Red, White & Royal Blue: A Novel

Author Casey McQuiston wrote this fictional gay romance novel sort of as a response to how 2016 turned out. Instead of the political and royal figureheads, we have here in the US and in the UK, we were given ones from a sort of parallel universe thereby allowing her to tell the tales of Alex and Henry. What makes this novel work so well is her character writing. The universe in which they live in is rich with details, especially the political machinations (there is some very interesting political intrigue regarding someone Alex knows) that Alex must deal with as well as the social implications that Henry, as a member of the Royal Family, must also contend with. But it is with these two characters that McQuiston pours her soul into thereby giving life to them. Even as they go on their own character arcs (especially Alex), there remains a consistency to who and what they are even as they evolve and grow as people. Even as Alex comes off as somewhat unlikeable at the beginning, by the time his feelings for Henry begin to awaken he is transformed into someone that we can at least not detest, and by we get into the last third of the book he’s someone that we’re not only rooting for, he becomes a character that we can genuinely care about. Henry is different in that he has that royal veneer about him. He’s totally pleasant as one might expect, but even as Alex starts to see his real self he immediately becomes a likable, if somewhat sad, character. McQuiston perfectly uses their growing relationship to see both of them actually begin to blossom as they discover feelings within themselves and for each other. As I read through all of this I could sense that something bad was going to happen, and lo it most certainly did. McQuiston captures the public backlash of these two getting together repeatedly for what is clearly more than just a friendly visit. First, the challenges are strictly of the heart as they each have to admit what it is they are feeling, then the challenges they face have international implications, but McQuiston continually keeps it focused on Alex and Henry in how this fallout is affecting them. It’s a masterful reminder that despite whatever position we come into, whether it is one we attain from hard work or one that we are born into, that at the end of the day we are still people and that must take precedence. This book completely caught me by surprise. I never imagined myself reading a romance novel that wasn’t in some sort of sci-fi or fantasy genre setting, but through an unusual twist of circumstances, I discovered this book. Before reading Red, White & Royal Blue there had been only a handful of authors to cross my path whose work I would fall madly in love with, three of those being Gini Koch of the “Alien – Katherine/Kitty-Katt” series, Jonathan Latt, author of "The Geek," and more recently K.D. Edwards, author of “The Tarot Sequence” series of books, the first being "The Last Sun" (the follow-up novel "The Hanged Man" is slated to come out in December). I have read and re-read their books repeatedly because they each have created characters that I have also fallen in love with. Now I’m thrilled to say that I can add another author to that group as McQuiston has delivered a novel that I just could not put down. I never thought I would go for romance novels, even if they were of a gay nature, but her writing was so powerful that at the end of the day this book proved that what transcends genres is nothing more than just outstanding quality. Her depictions of Alex and Henry, especially as their feelings truly awoke within themselves for each other, was so beautifully written that for a time I no longer felt like an old gay man (I will soon be 58), but instead I actually felt young again and with that came the innocent feelings of hopefulness and optimism, not to mention a reminder of that emotional rush one feels when falling in love. Through Alex and Henry not only did I get to experience that all over again, but McQuiston also gave something that many hopeless romantics (yes, we gay men can also be hopeless romantics) fantasize over, and that is being swept up in love by a true Prince. It’s a theme that has existed in fairy tales for hundreds of years, and now she has given us one that we gay men can latch on to and, vicariously through Alex, experience being swept off our feet by a dashing Prince. If there is a downside to this book is that I was absolutely saddened when I got to the last page and there was no more story. Despite the fact that Alex and Henry are just fictional characters, they were so well-written and portrayed in this book that they truly became alive in my mind, and having the book come to an end felt like I had to say goodbye to them, which is something that I didn’t want to do. Just as they made each other’s lives better through their love and relationship, getting to know them in this book oddly enough made my life better. Reading their story actually made me happy, so for that, I say THANK YOU Casey McQuiston for writing a most remarkable tale. Your idea for this story that you imagined while on an I-10 off-ramp has been embraced by this old gay man who lives just off of I-10. Maybe if you should choose to write more about these two it could be told from Henry’s perspective. In the meantime, I think I will give Red, White & Royal Blue another joyous re-read!!!

