Hands down one of my favorite books this year. It has all these elements that I love: hate-to-love romance, British characters, LGBTQ+ characters, and more. The storyline was amazing, even though political intrigue isn't usually my thing.

Will update with links to my blog post when it goes live.

I want to start by saying that this book meant a lot to me. I'm not in politics, I'm not someone who identifies as LGBTQ, but none of that matters, because this book speaks for us all. I cannot avoid talking about the things addressed in this book. And so, with the publication of this book nearing, I warn you that I cannot write a review that doesn't contain plot points, character development, and the ending. The majority of this review will, like normal, be spoiler free, but bits of this review will contain spoilers.

I read this book expecting fluffy contemporary themes. I read this book knowing there was a gay romance between the Prince of England and between the First Son of the United States, and I was all for it. I read this book expecting YA angst, romantic elements, light politics, and to be honest, not a a lot more. I really couldn't have been more wrong.

This book was well written, funny, clever, knowledgeable, and so current. The author has absolutely mastered making this book feel so real and so raw. The characters are genuine, complex, reliable, and the relationships they have are those you expect to find in real life, and less in fiction. The themes and stories are also close to the bone, the issues faced throughout are represented EXACTLY how I would expect them to be in the world's media, the political landscape concerning close to real elections, and the general people's reactions worryingly real and phobic.

As always, let's start with the characters. I really don't know how to explain how much I love these characters. They're glorious in their honesty, they interact brilliantly, and they're flawed. A flawed character on his or her own is something that is difficult to perfect, and McQuiston has managed to create a book full of them. Whether it was the European or American side of the Atlantic, each character had been thought through, their importance to the plot planned, real, and understandable. There was no true character that proved to be an antagonist, more the ideas explored and the way stories handled, again something I think was a powerful message to carry in the subtext of the plot.

Alex and Henry were brilliant. They were the adorable squishes that I was desperate for them to be, yet this was far from their only claim on their story. They were paradoxically powerful and vulnerable, a wonderful mix of completely different and extremely similar. They were loving and kind, but they did not do this at the expense of others. They sacrificed themselves and their own happiness rather than those around them. They fought through the life they lived in the book with grace and grit and were so much more than I expected from the leads in a romantic novel. I believed in them and I routed for them, not because they were wonderful together (they were), not because I wanted them to be happy together (I did want this), but because they stood up and were themselves to everyone around them. And they were themselves throughout the book, they grew and evolved individually and together, and were impeccable examples of romantic leads being their romance and yet being so much more than their romantic storyline.

The rest of the super six were just phenomenal. I have to say that June is formidable and possibly the most gutsy of the lot. I never really realised until the end just how influential she was, but her companionship, tenacity, and intellect were actually quite inspirational. I loved Nora's powerful intelligence and absolute certainty in who she was. She oozed everything I would expect from a lesbian computer whizz, but she never did it at the cost of anyone else's shine. Bea was everything I imagined a female version of Prince Harry to be. She battled through her father's death in her own was, embraced press vitriole and the Daily-Mail-all-over title of 'Powder Princess' with impeccable grace and almost gratitude. She was unabashedly herself, a feminine power in a royal family full of powerful women that were different from her. She used their insistance on taking her down to forge a new path for herself, one based in addiction support, familial support, and ultimately trans-atlantic friendship. I feel like she is the royal we celebrate in Harry, and was a really great example of a woman neither pushing ahead of her masculine siblings, nor being hidden by them. And finally Pez, loud, brash, and eccenentric in a way that I think only rich people can be. There was no requirement for the Prince of England's best friend to be either African, Black, or eccentric, yet in this story, it would have been at odds if he had been what we have come to expect as run of the mill in our own royal family and in romance novels in general (something that is, once again, a testament to the author.)

When we expand outwards to her family, and to those associated with the characters, we find a complex mix of backgrounds, characters, and personalities that would be the example of a modern day working/personal dynamic. Alex's mother toes the line between mother and president incredibly well, and is not afraid to drop the Mum act and pick up the political standpoint when required, or to fall back to her family and drop her public persona when her family require her. They're accepting, and have a great family dynamic that really shows how divorce does not mean the end of relationships completely. I really commend the author on her supporting cast of characters, who were instrumental in making this a stellar read. Alex's father is a great example of acceptance and embracement of one's true self, supporting the efforts of his family, and his friends (especially Raf the hispanic gay politician).

