I absolutely DEVOURED this book. I adored this book so much! Everything about it was perfect! This is the first primarily LGBTQ+ book I have read. As a straight white woman, I think this book has opened my eyes to seeing things from a different perspective and I really think this book could help out so many people. I will definitely buy the next book this author puts out! I highly recommend you pick it up when it’s released. It’s one of my favorite books of the year so far!

5 stars
In some ways this was very much a guilty pleasure sort of book for me. I enjoyed it such a surprising amount. I thought I would like it. I have a weakness for royalty and the premise sounded more than a little interesting, but I had no idea how it would live up to the promise for me.

The answer is, surprisingly well. I am not usually a fan of present tense for writing and yet it worked so very effectively. The writing was so fluid. The story just flowed from one point to the next with no dragging, no confusion. And I enjoyed so many things about it. I liked Alex very much even in the moments he exasperated me. And Henry was just so absolutely delightful. It was so good watching them both come together and also each come into their own in their individual ways.

I loved so many things about the way the story was told. The texting and emails between them. This story is set in our time and it's so firmly rooted in it with the social media, the cell phones. That aspect was delightful for me, even though contemporary romance isn't usually for me. The characters, by necessity of who they are, can't spend much time physically in one place, yet they're still together and the relationship continues to grow.

The romance was heartrendingly believable to me. I enjoyed Alex wrestling with his feelings and both of them trying so hard to figure out how to make this complicated thing work. The resolution was more than satisfying.

If I had one quibble about any of it it is that I hope in the final version the texting conversations might be formatted in such a way as to make it even easier to be absolutely certain who was 'speaking'. There were a few times I had to go back and reread the conversation to make sure I was putting the words in the right mouths. A minor issue and as this was an ARC one I hope will be corrected in the final.

Overall this was wonderful. I loved it, and it's all the more impressive for being a debut work. I will definitely be keeping an eye on Casey McQuiston in the future.

This was a lovely, romantic and funny book with lovable characters and I enjoyed it so much. OK, I had to shake my head couple times when the author was talking about British royal family or went on about the US politics and elections, but it did not spoil the enjoyment I had reading the book. "Red, White & Royal Blue" is a romcom about two unlikely characters, Henry, prince of England and Alex, the son of the first female president of USA. The author mentioned in acknowledgments that it was supposed to be a tongue in cheek escapism story and it definitely delivers; the over the top setting, the unlikely love story, a clandestine affair, everything in this queer romp is a delightful fun. It also has lovely moments, fun correspondence between the characters that is also very romantic in places and is full of awww moments. It is also full of queer, diverse characters and strong, independent females. All together, a big thumps up and I really hope the author writes more similar stories.

Passion, politics and palaces. This book was SO good. I got an early release from NetGalley and the pre-release reviews on goodreads did not disappoint! The story was hilarious, smart and so well written. I think that this is a somewhat realistic view of politics and British royalty but also such a fun love story. I laughed out loud several times throughout the book and the characters are all fantastic. Can’t wait for this book to be published and for the world to get to know Alex and Henry!

I knew I needed to get my hands on this as soon as I heard about it and I was very pleased to be approved on Netgally to receive and eARC of this book, thank you to the publishers.

Contemporary is my favourite genre and I hoped this would be a great addition to the genre and let me tell you, this was a seriously fantastic debut. I expected it to be reminiscent of The Hating Game by Sally Thorne (which I read in one sitting!) as it is about Alex Claremont-Diaz; the son of the first female president of the US and Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor; Prince of England. They hate each other and after a public scuffle, they are forced to try be friends and resolve the story in the media. Of course, romance eventually ensues.

The books is own voices as I believe the author identifies as bi and there is some wonderful representation from the main and side characters . To name a few, we have Alex who is Mexican-American, Raf who is gay and Bea who has addiction issues.

All the side characters were precious and overall so supportive. We have strong sibling bonds (as well as some not so great) as well as parents who put their children first instead of being career. The author just made me fall in love with every single character and that is definitely no small feat.

