Enemies to Lovers rec list (PS pls follow their blog, Charlotte and Anna share some wonderful stuff and are always beefing up my to-read list!). I was #BLESSED with a review copy from Netgalley and have spent the last week and a half getting my heart destroyed by this book.

RW&RB is a skillful combination of both the “enemies to lovers” and “fake relationship” tropes, although the fake relationship is a fake friendship rather than fake dating. The main character, Alex, is a bisexual biracial angel who falls in love with the (extremely gay) Prince Henry of Wales after plenty of angst and a lot of drama. I will admit it’s a little instalove-y, if that’s something that bothers you. Luckily it’s not something I mind and I found their relationship so, so precious!

The side characters are equally wonderful and McQuiston does an incredible job of fleshing them out. The two we see the most are Alex’s older sister June and his best-friend-sort-of-ex Nora who is openly queer, although I don’t think she uses any particular label on-page. There are several other queer side characters, including a trans woman and a pansexual character. I love that this book kind of demonstrates how we gays tend to stick together, since I’d say a good 95% of my friends have identified as lgbtqia.

Besides containing a truly unbelievably cute romance, this book explores discovering your sexuality, politics, and mental health. Alex and Henry have very different feelings about their lives in the public eye, and the expectations set upon them as the children of leaders conflict with what they’d prefer to do with themselves. Henry also deals with depression, which is touched on but isn’t the focus of the story.

Overall, I just loved this book more than I can even convey. I cried several times reading it and am positive I’ll return to it in the future. It’s fluffy, it’s steamy, it’s political, and it is quite honestly PERFECT. Casey McQuiston is heading straight to my insta-read author list.

4.75 Stars
Alex Claremont-Diaz’s mother is the first female President. At the age of eighteen, he was out front in the spotlight and his good looks and charismatic personality had the eyes of a nation on him. Now a college senior, the cameras and tabloids follow him wherever he goes and Alex does well holding his own. Except when he is in the presence of Henry, who also goes by the title of the Prince of England. Henry gets under Alex’s skin so much and when an altercation (Alex will tell you it was all a misunderstanding) hits tabloids around the globe, Alex is ordered to make amends to take on damage control and a fake bromance of sorts is arranged.

Henry will tell you that he wants nothing to do with the First Son, but that wouldn’t be the whole truth. Henry just knows what his family will and will not allow and his entire life is about duty and obligation. But spending time with Alex awakens desires that once unleashed cannot be contained, and Alex and Henry fall head first into a secret relationship. But Alex sees beyond Henry’s title and the men offer each other love, as well as a place to feel safe. However, Alex’s mother is up for re-election and Alex and Henry have to decide where they fit into each other’s lives and what they truly want their future to look like.

This book is so many things. It’s fun with witty banter. It’s poignant. It’s intense with longing and sexual discovery. It is having to live up to incredible family expectations while taking a stand and desperately wanting to come down on the right side of history.

Every time I set this book down, I was thinking about it, and so much of this book hinges on Alex. He is a social media dream, but he is also young and flawed in the human sense and we are given immediate and intimate access to him. With his mother the first female president, it follows some of current politics, while offering an alternate reality. However, Alex’s story still remains the focus with the political arena a constant hum at his side without being overwhelming.

Alex is finishing college and wants to get right to work on his mother’s re-election campaign and setting on his own course of being elected to Congress. He has a lot of obligations and his path crosses with Henry, the Prince of England. The guys do not like each other. At least that’s what is on the surface. Henry knows he is gay, but his grandmother, the Queen, has made her feelings on the subject known and when Alex is realizing he is bisexual, his realization becomes a debriefing and a power point presentation.

Henry and Alex become passionate about each other. Their moments are hidden and stolen and when they can’t be together, because an ocean separates them, they write emotional emails to each other with all the hallmarks of first love. The language of the characters is current without trying too hard and they play off each other and complement each other so well. Their interactions range from soft and soothing, to can’t keep their hands off each other, and it’s all perfectly timed.