My personal favourite was Zahra, whose no nonsense attitude was exactly what was needed, and I imagine would be present in a woman of her postion. Her relationship with staff around her is bordering on dictatorial and it is glorious that a woman has been given such power in a book which also has a female president. The incorporation of similar positions within the Prince's household was symbolic, their differences and similarities as marked and detailed as the differences between the Prince and FSOTUS themselves. They were the great example that the Royal family were not - some of which were thinly veiled satire of the current British Monarchy and made me cringe and laugh in disbelief.

I really don't want to spoil this completely, but I can't help but mention the incredible commentary on real life that is present throughout the narrative. In a world of social media and instant access to information, the power of the press and the manipulation of stories and how they are presented is painfully close to the current climate of modern day fame, monarchy and politics. I feel like such a small paragraph at the end of a rather large review is not justice enough, but to go into more detail would spoil elements of the story that I do not want to reveal. The use of relationships as smoke and mirrors, the denial of LGBTQ romance, the apparent sexual predilection of people in power and the cover ups that entail, the corruption within politics and the media, and the apparent ability to be above it all. It was painful to read this in fiction and draw parallels to the real world, to real presidents and press matters, and to realise that this sort of prejudice, racism, sexism, homophobia, and inappropriate, immoral, and illegal behaviour is still both present and somewhat accepted in modern day society.

Overall, this book was spectacular in it's delivery, hilarious and charming in it's story and character development, and monumental in it's message. It is a stellar example of using a genre to raise awareness and comment on issues whilst maintaining a charismatic and enjoyable ensemble of characters and storylines. It took me by surprise, made me laugh out loud and feel true pain, and was simply a special book that I cannot recommend highly enough.

ARC provided by St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

What can I say that hasn’t already been said about this book? I absolutely loved it. It is delightfully Gay- in both senses. As a queer reader, I find it difficult to relate to a lot of romance novels or really get into them. But this book is easily one of my favourites of the year.

I absolutely loved the inciting incident, I was initially under the impression that it would be something terrible that the protagonist would have to spend the whole novel fixing but instead, it bowled me over laughing. And that's the thing about this book. It was actually funny. I laughed out loud more than once reading this and that almost never happens. Casey McQuiston capitalizes on millennial humour and culture without being cringe-inducing or making up new words to replace a trend that died three months ago. This is a funny book about funny people written by a funny person.

But not only that her writing was personal, intimate and heartwarming. To see a story so romantic and outright LGBT friendly still shocks me, nothing about this book- for me, was fetishizing or uncomfortable like a lot of other Male/Male romances that I have read. It felt like a love letter to the gay community, Alex figuring himself out will be relatable for a lot of readers.

Diverse characters litter this novel and if I were to discuss every aspect of it then I would be writing an essay- not a review. Alex is bisexual and mixed race, Henry is gay, Nora is queer and it's implied that a lot of the other characters are too. (Overall just really good representation). Addiction, politics and the downsides of celebrity are all explored at length. The theme of grief also runs through the novel and I think it was handled very well for New Adult book. The discussions felt mature, realistic and the way the characters acted really emphasised that they were still struggling with it. I think it was an important part of the story and I would like to read more books that cover the topic in a similar way. (I recommend The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily X.R. Pan for a YA Contemporary that tackles the complexity of grief.)

Every character is distinctly complex and likeable. Alex is the best kind of an asshole, June is bold, Nora is strikingly smart and Henry is literally Pince Charming and by the end of the book, they've all changed completely. Even their parents are first-class characters. That's something I really enjoyed about the book. The parents were involved in their children's lives and didn’t just let them swan around and bugger everything up. Actions had consequences.

But, it isn’t without its flaws. While I enjoyed the romance very much but I didn’t realise the book took place over such a long time scale. This didn’t take away from my enjoyment of it but sometimes I just missed the time skips and it felt slightly jarring when scenes changed so quickly. Although, I did receive an ARC so this may change in the final copy. Then that will be ‘History, huh?’