What really sold this book on me was the banter, especially between Alex and Henry, but all the characters had opportunities to deliver brilliant one liners. Thankfully, there was never a moment that I found cheesy or overdone. Everything was so genuine and realistic.

Alex and Henry are literally polar opposites, but you cannot help but root for them and the really speaks to the authors skill at crafting amazing characters. Casey McQuiston clearly has serious potential as although we followed Alex and he was the protagonist of the book, I still felt like I got an in depth look into Henry’s life. I never felt like this was lacking because it was not dual POV and so I was equally invested in both characters.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience reading about Alex and Henry discovering what they want and accepting themselves in a world that isn’t always that accepting of anyone who isn’t white and straight. It gave me hope in people’s ability to be understating and open minded.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone even remotely interested. Get your pre orders in now guys!!

This was a well-structured and enjoyable read. It has well constructed central characters, although it is only the two leads that are fully fleshed out. It is written in the 3rd person, but clearly, it is from the perspective of the central American character.

I may well be too old and British, but I'm afraid I didn't understand much of the social and cultural references. As such skim reading was the only way to get through much of the dialogue. Similarly, the characterisation of the British characters just does not ring true. Nevertheless, the story sweeps the reader along.

This is a teen read and the ubiquitous skipping over sex whilst providing heavy hints is present in enough quantity to add a little spice to the story.

The tension within the plot is light and well flagged. There are no real surprises here and the reader is just left to wait for the obvious to happen.

The story wraps up neatly and positively. Thankfully the story was sufficiently absorbing that the frustrations of its focus did not impact on its enjoyment.

2..5 out of 5 Stars Rounded up to 3

***Wish granted! ARC received from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for honest review. Opinions are my own, thanks!***

I'm so torn on this one. There are parts of it that are good but when it falls flat it falls incredibly flat and struggles to to pick itself back up again.

The Good

- Representation. This book is just heaping with representation across the board from the main characters to the secondary characters. The first children are bi-racial and the book has a lot of LGBTQ+ representation within it. When Alex declared himself to be bisexual I was worried, it seems often enough that we see bi erasure even if people don't really mean it but it was really nice to not see that. Alex is bi, his relationship with women and men mean something to him and people respect that. I truly, truly appreciated all the inclusion in this story!

- Politics. Okay, as a political junkie I enjoyed that aspect of the story. This was definitely a "what if" story about had the 2016 election turned out differently and during the book a campaign is running in the background. Its addresses the petty, ridiculous but also down right cruel nature of politics even if it just kinda glosses over it. I wanted more of this story.

The Not So Good

- Characters. I just had a hard time with the characters and some of the dialogue. There were so many times during this book that I had to remind myself that these were college grads not high school students getting drunk at parties while the parents weren't home. Which happens more than was necessary.

- Romance. For a romance book this wasn't my favorite part. If you have read enough fanfiction in your time (guilty, sorry not sorry) you've read pretty much everything this book will throw at you. Two characters that have hated each other from the beginning, but secretly loved each other for that entire time that get forced together, literally. The friendship felt at least a little more organic to me but the romance just happens.

- The Conflict. We all know whats coming when it comes to secret romances even if it felt forced again. Even the bigger conflict, back to politics here felt tacked on to give some resolution to that story line and in the end it really didn't impact the plot since it happens so late in the story.

In the end its not a bad book, I think some of the issues I had could have been helped with pacing and deciding what it wants to be, a political fantasy or a romance fantasy because it can't really balance being both.

Ok this book had me crying tears of joy and laughter. The whole story was adorable and I absolutely loved getting sucked into the lives of Alex and Henry! I wouldn't mind getting more of the story from some of the other characters.

I read this every chance I could and will definitely be rereading it.

This book has been on my radar for a few months now. The description had one of my favorite things to read about in contemporary: royals! and the romance being between the Prince of England and the son of the president of the United States?! As soon as I saw that, I knew I had to read it. I am not afraid to say this was one of my most anticipated contemporaries of the year, and am so excited to say that this did not, in any way, disappoint!

From the very beginning I knew this was going to become of my all time favorite contemporaries. The characters were just so incredibly easy to love from the get go, and the interactions between them were so funny and the dialogue had a great flow that just worked so well.