The book also shows what life in the White House is like for Alex as he is “handled” 100% of the time with no boundaries for personal space and it seemed his handler couldn’t or wouldn’t acknowledge Alex was growing up and was in his early 20s. There are moments that read younger, like a YA novel, but then there are layered moments that show Alex’s depth and Alex’s mother was a refreshing character as she stood behind her children. The secondary characters all add to the story and while they all have a purpose, there are a few loose threads regarding these secondary characters that were not fully tied up at the end that left me wondering.

The romance is strong here with moments to make you swoon and moments to make you laugh and moments to keep you fully entertained. The ending, while hard won, was neat and a maybe a little too easy by the final scene, but what else can be expected as Alex dates “Prince Charming.” Red, White & Royal Blue is an engaging and captivating read that is easy to recommend.

OH MY GOSH! I don’t know what I was expecting when I started to read this but I loved it more than I had anticipated. This was the gradual love story of Henry the Prince of Wales and Alex the United States First Son. I read this book so quickly because I could not put it down. I just kept smiling the whole time I was reading it. I loved the way this book was written, it just made you love with both of the characters as a couple and indivually. I would highly recommend this book if your looking for a sweet, funny romance novel.
Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

America’s First Son finds himself in royal trouble, but this morphs into his own fairytale romance with a true Prince Charming. McQuiston delivered an entertaining and engaging new adult romance set against the first circle of American and International Politics.
Review

Red, White, & Royal Blue is a standalone and starts out as an amusing enemies with big smiles for the cameras, surprising texting friends, and finally to secret lovers as Alex, the First Son with political ambitions of his own, mistakes attraction for supreme annoyance whenever he catches sight of staid Prince Henry. Alex’s impulsive nature lands the pair of them needing to make nice in front of the press or cause strained relations right when his mother’s campaign for a second term is heating up. Slowly he figures out that Henry isn’t like he’d assumed and through texts and phone calls, they are friends. Until Henry ups the ante and Alex’s eyes are forced wide open to the fact that he’s not straight and a certain prince is done waiting for him to get a clue.

It’s been a while since I read a New Adult romance and I’ve not read many stories that the main players are Millennials. Because of this, it took me a bit to get into this one. Old Fogey Me found Alex a bratty know-it all for the longest time. It was when he starts seeing Henry and I could see them balancing each other out as a couple that I could appreciate him more.

The romance is complicated because a gay prince and a first son working out his sexuality and sneaking around with said prince during his mother’s campaign kept the tension up. The romance has a sweet quality as this pair figure themselves out while figuring out love. As they fall hard, I held my breath wondering when and how they would be outted and what the fallout would be. It happened, but I thought it was well done. I was cheering for things to work out like a fairytale ending of course.

The story is all from Alex’s point of view and focuses on him the most, but the way the author told the story, Henry was revealed a bit more with each text and contact. There is a lot of humor in this one- Alex babysitting the turkeys cracked me up and Alex with his sister and the VP’s granddaughter were fun. But, there is a lot of political ideology from Alex and the others and the behind the scenes of a presidential family and campaign work. It was all really interesting and was as strong an element as the romance. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the romance is only one of the elements of the story thought, yes, it is a big one and much swooning can be had.

All in all, it was humorous, but also engaging. I’m not usually one for New Adult, but I loved how this one was written and the characters and romance were portrayed. I can definitely recommend it to those who want a solid NA M/M Romantic Comedy.

I rec’d this book from Net Galley to read in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5

Honestly, on the scale of romance books this was not that bad. The characters and the banter between Alex and some of the other characters had me actually chuckling out loud sometimes.

The story line and character growth was brilliant but at times I wished there was a bit more. Honestly, my biggest disappointment was that I expected this book to be a duel narrative story. I found myself wishing to know more about some of the characters that we missed just following Alex. We tended to be told more than shown their feelings and interactions and that left me a bit let down.

Despite my shortcomings, I really did enjoy this book and think that anyone that is looking for an interesting love story.

YAY FOR THIS BOOK! This book has it all - politics, scandal, and most of all, a beautiful love story between the First Son of the United States (his mom is the president) and the Prince of England.

I have never read an LGBTQ+ love story and I regret that choice immensely and I'm so glad I changed that with this book. It warmed my soul, made me laugh, cry and get chill bumps in the final chapters. I just... I want this to be the real America - so warm, welcoming, diverse and a freaking badass woman president who still has the same challenges of a mom!