Overall, I loved the book and I intend on buying it as soon as it comes out on the 14th of May 2019.

Trigger Warnings for:
Homophobia, Racism, Depression, Panic Attacks and Anxiety, Cancer, Death Addiction, Assault and Being Outed.

I just couldn't finish this one. It was very cute in the beginning....it just didn't hold it for me. I almost felt like it was a YA Romance...with steamy scenes and cuss words.
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I wanted to like it. I loved the characters. I loved the idea. LOVED it...it just didn't deliver for me.
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I think other people will really enjoy it and if it hit the big screen...I would be there in a second. It felt like it would be a great romantic comedy on screen...but alas, it didn't work on paper.

I really really enjoyed this book!! I adored all of the main characters, but especially Alex, Henry, and June. Yes, this book was a little bittersweet because it's a possible "what could have been" scenario since Alex's mom is elected president following the 2016 election and this book deals a lot with the campaigning process for 2020. However, I still really liked the political aspects of this book with Alex working on campaign strategies and working on his mother's re-election campaign. The friendships in this book was fantastic. I especially liked reading Henry's relationship with his sister, Bea and his fried Pez (awesome nickname, btw). If you want a cute LGBTQ romance (especially one that involves British royalty), then definitely pick up this book when it comes out on May 14!

I loved this book. It was adorable, funny, and sweet, and I don't even LIKE romance (generally). I tend to find sex scenes cringy and decidedly not sexy (it's the word choice every time). But this was really well done! There were, like, kind of a lot of sex scenes, but I didn't once find them cringy. Nothing was described as throbbing. It was good. The characters were really well-crafted, and the world-building was fabulous. Plus Henry and Alex's relationship was really really cuuuute and I laughed out loud at Ellen's Powerpoint. Alex read as queer to me from the first page (especially the part about how he would touch the prince's photo and imagine he could feel his hair? that is so gay, dude, who are you kidding) so, aside from my initial confusion because I thought he was already out, I really enjoyed his process of self-discovery. It was super true-to-life.

Where to begin, I absolutely loved this book!!! The story was so heart tugging, I just loved it. I read it in one sitting, which is the highest compliment I can give a book/author. Alex and Henry will stay with me long after I finished their story. Casey has a way of making you feel like you are floating above the story, almost like a voyeur, I have not experienced this feeling, at this level in a long time. It is the highest praise I can give. I loved how real and flawed the character were, the way she put you inside their heads. This story was a joy to read, I highly recommend this one, absolutely stunning! Well done Casey McQuiston, I look forward to reading more from you :) Best book I have read so far in 2019!

I couldn't believe this was Casey McQuiston's debut novel - what a stunning and witty read!

Considering I'm not a very political person, I found the dialogue to be extremely funny and well-researched. The banter between Alex and Henry is captivating and the diversity of characters within the story had me hooked the entire way. It's rare to find an LGTBQ romance book these days, and I must say, McQuiston has really outdone herself.

Thank you to Netgalley, St.Martin’s Press and the author for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review is basically just me gushing about Red, White, & Royal Blue. So, I absolutely loved this book; the characters, the setting, and plot, the pop culture references. It was perfect. There was nothing about this book that I did not love. The chemistry between Henry and Alex was electric. Just reading their emails made me smile. And oh my god they stressed me out with their sneaking around. I was in constant fear of them being caught. Also, Nora and June are the best friends I would love to have. Nora is unapologetically herself and says whatever it crosses her mind, and June is sweet and has a Jane Austin obsession. Oh, and Alex lives life with a reckless abandon that I appreciate. Another thing I appreciated was that their friend’s groups blended together and interacted with each other rather than staying isolated. TL;DR: You need to read this book. Everyone needs to read this book.

Red, White & Royal Blue was a breath of fresh air and holy cow...Casey McQuiston can write! Enemies to lovers is my favorite romance trope and this book knocked it out of the park. There was so much to love here: the perfect male/male romance (and hilarious banter) between Alex and Henry, the family dynamics, the diverse cast of characters, the political aspect, and the fact that it was all so relevant!

