e-ARC provided in exchange for honest review.

Casey McQuiston's first book and it definitely did not disappoint. I loved the banter between our main heroes Prince Henry and First son Alex. Though at times this story seemed a little slower to me it still held my attention. Without giving much away, I can say we follow these two men go from enemies to lovers to happily ever after. Also, the side characters are to die for and help to make this story what it is. 

I will say this is definitely of the New Adult genre. I have seen it being called Young Adult but due to the ages and explicit scenes, I would not recommend this to a younger generation. The sex scenes were not to "in your face" in my opinion, they were beautifully crafted. 

Overall, I was blown away by this author and this couple. I hope to maybe get one of the side character's romances. 

“Someone else’s choice doesn’t change who you are.” 
― Casey McQuiston, Red, White & Royal Blue

This book is perfect. The relationship develops naturally and believably. All of the characters are fully fleshed out. There are a lot of different things that happen that could have been dramatized, but instead they were dealt with in a straight forward more realistic manner. Some people might want more drama but this is exactly the right book for me. I literally have nothing bad to say about.

RATING: 5/5 STARS

Alex is the twenty-one-year-old son of the first female president of the United States, Ellen Claremont, in a fictional universe (parallel to ours) created by Casey McQuiston. Alex's "archenemy" is Henry, the prince of England. The scale of Henry and Alex's love-hate relationship starts tipping more towards love as Alex and Henry interact more and trade witty insults and quips. Soon, they have to reconcile their secret relationship with the platonic image they're presenting to the public, while a presidential reelection campaign and politicians' scheming carry on in the background.

When I first read the blurb for this book, I thought the premise sounded far-fetched and a little over-the-top. But I'll assure you, these elements really worked in RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE. I was pleasantly surprised by how engaging this novel was. The writing was so snappy. Alex's voice had the perfect blend of humor and sass, and while the some of the events that occurred were not the most realistic, they had me laughing out loud and causing people around me to question why I was smiling maniacally at my phone.

The romance in this book was fleshed out remarkably well. Henry and Alex exchange emails, text messages, and phone calls in addition to meeting face-to-face. Their conversations somehow manage to be eloquent, frank, and cute at the same time. There's a bit of mystery surrounding Henry's character--who he actually is apart from the publicized version of him--and it was intriguing to discover more about him as he and Alex become more deeply involved. This book is categorized as new-adult/adult, and in terms of romantic content, I would say it's pretty similar to Sally Thorne's THE HATING GAME or Helen Hoang's THE KISS QUOTIENT. (And I think readers who enjoyed those books will really love this one!)

This novel was not only fun to read, it was also smart, politically savvy, and diverse. Alex is half-Mexican and the supporting characters have different sexualities. The plot (especially the ending) holds a vision of what our country could be - accepting and inclusive, with more kindness and less hatred. I liked that this book had a clear message, but in my opinion it didn't beat you over the head with a polarizing viewpoint. That said, if you don't like reading about politics, maybe this book is not for you.

All other romance readers, I highly recommend this book and suspect it will become a crowd favorite when it comes out! I'm not surprised that it already has so many great reviews. I've heard the author is working on another queer novel, which has already automatically been added to my TBR list.

A sincere thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Social: Instagram post on @_shelf.awareness to come.

I wish I were an epic reviewer that was great at pasting quotes in my review, but alas I am not. Alex is the first son of the first female president (elected in 2016) and as his mom closes in on her reelection there is an incident with Prince Henry, the youngest prince of England. The handlers of both collude to portray a friendship between the two.

Here is what this book does to you though. It sucks you into this beautiful bubble of a love story occurring. Alex is so blissfully clueless in the beginning but you love him for it rather than feel frustrated. The characters of June, Nora, Bea, and various staff members enhance the richness of the story.

You will laugh and swoon and wish you were in their group of six. The Star Wars references were perfect. The emails and text messages leant so much to the story.

I love this as much as I love Eleanor and Park.

What a fun read! As someone who is all day, everyday reading political news on Twitter, this story comes as a nice alternative past, present and future that leads to a lot of wishful thinking from me. There are so many great characters in this story, that I want to know more about everyone. The romance between the boys is sweet and sassy and swoonworthy. I will be singing the praises of this one pretty widely.

An amazing debut novel full of sweetness, sassiness, humor, and love. I can't wait for Casey McQuiston's next novel.

Alex is known for his distaste of the Prince. With his mother on the re-election track, he has to find a new hobby. First up is learning how to be friends with his enemy.

Prince Henry is not known for his gentle nature until he falls suddenly for Alex. Completely forbidden, they are to learn to be friends while hiding the truth. Is it possible to make such a match work?

