a fluffy love story between the first son of the us and the crown prince of england, taking place in an alternate-reality america that i wish were real. desperately, desperately wish. it was light and kind and genuine; casey mcquinston is so good at nailing down what it means to be a twenty-something; messy and uncertain but hopeful and unstoppable. so fun, and i can't wait to see what else mcquinston will give us!

This book had a lot of promise. The characters were engaging, and the plot was unique. I thought the author did an outstanding job of handling the sensitivity of Alex’s realizations balanced with the sense of duty that both Alex and Henry felt to their family situations. The tenderness and romance between the two came through. What I did not like is that the author felt the need to go very political. I mean, I get it, Alex’s mom is the President, so I understand that there needed to be politics involved. However, the demonization and snarkiness regarding the right felt misplaced and took me out of the story. I like to read to escape, and don’t care for “real life” politics to enter. I felt that the journey that Alex and Henry took was strong enough to stand on its own without needing to rely on apparent bias. I would still recommend the book. For additional thoughts, visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a pre-release digital ARC.

Thanks to Partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Casey McQuiston’s Red, White, & Royal Blue in exchange for an honest review. The book releases today(!), May 14th.

“Sometimes, you just jump and hope it’s not a cliff” (loc. 3352).

Casey McQuiston’s Red, White, & Royal Blue is just a delight. It’s an unabashedly bubbly, real, foul-mouthed, sexy romance with a political heart of gold. I. Loved. It.

At the novel’s center is an alternate reality that I, for one, would love to live in. The winner of the 2016 U. S. Presidential election was Ellen Claremont, a blonde, divorced Texan with a second husband and mixed-race kids who is seriously dedicated to liberal causes. Our protagonist is her son, Alex Claremont-Diaz, a college student who is ready to launch his own political career upon graduation. Alex is driven, brilliant, mouthy, and a social icon for the country along with his older sister June and their best friend Nora, the granddaughter of the Vice President. Together, the White House Trio plays with the media, throws amazing parties-that-are-fundraisers, and begins working on Ellen’s reelection campaign.

Everything is going smoothly until the Trio’s attendance at a royal wedding. Alex and his friends travel to England where Alex dreads seeing his nemesis, Prince Henry. Since their first meeting, when Henry asked his staff to get rid of Alex, Alex has loathed Henry, his list of crown-approved hobbies and interests, and his ridiculously good looks. When they face off during the reception for Henry’s brother and his new wife, Alex and Henry cause an international incident. After the pair creates some unfavorable headlines, the two governments craft a plan to convince the world that the two are best friends. That plan goes awry, however, when romance blooms (love it!).

I absolutely adored this novel. McQuiston does a beautiful job building intriguing, realistic, nuanced characters who are relatable, even though they’re in the White House and Buckingham Palace. (Also, somewhat trivially, I loved it because Alex is a perfect fictional descendant of his namesake Alexander Hamilton, with whom I--along with the rest of the world--am obsessed because of the musical.) The romance is the perfect balance of steamy and tender, and the subplots behind the main storyline are thoughtful and brilliant. I picked up my Kindle, not knowing what to expect, and had a hard time putting it down. Please pick up Red, White, & Royal Blue as soon as you can and love it as much as I do.

This book was everything I wanted it to be: funny, witty, romantic, full of drama, riddled with positive representation and hard hitting while still being enjoyable. The characters were tremendous and each had their own underlying storyline and struggles. Featuring representation for LGBT+, Latinex, drug abuse, single mothers, absent parents, loss of a parent, and rejection from family. This book dealt with intense political ties between the USA and UK while still personalizing the relegation shop and juggling a complex “it’s out of our hands” and “enemies to lovers” relationship. I loved this book, it was beautifully written and featured UK monarchy and witty humour, two tropes I adore. I would definitely recommend to everyone. If not for the amazing representation, for the compelling storyline and fast read!!

Holy wow this book is everything. Casey McQuiston — with her debut novel (!) — gives readers exactly what we didn’t know we needed: a rom-com not to be forgotten that’s House of Cards meets Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On.

First Son of the United States Alex Claremont-Diaz (son of the first lady president YAS) is seemingly the ultimate American heartthrob and ladies’ man — until he accidentally causes a large-scale embarrassment for himself and heir to the throne His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales, UK golden boy and real-life Prince Charming (and Alex’s nemesis).

In order to smooth over international relations, Henry and Alex begin a fake friendship for the media, only to fall into an unexpected camaraderie that turns into flirting that turns into a kiss on the White House lawn YAS. What comes next is to be expected: times they are a-changing, but having an openly bisexual son could easily turn voters again Alex’s mom in the upcoming election, and Henry can’t carry on the royal family line if he doesn’t marry a suitable woman to make duchess.