The friendships were definitely one of my favorite things. The chemistry between all the characters was there from beginning to end and it really made me connect to them even more. I love how supportive they all were towards one another, and how supportive the supportive characters were towards Alex and Henry. It made my heart so warm to how that they were surrounded by such an amazing group of friends. Once again the dialogue between all of these characters was just phenomenal, as well as the banter.

Which takes me to my favorite part of the book. Alex and Henry had some of the BEST banter I've ever read. It was cute and funny and everything I ever needed. Their romance was swoony and full of the most amazing fluff. You can see their connection from the very beginning, even when they don't really like each other, and I loved seeing their dislike turn into a sort of friendship before they got together; I always like when that happened because I feel like it adds a certain depth to the romance and makes me root for them and get attached even more. It was also so heartwarming to read a book that is literally, 80% about two guys being already in a relationship and learning to navigate it with the distance and everything else in between and falling in love in the process, and I just loved every second of it.

Another thing that I absolutely loved was the lantix rep! seeing a US president with two biracial children?! reading about Alex talk about being biracial and immigration in the US, being an immigrant myself, made my heart so happy.

My only small complaint, which to me is a personal preference and honestly did not take away my enjoyment at all (hence the 5 star rating), was how long the chapters were. I think they could've been divided into one or 2 extra chapter and made each of them a little bit shorter would've been better!

This book was addicting (seriously, I was reading this with another book and had to stop myself from continuing this to make some progress in the other one as well. because all I wanted was to read another chapter of this one!), funny, adorably cute, and everything I never knew I needed. I cannot wait to read whatever else this author releases next, because she has definitely made it into my auto-buy list.

Since Alex Claremont-Diaz's mom became president, he's been cast as the American equivalent to Henry, a young British royal. The problem? Alex immensely dislikes Henry. When an encounter between them goes horribly wrong, they're forced to declare a truce and pretend to be best friends for the sake of preserving US/British relations. What could possibly go wrong?

I LOVED THIS BOOK.

McQuiston sets the story up as a parallel universe, where a woman was elected for president in 2016, after Obama's presidency. Real-life politicians (both American and international) are referenced, and real issues like gun control and racist views towards Mexicans and minorities still exist within the country. It's still a messy America, but one that elected a woman with half-Mexican children. It was so clever, and I loved seeing how the POTUS tried balancing her own attempt at re-election in 2020 with her responsibilities as a mother.

I loved all the characters so much. Alex is stubborn and headstrong, but also thoughtful and sweet. I loved the relationship he has with his sister, June, and the Vice President's granddaughter, Nora. The three of them completely own my heart. I also loved Alex's mother (aka the POTUS) and Zahra - I loved their take-no-shit attitude; Zahra was especially prickly, but I loved her so much.

Okay okay. So. Alex and Henry. Where do I even start? I'm usually not a huge fan of the enemies-to-friends/lovers trope because it can feel really forced. But I LOVED it here, and Alex actually has a decent reason for disliking Henry at first. I loved getting to know Henry as Alex does, and they're just so sweet together. I got really concerned midway through because they were so happy and cute, and something was bound to go horribly wrong - that's how invested I was in their relationship, which is incredibly rare for me to feel.

I also really loved the LGBT+ representation in this novel, especially the casualness of it. Characters can be lesbian, trans, pan, bi, and no one really makes a big deal of it. I think that's really important. I loved the handling of Henry and Alex's own identities as they try navigating who they are and how to tell other people.

Overall, this was a clever, funny, sexy novel that is so much than just a shallow romcom. 1000% recommend!

I've been holding off on writing a review because I wasn't sure what aspect of my honest adoration of what this book represents to focus on. But with the news of it being optioned before it's even officially published, I want to try and articulate some of my thoughts.

This is a fairly common trope: enemies-to-lovers. It's happened countless times in countless media, both official and fan-created. It can feel really fun, but it can also feel forced. Luckily for us all, this was the latter. It helped that the characters' personalities and the side characters were all just fun to read about. Alex and his struggle to figure out how spot in life was relatable, his friends and family were great, and it felt rewarding every time we learned a little more about Henry and his own life.

