I really wanted to like this book. I really wish it was better. It's such a fun concept! But the execution is kind of... lacking.

Maybe I've been reading too much YA, but I'm starting to notice that a lot of books sound the same. And I realized it because we're seeing a generation of writers raised on Harry Potter and then going on to write fanfic, and they're emulating Rowling's style, consciously or unconsciously. And, as much as I enjoyed the Harry Potter series, Rowling isn't that great of a writer style-wise. So to see it propagate into other books, unchecked by editors, is a bit disheartening. There's an internet joke about "read another book!" And this is yet another reason why.

So yes, I got that distinct sameness reading this particular novel, probably somewhere around the use of the word "numpty," which I see in fanfics and Harry Potter-inspired novels but have never heard from the mouth of an actual British person, even though I work with several. That's not enough to condemn the book, but it certainly set off an alarm. Also the use of the Mexican Spanish word "vato." I mean, it's a thing people say but something about it here felt forced. A lot of the Mexican references did.

Did the author ever visit England? She's from Louisiana, so I have to assume she's been to Texas. What about Washington DC? There's just so much that didn't feel genuine here; all book research and assumption but no lived experience. I could be wrong, but it just felt less than real.

Double that for the weird mix of fake politicians and fake royals. Somehow fake politicians bothered me less than fake royals. I think it might be because anyone can be elected to office, but the royals are descended from real people, real people that she still mentions in the book. So there's a weird break that happened somewhere in this alternate history. I get there was no way to get the plot to work with real people (also legal issues, also squick).

I was infuriated when emails came up. Yes, a private email server happens in this book too. It goes how you expect it to go. If this is some lighthearted fantasy, why are we still dwelling on the stupidest controversy of 2016?

If you pick up this book because you want to see lots of boy kissing and then some, congrats! It's got plenty of it, and it's delightful to read. Those shmoopy bits are pretty enjoyable, and I was going to give the book a higher score on the strength of them alone. But sigh, then the whole plot happened. ( )

This was wonderful. I cried. This book is so romantic, funny, genuinely emotional, with a lot of good people in it and it gives you hope and makes you believe that a brighter future is possible. ( )

4.5 stars

This book deserves all the praise it gets!

Read it.. ( )

My mom-of-a-gay-son heart.

My funny bone.

My over-flowing pride for author Casey McQuiston's courage to write this book.

If you have ever believed in love between two people. If you have ever felt the weight of your family, keeping you from being who you are. If you have ever felt the pressure to conform and fit in. READ THIS BOOK.

First Son of the United States, Alex, is born to a Mexican father and white mother, who happens to be the first woman president. Alex and his sister, June, are the most loveable, hair-pulling, in-each-others'-business, typical siblings. Throw in Nora, granddaughter to the VP, and you have the three hottest 20-year-olds in the country.

When the three are in London to attend Prince Phillip's marriage, Alex runs headlong into his arch-nemesis, Prince Henry. Wedding cakes are toppled, photos are leaked, drama ensues and a spicy web is woven. The tabloids pick up on things, and their tongues wag, always a step behind as Nora is seen with Princess Bea, June is hanging out with the BF of Prince Henry, and Alex and Henry, well, they are just Henry and Alex, the Prince of England and the First Son. But nothing is as it seems.

Written in relevant, youthful dialogue woven into rich, complex thoughts about society, family, and duty and steeped in deep romance (with a lot of steamy sex), Casey McQuiston puts the rights of all people front and center, and she does it beautifully. Did I mention it is wicked funny?

Red, White and Royal Blue is not a 'gay' love story. It is not a story about being gay. It is a story about two individuals who find each other, fall in love, and happen to both be men.

This may well be my absolute favorite book read in 2023. #loveislove ( )

One of the most adorable books I’ve ever read. I really enjoyed all of the characters, the storyline, the writing. Highly recommended, I loved it. ( )

I am so glad I finally read this novel because I loved, loved, loved it.

The premise is quite simple, although the situation of the characters is not: Alex, son of the US president, and Henry, grandson of the Queen, have had a feud for years. After they clash openly at a Royal Wedding, their respective teams decide that this situation cannot continue and they have to stage a friendship for the benefit of the press - which means that they have to see each other much more often and slowly discover that they really might be friends and so much more. However, this is not easy, given their positions and status in the world, the traditions in Henry's family and the upcoming US election in which Alex has a crucial role as the First Son, aiming to become a politician himself.