Henry and Alex decide to be in each other’s lives as much as possible on the DL, and their illicit long-distance love affair is swoon-worthy. But two high-profile, international male diplomats falling in love calls for risk and sacrifice, and Alex’s mother’s political enemies may see an opportunity to exploit the pair…

With loads of excitement, suspense, laughs, betrayals, and ~romance~, McQuiston proves herself a force to be reckoned with on the YA stage. She made me laugh and cry, and her political narrative gives readers hope for a future where a woman like Ellen Claremont can run for president — and win.

FSOTUS Alex and HRH Prince Henry are #couplegoals, and I can’t wait to see what McQuiston offers us next. Red, White & Royal Blue is a must-read for fans of YA, romance, and political suspense. Five stars YAAS.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

oh my god what do I say about this book other than SQUEEEEE. I laughed, I cried, I squeed, but mostly my heart grew and my hope grew and I felt more human than I have in a long time.

McQuiston has written a funny, intelligent, beautiful book about what it means to love and to be true to yourself. I loved how literary it was, and how political, without either of those beings bashed in our faces. (I'm all for politics being bashed in people's faces, but it's a credit to McQuiston's writing how natural that felt.) In many ways, this is a simple story of falling in love and the enormous omg-what-is-happening-in-my-heart-stomach moments that accompany it. It's also an ode to queerness: the normality of loving who you love accompanied by the fearlessness of queer love in a world that says "no" on a daily basis.

I can write paragraphs on paragraphs on how much I loved this story, and how much I loved Alex and Henry and their families and friends. But my words are still a mash of GAH and YES and MORE. So excuse me while I dive back into McQuiston's world of female presidents, latinx first sons, and gay princes.

This book was one of the funniest I’ve read in a long time. I really liked the relationship between Alex and Henry, especially how they started as friends and built into romance. The White House trio are my favorite friend group in my recent reading history. Pretty much loved everything about this book, except for the point of view writing style. It was hard for me to get into the character’s minds. I would also have liked to hear Henry’s POV more clearly.

I have read 56 books so far this year. This is by far my favourite, and has cemented itself in my list of all time bests. Categorizing this book as a romance novel is selling it short. It is so much more. It is hard to believe that this is a debut novel, because it is so masterfully written and McQuiston has such a firm knowledge of her characters and the world she has created. I laughed, I teared up, swooned and cheered for the whole cast of characters.

On a personal note, I would like to be a combination of Zahra and Nora when I grow up.

Thank you to St Martins for allowing me early access to this novel, even though I totally forgot I was approved and bought a physical copy because I was so excited to read it.

fucking incredible. dialogue, A plus. characters, A plus. Likability of everything, A plus. I seriously am SHOCKED this is a debut. I need more from Casey and I need it now. I don't even care about the royal family but I am INVESTED in anything about this world now.

Red, White & Royal Blue is a love story between Alex, the President of the United States and Henry, the grandchild of the Queen of England. Although their first introductions were anything but cordial, and could have even been considered antagonistic, when pictures of them in what looks to be a physical fight come to light, both countries public relations departments intervene and push them both into situations to make them look as if they are best friends.

Soon, they do become more than friends and begin a secret relationship which if found out could destroy the relationships of both countries. And Alex's mother is up for reelection against and very conservative opponent.

This was a very cute, funny romantic story, and how both Alex and Henry and their families learn lessons of love and trust and what is most important.

Thank for #NetGalley #St. Martin's Press #Red, White & Royal Blue #Casey Quiston for the advanced copy. The book will be out May 14.

I'm not going to get into the synopsis as that is in the publisher's blurb. This was a fun and unexpected romance with a background of international politics. Don't worry, in this exhausting political climate, the presence of the White House did not distract from a lovely coming of age story about first love. Alex was a great protagonist who had me rooting for his HEA.

I really enjoyed this and cannot wait to read more by this author.

Red, White & Royal Blue
by Casey McQuiston

Paperback, 432 pages
Expected publication: May 14th 2019 by St. Martin's Griffin


Goodreads synopsis:
A big-hearted romantic comedy in which First Son Alex falls in love with Prince Henry of Wales after an incident of international proportions forces them to pretend to be best friends...

First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations.

The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince. Alex is busy enough handling his mother’s bloodthirsty opponents and his own political ambitions without an uptight royal slowing him down. But beneath Henry’s Prince Charming veneer, there’s a soft-hearted eccentric with a dry sense of humor and more than one ghost haunting him. 