I like how the book dealt with issues of identity and the different ways that people navigate the expectations of their environment in relation to their identity. On the one side, there is Henry who knows his identity but can't share it openly because of outside pressures. And on the other side, there is Alex who is still figuring himself out (with Henry's help) but also has that same pressure to hide it. I appreciated how the eventual reveal and fallout didn't feel forced or totally implausible. (maybe? I am a bad judge of these things).

This is also definitely some wonderful political fanfiction. Female president with mixed-heritage children? Yes please. Get me out of this timeline.

In summary, this was a delightful and fun, available-to-mainstream queer reimagining of the enemies-to-lovers trope and any of the above appeals to you, you should read it.

I have not had this much fun reading a book in a really long time.

I went into this knowing people really loved it and was therefore planning on being a bit more critical in my final review. But, the longer I read, the more I just wanted to sit back and be fully immersed in the lives of these characters. It's cute, it's hilarious, it's diverse, the characters are relatable. It tackles multiple different coming-out experiences, (both the positive and the negative), without being another gay tragedy.

I wouldn't consider this a flawless story. The pacing is a bit strange at times and towards the beginning I found some of the characters (namely Amy and Zahra, or June and Nora) a bit too similar and therefore a little difficult to keep straight. But, none of that hindered my ability to enjoy the story.

A couple of things to consider before reading for those who may be curious, this is a hate-to-love romance, something I know many people find cliched. Truly, Alex and Henry never really hated each other, and so his didn't really bother me like it sometimes can. They just find each other really pretentious and don't know how to deal with their attraction. Also, this book is quite smutty, though not unnecessarily or uncomfortably so. You could probably skim past the sex scenes if you'd like. Most aren't more than a couple of paragraphs.

All in all, this is a blast. I'm really excited to see what comes next from Casey McQuiston and highly recommend this story for a fun summer read. This really is the era of the gay romcom and I am SO here for it.

I am going to start with the disclaimer that I generally don't love romance books. I don't know- call me a stone-cold bitch if you must, but I always find them a bit contrived and stiff. So I always go into them a little on the defense, my hackles raised, a little cringe-y just having it in my hand.

With that said, I liked this book. I will write a list about it because I think that Alex would approve of that.

PROS
1. THE EMAILS?! I mean...those emails were something else. I thought it was also meta-clever to have the emails always end with quotations from famous queer love letters. We learn so much about Alex and Henry through these letters. (view spoiler)
2. The characterizations in general - I thought the two main characters were well drawn out, not static, funny, enough of an arc to make it interesting, their dialogue felt like it could be real.
3. The writing was really good. There were moments that I just stopped and re-read the passages because they were particularly poignant or caught a moment I wanted to relive.

CONS
1. I guess the biggest con for me was all the politics. There was so much going on politically and it often took me out of the narrative. I am a politically-motivated person so I felt myself not liking some of the things the character said/did for political reasons, which undermined the story for me. Had Alex been less politically driven or immersed in politics, it may have been slightly more successful. Had the author focused less time in including clear nods to our current political climate, I would have preferred this as a piece of escapist literature.
2. I guess some of the secondary characters were a little...underdeveloped... like Pez or Nora...but they are minor characters.

Red, White and Royal Blue is the debut story from Casey McQuiston. The story is about the first son of the first woman president, Alex, and the youngest prince of England, Henry. This was a kind of hate to love romance. Alex has an ongoing grudge on the youngest prince of England because of something that happened years ago. Alex is constantly hating on Henry because of this incident. Henry doesnt take the hate laying down, he give it right back. After an altercation during Henry's brother's wedding the two are forced to play nice and pretend to be friends. The unintentional side effect of this forced friendship was them falling for each other.

