4.5 stars

This book was SO. FREAKING. ADORABLE. I loved Alex and Henry. I loved their adoration of each other and despite how things were going, they cared so deeply for the other's needs and feelings. I loved the political scandals and intrigue sprinkled throughout. It kind of reminded me of West Wing or something like that. I love stories about high ranking political figures, or the families of them, so I knew that this was going to be a favorite. My only criticism of this book is how it dates itself. Since it is specifically referring to the 2020 election, and most of it takes place in 2020, I found myself not being able to picture it "happening now" as I am able to do with most contemporaries. I feel like down the road, this book won't be as relevant, and it can't be timeless because of this. But that's such a small thing, and not too much of a distraction. Overall, I LOVED this book!

I absolutely loved this book. Henry and Alex’s chemistry and raw relationship was so endearing. It also made you wonder when a situation like this will happen in real life!? I found myself laughing out loud, and turning the pages as fast as I could to see if there would be a Happily Ever After!

In the words of Alexander Claremont-Diaz, I have a "Fire under my ass for no good goddamn reason.' and it is all because of this perfect book. I never though I could love a new adult contemporary like this, but then again this book was basically written for me. A charming annoying First Son of the United States (aries) falls in love with the literal Prince of England (pisces), enemies to lovers style. It had love, sex, scandal, politics, pop culture references, an everything else that fuels my very existence.

To loosely quote Alex (my favorite disaster) once again, I stupid love this book.

The characters really drove this book in the best way. It was all from Alex's point of view, but the author allowed the other characters voices to shine just as loud. I just loved everyone so much. Alex was charming, but realistically flawed. It was so interesting that I related to him SO MUCH when we are like in the most different positions ever, but I think that is just the kind of character the author wrote him to be. Realistic, fun, and extremely love-able. Henry was a stiff blank piece of paper at first, because that is how Alex saw him, but as we get to know him with Alex he is the kindest cutest dork to ever grace the halls of Buckingham Palace and I would kill for him. Alex would help me. The side characters, friends and family of the those nerds were also amazing strung out characters who, honestly, I would love to see some spin-offs from. Yes, this is me begging.

The plot moved so effortlessly in some of the best pacing I've seen in a contemporary book, especially one this big. I loved how everything just fit and I want to give the highest regards to the author for all the extremely detailed research she obviously did. She wrote it in a way where I was never confused and understood everything happening. And I loved everything that was happening even when it was stressing me out so much I gulped down an entire can of diet coke in .5 seconds. The writing was just as good. The author was genuinely funny and also inserted some lines that really hit me hard. It was fun while also containing so much substance I may have shed a few tears at points. I really think this is now one of my favorite books ever.

Oh, this book was so much fun. Alex is the son of the first female POTUS, and he's got his future mapped out for him: graduate from college, work for his mom's re-election campaign, and eventually run for office himself. He's pretty much the country's pride and joy, but his position as Golden Boy is threatened when he and his mortal enemy, the Prince of England, are so busy trading barbs at a royal wedding that they accidentally trip and fall into the $75,000 wedding cake. To prevent an international incident, the guys agree to a fake bro-mance around the globe, but as they get to know each other better, they realize that they don't actually hate each other as much as they thought they did...maybe it's actually something that looks a lot like love.

The banter between Alex and Henry is top-notch, and I laughed out loud more than once. Alex is surrounded by amazing, strong women, including his sister, his best friend, his mom, and his mom's Chief of Staff, Zahra, who was probably my favorite because of her amazing ability to bust everyone's balls with love. There was a lot of diversity in this book, too: Latinx characters and gay/bi/trans characters were all mixed in with white British royalty to great effect.

Mostly, I appreciated this book for the joyful parallel universe it provides in comparison to the way our country has looked since the 2016 election. The author said in the acknowledgments that she wrote it after Trump was elected and everything went to hell, and she felt the need to tell a positive, hopeful story as a flip side to real events. She absolutely accomplished that here. The woman is elected president, the boy gets the boy, and everyone lives happily ever after. What a fun escape to the way the world COULD be.

**Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a delightful read!**

Thanks St. Martin's Press for approving me for this eARC on Netgalley!

4.75 stars (I would've given it a full 5 stars, but there was WAY too much swearing)

I honestly didn't think that I'd love this book as much as I did. But omg, it was so good. I couldn't help but love pretty much the whole cast of characters. Their bonds, friendships, and relationships 💙

Alex/Henry is definitely a ship I fully support!! They're so precious 😍

I'm gonna need another book about them, ASAP 😭 Even if they're side characters, in a companion novel featuring one of the sides from this book as the lead!