I adored all of the characters in this story, from the protagonists to their sidekicks, families and friends. Although their worlds are apart from mine, the descriptions felt authentic and the story and the emotions just seemed real to me. I rooted for these two so much and just couldn't stop reading.
There are many steamy scenes and sometimes they were a bit much, but I decided not to lower my rating because in the end this is a minor quibble as there are so many other aspects I enjoyed. ( )

really cute story! fun to read
great characters :)
loved the concept
some hilarious quotes


3rd read:
this is the only valid romance book ( )

unfortunately i am well versed in fanfiction and ao3 (lmao) so i had basically read this exact story elsewhere, like as in entire paragraphs word for word and lines of dialogue copy pasted from a hundred different fanfics. (and not necessarily GOOD paragraphs or dialogue at that...) so unfortunately not a fav of mine! ( )

WOW WOW WOW!

See full review and more here!

Recommended: YEEEESS! :D
For those who love characters you truly root for with all your heart by the end, for inspiration to live your own life bravely, and for a great book that delivers a much more complex and detailed story than impressive.

Thoughts:
Wow, guys. Wow. What an impressive surprise this book was. I thought it would be a light, funny read (if probably a bit predictable and cliched). While it had the lightness and humor at points, it also was startlingly deep and sensitive and sexy as hell.

Our MCs, Alex & Henry, have that hate-to-love thing going on. But my god, is it so much more than that. You don't often seen a romance struggling with political and international constraints where the people involved are teenagers (or under the age of 30, really). YA political romance is something I never knew I needed in my life, and McQuiston has filled a void I never knew needed filling! So from the start, kudos for a quite original premise and delivery.

The personal identity questions around Alex's bisexuality is handled with honesty, tact, and just as much angst as you would expect when his crush could cost his mother her presidency. The actual romance between them is steamy, too, with both beautifully touching and searingly sexual scenes that capture what love and passion really are.

The supporting characters are all delightful and well developed as well. Far from feeling flat, they add to the story with their own paths in addition to being foils for Henry and Alex to develop further from.

Ending: A I was actually holding my breath, flying through the last pages so fast with one question: "WHAT HAPPENS WITH TEXAS?" Was it predictable? No, actually. As I said, I haven't read much political love intrigue with such young stars, so I really wasn't sure how it would play out. Maybe some things I saw coming, but there was enough uncertainty to keep me devouring this book (as you may have noticed, I slammed out all 423 pages in two days). ( )

3.5

This is like gay Royal We. (I’m fact, I found the book because the Fug Girls recommended it.)

Interesting mix of romance and politics. Enjoyed it for the most part but wished it was a little less crude.

I’m not talking about the gay stuff - that’s fine - but I just thought the way they talked to one another - in particular the parents/kids seemed unnecessarily peppered with cursing. It’s a silly nitpick but it bugged me.

I was also annoyed with how much the young people were involved in the politics - they seemed too young for the roles they were given in the campaign. I get they had to be young to still live in the White House but living there didn’t really seem essential to the plot because the relationship between Alex & Harry would be a huge deal even if he didn’t live there and I think the romance and it’s implications would have held more weight if they were older.



( )

Pure gay joy. ( )

Moving, sexy, politically relevant - a true gem

It’s hard to describe this book. It’s modern with talk of social media, it’s classic with literary references, it’s historic with snippets of American and British history. But mostly, it’s a great coming out and love story. ( )

I was warned ahead of time that this book was ~spicy~ and I'm really glad I was because, if not, I would have been very thrown off by it. I read the audiobook and the narrator threw me off so much with his voice that I put the book down for a day or two after only getting 2% in. I'm not sure why, it just did. That aside, this book was super cute and I loved it so much that I read it in like a day when I finally picked it up. It has quite a few parallels to Boyfriend Material (which is also one of my favorites of the year) like enemies to lovers, British people, and some others. I did tune out some of the political talks because I didn't understand some of it, but otherwise, it's cute, tense, spicy, and endearing (and also how I wish the 2016 and 2020 elections would have gone). ( )

Bello, un libro che complessivamente mi è piaciuto molto, simpatico e anche divertente e scritto bene, in maniera intelligente e acuta tanto da riuscire a farti entrare nella testa dei protagonisti. Personaggi ben tratteggiati e coerenti nel loro sviluppo, un libro tutto sommato abbastanza corposo che, per me, forse avrebbe tratto beneficio da qualche piccolo taglio che lo avrebbe reso più agile ed efficace.
Due protagonisti Alex, il figlio della presidente degli Stati Uniti e Henry, il principe quarto in linea di successione al trono britannico, da anni nemici giurati che, per rimediare a un incidente diplomatico che li ha visti coinvolti assieme a una torta nuziale durante il matrimonio di un membro della famiglia reale, saranno costretti a deporre le armi e a fingere un legame di amicizia. Ma le cose tra loro sono destinate a complicarsi perché quello che nasce come un rapporto forzato è destinato, in breve, a trasformarsi del tutto e a creare, forse, problemi ancora maggiori.
Una lettura decisamente godibile, molto più del film che ne hanno tratto che, come nella quasi totalità di simili casi, a mio avviso non riesce a rappresentare in modo ottimale la storia qui narrata che invece consiglio sicuramente di leggere. ( )

3.5 stars, rounding up to 4. It occurs to me I don't have a romance shelf/tag but probably should go back and make one... anyway, this was a nice, fluffy alternative to the current political hellscape (and reading in the year much of it takes place, too!)

