What a cute book! I loved Alex and Henry together more than Arthur and Ben, more than Rufus and Mateo, even more than Simon and Blue (no spoilers here).

Alex is the son of the first woman POTUS. Henry is the Prince of England. An unlikely pair especially considering the bitter rivalry between the two. With all the trappings of a Hallmark movie, with a few steamy scenes mixed in, this was a delightful romp. The characters were likable and well-developed and the story was light, much like Cinderella would be (if Cinderella was a bisexual, half-Mexican first son of the United States).

This book comes out (literally and figuratively) this Tuesday. For interested librarians, I would place this book for high school/older teens. There are some sex scenes which, while not graphic, are not exactly subtle. They are appropriate for the ages of the characters, who are in their early twenties.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for allowing me to read this advanced copy of Red, White, and Royal Blue.

› While US President Claremont (FEMALE president YAY!) is at Prince Philip’s Royal Wedding, her son Alex and Philip’s brother, Henry, knock over the $75,000 wedding cake, and are forced to pretend to be friends in order to repair the England/US image.

› The White House Trio
Alex: son of the United States President, bi-racial (Mexican + white) and bisexual, Alex is into lacrosse, went to Georgetown, wants to be the youngest elected congressman.

June: daughter of the United States President, has a journalism degree

Nora: daughter of the United States Vice President, bisexual

“Alex pushes them. June steadies them. Nora keeps them honest.”

All of the characters have a distinct personality and experience personal growth. The diverse cast is refreshing. I love the female empowerment, gender equality, LGBT rep, and people of colour.

Prince Henry: I felt so much for Henry. Alex could come out of the closet after his mother’s reelection campaign is over, however, Henry is stuck in the Royal tradition FOR LIFE. His grandmother is the Queen, and his mother has been stuck in a world of grief since Henry’s father died.

The side characters are just amazing, but they don’t overtake Alex and Henry’s story at all. Bea, Pez, Shaan, Zahra. I just love them all so much.

Alex’s parents aren’t together, yet they respect each other and are parenting their children together. They are both supportive, and modern, and funny, and I just love their relationship with each other and with Alex and June.

“But he thinks about Henry, and, oh. He thinks about Henry, and something twists in his chest, like a stretch he’s been avoiding for too long.”

› Themes
This fun, emotional read carries a message of hope, family, friendship, and love. Love always wins. Love is Love is Love is Love is Love.

Alex and Henry struggle with accepting a life that doesn’t allow privacy, or let them be who they really want to be.

“He thinks about roots, about first and second languages. What he wanted when he was a kid and what he wants now and where those things overlap. Maybe that place, the meeting of the two, is here somewhere, in the gentle insistence of the water around his legs, crude letters carved with an old pocket knife.”

› Likes
The banter between Alex and June is fantastic, and I love how they take bets on the tabloid coverage about each other.

Prince Henry eating BBQ ribs with his hands for the first time made me smile. I often found myself smiling and laughing while reading Red, White & Royal Blue.

I think this might be one of the best debut novels I’ve ever read!

› Dislikes
My one teeny, tiny complaint is that I wasn’t into the politics. However, I loved everything else so much that it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book.

› Final Thoughts
An entertaining, sexy novel with witty banter, Red, White & Royal Blue is a must-read!

I loved all the characters and I rarely say that about a book. Even the minor characters were completely fleshed out and dynamic. The dialogue felt natural and organic to the characters and their relationships. This book was also so hilarious! And I loved the representation in this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for this book for an honest review. I have to start off by saying this was my first male/ male book I have ever read. Let me start by saying I loved this book I can not say it enough it was everything I love in a romance. The enemies to lovers is one of my favorite trophes in romances the secrets all of it. I would recommend this to everyone even people who don’t usually go towards a romance will enjoy this book. It would be a good Spring or beach read the sexiness and all

I requested this book because there was a lot of hype and I was curious. I was a bit wary till the second page then I was enthusiastic.
It's an amazing book, well written, witty and full of food for thought.
I liked the fast paced plot, the well written and fleshed out characters and I laughed and rooted for the characters at the same time.
This is a page turner that will keep you hooked till the last page.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Seriously one of the smartest, most superbly written, most romantic, humorous, thought provoking, relevant stories I've ever read. I had a handful of reader friends tell me they recieved early copies and had already completed multiple rereads... I GET IT!!! This was so good. All of it. Every character. The dynamic of the modern American family. Politics. Sexuality. Romance. Love. Royal obligations and expectations. Acceptance. Ugliness. Tabloid fodder. Family. HUMOR. HUMOR. HUMOR. Sharp, witty banter. THESE CHARACTERS. Palpable chemistry that isn't overshadowed by gratuitous sex... it's so well done, so steamy, perfectly done.