Casey McQuiston’s writing is witty, and so damn funny, yet she eloquently handles issues of race, sexuality, and politics like a seasoned pro. This book is one of a kind and I highly recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley, St.Martin’s Press, and the author for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. Red, White & Royal Blue was not what I was expecting for a debut novel. I am utterly impressed. This book touches on several different themes including politics, the LBGTQ community and coming out, family ties and relationships, and the love and duty to ones country. Casey McQuiston has written a novel that pulls it all together. A journey of self-discovery. The inner turmoil of coming out and the implications it could have on families in prominent positions. And the aftermath. My heart was cheering for Henry and Alex throughout the book and my heart hurt every time they encountered roadblocks to their relationship. I wish everyone in this world would just accept and love everyone without judgement. Great book. Highly recommend. Will likely be a book that can inspire many people who are struggling to come out. Oh, and can we talk about how perfect the title is for this book?!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I just want to start off by saying that this is the best debut novel I have ever read. And I'm going out on a limb and calling it now - I think this will be my favorite book of 2019.

Now buckle up, I'm about to gush for long hot minute.

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


Summary
This follows Alex, the First Son to the first female president of the United States, and Henry, the Prince of Wales. The two of them have been rivals since they met as teens. Now, a scuffle at the royal wedding leaks to the press and threatens international relations. To try and fix the situation, they are forced to pretend to be best friends until things calm down.
But what starts of as a simple press scheme, turns into so much more. And their secret relationship threatens more than just their own futures.

Overview
This is told in third person from Alex's point of view as well as email exchanges between Alex and Henry.
This is one of the single most quotable books I've ever read - I highlighted 26 passages on my first read through.

Content Warnings: Racism, grief, drug abuse, homophobia, anxiety.

Alex wishes he could help, but he doesn't particularly mind. He's just as attracted to Henry's cloudy tempers, the way he comes back from them, and the millions of shades in between.


What I Liked
1. Alex and Henry are the most precious couple and I would protect them with my life. Reading and following their relationship was so beautiful and heartwarming. Everything was stacked against these two and I was pulling for them from page 1.

I don't know if I'll ever be allowed to tell the world, but I... I want to. One day. If there's any legacy for me on this bloody earth, I want it to be true, so I can offer you all of me, in whatever way you'll have me, and I can offer you the chance of a life.


But the thing is, jumping off cliffs in kinda my thing. That's the choice. I love him, with all that, because of all that. On purpose. I love him on purpose.


2. These are some of the best side characters I've ever read. There are a lot of side characters - family, friends, security, etc - but I connected to all of them. I don't know how McQuiston gave so much substance to so many characters but everyone felt like a fully fledged character.

3. The banter and one-liners. Oh. My. God. The dialogue in this was utter perfection. McQuiston captured how 20-somethings talk so perfectly. It was funny, and witty, but still intelligent.

The phrase "see attached bibliography" is the single sexiest thing you have ever written to me


4. The family dynamic. Alex talks frequently about his family's history - their Mexican and Texan roots, the difficulty of having both of his divorced parent's last names, and dealing with their mentally/time intensive careers. You were shown the tension that caused but also how it brought everyone together. Despite tension, everyone stood by each other unwavering. It was such an amazing but real depiction of a strong family unit. And Alex and his sister June are one of my favorite sibling duos ever.

5. This book hit so many difficult things - gender, sexuality, grief, race, etc. And it had me running the gamut of emotions, I laughed, cried, and everything in between. But in the end I was swept away by the hopefulness of this book. This book just leaves you feeling so inspired and hopeful in the end. I absolutely want to believe in this future.

This is it. October 2, 2020, and the whole world watched, and history remembered.


6. Read the Acknowledgements! McQuiston shares about her writing experience and it made me tear up all over again.

What I Didn't Like
Literally nothing. This book is complete and utter perfection.

I can't recommend this book enough. Please, please pick this up. This story was moving and so important. And it left me feeling so hopeful and full of love for these characters.

So good! Just read this already! I loved the outlandish premise, but the author made all the characters so real and heartwarming that I couldn't stop reading.