The romance was super cute, it is most definitely an adult book, its sex scenes are deliciously steamy and fairly graphic. There is also a lot of politics in the book as well. Alex is a biracial first son that also wants to follow in his parents footsteps and get into politics. He finds himself very sexually confused when Henry kisses him on New Years. Alex really liked the kiss and it starts him thinking about the reaction he has had to guys the past. He comes to grips with the fact that he is bisexual. In the political arena its not looked kindly upon to be biracial or bisexual. Henry is, as he puts it, very very gay. Henry is also the youngest prince and it is not okay for the royal family to have these nontraditional feelings. His family makes it very clear that he is expected to marry a woman and have children no matter what his personal feelings.

As you can probably tell this story had lots of layers of drama and the hope to buck the traditions in American and English politics. This book gives you a lot to think about and at the same time an amazing relationship that you are constantly rooting for. I really loved the book. I will admit that there are a few parts i was hoping were longer and others that i was hoping were a little shorter. There is a lot of politics in the story and some of those parts were very long.

Total side note that doesnt really effect the book, but still took a little of my joy away, was her complaining about the 2016 elections in the acknowledgments. I didnt like hearing that she almost didnt write a book simply because the election didnt go the way she wanted.

How do I love this book? Let me count the ways.

Starting out this book, having read the premise, I expected a cute enemies-to-lovers rom-com that would give me some heart flutters and make me smile when I thought back on it. I didn’t expect to find an early contender for a favorite book of the year.

Here is a non-comprehensive list of reasons why you should read this book:

❤️ It is a cute enemies-to-lovers rom-com that gave me heart flutters, though those heart flutters were about a thousand times bigger than I expected and included some genuine heart-clutching and tears of happiness.

💙 It felt like the kind of fanfiction that you stay up until 3am reading and make sure to save on all your devices so you can go back to your favorite parts at any time. For real, every time I picked up this book, I couldn’t force myself to put it down for a long, long time.

❤️ The characters! I could wax poetic about all of these characters for days. All are fully fleshed out and complex, even the side characters.

💙 Alex Claremont-Diaz: the First Son of the United States, cocky, ambitious, seemingly overflowing with confidence and charisma. He’s also SO DUMB. Like, he’s smart, but he’s an idiot. I absolutely love this type of character.

(Sidenote: This was also my first time reading a non-YA book where the main character is younger than me. Alex turns 22 in 2020 and I turn 22 this year. Oof.)
❤️ Prince Henry of Wales: the youngest grandson of the Queen of England. I can’t even start thinking about this boy without crying. He has such a beautiful heart and I was constantly surprised by him and his layers of complexity.

💙 June and Nora, parts two and three of the White House Trio: Alex’s sister and the granddaughter of the VP. Their relationships with Alex were so heartwarming, and their banter made me giggle out loud on multiple occasions.

❤️ Literally every other character in this book. They’re hilarious and fun and make this world feel fully fleshed out. I legit feel like they’re all friends of mine now.

💙 This book looks into the political situations in the US and the UK (though mostly the US) and shows the complex issues and contradictions inherent in these systems, all of which the book handles so well.

❤️ It is a radically hopeful version of reality in which a woman was elected the president in 2016, yet also extremely realistic in the ways that it depicts the divisions and deeply rooted prejudices that exist in this country.

(Sidenote 2: It appears that this universe has a female president but no Hamilton (the musical). Is this the tradeoff we have to make?? A woman as president but no Lin Manuel Miranda???) (Sorry Lin, but I’d take it.)
💙 It questions what kind of legacy we want to leave in this world and how we want history to remember us, discussing about the foundations of homophobia and racism that Western nations are built upon.

❤️ The writing moves from cuttingly witty and laugh out loud funny to achingly beautiful and romantic and I don’t understand how one thing can be both of these so seamlessly.

💙 It depicts grief and loneliness, anxiety and fame, the masks we put on for the public and the people we love, and the dreams that are forbidden to people because of their positions.

❤️ Some other things in this book: romantic emails rivaling the letters between Alexander Hamilton and John Laurens; evil turkeys; group chat shenanigans; art history; queer history; drunk karaoke; and so, so much more.