This book was a total surprise and delight. The banter was awesome and the sexy times were indeed, hot Hot HOT! I really loved these characters and do truly hope we see more of them in the future. Real fun and behind the scenes tidbits of what a typical political career could be like. 


***This title was given in exchange of an honest review by Netgalley and its publishers.

"You love so much bigger than yourself, bigger than everything. I can’t believe how lucky I am to even witness it—to be the one who gets to have it…"

Red, White, & Royal blue is an absolute delight from start to finish and I want to scream about it to the whole world!!! Alex and Henry’s story is funny, sweet, and incredibly romantic---in the most magical sense of the word. I instantly got wrapped up into the two of them and their incredible story. They are the purest of souls, complete cinnamon rolls, hopeless romantics, that have my whole heart!!

First of all, absolutely LOVED the fact that this is a rivals to best friends to lovers. That’s right, Alex Claremont-Diaz, the First Son of the U.S., must convince the world that he is best friends with his rival, Henry Windsor, the Prince of England!

It was a wild ride following their relationship. The fact that they began as rivals really opened doors for the development of their relationship, and I loved that I got to see that relationship evolve. There are phone calls, and emails, and cute little texts that totally make your heart melt. With every conversation, every look, every heart to heart, the two build a foundation, and a real friendship, that develops into this heartwarming, utterly adorable, and passionate love.

“It’s unpredictable and it’s intoxicating and it’s fun, because Alex has never met a challenge he didn’t love, and he---well, Henry is a challenge, head to toe, beginning to end."

Their love really jumps out straight out of the pages and wraps you up in its warmth.

I don’t know how anyone can read this book and not instantly be put in a good mood. There were so many moments when I was laughing SO hard!! This book is genuinely FREAKING HILARIOUS! Start to finish, head to toe, beginning to end. Just saying, prepare your lungs.

There were other moments where I just HAD to cry. Sometimes things got sad. Other times the scenes were SIMPLY SO SWEET that I had to let it out through some good ole tears.
Some beautiful things just make you really emo ya know?

Me reading this whole book: THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL *sobs*

It was completely dreamy, and I was a sucker for all the banter and the sexual tension between the two of them. The dialogue in this book is genius. It's natural, honest, and so witty. It really had me with a goofy smile on my face. 

Also, this book has just the right amount of steamy scenes ;) (nothing explicit). 

“I thought, if someone like that ever loved me, it would set me on fire.”

I could go on and on about all the moments when I was swooning thinking “I LOVE THESE TWO!”
Honestly, the entire cast of characters is fantastic. I loved seeing their strong, present personalities. They all stood so well on their own---even the minor characters. The interactions outside of Alex and Henry’s relationship never felt boring or dull. The side characters shined just as hard as the protagonists. 

It was also the little details that made me fall in love with this book: the relationship between siblings (Alex and June/Henry and Brea), Alex’s passion for his career, Henry’s love for books and writing, the social commentary, the diverse cast, the little pop culture references, the female president, getting to *be* in the White House and in England, the fact that the first family is MEXICAN AMERICAN!!!!! AYEEEEEEE!! 
(I’ll never get tired of seeing Latinx characters in books oops ;)

I truly appreciated seeing healthy relationships between siblings, friends, and parents. It made my heart so happy. 

On the other hand, Alex and Henry are public figures having to keep their relationship and sexuality hidden (Alex is bisexual and Henry is gay). I think this novel does a wonderful job at showing the vulnerability, the struggles, the pain, of these two characters as they fight to stay true to who they are, in all levels of their identity. Reading this novel, I felt like I got to see every corner of their hearts. The dark and the light. The ugly and the beautiful. 
This novel really succeeds at delivering a story that is fun and silly, while simultaneously bringing up conversations on serious social and political issues relevant to our times—and I absolutely loved that about it. It’s frustrating, and unfair, but it leaves you with an incredible feeling of HOPE. 

And that's what this story is truly about: hope, love, and change

“History, huh? I’m into making some.” Alex and Henry, I love YouUUuU

Oof, I’m going to get emotional again. I just really loved every minute of this book dammit.

Finally, I just need to get this off my chest: I LOVE HENRY AND ALEX AND NORA AND JUNE AND PEZ AND EVERYONE I HOPE THEY LIVE THE HAPPIEST OF LIVES FOREVER THEY DESERVE THE WHOLE WORLD!!!!

Aight. I’m done. I hope you’ll bless yourselves with this incredible book 😊!!!!!