Contemporary romance has been all the rage as of late (don't get me started on all these incredibly similar covers) but I haven't found all the books worthy of the praise they're getting in mainstream reviews. Red, White and Royal Blue, however, deserves every line of praise it gets. I didn't think it was possible for it to be as great as all the pre-publication reviews have made it out to be but boy does it deliver.

Alex Claremont-Diaz is the son of the United States' first female president. Together with his older sister and the vice president's granddaughter, they make up the White House Trio, the young millennials whose every move is followed by the eyes of the world. It makes dating pretty hard. Enter Prince Henry of England, Alex's nemesis and total jerk; so he thinks. After an incident at the royal wedding of Henry's older brother, the handlers for both men force them to spend time together in order to repair their image. They break down the barriers between them and slowly fall for one another, all while trying to maintain their own lives out of the public eye and navigate Alex's mother's re-election campaign.

Seriously guys this is so good. It's a great romance, it reads like a real story. It's a far fetched idea in some aspects, but the author is fantastic and uses her characters to ground the story and make it seem entirely believable. Every secondary character is multi-dimensional, interesting and fun to read. She gives layers to every character so the reader can identify their weaknesses and strengths through action rather than just telling us repeatedly what their personality is supposed to me. Family life is explored, as is sexuality, and man is it modern with it's politics As in there's a Bitch McConnell joke. And considering how Mitch McConnell is an absolute joke as well as the harbinger of the apocalypse and all my nightmares, I approved wholeheartedly.

If I had any criticisms of the book it's that it could have been a little bit shorter (nearing 450 pages is a LOT for a romance novel; no matter how much I liked it) and at times the conversation fell into what I consider "Gilmore Girls" territory. Sometimes I read bits of conversation and there were so many references and clever quips it was a little much for me (and I honestly didn't get a good amount of them), but in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter. This book is fantastic and if you're a contemporary romance fan you might have a new favorite. It's worth checking out and worth a purchase in my opinion.

If there’s one book that’s going to stick with me for years to come, it is Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. I had no idea how much this book was going to make me smile, swoon, and cheer for every single character I came across. I’m not even exaggerating when I say these characters feel like actual, real people, and if you’re like me who is just… really unhappy with the way US politics has been going… then you’re probably going to want these characters to be real, too.

Firstly, I want to mention that this book is new adult (not YA!) So, yes, there are some steamy scenes! Most fade to black, but, nonetheless, still steamy!

So this book stars Alex Claremont-Diaz, a bisexual, 21-year-old, Mexican-American who is the First Son of the United States. His mother, Ellen Claremont, is the first woman president, and she’s coming up for reelection in 2020. You see, in this alternate reality, a woman president took office after President Obama. And, y’all, this book cannot come at a better time when all I want is to keep that hope alive that things here will eventually… get better?

And then there’s Henry, the Prince of Wales. Henry is gay but has not come out due to the pressure and expectations from the crown. Henry has two siblings: an older brother and younger sister. He’s such a soft guy, and he feels so much weight upon him to fulfill his royal obligations. But Henry’s also suffering from anxiety and depression after his father passed away, and his mother has been absent since his father’s death.

This story has my favorite trope of all time: enemies-to-lovers! Alex, the POTUS, and their entourage fly to England for a royal wedding (Henry’s brother’s.) Alex has met Henry before, and always felt like Henry came off as a jerk. So after a bit of arguing, Alex and Henry accidentally destroy the royal wedding cake, and the two families go into full recovery-mode in order to get the negative press off their backs.

Which then leads into… the fake-friendship trope! Now Alex and Henry have to pretend to be BFFs in front of the press so they can clear the air especially since President Claremont is running for reelection and she cannot have this international-wedding-catastrophe in the spotlight.

I’m sure you can guess what happens from here… but once they become fake friends, a real friendship blooms as the FSOTUS and Prince get to know each other. A romance then ensues, and soon they’re trying their best to keep everything a secret.