There's just enough similarities to our reality (actual previous First Families mentioned, pop culture, etc.) and then some Suspiciously Similar Substitutes ("Mountchristen-Windsor", Stanley Connor essentially being Bernie Sanders and characters are told Prez. Clermont is lucky Connor didn't primary her, email server security comes up, etc.) The Republican rival is like a mashup of Romney (Utah senator, perfectly coiffed) and Larry Craig (for spoiler reasons but also for coming from a mountain west state). I've heard other people mention that they felt Alex and Henry read a little younger than their ages, but remembering what my early twenties were like, this feels pretty authentic in terms of grappling with who you're attracted to, FEELS, and horniness.

I do question really how often VIP kids can wander off to do things in private unless they have very savvy, in-the-know security (which both Alex and Henry do... but my disbelief is stretched). Besides being a male-male romance, we have plenty of representation of people who'd actually exist and live in Texas or DC. Overall, quite fun, would love to see under the hood at the alternative modern worldbuilding (it's implied that the Edward VIII equivalent abdicated because he was a Nazi, though our version was definitely sympathetic, etc. and I can't help but feel Alex would be treated by tabloids like Meghan Markle was for being mixed-race American but RW&RB's world is slightly kinder so maybe not? idk) ( )

Where do I even start? It’s ridiculous and fantastic and so much fun and is everything I could ever want for a book. I sobbed through the entire last third of the book—it’s fine, I’m fine. So grateful to Casey for writing stories where I can see myself so easily. ( )

I LOVE ALEX AND HENRY ( )

Amazon Prime got me again. I’ve found so many good books that they’ve based their shows off of! This movie has quickly became one of my favorites and I just had to read the book! It’s not common that I’ll buy a book and read it before all the others on my to read list, but this one I did!

Red, White, & Royal Blue is a romantic comedy by Casey McQuiston in where the First Son of the US gets into a tiff with the youngest Prince of Britain and they’re forced to fake a friendship for PR reasons. In the end they fall in love and are forced to make difficult decisions that’ll impact both their families, futures, and countries.

This was a fast moving storyline and highly entertaining. It was a creative storyline and hooked from the beginning. The characters are all likeable and the politics were kept to a minimum which I appreciated. The ending was good and this was a positive representation for the LGBTQ community. The humor was just the right amount and not over done like it is in some comedic novels.

There were quite a few differences between the movie and the book, including the villain of the storyline. I’m not sure what the decision was in changing who the bad guy was in the conflict, but it still flowed well in the movie and did not minimize the relationship of the main characters.

★★★★★ I pray for a sequel! I definitely recommend buying the collector’s edition if you are going to read it. It has a final chapter that is set 5 years later from the ending of the original storyline and wraps their story up nicely. ( )

If Prince Harry was gay and Meghan was a man and her… err his mom was the president, I feel like this could be their story! Kinda… ( )

There is absolutely nothing I don't LOVE about this novel. It's smart, sexy, and is full of impeccable prose and razor sharp wit. The fact that I burned through it on the day Trump got impeached just makes it all the more magical. I really can't give it any higher accolades than that, so I'll just leave you with a resounding GO READ IT... NOW! ( )

Every bit the fantasy romance novel you fear it will be. Thoroughly enjoyed it and also wanted to throw up in my mouth a little. ( )

What I did not expect was to laugh as much as I did. There were plenty of tough moments, plenty of tender moments, all with a lot of my kind of humor thrown in. The characters had flaws that made them believable. I enjoyed this far more than I expected to. ( )

why are popular contemporary romances so cheesy

Red, White & Royal Blue follows Britain's Prince Henry and US President's son Alex going from a years-long feud to falling for each other, as socio-political elements stand in their way of love ( )

Alex Claremont-Diaz, First Son of the United States, and Prince Henry, Prince of Wales, have never particularly got along and find themselves in an international incident when they crash into the $75,000 cake at the royal wedding of Henry's brother Philip. To save face, they are required to be seen in public acting like friends, only to discover they may, in fact, love each other.

I read the first half of this book almost in one sitting, and though the young men are very 20s party people, I still found myself involved in their story and enjoying their texts and emails back and forth. After that, unfortunately, the pacing became really uneven and it took a little too long to wrap everything up. There are certain aspects of the story that are most definitely wish-fulfillment after the 2016 election, and it does not take a huge stretch to image Prince Henry as a gay Prince Harry. An okay read, I'd try more by the author, but not a favorite. ( )