As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. And Henry throws everything into question for Alex, an impulsive, charming guy who thought he knew everything: What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?

***

5 Stars

This is a debut book by Casey McQuiston. And it is a GREAT one!

I am not the normal audience for such a book. But I do like a good love story and that is exactly what is contained in these pages. You root for Alex as he tries to figure out he is bi -sexual and what that means for him since he is the son of a sitting president, the first female president.

I love how the alternate version of Harry, Prince of Wales is portrayed. It is so convincing. You really can get into his head and see how hard it is to be gay and a man in line for the throne of England. Like I said, this is an alternate universe version of Harry. His brother in this book is named Philip and mother, Catherine. When I started reading this I was so in the mindset of: how did they get permission to print this?

This was a sweet love story. It was sometimes hard to read. You get choked up A LOT. And when it all got outed you wondered how it would ever be made right again. This book was UN-PUT-DOWN-ABLE. It is an awesome book for the spring and summer. And if you are a girl that likes girls or a boy that likes boys, you will love this. I am straight myself and I loved this book. Everyone will fall in love with Harry and Alex no matter what your sexual orientation .

This is one of my favorite books of the year so far. I hope there is a follow up because I’m so totally in. HISTORY Huh? New catchphrase and hashtag of the year.

Read this. You won’t be disappointed.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

This is one of my new favorite books. I'm in love. The characters were incredibly compelling. There was fantastic bisexual representation which is so rare to see. The way they spoke about grief was so profound and accurate as well. I saw that her author profile says she enjoys writing escapist fiction and this is absolutely that. When I found out this is the only book she's published, I was obviously upset.

Some of my notes from while I was reading it are:
"I am thoroughly obsessed with this book."
"I find myself ready to cry over how deeply connected I feel to these characters and their current plight."
"This is breaking my heart."
"She clearly understands grief. Not just understands it, but really profoundly understands it and can explain it. I’m going to be referring to this book and this passage so much going forward."
"It’s really hard reading this coming up on the anniversary of my dad’s death, but it’s so comforting that someone truly gets it.
This book can and will and should be a refuge for grieving teens, queer and questioning teens, anyone feeling deeply and like they have to hide who they are."
"This is one of my new favorite books."
"Wow. That speech had tears in my eyes."
"I’m not ready for this to be over."
"I don’t even know how to write a review for a book this good. I can’t believe it’s over. I’m not ready. This is too amazing."

Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue is honestly the romance book I didn’t know I needed in my life until I started reading it. I was looking for a light, fluffy, and fun read when I requested this one and it was exactly what I was hoping for. When I started reading, I realized Red, White & Royal Blue pretty much has all my favorite things all rolled into one story. There’s a generous helping of enemies to friends to lovers, fake relationships, and sassy but supportive friends and family, with a side of politics and royals thrown in for good measure. It was truly the perfect recipe for a book that I devoured in just over a day.

I absolutely loved the premise of having Alex Claremont-Diaz, the First Son of the United States, fall in love with Prince Henry of Wales. It just immediately opened the door for so many entertaining possibilities, from the romance itself, to the media frenzy it was sure to generate, and to the potential political fallout it could create on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. The premise was made even better by the fact that both Alex and Henry were just the two most precious young men on the planet. Alex is hilarious, while Henry is soft, but put them together and their banter is full of wit and snark, and just flat out adorable. I felt like I was either smiling or laughing out loud every time the two of them would text or call each other. The sexual tension between them is also off the charts, even when they’re trying to hate on each other.

There’s also a more serious side to the story as Alex is still figuring out his sexual identity to a degree and as he and Henry worry about what they’re coming out as gay would mean for their families from a political standpoint. A subplot of the story has Alex’s mother as the first female President of the United States (Can I live in this alternate reality please?!) and she’s up for reelection this year, while Henry is next in line to take the throne and rule his country. I liked having these very relevant social and political issues meshed in with the light, fluffy fun.

Lastly, I want to give a shout out to Alex’s sister, June, and his best friend, Nora. These smart, savvy, hilarious ladies at times really stole the show with all the ways they helped try to facilitate the relationship between Alex and Henry. They were everything I’d want in a sibling and best friend, and if the author wanted to write more books featuring them, I’d totally read them. (Hint, hint.)

If you’re looking for a fun and flirty read with a side of political drama, be sure to check out Red, White & Royal Blue. 4.5 STARS

I had heard amazing things about this story. I am all about the fluff and I couldn’t resist the idea of a cute and fluffy boy/boy love story.