I could keep going but why? This book is an absolute MUST READ. Even if I absolutely hated this storyline, which I so obviously DID NOT, I'd still want to swim in the words of this author forever and ever because OMG, NEXT LEVEL FANTASTIC WRITING, WHOEVENRU Casey Mcquiston?

I loved this book. Everyone should read it. I plan on rereading immediately. My apologies for the nonsensical rambling but all you need to know is YASSSSSSSSSSS!

So many thoughts on this book, and no way to adequately verbalize them. I don't have the vocabulary- I mean, yes I do because I "read an alarming amount" (depends on whom you ask)- but I don't have the mental wherewithal to express my feelings on this because I have SO MANY of them and I honestly just need to word-vomit them all out so you can understand just how intensely I love this book. So here's just a list of thoughts I had while reading, and I apologize if it's all over the place:

-This book is incandescent in every sense of the word.

-Honestly cannot remember ever admiring characters the way I do Henry and Alex. They are so inspiring to me and I cry.

-Such a bright, funny, sweet, clever, cute, hot, heartwarming, wholesome-but-still-sexy story... UGH.

-OMFG THEY MENTIONED THE TOMBS I'M 💀 (was born and have lived in the DC area for essentially all of my 23 years)

-ALEX AND HENRY AND JUNE AND NORA AND PEZ AND BEA. I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM. Please just give me a never-ending series about this group??

- This book makes me want to cry actual tears of joy. Who am I..?

-Also, will I forevermore be listening to "Don't Stop Me Now" on repeat to remind me of one of my now favorite scenes in all of literature? Yes.

-June/Pez/Nora?? Throuple OF MY DREAMS???

-The group chat though... my heart sings.

-Ugh, Alex and Henry can be so mean to each other, it's so hot.

-The emails to each other with quotes from historical figures' letters>>>>>>

-I love how well we get to know Alex and Henry. Their likes, dislikes, hobbies, opinions, senses of humor. They are 100% fully fleshed out and so unique. I would never get their traits or characteristics mixed up with those from another book. I'm really impressed with how thorough McQuiston was. They're completely brought to life in my mind.

-One of my favorite quotes:

"None of that changes that red states have been red forever," he says, laughing, like it's something to joke about," and none of those populations seem to care enough about what's good for them to vote." "Maybe those populations might be more motivated to vote if we made an actual effort to campaign to them and showed them that we care, and how our platform is designed to help them, not leave them behind," Alex says hotly. "Imagine if nobody who claims to have your interests at heart ever came to your state and tried to talk to you, man. Or if you were a felon, or- fucking voter ID laws, people who can't access polls, who can't leave work to get to one?"

Uh... ALEX, YES! MY KING!!

-This book makes me want to reevaluate every other 5-star rating I've given because, like, did I REALLY love them the way I love this book??

Okay, so final thoughts: I do not read- and love- a lot of contemporary fiction, because I like it when my contemporary makes me ugly cry, and honestly it takes a lot to get me to that point. REGARDLESS, holy shit this is one of my favorite books ever and all I want is to live in this world with these beautiful humans Casey McQuiston has created. And I haven't felt quite like this in a long time and it feels so good to come across something that reminds me exactly why I first fell in love with reading.

A massive thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the eARC!! This review will be posted on Goodreads, and to Amazon's and Barnes & Noble's websites on the date of publication.

”You want to take what you were given and leave the world better than you found it. So do I. We can—we can figure out a way to do that together.”