Red, White and Royal Blue was the best surprise of 2019 for me! I’m not sure I’ve ever been so invested, so enamored and engaged with so many characters in a book before. I laughed out loud at times and cried at others, all while rooting for this dramatically entangled love affair.
Alex is the First Son, sister to lovely June and ex-lover to Nora (the VP’s daughter). While originally despising the Prince of England, Harry, Alex is forced to put on a show of friendship. Readers are invited to join in on this “coming of age” journey as Alex discovers that it is love that ultimately is missing in his life and that Harry is the source of light, joy and above all love. Of course the public eye, paparazzi and royalty make this story so much more complex and horrific (in a fantastic way!). I was charmed by the friendships (I wanted to hang out with Nora & June), comforted by the families (Alex’s mom, step dad and biological Dad are just doing their best), interested in the politics (how does a family survive a very public scandal at the beginning of a campaign) and swept away by the love-story that grows page by page.
The writing style was easy to follow and the banter between both friends and lovers was sweet and absolutely tear-jerking hilarious. I honestly had no idea what to expect when I received the ARC of this book, but I feel so privileged and lucky to have a preview of this wonderful story.
A sincere thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

5/5 Stars

If you're looking for a hopeful celebration of politics and love, Casey McQuiston's Red, White & Royal Blue will be right up your alley. Alex, the First Son, and Henry, the Prince of Wales, find themselves in a bit of a fiasco after a wedding cake incident and the determined damage control will have to overcome the dislike and indifference between them. Needless to say, relations escalate pretty quickly.

Alex is the nation's dream guy; a stunner with humor and a smart head on his shoulders. He's passionate about politics and immerses himself in work to shut out his nerves. Prince Henry though while gorgeous holds himself back and his noble demeanor makes him seem aloof. The slow burn of becoming friends and then the blossoming relationship was perfect especially as a lot of Alex and Henry's time was spent apart. Plus the sharing of ups and downs over text and email were exquisite and the entire relationship was breathtaking.

This book also stood out for it's exceptional side characters. June, Alex's sister, is a supportive presence and her struggle to pursue her own passion of writing while being neutral in journalism was intriguing. Nora, the Veep's granddaughter, makes up the third prong of the Golden Trio and is a goddess of data analysis. Nora and Pez, Henry's sister and best friend respectively, were a riot and all six of them made for a pretty iconic squad. Even the parents and political representatives were amazing.

McQuiston delves into a number of topics especially with Alex discovering his sexual identity and I appreciated the discussion of how realizations are often made later in life which is totally valid. She also tackles our current political climate with a sort of revisionist history and a group of characters that care deeply about the world around them. The behind the scenes White House action gave me a lot of West Wing vibes and left me with a bit of hope for the future.

Overall Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston was a wish-fulfilling political romcom that had me riveted from the first page. Alex and Henry were deeply complex and endearing characters that forever have my heart and the rest of their friends and family were just as great. Their tumultuous meet cute and the social commentary was a roller coaster of emotions and I totally recommend picking this one up.

This book was honestly just so cute, and fun. Alex and Henry were so good together, even when they were both being dramatic. I wish the book had let them hate each other for longer because I love enemies to lovers but I still love the dating a prince scenario.

There were a lot of fun shenanigans and moments in here that at one point I felt like I was just reading fanfiction because it was giving me everything I wanted. But while being really cute, it felt like there were a ton of scenes and pages that could have been cut because the book drags a few times with even more random fluff scenes.

Beyond the romance though, I also really liked the family relations. I was also weirdly into the president's reelection campaign and all the drama that happened with that. I'm not sure why I cared but I did?? I just loved everyone so much, every single character. Make this a 5 book long series with each character, I would love to read it.

This might have just been a problem on the arc but it would do this weird thing where there were hardly any scene transitions. Say they are having a conversation but then the next line Alex is talking to someone else in a different place with no warning. I was a bit confused!

Otherwise this book was just so cute, enjoyable, and all around fun.

I'm going to try and make this review as coherent as possible, but not promises. I'm honestly just so filled with emotions and glee and joy from this book. I have so many highlights from this book and they are all SO GOOD.

Welcome to 2018 and in a far better timeline than the one we currently find ourselves in (*sob*), the successor to Barack Obama is democrat President Claremont, a divorced and re-married bad ass lady, who made two wonderful, half Mexican-half American children in Alex and June.