CW: homophobia, mention of drug use, sexual content, profanity, mentions of sexual harassment.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

TW: depression, panic attacks, grief, loss of a parent, mentions of attempted sexual assault  

Alex Claremont-Diaz is just your average half-Mexican boy from Texas. Except he’s not-so-average because his mother is the first female president of the United States. And he’s started a very public feud with Henry, the Prince of England. In an attempt to smooth the mess that Alex has caused, his mother arranges for Alex and Henry to act like the best of friends in the public eye. Despite all inclinations, Alex finds himself becoming drawn to Henry, and they grow closer. Closer than Alex ever expected. 

THIS WAS EVERYTHING. Over the past year, I’ve been trying to figure out how much I enjoy contemporary and the more I read in the genre, the more I’m convinced of my love for it. This solidified it. 

There is so much to this story that we could spend hours and days analyzing and picking apart - which truthfully, was surprising to me. I expected a straightforward romantic comedy about a boy discovering his sexuality with an enemy turned friend. But THIS IS SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT. There discussion of race and the consequences of being in the public eye and grief and depression, and it’s all done incredibly well. Casey McQuiston has written a funny and thought-provoking novel that should be featured on every shelf!!

Romance can usually be a make-or-break story element for me, but Henry and Alex have my heart. I loved how they complemented and pushed each other, and how Henry was the literal cinnamon roll character I’ve always dreamed about. I loved them so much. I’d die for them, okay?? 

Another driving force of this book was politics. This novel takes place when Alex’s mom is up for re-election, and I think that these plot points fit in seamlessly with the other parts of this book. I don’t think it takes away from the romance, but it’s also included enough to give the book even more substance. I think this book has the potential to inspire so much hope in people. It’s absolutely given me more hope for the future. 

Also, let it be known that Casey McQuiston writes SO DAMN WELL. She had a way of capturing Henry and Alex’s relationship in a way that was romantic, poetic, but also incredibly humorous. I can’t wait to pick up more that she writes. 

The ONLY reason this book doesn’t get a full 5 stars from me is because I felt like some parts felt rushed. There were moments I wanted to see more fleshed out and on the page, but it wasn’t enough to take me out of the story or to lessen my enjoyment.

If it wasn’t obvious, I’d absolutely recommend this. The sexy scenes were so sexy, the family dynamics were incredible, the romance was swoon-worthy, and the political escapism provided was absolutely necessary. I freaking loved this book and I will be pre-ordering a finished copy IMMEDIATELY.

Copy received via Netgalley for an honest review

Every now and again, a book comes along that just blows me away.

Red, White and Royal Blue was one of those. I just adored every single thing about it.

A sweet, fun, wonderful enemies-to-lovers story that enraptured me from the first word to the last.

Alex and Henry have gone from "ugh, why are you here" to "sigh, I wish you were here" and I loved every single up and down of their relationship. I laughed, I cried, and I loved with them.

There are fantastic secondary characters that I would love to see more of in the future.

The last 20% of this book was ah-freaking-mazing, and I found myself having to hold myself back from skipping ahead to find out what would happen to our lovelies.

One of my favourite books of 2019.

Alex, the first son of the United States, and Henry, the prince of England, are rivals, and have been ever since they met at the Olympics years earlier. Now they’re reunited at a royal wedding and after a scuffle with a $75,000 wedding cake, Alex and Henry need to cleanup the media mess they’ve made. 

Both the White House and royal family want the world to believe that Alex and Henry are best friends, rather than mortal enemies. After a week of joint photo shoots, interviews and outings, Alex realizes that Henry might not be as stuck up and awful as he originally thought and when he departs London, him and Henry exchange numbers. 

For months, Alex and Henry text on the daily and Alex looks forward to phone calls with Henry above anything else. And when they see each other in person again, Alex and Henry share an unexpected kiss that makes Alex question everything he ever thought about his own sexuality and the so-called friendship him and Henry share. 

Alex and Henry dive into their romance head first, but they are forced to keep their relationship a secret. Henry feels obligated to fit the traditional mold of what it means to be a monarch. And Alex doesn’t want his new relationship to affect his mom’s reelection as president. So we get to see their relationship blossom over a series of romantic emails, texts and secret hotel room (and other crowded spaces) rendezvous. 

Unfortunately, this charade can’t be maintained forever, especially if Alex and Henry want to be together longterm. But coming out to their families—and the world—requires a type of bravery only the two of them could ever understand. Risking everything for someone you love can be scary and nerve-wracking, but the reward can be of epic proportions. 