Here’s something you should know: this book gets very political. For me, that was amazing, because I’m a politics nerd. But I know that isn’t going to be for everyone. It gets into the weeds of political maneuvering, showing some of the ugly side of Washington. It also gave me major horror flashbacks to the 2016 election and flashforwards to the 2020 election, which was stressful, but it all felt so realistic.

“I don’t think this election is gonna hinge on an email server.”
Alex arches a brow. “You sure about that?”

(me: laughing and then crying)

Another thing that you should know going in is that this book is not YA. It’s definitely aimed for an 18+ audience, so be aware!

But truly, I can’t say enough about how much I loved Red, White & Royal Blue. Going in, I couldn’t have imagined that I would at times be blinking back tears, not because something sad happened, but because it moved me so deeply. I had no idea that I would come away so attached to these characters.

As soon as I finished this book and wiped up my tears, I immediately wanted to start it all over again. Even now, about a month since I finished, I still can’t stop thinking about it. I’ve already preordered my physical copy, and it will definitely be a book I return to multiple times. (Depending on how the 2020 election goes, I might just choose to escape back into this universe. 😬)

Alex and Henry became one of my favorite fictional couples almost instantaneously. Their relationship is anything but simple, yet they fight to make it work despite all the obstacles in their way (even when those obstacles are themselves). They’re amazing and inspiring and my heart hurts!!!

Go read this book. Mark your calendar for May 14th and buy it ASAP. This is a book I’m going to be shouting from the rooftops.

*ARC PROVIDED BY NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. QUOTES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.*
“Thinking about history makes me wonder how I’ll fit into it one day, I guess. And you too. I kinda wish people still wrote like that.
History, huh? Bet we could make some.”

(Sidenote 3: I want one of those “History, huh?” t-shirts, please and thanks.)

I simply don't have enough words for this book. This book reached my unspoken political dreams and filled me with hope. For a future where coming out isn't painful, where power works for people, and where love always wins.

The letters Henry and Alex write each other, they made my heart ache. The honesty, the sheer emotion, the uspoken love, it made me cry. And the plot, combined with all the emotion, it made me weep.

Seriously, I'm going to read and reread this book. I can't wait for my own paperback copy to pour over and scream about to the world.

To say I loved this book does not begin to do justice to the amount of feeling I have for it. This is a PHENOMENAL debut novel. PHENOMENAL. Romcom gold. Emotionally nuanced layers of romance that were unexpected. I expected a light romp, a tongue-in-cheek farcical world playing on royals and political elite. What was served was in fact a very relatable cast of characters that came alive as I read.

Typically the world of “New Adult” romance is not something I gravitate toward. Nor is the “Royal” romance trope as a whole. This is book is proof that any trope really can be good if the writing is done well and the take is fresh. The author perfectly captured that coming of age phase of life; what am I doing with my life? What is my future? What do I do when expectations and lifelong assumptions turn out not to be the path I want? In addition, I felt that it was quite clear that the author used this novel to flesh out their personal feelings of the political climate of the States last presidential election and current political environment. For me this did not take away from the story. This portrayed an alternate reality in the not too distant future. That world is still flawed and in no way perfect. I felt that the meshed romantic and political storylines was very well done.

In short this is a romance that will steal your heart right out of your body. Casey McQuiston is a damned poet! The correspondence between the main characters, ready your soul! It’s is SO emotional, seductive, raw... HolyHell. Beautiful.

Thank you to the publisher for a complimentary eARC which I requested for review purposes. All comments/opinions are my own.

This book was a delight to read! The mix between thoughtful plot points around coming out and frothy rom-com moments was good. The letters, with their quotations from famous love letters, were perfect, as they balanced love and politics. Characterization was solid, except for a few two-dimensional villains. Two small quibbles were the freedom the Royal Family had and that the details about the Secret Service suited the plot in parts (as opposed to being strictly accurate), but those really are small objections because they made the plot flow better this way. I look forward to reading more from this author.

‘But the truth is, also, simply this: love is indomitable.’