We start this story in the months leading up to her reelection bid. Alex, the first son, makes a fool of himself, as well as his sworn enemy Henry, at Henry's brother's wedding. In attempt to show that there is no animosity between the countries, Henry and Alex are forced to show the world they are indeed, close friends. And cue the start of the enemies to lovers trope, in the best way possible.

"I think it's amazing," Nora says. "Sworn enemies forced to make peace to settle tensions between their countries? There's something totally Shakespearean about it."

"Shakespearean in that hopefully I'll get stabbed to death," Alex says. "This sheet says his favorite food is mutton pie. I literally cannot think of a more boring food. He's like a cardboard cutout of a person."

As you can imagine, as Alex and Henry are forced to spend time together, their feelings begin to blossom. While Alex had only been with women up until this point in time, I appreciate McQuiston not dragging out Alex questioning if he could possibly like other men. Alex pretty quickly accepted that he was bisexual; while I can totally appreciate this is not easy for many, it kept the story moving along nicely with Alex's quick acceptance.

While Alex and Henry's relationship is very much rooted in friendship as they put on a carefully cultivated PR trip in Great Britain, things really get going with Henry's visit to a New Year's Eve party in D.C. It eventually leads to one of the best first kisses I have ever read. There's so much tension leading up to it and I devoured every interaction between the two.

"C'mon, it's like in the hips. You have to loosen up." He reached down and put both hands on Henry's hips, and Henry instantly tenses under the touch. "That's the opposite of what I said."
"Alex, I dont'--"
"Here," Alex says, moving his own hips, "watch me."
With a grave gulp of champagne, Henry says, "I am."

I mean, be still my swooning heart. I was a little surprised how quickly Alex and Henry got together (not that I'm complaining!) as I expected a little more build up. However, I really liked how much attention was given to the complexity of navigating their relationship. There are so many laugh out loud funny moments - I know I was grinning like a fool like 85% of this book.

How dare Henry come into Alex's house looking like the goddman James Bond offspring that he is, drink red wine with the prime minister, and act like he didn't slip Alex the tongue and ghost him for a month.

He kisses Henry until it feels like he can't breathe, until it feels like he's going to forget both of their name and titles, until they're only two people tangled up in a dark room making a brilliant, epic, unstoppable mistake.

While most of the attention is on Alex and Henry's relationship, there's a lot of great subplots happening and excellent side characters. I absolutely adored June, Alex's sister, and Nora, June and Alex's best friend and Alex's sometimes girlfriend. They are both wickedly funny and smart and incredibly real. I also adored Zahra, Amy, Bea, etc. There are so many excellent characters in their own right, even if they revolve around Alex and Henry.

There's some also serious issues brought up, like the fact that Alex struggles with his mixed heritage, Henry struggles with anxiety and both struggle what it means to carry on a high profile family legacy.

If there's a criticism to be made (besides giving me more books in this world), is that you can fairly easily guess the major plot points. There's nothing terribly unpredictable about them, but honestly, I didn't find myself caring all that much. They needed to happen and I was more interested in how these characters were going to handle them.

Take for instance Alex's mother learning of his relationship and her immediate reaction was to make a powerpoint to lead their discussion, including this title for the ages:
EXPLORING YOUR SEXUALITY: HEALTHY, BUT DOES IT HAVE TO BE WITH THE PRINCE OF ENGLAND?
She apologizes for not having time to come up with better titles.

If I didn't love Alex's entire family already, this would have certainly sealed the deal. The ending, while a bit cliche, was still entirely wonderful and really tied up the book nicely. As I said, before, I would love a follow-up book in the future to see what all these amazing people are up to. I truly did not get enough of them in fantastic 432 pages McQuiston gifted us.

While I certainly have started to read more romance stories in the last few years, I still would not certainly consider myself a big reader of this genre. I tend to only like contemporaries and they definitely need to be well-done and bring something different to the table. I've only found a few so far that fit this billing that I've enjoyed and Red, White & Royal blue is certainly at the top of these.

I can't wait to get this in printed form and read it whenever I need a pick-me-up. I cannot say enough positive things about this book and from everything I've seen, just about everyone else who's read this agrees. It's sexy, it's funny and it's emotionally heart-warming.

This book was EVERYTHING!!! It is a book I instantly connected to and is now a favorite.

All of the characters are both relatable and lovable. The writing was witty and engaging.

The banter was such fun to read.

The love story epic.

I felt like the political roles were presented in an interesting way.

I super highly recommend this book!!!

TW : forced public outing

Well, this was really cute and heart warming. I've been thinking a lot about this story since I finished it and that's always a good sign.
However do remember that as cute as most of the book is it also deals with a very big forced outing of queer character(s).

