It’s was so good 😭 the perfect combination of sass, romance, steam, and cute family relationships. I loved following Alex and Henry’s relationship.

I see why everyone loves this. I do. But I have problems with this.

While I do enjoy reading gay romances (as a member of the LGBT+ community, I believe this is important to show love in all forms), but I had problems with this story. I didn't connect with this story the way I hoped, I really had issues with both our leads and the amount of times I grew more and more frustrated with details, which should be basic knowledge and yet, was completely wrong.

Again, I see why people love this but this just didn't work for me.

This was certainly something... Definitely not a bad read but I’m also not sure it’s worth they hype. For one, the story had a rudimentary analysis of the problematic aspects of the royal family— all the commentary was facetious.

The romance was not bad, but still left a little to be desired: despite the forbidden affair aspect, Henry and Alex’s relationship felt a little underwhelming. I think their relationship could use a bit more romance or spark.

Otherwise, the story was quite funny and didn’t feel as long as I was expecting it to. 3.5 stars

I don't know how I ended up with this book from Netgalley because I don't tend to read very many romances, but every time I saw someone mention how much they loved it, I would make a mental note to read it, and I finally(!!!) did. I liked it-- the writing was endearing and the characters felt true to life. I skipped over some of the more steamy bits, but I did enjoy the political/campaign setting and I’m all about a happily ever after- especially in 2020.

I've been putting off DNF'ing this book for a while now, over a month I think, but I was really struggling with what to do about it. Part of me didn't want to DNF it, and that's the part that really, really wanted to love it as much as all the 5 star reviews promised I would. Sadly, there's the other part of me, the part that just could <i>not</i> connect with this story nor its characters no matter what.

After a month of me not going back to this book, I think it's time I call it quits.

I'll try to keep this short so here are my three main issues:

1) too much political flafla that I don't care to know about especially not in the context of the world we live in and all the bullshit going on. I'm obviously okay with a bit of political talk, but this book felt like a lesson on American politics and quite frankly...I couldn't care less?

2) this was supposed to be a romance. Yet, of the 49% I read, the story was mostly about Alex and his family and friends (who honestly felt like really flat characters to me, only serving the purpose of checking all the diverse boxes rather than being interesting and/or well-crafted). The entire story (or at least what I've read of it) was only in Alex's POV, which allowed for little page time for Henry (since he was in another country for most of it) which made for again, a two-dimensional prince who honestly felt like a side-character in his own story...

I will say out of all the side characters, Pez was the most intriguing to me, but seeing as he's Henry's bestie, we barely got to see him. And I wasn't interested enough in him to push through to the end.

3) the writing was really weird in places, jumping from one scene to the next in a very disjointed way which made it quite hard to follow. That being said, the copy I had was an ARC, so I'm aware this is not the final product. I'm still mentioning it because I do not know whether the book was truly written this way, or the ARC version was unedited (or perhaps it hadn't been formatted yet which happens sometimes).

Overall, I'm really sad this book did not meet my expectations. I'd like to say it was all because of the hype and that had I found this book randomly I would've liked it more but that would just be untrue. Hyped up or not, Red, White and Royal Blue just wasn't a hit for me.

A cute story involving royal and political sides. Lgbtqia+ Written well, a good story, characters are relatable even though they are "famous"

This was one of the best romcoms of any medium I have encountered in a while. Snappy dialogue, awesome supporting characters, good B plot, and two leads that match perfectly.

Red, White & Royal Blue is the story of two boys in different parts of the world, but having one thing in common: power. Alex Claremont-Diaz is the first Mexican-American son of the United States. Henry is the Prince of England. They both can’t stand each other until one incident forces them to work together…ending up in more ways than one, if you catch my drift.

I can’t remember the last time I read a book that wasn’t young adult. Obviously, Casey’s book is far from young adult and it was so perfect that it got me hunting down even more new adult romances. Honestly, it’s not that easy since there are so many of those romance books that are “harlequin” and cheesy. Or, set on a pirate ship or something. Anyway, on to the actual review.

Alex was so perfect (just like the rest of this book, duh). It doesn’t take long for him to realize that there is something different about the person he thought he knew – his own self. And his own self is bisexual and, obviously, hot for a certain prince. He’s stubborn, but there is so much heart in his body that it may as well have exploded, especially when he is around or thinking about Henry.

Henry, my goodness. I felt so much for this boy. The power that is destined to fall in his hands terrifies him and it’s pretty much based on who he is. He is expected to marry a certain class, follow a set of rules and, yes, be straight. Except he isn’t and falling in love with Alex doesn’t make anything easier. I could feel his heart, along with Alex’s, in this book.

One of my favorite things about this book are the emails they exchange. Obviously it pissed me off with how things played out (I’ll keep that hush right now), but their emails together were so cute, hot and helped tie their relationship together. Who knew that so much technology like ancient emails could bring people closer?

Speaking of being closer, can we talk about their hookups? Hoo boy. The chemistry between the two of them was so !!! I thought my book was going to catch on fire. (Who’s never heard of that one before)?

I still can’t believe this was a debut book. Casey really caught my heart and I wish I could have more of Alex and Henry’s story. I don’t want to let them go and have them sit on my shelf.

I’ve always been a stickler for young adult books. I’ve read some adult romance before, but it’s all scattered throughout the past eight or seven years that you can only grab those by one hand. Sometimes I feel like, at 26, I should be reading more new adult rather than young adult and then I tell myself to shut up. This was my first new adult romance in for I don’t know how many years and I never expected this one book to have me grabbing and researching more of the genre, more that could catch my interest. I’ve grabbed a couple more and I’m definitely going to be on the hunt for more down the road.