I liked Alex and Henry. I loved their loyalty to each other and the pride in their countries. I especially loved the siblings and friendships. I absolutely want to hang out with the super six.

Plot wise, I will say I struggled a bit. It took me 5 days to read this and that’s basically unheard of. No matter how much I was enjoying it, I never got captivated. At times, the plot felt repetitive and it was easy to set down. Once the conflict happened, I was all in and the last 1/3 or so of the book had me screaming and cheering and I couldn’t get enough.

Overall, it is a book of pure fluff. It’s also amazingly hopeful and an interesting commentary on politics.

**Huge thanks to St. Martin’s Griffin for providing the arc free of charge**

Red, White & Royal Blue is a delightfully witty, charming, and exquisitely written forbidden enemies to lovers debut novel.

Alex, the First Son of the United States, and Henry, a Prince of England, are forced to fake a friendship after an incident at a royal wedding leaves both sides in damage control mode. But soon that fake friendship starts to feel real and romance blossoms between them.

This is, without a doubt, one of the best written books I have read. The characters were charismatic and lovable, the plot was unique and captivating, and the banter was brilliant.

"Red, White and Royal Blue" was an absolute delight! Huge thanks to NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am glad to not only give this story an enthusiastic review, but I also plan on buying myself a physical copy of this book and at least one additional copy to give to a friend. This book is definitely not YA. I want to mention that right away because so many things I'd heard about this book before reading it implied that it was YA or at least not specified. I will tell you there is sex in this book Quite a lot of sex. Talk about sex. Implied sex. The first 40 pages or so I wasn't so sure I'd like this book. It seemed to start a little slow and something about the writing didn't capture me right away. But it didn't take long for me to become fully absorbed in these beautiful characters. Ok so the plot is somewhat implausible....the son of the first female president of the United States falls for his frenemy, the Price of England...the spare to the heir. And yes, perhaps the story is a little crazy, but this world we live in is crazy too and it the characters are so warm and human you can't help but root for them to make it. So obviously a gay love connection with two huge figureheads can cause quite the scandal, especially when Alex's mom is campaigning for re-election. The monarchy of England is all about 'make those royal babies' and would not look well on Prince Henry's orientation. So most of the book is about their secret meetings and love letter emails and texts. The two hate each other at firsts so if enemies to lovers if your thing, you will likely adore this story. This is a fast paced book once you get past the first couple of chapters. There is just enough political intrigue to keep you guessing on what is really happening on the campaign for the White House, or what is happening behind the doors of the Castle. I can't recommend this story highly enough.

Oh my goodness, I don’t know the last time I was so conflicted about a book. There was so much about this book that I wanted to love, some things I did actually love, and a few things I just outright hated.

Let’s start with the good.

I loved both Alex and Henry. I felt like the two of them were well-developed characters. They felt like real people. They had chemistry, they had good banter, and, honestly, they were just adorable. I loved their relationship and I just loved them so, so much.

I loved President Claremont. This book is built around the idea of a female president being elected in 2016 and I can’t say that I really have a problem with that alternate reality. President Claremont is strong, determined, and protective of her children without letting it compromise her presidency. She’s all-around great. I also loved the diversity of her team.

I also thought that the writing was really good! It’s very accessible writing and it’s easy to get lost in this book.

That’s about it for what I loved. Moving on now to things that I was kind of iffy about.

This book is way too long. It’s rare that a contemporary romance needs to be over 300 pages. This is 432. I would argue that a good 100 pages of sex and political strategizing could have been cut out and it wouldn’t have impacted the plot at all. It wasn’t the biggest issue I had, but I think the book would have been more enjoyable if it were shorter, or at least had shorter chapters. I often found myself setting it down because I just didn’t have the time to sit there reading another chapter that my Kindle estimated would take 38 minutes.

The book is cute, but it’s almost too cute. It’s almost like it’s trying to make a point of how cute it is, like look at me, I am an adorable romance between two adorable boys and they keep doing adorable things, isn’t it adorable. There’s nothing inherently wrong with a book like this, but there were times when it got to be too much and I had to set the book aside.

I was okay with the politics in this book because I’m very much in agreement with them, but yikes, if you aren’t… just prepare yourself. I also felt that, for a romance novel, this book focused way too much on the presidential campaign and election. I think I would have liked it more if that had happened in the background rather than being front and center.

And, finally, it’s not one of my book reviews if I don’t rant about something, so here’s what I actually hated.