~4.5 Stars ~

Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue is one of the most hyped books so far this year, and, overall, I feel that hype is earned; though it appears my experience with it was a bit more moderate than many other readers. Writing a book that so closely toes the line of fictional realism is always going to carry some risks along with it, depending on who’s picking it up and what our expectations are of reading. This novel skirting around and also pointedly addressing the issues of my real-world political dumpster fire was a bit of a buzzkill that, at times, overshadowed my ability to focus on the romance. But, objectively speaking, it is also a tremendously engaging book full of heartfelt moments, and McQuiston’s voice gives vibrancy and life to the characters and their journey: two twenty-somethings who see the future they both want but are not sure if they can achieve. Readers get a front row seat to watch them fight for that future while living life in the public eye and feeling trapped by expectations. Ultimately, their story defines the word Love—the verb. This book is all about actively pursuing a future with the one person in the world who fulfills you in every way.

The enemies-to-lovers romance between the FSOTUS, Alexander Claremont-Diaz, and his royal highness, Prince Henry, encompasses the important qualifiers of the genre—a little happiness, a little heartbreak, a little hope, and a happy ending. Forced into a fake friendship for the preservation of international alliances, Alex and Henry get to know each other beyond what they’ve seen in magazine puff pieces, or has been inferred from incidental contact or observed on the internet. I love the forced proximity trope, and McQuiston’s on-point delivery of it in her debut novel leads readers into what becomes a true friendship and, eventually, a love story rife with difficulties and serious implications. Henry’s duty to crown and country goes back centuries and bears down on and hinders him in a way that Alex cannot begin to absorb, as his commitment to his own family legacy becomes less complicated with the end of his mother’s second term as president; if she wins reelection, that is. I could appreciate and sympathize with the complications this created and, of course, there’s the defining romantic moment when Alex damns the torpedoes and rushes full speed ahead to confess his love for Harry without much thought to what the implications might be for the prince. That moment was a turning point for Harry, for his relationship with Alex, and for his family.

Red, White & Royal Blue earns every last one of its heart-tugs and includes more than a few memorable scenes and quotable lines—there’s absolutely nothing that isn’t romantic about, as Alex says, loving someone on purpose. At its core, this is a modern-day fairy tale complete with its very own Prince Charming: one part fluff, one part romantic comedy, one part angst, and one part political wish fulfillment. The dirty business of politicking offers up a remorseful undercurrent for what might have been outside of this fictional world, and the message that President Ellen Claremont isn’t the president we got but she’s the president we deserve, comes across loud and clear.

The cast of supporting characters in Red, White & Royal Blue is robust and some standouts enriched the story with their presence—one senator in particular, Rafael Luna, and his role in the overall story made me want to read his book, and I would if McQuiston wrote it. Among the presidential staff, aides, and security detail are Alex and Henry’s team of supporters—June, Alex’s sister; Nora, Alex’s ex and bestie; Pez, Henry’s best friend; and Bea, Henry’s sister—whom I liked all-around. They provided a backdrop of normality to all the romantic entanglements and political consequences; though the media/paparazzi not dogging their every step, not salivating and pearl-clutching over the instances where they partied publicly, was, I felt, a noticeable omission. But, that’s where the blending of fictional realism becomes a line between author license and reader nitpicking—not a deal-breaker but it earned more of my focus than it was due. The press was used more deliberately, in another devastating way, though, so they weren’t given a complete pass.

Politics can be a dirty business, which is the pin-in-the-hand-grenade around which Alex and Henry’s relationship revolves, so keep that in mind if any sort of politics in your romance is a hard pass. Their story is a reminder that even wealth and privilege can’t guarantee a life without complications (although access to private planes and spontaneous overseas trips are a plus). It’s also a reminder that even a Prince Charming isn’t guaranteed true love; sometimes he has to seize happiness with courage and the conviction of the future he wants, and in that, the fairy tale promise of happily-ever-after is delivered.

This book was a nice diversion for me in spite of some of the things that kept me too firmly grounded in the reality that I rely on reading to help me escape from. In the end, however, Alex and Henry won my heart, always a plus in the win column, as I cheered them on every challenging and angsty step of the way.