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston is everything I didn’t know I needed and then some! This book, it has my heart. Alex and Henry, my darlings, I loved reading about their story. It’s just what I needed this weekend. If you’re looking for a smart, funny, sexy and just delightful book to read, this is your book!

Casey has written the most relatable characters and I just adore the heck out of all of them. I’m obviously biased to Alex and Henry but they were all amazing! I mean y’all, there’s a Madam President! And she’s badass and funny! Words seriously cannot express how much I loved this book!

I hope there is more to come from this brilliant debut author, the world needs more of Alex Claremont-Diaz!

[Excerpt]:

Okay so. Wow. “Red, White, and Royal Blue” is the first book written by Casey McQuiston. This debut is phenomenal. I want to say that straight off. Everything about it was fantastic. However, when I came across it the first time on NetGalley, I skated right on by with little interest. But when I saw someone recommending it in my OSRBC Facebook group, I reconsidered and figured, “What can it hurt?” So I requested a copy and was granted one.

I am SO GLAD I did because this book is so warm and emotional and beautiful that it deserves all the stars. More than five, really. Hundreds! Thousands!

The story follows Alex Claremont-Diaz, the First Son of the White House. His mother is the first female president of America, and for the first few chapters we get to know Alex, his sister June, and their close friend Nora, who’s the granddaughter of the Vice President. Alex is ambitious, intelligent, and very into politics. He also has a rivalry with the Prince of England, Henry, whom he’s hated since their first meeting years ago in which Henry acted like total tool. But then, once Henry and Alex begin to spend time together in order to set right their big blunder at the Royal Wedding, the two grow closer and discover they have way more in common than they ever could’ve imagined.

There are quite a few Star Wars references.

There are extremely intelligent and take-no-nonsense female characters (June, Ellen, Nora, Bea, Catherine, Zahra).

There are real world parallels that are equally fascinating and bittersweet.

There is a gay relationship that is absolutely wonderful, and all that angsty, misunderstandings-abound bullshit is very much absent.

[Full review on my blog!']

I’ve tried multiple times to read this book and I just can’t seem to attach to the story or characters. As opposed to posting anything negative, I will just “hang up” this book for now. Although NetGalley requires a star rating, rest assured I never rate a book I don’t finish on sites such as Goodreads or Amazon as I never read the book in its entirety so I feel it’s unfair. I will do it here as it’s a requirement.

This is the book I didn't know I needed until I read it. And now, I will carry it in my heart forever.

Alex Claremont-Diaz, FSOTUS, and Henry, Prince of Wales, have always hated each other. When they're forced to appear like friends for the sake of publicity, things start to change between them. Is it possible that stuffy Henry is more than he seems?

This book is adorable. Alex and Henry are loving, combative, and hilarious. The side characters are equally well developed and charming. McQuiston has an exquisite handle on comedy and dialogue. And as an Austinite, all of the Texas love in this book was much appreciated. I want this novel and all it has to offer to be experienced by all.

I expected conversations surrounding sexuality and misogyny to pop up, and they were well handled, but I found even more. Conversations about liberalism and conservatism also appear in this book, something I found myself applauding. Red, White & Royal Blue acknowledges not every American from the North is progressive and not every Southerner is regressive, This should be common sense, and yet I've yet to see this explicitly stated... well, anywhere.

Typically I'm not a huge fan of present tense narratives, but Alex's voice and character shone through so much I went with the flow. I did get whiplash several times because the time and setting jump from paragraph to paragraph, but I don't know if that's a galley formatting issue or not. More importantly, this book is a joy to read and I can't wait to own a physical copy.

Oh my gosh...this book was fantastic. This alternative universe has a female president with a bisexual son, who accidentally falls in love with the prince of Wales. The politics, the friendships, the family views, the gossip, and the personal journey these 2 characters take to find their way together on their own terms to live an honest life is a heck of a ride.

I really hope first daughter, June, gets a book of her own too.

