Red, White & Royal Blue: A Novel

How am I even meant to begin to document my love for this book? 5 starts doesn't seem like enough. If I could give it 10, I would. The book follows the story of Alex, First Son of The United States, and his relationship with Henry, Prince of Wales. It got moments that'll make you laugh, like properly belly laugh, and others that will bring a tear to your eyes. Others that will make your heart feel warm and fuzzy and loved. This book is filled with romance and some pop-culture references and is just all around great fun. But above all that, the story and the way it's written really touched me. Alex's journey of figuring out he's bisexual and coming to terms with that and finding an outpouring of love and support from his his family and carving out his shipper group of friends really resonated with me - it was beautiful some. And the romantic relationship between him and Henry? It killed me how cute it was. You really, truly felt like you were witnessing 2 people in soil crushing, all consuming love with each other and it just got me! And can we just take a moment to talk about the representation? We've got bipoc characters, bisexual characters, gay characters, a pansexual character and a transgender character! We love to see it. 100/10, 5-star read. Honestly, my favourite read so far of this year. I loved the way book ended, so warm and full of hope. But, I could also happily read more from this universe! If you're love queer romances, this book is a must read!

T/W: grief, loss, addiction, some mentions of past sexual abuse, racism, homophobia, public outing- Potentially there is more but these are the ones I picked out, please always look at reviews for any triggers! Just from the end of chapter one, I knew this was going to be a five star read for me. The humour in this book is outstanding, and really makes moments that could be considered "cheesy", not cheesy. So, a lot of negative reviews I saw were about the "jabs" made towards Brits. Mate, I'm a Brit and I was cackling throughout, it ain't that deep, calm down. Also Alex and Henry are literal goals in this book how can you hate them? The politics in this story admittedly go over my head at times, but that's due to me not being knowledgeable in that area, but reading a second time definitely helped get my head around them. But they are a much needed element to this story and it really added a sense of reality into it. Honestly, if the book plot and romance wasn't the first thing obvious about this book, I would be screaming "MAKE THEM GAY YOU COWARDS" by the end of chapter 2. I thoroughly enjoyed Henry and Alex's conversations, they are just simply cute and hilarious because the banter throughout this book is on point and top notch! The author has totally encapsulated the way young people talk to one another. The messy bisexual and chaotic gay vibe of this book had me living. Page 111. The entire quite on that page about sexuality, and how it's so confusing when your younger, because you just feel that the way your feeling is normal, is hella on point! I really resonated to it so much and I loved reading how I too felt, in a book. I love how accepting parts of this book is, it makes you feel so happy at times about the acceptance, the love and progression towards equality, and for me it was a nice reality to escape into. Literal thought throughout this book was "Holy Smutoly", make more New Adult books please! Yo, these gay monarch references have me living! I learnt a lot after reading this book about James the first (or thirst appropriately) and George Villiers. Being outed before you are ready is the most shattering thing to happen. It knocks the wind from under your feet and shatters the very love and confidence you had managed to scrape together for yourself, during the realization of your sexuality and/or gender identity. Figuring out who you are is one the hardest things you'll ever do, telling people is the second. If you don't have that environment and love and support either, it's truly soul crushing. I liked how this book focuses on many parental figures idea of acceptance is to ignore it's existence or deny all plausibility of the confession. Overall, I loved this book, I felt represented in this book and you should read this book! 5 stars!

I started reading this in July and was set to finish it before the end of the month but then my fur baby passed away and I’ll hold my hands up and say reading was not my top priority for a good week. So, I put RW&RB down at around the 40% mark to focus on my well-being and processing what had happened. Now up until that point I was absolutely loving this read and powering through it. I started the read on the evening July 27th and by bedtime on the 28th I was already at page 174 which is super quick for me to be getting through a book, especially around work. Red, White and Royal Blue is essentially what it says on the tin, like with most romance books you always know what you’re getting from the cover and the synopsis. In relation to the plot as a whole I wasn’t super surprised by the way things go down. Books like this are all about the feel good factor, the humour, the love overcoming obstacles and a good dollop of drama. And RW&RB does not disappoint on those factors! The writing style is super easy to read and very difficult not to enjoy. The humour is well presented, and I found myself chuckling/laughing throughout the read. I found when I picked this book back up August 3rd that the writing style really helped me during those sad moments in my real life, it eased some of the pain and put a little smile back on my face. If you’re going through a tough time and need a light easy read with some humour in it then this is a book to consider. What I will say about the writing is that Casey is not afraid of some naughty language, if you aren’t a fan of swearing and some sexual references maybe look to avoid this book cause our Texas MC Alex, has a bit of dirty mouth of him. Like I’ve said the plot is as you’d expect from a typical romance, the only difference is that the lover are two young men which I adored. I really love seeing LGBTQ+ representation in books because they should have the same stories and adventures written about them as straight people too. And because the book uses the frequently seen Prince Charming, like an actual Prince, it is refreshing to see this sort of plot with two male characters. I did find it quite odd that the entire British Royal family is completely fictional, apart from Henry who is quite obviously based on Prince Harry. Prince Harry if he had been gay. And that the references to previous US Presidents were actually historically correct. Like it really bugged me out for a bit. Why not either fictionalise both the Royal Family and the previous President? Or use the real Royal Family with reference to real previous presidents? I understood from references to previous Presidents and their family held a significant value in relation to the context they were spoken about and as the overall vibe of the book is that it’s written more for an American audience I could see why the author may have kept the US History aspect. The characters are fun and quirky. Alex the MC I can see some readers struggling to build a connection with him as he is quite obnoxious, but his journey of self-discovery does feel genuine and realistic for his character. Casey also wrote him so that you can see his underlying insecurities which is what makes the more obnoxious behaviour makes sense and makes Alex feel more real, but you need to read a chunk of the book to get there. Prince Henry is what everyone would expect of a Royal Prince in his behaviour and mannerism. As we get to know more of him I really like the way he was developed as a character throughout. I also really enjoyed all the side characters and how they added to the story, they all had a purpose and weren’t just in the story for convenience. Overall, I super enjoyed reading this book considering the circumstance I read the last 60% through. It proved to be a really good distraction from my own sadness. It’s a funny entertaining read. If you want a really easy read, where you kind of know what to expect that you’ll find enjoyable and make you laugh here it is. If you’re having a tough time and want a distraction this book is a go too.