The first 30% and the last 30% of this book were 5 stars, amazing.

The middle 40% was quite boring and didn't really engage me. It was around 3 stars. So all in all this book is still a solid 4 stars in my opinion.

I loved the main character, Alex. Fom the very few pages he is really engaging and funny. I love him SO MUCH. And same goes for Henry and actually for every single character in this story. I LOVE THEM ALL. June and Nora were amazing, Helen, Amy, Zahra... They were all amazing and just so real.

But or course Alex and Henry were front and center and they were so cute and so funny together. Their relationship was really cute. I have a hard time expressing how much I enjoyed their journey together.

Alex is half Mexican, he is bi and he can be very annoying BUT I JUST WANT TO HUG HIM.

Henry is shy and reserved and again all I want is to give him a big old hug but thank god he gets many of those.

The thing is with this book, it's also a lot about American politics as Alex mother is up for re-election as president of the United States... And as a French person I really don't care much (also the election system in the US is utter crap, just saying). So that brings us to the middle 40% of this story which consisted of only two things : sex scenes and American politics. None of these two things were interesting to me, not gonna lie. So I was really just waiting for something to happen... And thank god it did and the whole last part of this book was golden ❤️

It's really heart warming and extremely satisfying to see this alternate timeline where a Democrat woman is president of the US, not Trump. Also the ending was pretty dope. I had to suspend my disbelief because I'm not that of an optimistic person but hey, it still feels great to read a story that gives these messages.

So yeah, incredible characters, super strong opening and ending... If you enjoy sex scenes (that are not really specific and often go fade-to-black by the way, not that I would enjoy any sex scene anyway as a person preference lol) you might not be bothered by the middle part of this and then this will definitively be a 5 stars because this was just too cute and nice (well, you have to enjoy romance stories first of course).

‘Red, White and Royal Blue’ is an indulgent afternoon fix, really, but so unique in its application of the British royals and American ‘royalty’ in romantic fiction. Enemies-to-lovers, diversity in politics (or diversity full-stop), bisexuality, blended-families and the problems that come with divorced parents (top political figures aren't’ exempt)…well, there’s representation everywhere here in the form of all the characters, protagonists and secondary ones alike. In fact, it tries very hard to be as inclusive as possible as and Casey McQuiston gives it all in spades, though at times it does feel it’s more like a defiant stance of portraying diversity for the sake of it, or at least, to relentlessly pound home the point that the world isn’t as binary as many make it out to be.

In some alternate world where the timeline splits after Obama exits stage left, Alex Claremont-Diaz—the flamboyant First Son—and Prince Henry of Wales dance towards each other in a myriad of ways that are filled with uber-sass, pseudo-hostility, snarky quirk and everything in between that you could think of. It’s the theatrical kind of drama across the Atlantic and back again, where characters larger than life strut through the pages always making themselves seen and felt, where you sometimes feel your own mouth quirking upwards in amusement. And it’s hard not to be riveted as Alex and Henry navigate the complicated journey that’s made of thorns, double-crossings, back-stabbings and traditions that really, should be considered outdated at best.

Still, some parts made me snort and giggle; other parts made me skim. I did enjoy this overall, but it took me longer than I thought it would and perhaps this does factor into the final rating I’m giving this read nonetheless.

Good writing however, is indisputable and McQuiston’s extremely confident and assured writing carries the whole book through: there’s a certain breathless quality to it as a crazy whirlwind of thoughts and activities come in a huge, long stream of commas, and prove to be as hysterical as much as it’s irreverent and weird in a way that can only happen in fiction.

I really loved the premise of this book ... a prince of England and the first son of the US President, after seeming like enemies, fall in love. And then, of course, there is the fallout. The first half of the book was wildly different from the second half. I wasn't really loving the first half - a lot of lust and confusion, but found the second half redeemed itself with a pretty lovely romance. The author really developed the two main characters as well as a few others. I thought this made the book that much better - especially in the second half when you are really invested in their love story. Would definitely read more from this author!

This is the book of the year!!!!!!! SO GOOD AND I NEVER WANTED IT TO BE DONE.

I love good bisexual representation because it is SO rare and Casey McQuiston pulled it off fabulously. It is so well written and makes you feel every character's emotions. I also loved the discussions about what it's like to be a POC or queer person in politics.

If you're in the mood for a super gay rom com mixed in with some politics, this book is for you. But let's be real, everyone should read this book because this story has something for all: romance, a female president, queerness, diversity, and some great jokes.