“When Alex was a kid, before anyone knew his name, he dreamed of love like it was a fairy tale, as if it would come sweeping into his life on the back of a dragon one day. When he got older, he learned about love as a strange thing that could fall apart no matter how badly you wanted it, a choice you make anyway. He never imagined it’d turn out he was right both times.” Casey McQuiston
.
After the Obama administration the first female president, Ellen Claremont, is elected to the White House. Not only is Ellen from Texas, she is also mother to two biracial children from her previous marriage. Red, White & Royal Blue starts on the cusp of her 2020 re-election campaign. It is all hands on deck at the White House for campaigning including her two children; June, first daughter and aspiring journalist and Alex, first son, and future political leader. As a family they are unsure about their future in the White House so they must ensure nothing comes between them and the election in the coming months. But what none of them saw coming was an international scandal they were unable to prepare for.
.
Alex has always had strong feelings for Prince Henry of England since he first met him years before his mother became president. Those feelings were of hatred, anger, more frenemy than anything else. But Alex still had a gravitational pull to Henry he didn’t even know how to describe. After a royal wedding PR nightmare, both Henry and Alex must fake a friendship to ensure their country a truths. That hatred slowly grows to resemble friendship, then turns into something more through witty texting banter, late night phone calls, emails and one New Years Eve Party.
.
This book is about family, and friends that support you no matter what. It is about the melting pot of America and the inclusion for all to be welcome, no matter race or sexual orientation. It is about not hiding behind your true identity, or letting anyone else stifle your true self. But most of all, this book is about a love that expands continents and the oceans to bring two struggling young men to terms with their true identity, and possibly find true love in the process.
.
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Griffin for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Casey McQuiston reboots the royal romance with a joyful, clever, quick-witted and totally irresistible debut. It’s an enemies-to-lovers romance, and a forbidden one to boot.

We meet first son Alex Claremont-Diaz, son of President Ellen Claremont. Intelligent, ambitious and charming, Alex plans to follow in his mother’s political footsteps. Life is great, except a trip abroad has him dreading an encounter with his rival—Henry, Prince of Wales. A heated—and very public—exchange at a wedding, sends their handlers atwitter and in full damage control mode. Now, Alex must pretend to be BFFs for the good of the Crown, and his mother’s re-election campaign.

Henry seems to be everything Alex isn’t. He’s cool and collected… the perfect Prince Charming. But while they nurture their bromance in front of clicking cameras, Alex begins to realize there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the handsome prince.

Soon enough, hate turns into something entirely different, as the two fall into a secret relationship which could propel two nations into chaos. After all, there’s no future for the First Son and the Prince of Wales—it’s a wild impossibility… right?

Alex and Henry’s relationship is a beautiful thing to witness. Their verbal sparring, their truths and struggles, their intense longing for the other. Their feelings come to life poignantly not only through late-night, whispered conversations, but also through poetically written emails in which they bare heart and soul.

The emotional rawness and authenticity of the novel is buoyed by whip-smart wit and rapid-fire banter. There’s an addictive effervescence to it all, making the story impossible not to devour.

This is one of those books that is a pure joy to experience—those that remind you why you love to reach so much in the first place. It’s a gem of a love story, fresh and fun, and deserves all the gushing it will undoubtedly receive.

I received and ARC of this book and voluntarily give my review.

Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston was more than I ever could have hoped for. A royal and political elite romance, enemies to lovers, M/M, and Romantic Comedy. This book had me waking up my husband with laughter when I read late into the night. The banter between characters was so witty and sharp I spent a good portion of this book laughing out loud. When it wasn't funny, the tone and emotion of the romance between our heroes brought tears to my eyes. The underlying note of political satire, the alternate universe where a Democratic woman is president, remarried and has biracial children is one I hope to experience one day. The criticism of America's political system was not lost on me, and made me pause to remember that while hate gets a lot of press these days, there are still people who believe in love and equality. This book was extremely enjoyable, and I recommend it for all readers.

When the president's son and the prince of England cause chaos at the royal wedding, they are forced to enter into a fake bromance in order to fix this PR nightmare. They thought their time together would be painful, but it seemed that underneath the angst were some feelings of mutual admiration and attraction.

I say - believe the hype. This book was really wonderful, and there are so many things to adore about it. I love reading reviews for a book like this, which seems to appeal to so many different readers for different reasons. I therefore commend McQuiston on producing a work that can do that.