Red, White & Royal Blue is Casey McQuiston’s premiere YA romance novel. I wasn’t originally planning to read this book, but after hearing about it nonstop, I decided to give it a shot. The romance between Henry and Alex is as sweet as can be. Their email correspondences made me swoon and I couldn’t get enough of their sexual tension. While the main characters are adults (Alex, 21, Henry, 23), they definitely seemed more like teenagers to me, which made this book’s classification as YA feel appropriate. While I found the plot line to be cute and the banter between Henry and Alex to be witty, I didn’t love this story as much as others have. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed this—it just isn’t my new favorite YA romance. I still highly recommend picking this up if you’re looking for something that’ll put a smile on your face—4/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Griffin and Casey McQuiston for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of my favorite books of the year. Alex and Henry were such lovable characters and both very unique and different. Hate to love, or more specifically the Enemies-to-Lovers-to-Friends trope was everything I wanted it to be and more.

The romance between Alex and Henry was so precious and I also loved how they balanced each other out. All of the side characters are great too and have their own voice and quirks. June, Nora, and Bea especially. There’s a variety of family dynamics in here that I really enjoyed as well. 

The references in this book were on point with not only pop culture but literature and history references too. It made the story very relatable and fun.

Another factor that I liked was the political climate in this book, it made it an interesting read. I don’t often read stories that somewhat take place in The White House. 

Overall, I loved this book and I can’t wait for everyone to read it and meet these characters. This is a good example of what I consider New Adult and the kind of diverse story I’m always looking for.

You know that feeling when you turn the last page of a book, and your heart is just so full of happiness, love, and hope, that you feel a more perfect moment cannot exist? Multiply it by ten, and you’ll know what it’s like to finish Red, White and Royal Blue! It leaves you with such a good feeling that you’ll want to hug the precious thing so hard and squish it to death (yes, that level of cuteness!).

I was giddy from all that cute. I was shipping Alex and Henry harder than I shipped any other ship recently, because they belong together. I generally don’t love romance this much, so what a surprise when this turned out to be something I soon became crazy about! It wasn’t about “does-he-like-me-or-does-he-not”, which I can’t bare at all. I loved the fact that the book was about Alex and Henry, staying together against all odds, and fighting for what they believe in. About hope and love and happiness and everything in between! Just, all the feels. I was a puddle of adoration and squishy emotions. I was grinning so wide my face hurt.

Not only is it full of adorable scenes, but it’s full of witty dialogue and hilarious moments that had me bursting out laughing continuously. The banter was to die for, honestly. It never felt forced or stiff, but flowed really well with the story. And I can’t forget the incredible characters, of course. Alex was my favourite, because how can one possibly not like that idiot? He’s funny and sarcastic and soft, and he really needs someone to help him calm down and stop burning out from being so awesome. So for that, we have June, Alex’s sister and absolute queen; Nora, best friend and genius; and finally Henry, prince charming, and the sweetest, shyest boy ever.

The dynamic between these friends is wonderful. You can feel the love between them, and you know it’ll last forever! A lot of times, friendships and family are not held as important as romantic relationships in novels, which infuriates me, because romantic love is not everything. It was really nice to see the parents actually present in the book, and them having vital roles to play in the stories too. They supported and stood strong for each other. Ellen Claremont is freaking amazing (I would totally vote her as President)! The enemies-to-lovers thing is the best, I swear. The tension is palpable. I wish it had gone on for a little longer, because it felt a bit rushed. But, oh well, nobody is really complaining.

I also enjoyed the politics that was included in the story, and the deeper topics as well, such as struggles of POCs, women in politics, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. The story was elevated by this, as it was so relevant to the happenings, and to today’s world. Everything blended together so seamlessly, and made for a heartfelt, touching read that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. It will certainly become one of the (rare) romance novels that I absolutely love with all my heart.

I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you so much!) in exchange for an honest review.

Wow oh wow. I love this book so much. 

As a political junkie and romance enthusiast, this book was pretty much made for me. The characters are fully drawn, the dialogue is whip-smart, and the plot employs traditional romance tropes while also being entirely original. It reminds me a lot of why I love THE WEST WING: you know that most of it is utter fantasy, but it's a fantasy you wish so deeply were true that you're willing to emotionally invest in it.

As a middle school educator, I am always on the hunt for books with queer characters to recommend to my students. While unfortunately the sex scenes in this novel are too explicit for my students, I hope the ones who need it will encounter it when they're ready. 

I hope as many of you as possible will read this, and I eagerly await the author's next book. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced digital copy in exchange for this review.

Based purely on the synopsis alone, I suspected I would love this book and I was not disappointed! It was fun, fanciful and surprisingly heartwarming. I appreciated that the book took the reader through so many ups and downs in the characters lives so that we actually had time to get invested in them. While at times the writing structure was slightly hard to follow with the switching between third person narration and excerpts of text messages, emails, speeches, and news articles, I don't think it was detrimental to the story as a whole. I especially really loved reading the emails. The focus on diversity throughout the book in all aspects was so welcome and needed in this day and age. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and will definitely be recommending it to others!