Alex is the son of the US President. Prince Henry is second in line for the British throne. And the two of them don’t get along. When an embarrassing incident causes an international stir, the two countries want the young men to pretend they’re friends. Almost against their will, Alex and Henry not only become friends, but over time, they fall in love. And as you can probably imagine, the next international stir looms ahead. There’s a lot to like about this LGBT romance. The plot is solid – set in the political arena, which puts a great deal of external and family pressure on the young men. Messages about love, acceptance, and personal freedoms enter the mix as a natural part of the story. Alex and Henry are likable characters, and it was easy to root for them. Secondary characters are wonderfully distinct, and many reflect the changing attitudes of the younger generation in support of loving who you love. I appreciated that the author takes plenty of time to grow the relationship between the two young men. There are pages and pages of banter via text, and it’s hysterical. I adored the sense of humor and wit that pervades the story from start to finish. There’s also a lot of tenderness and compassion. And a lot of sex. I’m not much of a fan of erotica, no matter who’s doing it, but it's well-written and not overly graphic. In general, the book is a wonderfully written and delightful read, with great characters and endless laughs. Highly recommended.

4.5* This is a heartwarming and funny tale of love between the son of the U.S. president and the Prince of England. Escapist fiction at its finest and all told from Alex's perspective. 💜Alex: bi-racial (half white and half Mexican) and son of the U.S. president; bi-sexual; wants to be in politics for the rest if his life; so busy with his mother's campaign he has little time for anything else and doesn't have a lot of friends; 💜Henry: Prince of England; closeted gay except to all his closest friends and family; 💜June: Sister to Alex; 💜Nora: an MIT wiz and statistical genius; daughter to the Vice-president; 💜Bea: Henry's very supportive sister; This romance starts out with our popular hate to love trope that seems to be present in many books as of late. Henry's brother, Philip is getting married and Alex has to accompany his mother and her cabinet to the wedding. During the reception, a spat between Henry and Alex ends terribly and in the destruction of a $10,000 wedding cake. This incident calls for Henry and Alex to be publicly seen together on many occasions to instill faith in the stability of the diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and England. I do love the hate to love trope (if done properly) and I feel this fit quite well into our storyline overall as it helped to create a natural conflict that led them to spending tons of bonding time together. I love witnessing the progression of their friendship and ever closer into love. Do not mistaken this book to be all hearts and love letters. Before they were in love, they were two friends that "pleased" one another. The beginning instances of their relationship were met with gritty descriptions that had little to do with love itself. As someone who reads these books for all the mushy details, it was a shocker to see such gritty descriptions laid raw in such carnal detail. I couldn't knock this too much though because it also lead an element of realism you don't often get with a modern romance. This angle also made sure to keep away the dreaded instalove trope, which played no part in this slow ascent into love.Love was never just a ready made thing with this book. As their relationship built upon itself with time, so the depth of their love increased. Alex also bridged the gap of his sexual self discovery and he went from not being 100% sure of his sexuality to knowing what it was. A love that you can find your true self in is so rare and valuable and I loved that we saw Alex blooming into the person he was meant to become. The supporting characters in this were incredible and as the U.S. president (who was female 😍😍 and Alex's mom) had everything to possibly lose in her re-election campaign by a possible sex scandal, she always stopped to check in with Alex to see how he was doing. First and foremost she was his mother and second a president. I loved her so much and knew what support him may cost her, but she did it anyway. This is such an ideal that so many kids in the LGBTQ+ community don't always have the benefit of having a support system, and I loved how his mother emulated what a parent should be doing for their child. Along with a cast of highly likable and heart warming characters you get a mix of comedy with this. There is an instance at the beginning involving domesticated Turkey's that made me laugh out loud. I won't say more because seriously, you need to read this. This book had so many layers. It wasn't just two boys who were learning how to love one another; it was two boys learning how to love themselves in a judgmental world. And being that both Alex and Henry are very public figures, it was also about the rest of the world learning to love them too. Overall, I really only had one problem with this book. There was a part toward the beginning of the book when they were just starting to "get to know" one another in which Alex threatened to put Henry on a No-Fly List if Henry didn't come to Alex's room so he could do "very bad things" to him. To me, this was an abuse of power for personal gain and that is "never" okay in the context with which this was used. I found it hit a nerve that didn't set well with me. In spite of my one problem with this book, I did enjoy reading the rest of it. It made me feel so many things and it was so touching and beautiful.