I really had the best time reading this book. Alex is so sarcastic, witty, and has the best one-liners I’ve ever read. He’s also full of so much heart and he cares so much about his family and his background. His grandparents are Mexican immigrants, and I cannot help but relate so hard to how Alex struggles with his identity of being half Mexican and white (I’m half Thai/white); how sometimes we aren’t sure which box we fit into. I also felt such a deep emotional attachment to Henry as he wanted nothing more than to fulfill his royal obligations, but at the same time struggles with the thought of putting himself and his happiness first.

The romance in this book is top notch, and I would give my soul for a sequel. I not only fell in love with Alex and Henry, but the other diverse cast made this story so amazing. I love June, Nora, Bea, Pez, Tarah, and the POTUS (Ellen) so, so much. Like I said, I truly wish these characters were real people!

Okay, I’m done gushing about this adorable, swoon-worthy book. I sincerely hope you’ll pick this up; not only for the romance, but for the witty banter, hilarious characters, found families, close friendships, and glimmers of hope.

However, there is a lot of talk about US (and royal) politics in this book, so if that’s not your jam, then you may not love it. But even so, all the talks of politics throughout the book does have a purpose and makes sense as the story progresses (I know I’m being vague, but you’ll see what I mean if you read it!)

Trigger/content warnings: Homophobia, talks of cancer, death of a parent, outing, anxiety, depression, talks of drug use, talks of past sexual assault.

A romantic comedy with such a loveable and relatable cast and wonderful message. A timely and heart warming read.

The Characters Were Great
I absolutely loved the characters in this novel. It’s been a while since I fell in love with the characters of a book as much as I fell in love with absolutely everyone in this book. Alex is a fantastic main character, an easy one to root for and I absolutely loved everything about him. I loved how loud and boisterous his personality is, how confident he is, but also how soft he can be. And then to contrast that there’s Henry, who seems cold and aloof BUT HE IS SO NOT. He feels so deeply and is such a loveable character that you just want to PROTECT AT ALL COSTS. I loved them both so much.

And all the secondary characters in this novel were superb. I loved ALL of them and I want a book about each and every one. There’s so much room for more books with them and I would die if we got them. I loved Nora and June and I think their relationship with Alex is beautiful, but I also loved how they stood on their own. Also one of my favorite characters was Zahra and I want a whole book about her and Shaan. Please and thank you.

I Loved the Romance
Henry and Alex were adorable. I loved them together, I loved how genuine and honest their relationship felt. I loved the way it progressed and grew and it did not feel rushed to me, it felt very organic and I just loved their relationship so much. I also loved how they had real issues and how they dealt with them and just the way they communicated. They had problems and fights like any relationship does, but I feel like they weren’t trivial and that they were also handled really well. And I loved how they helped each other deal with their own issues and also grow from them together but also individually.

All the Good Stuff
And there was so much great stuff in this. There’s a lot of representation – Alex is half Mexican and bisexual, Nora is also queer, there’s a trans side character, there are POC characters… I just loved how diverse this was and how there were all sorts of discussions about identity, in every way possible and also in the context of both the USA and UK. There was also so many discussions about grief and depression and even substance abuse, and I just think it was all really well done.

I was also absolutely head over heels with Alex’s parents and their relationship with their kids. I love how supportive they were of him, and how they always put him first and also how they were both just kickass awesome people.

I also really enjoyed all the politics we got in here. Full disclosure – I am not American and I don’t know all the ins and outs of the American political system, but I do have some basic knowledge of it and for me personally, it was a nice addition to the story and I feel like it added another interesting layer. But again – I am not American so it might not be as good as I found it to be.

Really Genuine
And I will say that this book felt so genuine. I love when pop culture is incorporated into books, but I don’t think it’s done well that often. This was not the case. I loved how pop culture references came so effortlessly, how texting and generally communication were handled in here – it all felt so genuine and real and organic and I loved it.

On top of it all, I finished this book with such a warm and hopeful feeling. It was so good and it made me feel happy and good and I am so grateful to have read it because it was just a ball of happiness in book form.