One of the things I loved about this book were the amazing characters. They were well drawn and distinct, as well as really interesting. I was particularly fond of the 20-something squad formed when Henry and Alex's groups mixed. The six of them were fantastic and the interplay between them was fabulous. I don't know if McQuiston plans on writing any other books in this world, but I know I would love to read books focusing on HEAs for Pez, June, Nora, and Bea. (I'm just saying...)

I also really enjoyed a lot of places we got to go with these characters. I had a ton of fun accompanying them on their outings. They were sometimes outrageous, but always entertaining. The royal wedding, the NYE bash, karaoke in LA, the Victoria and Albert museum -- all fantastic.

Family also played a huge role in this book. Neither Henry nor Alex's family was perfect, but there was love, especially in Alex's family. He and his sister shared a really special bond, and both his parents were open, loving, and accepting.

But my favorite thing about this book was the romance. Watching this faux bromance evolve into a friendship and then love was a beautiful thing. Alex and Henry were very sweet together, but it was their emails that brought tears to my eyes. It was via email, where they they revealed those hidden layers of themselves and really exposed their emotions.

I think the only reason I didn't rate this book higher was because I felt like the politics encroached a bit on the romance. That said, I still adored this book. I shed some tears as I wrote this review, because I was so touched by the way McQuiston wrote the love story between Henry and Alex, and I look forward to reading more of her work.

I was sold on the plot of the son of the president falling in love with the prince of Wales, but what I got was so much more. This was a beautifully written story featuring amazing characters that I won’t soon forget. The author told more than just a love story, but a story of hope and of change in a world that desperately needs it right now.

CASEY MCQUISTON, TAKE ME AWAAAAAAAAY!!!!!! this review is not about to be a very coherent one but I have genuinely never loved a book more in my life, everything about Red, White & Royal Blue is absolutely PERFECT to the tenth power and I feel like I’ve been smiling soooo big ever since I finished reading it, and just, God, this is the happiest a book has made me feel in such a long time!!! I feel like I could fly away like a helium balloon, my heart feels so full!!

and, I mean, formulaically, RW&RB is a flawless book. you have a huge mass of finger-licking-good tropes (perfectly done enemies to lovers?? HELLO??), you have an irresistible plot, and you have the true highlight, the crème de la crème, the pièce de résistance: the CHARACTERS. everybody in this book is, first of all, absolutely hilarious. Alex & Henry especially are charming and witty and so fun to read, but every single secondary character just shines so brightly and everyone gets their own little moment in the spotlight and they’re all so lovable and I’m just SUCH a fan of good characterization I could MELT. also, the pacing and writing are so seemingly effortless and smooth, and considering the fact that this book is so long, and that this is Casey’s debut?? how did she get so good at writing so fast?? she literally deserves the entire world, she’s so talented and she’s adorable and I love her.

say whatever you want to say, but this book deserves absolutely every single little bit of hype it’s been getting (note: coming from a non-american who LOATHES american politics and would do anything to get away from them, I think RW&RB makes it fun and interesting and even a little hopeful, considering what you guys have to go through literally all the time). Red, White & Royal Blue is a silver lining in times of peril: it’s optimistic and funny and cheerful, the writing is top tier best quality there is, and truthfully I just cannot wait for this book to debut as a best-seller and for everyone out there to read it. thanks again to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing a free copy!!

Do you ever read a book that just borrows it’s way directly to the center of your heart and sets up a full on camp because it knows it ain’t leaving?

I am so in love with this book! I had so many moments of absolute giddiness while reading and at one point I was lying in my bed at 1:30AM with tears streaming down my face. I love when a book can take you through all the emotions and you feel everything to your core. I even said out loud to no one while reading, if this book doesn't have a happy ending I am going to lose it!

"𝘈𝘭𝘦𝘹 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥. “𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘦,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴. “𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵? 𝘍𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦.”
“𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥.”
“𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯, “𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦.”"
-𝘙𝘦𝘥, 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 & 𝘙𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭 𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦, 𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘺 𝘔𝘤𝘘𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯

This story was ultimately a beautiful tale of true love but it also assesses our political climate, race relations, gender, and sexuality. This book hit every point perfectly.