What a lovely book. I don't know why it took me so long to read it, but I absolutely loved it and devoured it in a day. Red, White & Royal Blue is an enemies-to-lovers/forbidden romance book, which is in its on way marvellous, but it's so much more than that as well. I love how we get to reimagine the world where the US elected a woman as president and where we get to see England exposed for its intense and unnecessary grasp in the old traditional ways. The world is changing, that change is inevitable, and Henry and Alex are the perfect guides to present us with that transition. So there's a lot about politics and societal expectations and how opinion is molded and often outdated. But, in the midst of that we get to see Henry's and Alex's relationship bloom. And guys... What a beautiful thing that is. It's heartfelt and pure, it's sexy and sweet, it's everything. Those two filled my heart and I just wanted to yell at everyone that love is love and people deserve to be loved without judgement goddamit. Yeah, I got passioned about it, lol. Anyways, characters are great, the story is interesting, supporting cast is funny and helps carry the story forward. Overall great book. My only complaint could be that it got a tad messy in the end, and I think the story lost a bit of pace. Other than that, great read. Well done Casey McQuiston, can't wait to read more things from you.

I managed to read this before the film came out. I would strongly recommend reading the book. The film is great, and does a great adaptation, but a main character is missing from the film and the back and fourth between Henry and Alex via email/text etc is greatly shortened, from what is just so much fun to read in the book. This copy has extra content at the end (next film) ? If you've only seen the film, I would definitely recommend reading this.

I would echo the review by Len. This is a really enjoyable book with a well thought out plot and characters you fall in love with. However there are parts of it where it’s quite insulting to British culture. If you’re buying it on the back of the film, you may be disappointed as the film is much better. It’s still an enjoyable read though.

“Sometimes you just jump and hope it’s not a cliff...” * Alex Claremont-Diaz is America's beloved First Son and treated like royalty by the media. But being an international socialite does have its downfalls. Namely when the tabloids get hold of photos from a royal wedding that bring to the fore a confrontation with his arch nemesis, Prince Henry. With American/British relations threatened, and his mother's reelection campaign kicking off, there's only one thing for it - staging a fake friendship between the Prince of England and the First Son of America. Alex soon finds himself diving head first in to a secret relationship with Henry that, if discovered, could change the course of history for both nations. Is it a risk worth taking? * "History, huh? Bet we could make some..." * OH MY GOSH!! What a story, what a romance, what a book! I had heard the hype and I'd seen this book everywhere so I went in to it a bit cautious. But it delivered! In fact, I think it deserves MORE hype especially when you realise this is a debut novel! I loved the humour, I loved the politics and I loved the dynamic between Alex and Henry. The sexual tension between these two and the delivery of it was so satisfying. From socialite foes to can't keep their hands off eachother lovers - it was perfect! As a History teacher I have a big interest in international politics and while reading this I felt hope for the future. That some day we will have badass representation of all genders, ethnicities and sexualities in positions of power across the world and that sexuality should be embraced and not something that needs to be hidden within any institution. Because let me tell you, there have most definitely been queer royals throughout the ages, despite what white-washed conservative history may claim and one of my favourite parts of this book, like I laughed out loud, was when Henry addressed his brother and the history of the British monarchy “What are we even defending here, Philip? What kind of legacy? What kind of family, that says, we’ll take the murder, we’ll take the raping and pillaging and the colonizing, we’ll scrub it up nice and neat in a museum, but oh no, you’re a bloody poof? That’s beyond our sense of decorum!" * "The phrase 'see attached bibliography' is the single sexiest thing you have ever written to me..."

**TW** This book deals with topics such as family issues, society's "perfect" image and a slight hint towards r*pe So... I finally finished this book! It was worth the hype it got but I still feel it was a little dull in places. And I know a lot of you are probably yelling at me for saying that but I'm just being honest. We follow Alex, First Son of the US and Henry, Prince of England on their complicated relationship. I did find them to be such a cute couple and loved the portrayal of today's society incorporated into this story. Being scared to officially "come out" can be quite daunting as someone in a small town, never mind as someone who is very well known. Casey McQuiston certainly allowed readers to feel for the characters on quite a personal scale and I do appreciate that. Also that scene with Alex's mom and the PowerPoint...I admit I laughed. (Can you blame me though?) The story in itself was a lot more steamy than I had anticipated. Everyone I'd seen that spoke of this book claimed it to be a light-hearted read and never mentioned any steam, so I wasn't prepared going in. But Alex and Henry's smart comments to each other made up for it all. What made this story fall flat was mostly towards the end where things just felt rushed and as though the author was in a hurry to finish the story. Besides this though...I loved it! Alex and Henry are going to be forever in my heart. (I mean if you don't love them...who ARE you!?) There were so many scenes where I either wanted to slap them or hug them😂 But mostly, I had a huge smile on my face reading this book, there was no wiping this gal's smile away.