OMG! We cannot wipe the grin off our faces! This book was exactly what we needed! A delightfully adorable, heartfelt, and uplifting enemies to lovers’ story that made us swoon like crazy. Our hearts are bursting with love for Alex and Henry’s beautiful, funny and meaningful romance that was tinged with moments of pure and deep emotion. So much so, we regularly found ourselves reduced to tears. Wow! The little touches to this story…..sincere, captivating and truly wonderful.

‘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.‘

If you’ve wanted to sample an MM book but have been a bit hesitant, this would be the perfect place to start. Seriously, your heart will thank you because Red, White, & Royal Blue relies heavily on character development, feelings, and sweetness, with the sex being present, but fade to black. And please…someone TURN THIS BOOK INTO A MOVIE!

‘I’ll be damned, but I miss you. x’

Red, White & Royal Blue is set against the backdrop of the US political arena, and the upcoming election in 2020 when the race is on to get the first female president of the United States re-elected. That’s right, re-elected, Ellen Claremont won the 2016 election (oh if only!) and is out to win the good fight to once again run the country.

Alex Claremont Diaz is her 21-year-old son from her former husband, and a man destined to follow in his mothers’ footsteps. A rising political star, politics is in his blood. He’s got the intelligence, the personality, the good looks and an equally good heart needed to really make a difference.

Alex makes up part of the White House trio, with his sister June, and their best friend Nora and what wonderful banter and loyalty there is between these three. They’re a fun-loving trio not averse to getting up to antics and causing a bit of mayhem much to the white house staffs chagrin.

‘Alex pushes them. June steadies them. Nora keeps them honest.’

Alex has one arch nemesis. The very handsome Prince of Wales. He grates on Alex’s every nerve until one day, when forced to make nice with Henry for a PR exercise, he begins to see Henry in a new light, which has him questioning his feelings for the affable Henry, and not just his feelings, but his sexuality. Can he really be attracted to the man he loved to hate? But there are more concerns than Alex’s feelings, anything scandalous could bring his mothers chances of re-election crashing down.

‘I’m the son of the first female president. And I’m not white like she is, can’t even pass for it. People will always come down harder on me.’

Red, White & Royal Blue is a coming of age, self-discovery story with a lot of relevance to the world today, yet it’s not heavy in its content, in fact, it’s the sort of story you seek in order to forget and escape. Delivered in a light-hearted manner, yet never trivialising the enormity of Alex’s and Henry’s feelings and decisions.

“You are,” he says, “the absolute worst idea I’ve ever had.” Henry’s mouth spreads into a slow smile, and Alex kisses it.

This is the Royal fairy-tale we’ve always dreamed of! The two heartthrobs from two countries, who make us believe anything is possible and who turned our cynical hearts into hopeful ones.

Told in a mesmerising expressive prose, we lived every moment of this story. From the stirring feelings between the sensitive charismatic Prince and the rebel FSOTUS with the movie star, good looks to the utter despair experienced when judgment is passed. The nail-biting finale of the political arena had us glued to our Kindles. Each and every character stole our hearts with their own unique personalities; charming and relatable, every one of them crucial to the story.

‘I thought, if someone like that ever loved me, it would set me on fire. ‘

Tears flowed, hearts swooned and giggles erupted in this romantic comedy that’s relevant, thought-provoking that defies belief it is a debut novel! We’re excited to see where Casey McQuiston goes from here because if this is her first offering, the brilliance of this story can only mean fantastic things for readers in the future.

We always purchase every book we review and immediately pre-ordered this book the moment we finished. Whilst it may be in the more expensive category than some, believe us, it’s worth every penny! You can’t put a dollar value on the happiness residing in our hearts. A good book is like a therapy. So don’t think, just 1click now for what we know will be one of our top reads for 2019!

“Take anything you want and know you deserve to have it.”

First Son Alex and Prince Henry of England are considered the heart throbs of the respective nations. However, they discover that they have mutual attraction for each other. To the world, they look like best friends, but they are far more than that. With reputations and diplomatic relations on the line they fight to keep their relationship a secret. It is impossible to express how glorious this book is. The characters are so distinct and strong, the romance despite its unusual nature is realistic, and emotions (both the characters and the reader's) are on a constant roller coaster. I was hooked from page one. Don't pass up on this one!