Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey Mcquiston

What happens when America’s First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?
When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius—his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There’s only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.
Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through?
Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue proves: true love isn’t always diplomatic.

guys, guess what. i finally jumped on the bandwagon and read the book.

this book’s the most adorable piece of fluff. i was literally giggling uncontrollably throughout the whole reading process. honestly, i was a bit skeptical about it at first, because super hyped books usually disappoint me, but i enjoyed this so much!

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.

red, white & royal blue by casey mcquiston

there are so many things i loved about this book, including but not limited to:

• two of my all time favorite tropes – enemies to lovers and forbidden romance!!!
• politics, which surprisingly, is not boring at all
• beautiful friendships (white house trio!!)
• supportive parents and family friends
• accurate representations of siblinghood
• henry’s dog, david
• the karaoke scene where henry sings don’t stop me now by queen, which is, in my opinion, the best song by the best band to have ever existed
• all!! the!! literary!! references!!
• the fact that henry’s a huge jane austen nerd
• diverse characters!

i loved reading henry and alex’s emails to each other – there’s so much love in them, i couldn’t help but smile. i especially liked the way it shows the differences in their personalities and how well they complement each other – where alex is quick-tempered and reckless, henry is calm and cautious. there’s so much chemistry and respect between the two of them, and they’re so open with each other – they’re the actual definition of #relationshipgoals.

and all of the characters are so well written – even the side characters. red, white & royal blue is one of those books in which the characters (sorry, i know this is a cliché way of putting it) are so three-dimensional it seemed like i actually knew them. i loved nora’s wit, june’s protectiveness towards alex, bea’s friendliness, oscar’s acceptance and supportiveness, ellen’s ability to display both politician-ness and mom-ness, luna’s loyalty, and last but not least, zahra’s badassery.

this book also gave me some insight into american politics and international relations, which to my surprise, seem a lot more interesting than they appear on the news. i loved reading the parts where alex and his family helps his mom with the reelection campaign, and how dedicated the whole team is in making the project a success.

and did i mention that red, white & royal blue is the author’s debut novel? i still find that hard to believe because this book is honestly one of the most brilliant contemporary romances i’ve ever read, and let me tell you, the hype is definitely worth it.

trigger warnings: rape, homophobia, racism, drug abuse, death of a parent

representation: biracial (white-mexican), queer (bisexual, gay, lesbian)

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you see that? it’s my first (failed) attempt at creating a mood board 🙂 i took these pictures when i was traveling 😀 the one on the upper left was taken in paris, where alex and henry visited, and i imagined them waking up to this pastel sunrise together. the other three were taken in london, where henry lives, and i pictured him and alex, dressed in disguise to dodge the paparazzi, running through the city streets and having adventures together. (look at that rainbow flag bus stop sign at trafalgar square!)

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Casey McQuiston grew up in the swamps of Southern Louisiana, where she cultivated an love for biscuits and stories with big, beating hearts. She lives in the mountains of Northern Colorado, with a collection of jean jackets and her poodle mix, Pepper.

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have you read red, white & royal blue? what were your thoughts? let me know in the comments ♡