Alex Claremont-Diaz, First Son of the United States, and rising star in the Democratic Party is living the dream with his mom in the White House and his dad in the Senate. With his sister, June, and their best friend, Nora, almost nothing can get in the way of this power trio. But when Alex runs in to his rival, Henry, Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne, the two practically start an international incident that could affect both countries. They are suddenly shoved together in a damage-control campaign and they realize they have more in common then they thought. Soon a romance and friendship begins which could cause an even bigger scandal than either country wants. 

I loved this book. It’s so sweet and so romantic. I thought it was a ton of fun and the perfect escape I needed over these past few months. This gay YA is giving me “Roman Holiday” vibes and “West Wing” feels mixed with a Freddie Prinze Jr. movie. I really thought the novel excelled in exploring themes of identity and disclosure. Taking two people who are highly visible in the world and having them deal with not only publicly scrutinized relationships but coming out was really interesting. The only way this could possibly be better was if it was a musical. (Dear Universe, please make this into a musical.) I loved the balance of American politics with British tradition. This is the antidote to anything in the news that makes me want to cry. If you’re looking for a really fun, sweet romance, check this out when it’s released in May.

This book is a goddamn gem. It is breath of fresh air and incredibly romantic and a welcome escape from our current political climate. Although a romance is at the center of the story, this book is so much more than this. It's about discovering your sexuality, politics, acceptance, social norms, and much more. The side characters are some of the best I've ever read, and this book ended up being quite therapeutic for me. A female, democratic POTUS from Texas with biracial children? Yes, please! Although it is only April, I'm calling it: this is going to be my favorite book of 2019! I just cannot stop thinking about it!

Definitely one of me favorite read of the year ! It felt like I was 14 and I reading a fanfiction because I've loved the characters so much and I was rooting for them from the beggining. It's a book full of love that I'm gonna be reading every time I feel down. It had all of my favorite tropes, it was so diverse and respectful. And I now need a sequel about Alex's sister !

This is so outside my genre that I normally wouldn't reach for it, but something told me to grab this one up, and crack it open. I'm so glad I listened to that inner voice.
Where to begin?
A novel is only as good as the characters, the plot, the action, the message it's trying to reveal and that message is loud and clear.
It's not about a PERFECT WORLD BUT A BETTER WORLD! It's not about politics necessarily but love, acceptance, diversity, transparency, and the TRUTH. Authenticity, empathy, courage, determination, and dare I say LOVE NOT HATE. 
We all bleed the same colors. We are all one race. We are all part of God's creation.
YESSSSS!
Enter Alex Claremont a man certainly divided but a celebrity of sorts as the first son of the United States. His mother Ellen is rocking her position as President and does so with class, dignity, and grace. 
The gang, the super six, they are the glue that holds it all together here.
That gang includes Henry our Prince. Who just wants to openly love and be loved and oh have Alex as his partner.
It may be a long shot but hell he's not giving up or giving in.
Coming out is all about courage, self love, acceptance, and perhaps even a hope of validation.
In the words of the author,"He's not afraid of anything he feels. He's not afraid of saying it. He's only afraid of what happens when he does." 
Who cares what your orientation is or the label attached as long as you have character, worth, value, and morals, as law abiding citizens I wouldn't care and neither should anyone else. 
Or as President Ellen Claremont noted 'children of immigrants.' Just imagine that electing a President one day who arrived from a family of immigrants? 
Or better imagine one day that 'women determined never to back down from what's right' 
Well better yet no need to imagine because times are changing ever so slowly so hang tight, buckle up, and enjoy the ride.
Thank you to Casey, the publisher, NetGalley, and Amazon Kindle for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

I am not a crier. I repeat, I am not a crier. So believe me when I say that this book has caught me off guard when I felt liquid coming out of my eyes! It had me looking around for someone cutting onions! My heartstrings were pulled in ways they have never been before and it just made this read even more genuine for me. I found myself relating to both main characters, Henry and Alex, in the sense of wanting to maintain/keep up with a certain image that your family has cast upon you already. I think this is one of the reasons I loved this book, that although the main characters are the FSOTUS, and the prince of Wales, ordinary people around the world like me, can relate to these two characters and really see ourselves in them. Another reason I loved the book was also because it was really funny! The sense of humor was exactly on my level, but maybe that is because I’m the same age as Alex. I will forever recommend this book and can not wait to buy a physical copy!