Nora. I found her incredibly annoying, disrespectful, childish, and rude. At one point, she falls off the face of the earth, not answering calls, not responding to texts, not even answering her door, worrying her friends half to death, and then she just shows back up and it’s not even a thing? She was just busy. In what universe is it acceptable to act like that? She also had no respect for the fact that Alex was in a relationship and it just bothered me.

The sheer amount of sex. But it was weird, because we’d have these really detailed descriptions of Alex and Henry making out, and then just kind of fade to black for the actual sex. Which is fine, I wasn’t expecting to be reading erotica, but it just seemed odd for a new adult book that was otherwise so detailed and contained SO MANY of these sex scenes. I felt like a good third of the book was Alex and Henry finding ways to hook up. Which, again, is fine, and it’s something that’s really common in new adult books, but I still wondered what the point was.

If you’ve read the book… the Five Guys thing. I just could not handle that. I actually rolled my eyes and asked myself if that really just happened when I read it. It was too much.

In the end, I didn’t hate this book, but I definitely didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. I can see why it’s been a big hit, but it just wasn’t what I expected given all the rave reviews I’ve read.

Wow, this book is absolutely incredible. I did not know that I needed it until I was reading it. And I'm so glad I did.

This book follows the first son of the US (in a world where a woman becomes President after Obama) and the Prince of Wales. Alex and Henry start off as enemies but quickly turn to lovers, and watching their love--which needs to remain a secret--unfold was beautiful.

I really enjoyed getting to know both characters, as well as getting a look into their lives in these important positions with the eyes of the whole world on them. Alex is figuring things out, from his sexuality to his future career, while Henry is dealing with grief and hiding his true self from his family.

Aside from the main characters, this book features a whole group of diverse characters. Alex and June, his sister, are Mexican-Americans, Henry is Gay, Alex is bisexual, and there are many other examples of the diversity. The friendships in this book made my heart swell with happiness. June and Nora are Alex's closest friends (until Henry) and the support the three have for each other is immeasurable. Bea and Pez, Henry's sister and best friend, are also such incredibly supportive people, and anyone would be lucky to have them.

The romance was steamy, and the connection Henry and Alex have is like no other.

My one issue with the book was some of the writing felt a little off, and there were weird time jumps where the scene would change randomly in the next paragraph, making it a little difficult to follow. I also didn't like the point of view the book was told in. I much would have preferred first person, because the third person omniscient felt a little awkward to me.

However, I loved the story so so much. It felt very realistic, and it made me feel hopeful for the future.

Some trigger warnings to be aware of: the death of a parent, homophobia/racism, anxiety/depression/panic attacks, sexual assault.

“Straight people, he thinks, probably don’t spend this much time convincing themselves they’re straight.”

🌟 You may have noticed that my rating changed from 4 stars to 3.5 stars! I like the book and it was entertaining but the more I think about it, the more problems I find. Let’s break it down in this review.

🌟 So the book is about The first son , Alexander, and the prince of England, Henry.
As you would expect, they are kind of rivals and this is a haters to lovers kind of book.

More things to know about them: Alexander is bisexual and is the son of the first female president of the USA.
Henry is gay but is closeted because he’s royal family and that is kind of unacceptable.
I don’t want to spoil the story but you have to know that they become friends and then lovers, sounds cool, right?!

🌟 Well, yes it is. I liked that it is New Adult which made the conversations more genuine for guys in this age. There was a strong sexual language, maybe a bit too much for some readers but I didn’t mind it.



“ Here lies Prince Henry of Wales. He died as he lived: avoiding plans and sucking cock. ”

🌟 There were a lot of funny moments, it was also cute and fluffy. I think that the book was trying so hard at some points. The banter may have been excessive. I get that they are new adults as the genre of the book and that the author wanted them to sound real. But we mustn’t forget the fact that they are royalty and there will be limits and protocols… etc!



“ Man, you just had my dick in your mouth, you can kiss me good-night.”

🌟 The book is also long, longer than you would expect for a book of this kind.
All of that did not bother me. But the thing that I have noticed is the thing that I do not care for, which is the politics. I hate politics and I am not an expert when it comes to this. But they consist a major chunk of this book. The author depicts one party to be the good guys and the other as the bad guys but if that was true, why would people support the bad party??
I may have preferred the politics to be more in the background and that could have made the book shorter and everyone would live happily ever after then!

🌟 Summary: I liked the book, it was nice to read an LGBT NA book, it was funny and fluffy which is mostly what I am looking for when I am reading this kind of books. I may have preferred if some things were more accurate. I have seen a huge love for this book and I don’t know if anyone will care about my review but I just can’t go with the flow for the sake of hype!