Cons?
This book isn’t perfect. Its biggest issue, in my opinion, is the pacing – the pacing is truly off in here and the book is too long. There’s also these weird time jumps that happen, and the reader is never properly warned, so it takes some getting used to. I also feel like some of this was a bit far fetched. But then again, I don’t think that it’s supposed to be that realistic. Also, while Alex and Henry’s relationship did develop organically and it felt real and fleshed out, they went too quickly from enemies to friends, and while it makes sense in the grand scheme of things, I wish we got a bit more of the tension that comes with them “hating” each other.

However, while I might have really disliked these things in some other book, I really did not care that much about them here. I have said this before but I can forgive almost anything when I love the characters, and that was the case here. The things I mentioned above in no way lessened my enjoyment of this novel, because I loved it so much.

To Sum Up
If you want to read something that will make you feel genuinely good and happy and something that is filled to the brim with genuine, good stuff – this is the book for you. Fantastic characters that you will absolutely adore and a romance that is beyond adorable.

I’ll admit to being a little skeptical. Like I said, romance (especially contemporary) isn’t my favorite genre, and it’s definitely not something I read a lot of. But I just couldn’t resist a story about the son of the (female!) US President falling in love with the Prince of Wales. I mean, come on. This is all I want in a rom com. (And it’s just been optioned for a movie! I need it now please.)

Red, White & Royal Blue is exactly what the synopsis says it is. And it’s SO GOOD. Seriously, I haven’t had this much fun reading a book in a while (which is kind of on me for not reading more romantic comedies). I couldn’t put it down. Which is saying a lot because I generally don’t read romance or new adult (is that still a thing?), and I usually struggle to identify with millennial characters (even though I technically am one). But these characters just felt real, and I really liked that. Also, I’m a huge fan of nerdy female characters, and loved seeing that in Nora.

But the heart of this book (literally) is the relationship between Alex and Henry. It just made me so damn happy. We’re talking Pride and Prejudice levels of warm and fuzzy. Granted Red, White & Royal Blue goes a little beyond just warm and fuzzy (Jane Austen didn’t do sex scenes). Reading this at work was probably not the best idea, but it was worth it. Because I really truly loved it. This made me want to read more romance, and definitely more of Casey McQuiston’s work. I am really impressed that this was her debut novel, because it was so good, and a little disappointed that I don’t have five more of her books to read. I guess I’ll have to settle fo rereading this repeatedly. Which we all know I rarely do.

This was a refreshing take on the many, many books about royal love out there. While I didn't love the two main characters, I still loved their story and recommend this book.

For as long as I can remember, I have loved stories about royalty. I never dreamed of being a princess; it wasn’t a wistful, “I wish this could be me” kind of love, more so a fascination. So when I heard about Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, I knew I had to read it as soon as possible.

And ASAP I did. This is going to be one of my favorite books of the year, I guarantee.

The story follows First Son of the United States Alex Claremont-Diaz, who happens to be the son of the first female president of the USA. Not only that, his father is a Mexican American AND his mother and father are divorced. I would love to live in an America where a divorced woman with biracial children could be president. Like, what? Sign me up.

Anyway, Alex gets himself into a sticky situation with his “arch nemesis” Prince Henry of England which evolves quickly into a friendship that then grows into something more.

Yes, we have a gay Prince of England and bisexual First Son of US falling for each other.

I loved the hope this story gave, the representation it brought to light, and just the overall arc for all the characters. I loved Nora, who is the granddaughter of the Vice President. She’s intelligent, queer, brilliant, and a loyal friend. June is another delightful character as Alex’s sister. The family and friend dynamic is so strong.

My one issue is that there are a few too many F-bombs that seem unnecessary. I’m not a prude or annoyed by cussing, but sometimes in writing it can feel overdone. Believe me, I swear as much as your next person in real life. If it’s a character choice, like it’s one character’s thing, then fine. But when it’s every characters’ thing, it starts to sound more like the author’s voice and not theirs.

But overall, this book is getting 5 stars from me. I want to live in this America. I think this will give a lot of people who are struggling with our current administration’s mission to erase their existence hope to keep fighting. Bring on 2020 and this kind of presidency!

Thank you, Casey McQuiston for this story. And thank you St. Martin’s press for the advanced digital copy! Red, White, and Royal Blue is available May 14, 2019 but you can preorder your copies now!