Let’s just say, if you are questioning shifting your genres, start with Red, White and Royal Blue. This was the hardest book I had to put down in a while. It was on my NetGalley shelf even before publication and I’ll forever regret not picking it up sooner. Now that I have, I’ll never forget this one and I don’t think I’ll ever forget Casey McQuiston as a new favorite author.

My feedback of this is quite delayed. I know this was a big popular book with important and controversial characters. The reviews alone made you think this book was going to change you forever, but I'll be in the less popular crowd. I sort of liked the characters and story, but I felt I wanted more. It fell a bit flat and cheesy.

I absolutely adored this book. It's a fun, quick romance with a lot of heart that tackles a lot of the issues faced with young people and sexuality and romance today. I flew through this book and will definitely be picking up anything McQuiston writes from now on.

This was my first time reading Casey McQuiston and I understand what all the fuss is about. This is a great LGBTQ love story. If you love sweet royal romances you will want to give this one a try!

What can I say about RED, WHITE, & ROYAL BLUE that emphasizes just how magnificent it is? It etched itself into my heart. It's the kind of book that will follow me wherever I go in life. It's the kind of story that changes you a little bit so that because of this very book, you aren't the same person you were before you read it. I know I'm not! This book truly has it all: history, romance, satire, and a hearty helping of the *feels.* You will laugh and you will most certainly cry. But isn't that the best feeling in the world? When you care so much about a story and its characters so much that you cry for them, because of them? I'm not sure I'd trade that feeling for anything.

Casey McQuiston wrote a book that affects you. Personally!!! And I'm better for it. It made me feel like my entire body could smile. Let's get into what it's about:

Alex Claremont-Diaz is the first Mexican-American to be the United State's first son and he just barely tolerates Prince Henry of Wales, who barely tolerates him right back. Their disdain towards one another is a long-known fact, but everything changes when they are forced to play nice due to an incident made public. They were always quick to shut down and dislike one another, but with them in close proximity all the time, they realize they may have more in common, and more chemistry, together than they realized.

I truly loved everything about it. The politics, the banter, the discussions of grief, the trying to be yourself despite the consequences, the representation, the side characters, the love between characters--everything! It's a slow burn of a story, and it makes it so much fun. The rivals to friends to lovers between Alex and Henry are simply to die for. They are so easy to root for, both together and individually.

I just want to hug this book forever. It's so, so good. Casey McQuiston is an author to watch. I cannot wait for her next book.

"History, huh?"

One of my favorite books ever and one of my first adult romances with a bisexual lead! I love that he’s just finding out he’s bisexual. Great rep, a super cuter rivals to lovers romance. Loved it.

It’s the classic age story: what happens when you fall in love with someone you’ve spent so much time despising? This time, though, with a twist. The storyline features America’s First Son and the Prince of Wales. After a fight at the latter’s brother’s wedding makes all the front pages in the world, their governments force them to play nice, little knowing how things will unfold.

The author tried to tackle a lot in this book, and it shows. While it’s a fun, steamy romance between the two men, it focuses heavily on politics, including former election cycles, which according to Goodreads, not too many people were fond of. I thought the author did her best to tackle that particular area of interest. Personally, I didn’t mind the inclusion of the politics considering, uh, the characters’ backgrounds and the types of worlds they traveled within. (Reviewers, come on).

Both characters were really well-written, but I wonder if we could have gotten more of Henry’s side. I also didn’t like how his older brother was vilified in the book; it seemed like it was an easy path to take. Alex's arrogance was evident throughout the book, even to his family and friends, but I'm glad it was toned down toward the end. The book could have been edited better. Clocking in at 421 pages, there was a lot of extraneous material and did we really need pages of e-mails back and forth?

Sure - the book is flawed but I liked that it ended on a positive note. I don’t always need doom and gloom in my books. I get enough of that from reading the news

A really fun book that orchestrates a romance across countries with two royals - the son of the US president and a royal British. The banter was one of the strongest elements of the book, as well as calling attention to race and gender in important ways.

This was truly a good book and had all the feels! I also loved that it was such a quick read. I literally read it in a day! Lots of fun, humor, love, and heartbreak, and let’s not forget the steamy scenes!!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This is a stunning story that will hook you from the very first page. The romance is cute and fluffy, but there's enough drama that you'll be on the edge of your seat for the entire read. I'd definitely recommend this for anyone just starting out with romance. It's plenty of fun (and you have the added bonus of the author poking fun at politics).

I have recommended this book to so many people! It was a fun romance featuring some political intrigue, with a feel-good ending. The audiobook was particularly great! Thank you to the publisher.

History, huh?

HUHHHHHHHHHDGXSAGVJKJFBYUDHBTHCB

Do you ever cry thinking of what could have been? Do you ever cry reading an acknowledgments page? DO YOU EVER CRY AND LAUGH OUT LOUD AND SCREAM AND SMILE SO DAMN HARD OVER A BOOK?

I never do - but this did it.

Wow wow wow! I never expected this book to blow me away from the way it did! My first impressions when I read this book that it was going to be a fun and fluffy romance that celebrates queer joy! But not only did I get queer joy out of this book I also got the kind of romance that leaves you completely breathless and it was total wish fulfillment when it came to the political landscape of the novel.

In Red, White & Royal Blue Alex is in the kind of ideal world we all wish we could live in. His mom is the first female President and he has political aspirations of his own. Until he meets Prince Henry and he gets thrown in for a loop! The hate to love romance that he develops with Henry is the kind of romance that you will never forget. The hate between these two grew into this pure unadulterated romance that seriously made you check the temperature in the room if you know what I mean.

Red, White & Royal Blue completely took me by surprise! I never expected to love a book as much as I did and its seriously the kind of book where you fall in love with all the characters in this novel! Now I just want to see this novel come to life with a Netflix series maybe?