This book pulled all the heart strings and I just loved it so much. It results in a wonderful alternate universe that I wish I was a part of.

I've been eyeing this book for a while and I was lucky enough to be approved for this eARC through Netgalley. Thank you!

if you’re looking for any of the following:
1. a biracial, chaotic bisexual of a main character
2. amazing representation
3. a laugh out loud, butterflies-in-your-stomach, feel good novel
4. enemies to lovers to secret dating
Well, have I got the book for you my friend.

When I got Red, White and Royal Blue approved on my kindle I stopped everything I had planned to do that day to read this book and it was the best decision I could have made. I feel like the author looked into my soul when she wrote this novel because it had all my favourite tropes: enemies to lovers to secret dating? uh, sign me up! Henry and Alex's relationship throughout the whole novel was so wholesome, it was like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, I'm truly going to miss them but I know I'll be rereading this book very soon as it has quickly become one of my new favourites.
This book was everything I could have hoped for and more. Casey McQuiston has created the perfect queer rom-com with this novel; it had me laughing out loud every other minute because the way in which she creates witty dialogue between characters feels so real. From the pop-culture references (the pride and prejudice 2005 one's had me grinning from ear to ear) to Alex's smart ass mouth, I couldn't stop laughing.
The representation in this novel was incredible, our main character Alex is a half Mexican bisexual young man with a wide group of complex, diverse friends from all over the spectrum, I truly believe that there is something for everyone to see of themselves in this novel. Alex's bisexual storyline was handled very well, and the things he felt is something every person coming to terms of being of that orientation can relate to and I'm so happy that it reflected well in the book.
I can't wait for everyone to get their hands on this novel May 14th, this is a must read.

This was such a fun and lovely book! At its heart, it's a delightful romcom between a First Son and a British prince, but this book managed to be much more than just that. It had a lot of heart and tackled important issues about identity and relationships in a touching and poignant way. The story was also about more than just the romance: from the side characters' story lines to the presidential election, there was a lot to keep you engaged in the story, and all characters had their own distinct motivations and personalities independent of the central romantic plotline. This book was also unexpectedly funny: it's filled with pop culture references and snarky humor that were an absolute joy to read. If you want a feel-good romance that also touches on more serious issues and has deeply human characters, then give Red, White & Royal Blue a go!

It's rare that a book I couldn't help but highly anticipate actually lives up to my expectations, but this book did. It is, to be frank, a wildly captivating read. A painfully over-invested son of the 1st female US president (a legend!! we stan!!) falls face first from enmity into love with a painfully tight-laced British prince. An already delightful book of political snark & trope-tastic plot contrivances won me three hundred more times over as it blossomed into a coming of age epic & a romance of history-making proportions. What's more, there's a whole world here alongside the romance—one with well-developed friends & mentors, siblings & parents. One where hope springs out of a righteous, stubborn spite against the injustice of the status quo. One where conscientious goodness abounds. And most of all, where love wins. It's a world 2019!me needed badly, and one I think we all deserve the chance to know.

President Claremont is the first woman in the White House and about to run for reelection. Her brilliant, charming son Alex, has fallen in love for the first time. Living in the White House is not always easy, and Alex cannot wait to work on his mother’s campaign when he graduates from Georgetown in a few months. Together with his feisty sister and the Veep’s coding granddaughter they make up the White House Trio. As glamorous and adventurous as this seems (and it is!!) when the tabloids get hold of Alex’s private emails and texts it becomes a public scandal. The world learns that Alex’s secret relationship is with none other than Prince Henry of Wales, spare to the throne. While both American and British PR guru’s are in damage control Alex and Henry must figure out how they can live truthfully and not hurt their families. As their lives are turned upside down; witty, wonderful new author Casey McQuiston takes us on a rollercoaster of laughter, acceptance and hope. I have to admit this is the very first romantic story I have read of this nature and absolutely loved every minute of it. Incredible how this young debut author was able to imagine this alternative love story mixed with mainstream politics and harsh reality. Totally enjoyable, rom-com. A MUST read!!

I LOVE this book. I started it thinking it was just going to be a fun and sexy rom com. Which it was but it also had a deeper heart and I loved the presidential campaign plot line. It made me emotional because it’s an alternate reality I would love to live in.

Funny uplifting and looks at the image conscious world we live in today! It’s all about ettiteque and doing what is expected! However the two main characters in this book do just the opposite! Set in the world of the US presidents son and the second hier to the British throne, there are some parallels with what is happening in the UK and USA today!! Good fun to read.