Tof boek, snel en goed geleverd

Ho comprato questo libro per i disegni e il capitolo in più ( nonostante avessi già il libro) E non ne sono rimasta delusa, anzi è meraviglioso!!! Disegni bellissimi, e il capitolo extra è stratosferico!! Questo libro mi ha fatto amare ancora di più questa storia.

Originally bought the book in 2020-2021 in my native language, didn’t read it because the translation didn’t catch my attention. This year I bought it along with another series in English, now I am obsessed!! I’m determined to get every single version ever released lol, pray for my bank account 🙏 Must read!!! The writing, the emotion, the storyline, everything is perfect from start to the very last word!! 💙❤️

Boken kom i bra kvalitet, inga skador på omslaget vad jag kan se, sidornas kanter såg dock ut som om dom har varit blöta och torkat igen, däremot inget större problem för mig

Well this book was kind of everything and I loved every second. I had heard so much about this from other reviewers and I was so excited when I was approved for the eARC. This book was absolutely adorable and definitely was worth all the hype I had been seeing about it! Red, White, & Royal Blue is about Alex, who is the First Son of the United States of America. He was thrust into the spotlight after his mother became President, and basically become like American royalty. It's no secret that Alex really does not get along with royalty, Prince Henry, but they soon get mixed into an international scandal at Prince Phillip's wedding. They are forced to become "friends" and participate in photo ops and spend time together to help save face for both of their families. However, they soon figure out that maybe all the animosity between them was really something more all along. Okay, first things first. I've seen this being labelled as a young adult contemporary book on some websites, but this is definitely not. It is a new adult romance at the very least. There are a lot of steamy scenes and fade to black moments, nothing too descriptive, but more than what you would see in a typical YA contemporary book. With that out of the way, I loved basically everything about this book. I thought the plot was amazingly well paced, I never found myself bored or hoping that the plot would just get going. I was entertained the entire time, and even though it does follow the typical romance formula, the author did some intersting things in the story that made it feel fresh and fun. I also really enjoyed the political elements of this story. We got to see the President and Alex trying to navigate this whole romance and its ramifications during the election year, and see Henry struggle on his end with what this relationship would mean for the "Royal Image". I thought all of that was super intersting and gave the book a deeper level of story telling. This book was also extremely diverse! We have bisexual and gay characters, a transgendered character, and lots of POC rep. And the cherry on top is that these labels did not define the characters! They were part of who they were, and yes their sexuality and race was important to the plot, but it was not their only defining characteristics in the book, and every character was developed beautifully. We also had a female president and tons of strong female characters in positions of power. Speaking of characters, Alex was hilarious. He is outspoken, brash, but still so unfailingly loyal to those he loves, that it made it hard to not love him. Henry was Alex's perfect foil. He was calm, quiet, and more subdued, but so passionate about topics and people he loved. The way they came together and worked through the tough times was really beautiful, and the really are a new OTP of mine. Nora and June were equally amazing. I loved seeing them grow individually and really learn what it as they wanted to do with their lives. Seriously, I loved all the characters, I can't think of a major character who was flat or not talked about enough. I felt connected to them all and enjoyed reading about their character arcs. Basically the TDLR is that I loved this book.