Cover Image: Red, White & Royal Blue

Red, White & Royal Blue

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Member Reviews

I received an ARC of this book, and I am so glad I did! Nothing about this book should work-first of all, the first son of a divorced female president? What a totally unbelievable setting, but it gave me hope and excitement for the future, something we are sorely lacking in today's political climate. Secondly, I'm a happily married straight 40-something mom who could be either of these young men's mothers, what could be appealing about new adult romance for my demographic? Turns out-everything about the genre was fresh and appealing! Also-they are both too famous to be realistic but it totally worked for me-the intense character development of both Alex and Prince Harry was phenomenal. I lost myself in the text and email correspondence between the two of them, and totally want a "History, Huh?" shirt for myself!

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I cannot believe I've finished this... It was the cover that got my attention and it sounded so cheesy I was sure I would NEVER gonna ask for it on Netgalley. But then I got curious and checked the reviews. All over 4,75/5? The heck, that's good! And everyone seemed to love it!
Ok now I was intrigued.
A huge thank you to Netgalley for approving me.
(Spoiler Alert: This story is over the top, so my review is as well. I love to exaggerate, so please don't take every word all too serious here)
Now to the story: It's a Prince Harry meets a half mexican boy from America. Fanfiction style and oh Prince Harry is gay... but ah yes, sorry, Henry not Harry.
For the first 25 % I thought this was quite cute, but also assumed that Alex was known bi or gay or whatever. He is quite the flirty sassy flamboyant shit (in my eyes), so when it came down to him realising he might be bi or gay I couldn't believe a 21 year old behaving like he does, would still wonder about his sexualtit. He is also half mexican.
Sorry but you lost me there. Cherry on top is him reflecting on his highschool time and make out sessions with his gay buddy Liam. These could NEVER give any indications? Nope, all totally hetero OKAY.
Beside this way over the top naïveté, I really really dislike him cursing non stop. I love a good curse, don't get me wrong. But here it just came down to:
"Hi Alex
Oh fucking shut up you motherfucker you annoy me so much
Ok great to see you too
I gonna kill you, you motherfucker, if you don't kiss me right the fuck now!
Alright... talk soon!"
And I mean he isn't even annoyed? It's his way of talking or flirting?! I would not be thrilled having my boyfriend say "Bitch shut up and kiss me or I punch you" which it basically almost always comes down to. Just why?
After the realisation that Alex is kinda liking Harry, ehm I mean Henry, there is a long string of sex scenes put in several countrys as background. Storyline? Not important, let's see when they could meet again and have blowjobs.
The humour got me sometimes, but unfortunately most of the time it crossed with some more cursing and I lost the mood for the joke.
So this is a story of a maybe bi midtwenty something half mexican boy with tourette who falls in love with a moody stiff prince with no real surprises but oh so much diversity because DIVERSITY! In order to be a popular writer you cannot have more than 1 hetero caucasian character feature in your book these days.
Here you get it all; all sorts of ethnicies, all sorts of gender and sexual attractions. The only hetero caucasian character here is Alex mother, the divorced President of the US. Divorced from a mexican man. Alex is half mexican btw.
After 40% of the book I considered stopping. Let's see; what could happen further? The sexy emails and Snapchats are not so secure than they think and they will be published, they get caught and Harry, I mean Henry isn't allowed to ever see him again.
Alex will receive more sympathy from his family, but for the sake of this mothers campagne we will keep his dick in his trousers and stay put.
Drama drama drama. Some misunderstandings and a happy end.
BUT I kept reading. Guess what? I was right. kinda.

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What happens when you fall in love with a prince when your the president's child?
This book had me going from one end of the emotional spectrum to the next. The author did a fantastic job of realism. Adore this New Adult age, m/m romance.

*Received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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This is a light read that dapples ain a mixture of modern relevance aimed towards a mashup of political and popular culture, The writing would adapt very well into a romcom movie.
The story of a boy meets boy on a global stage is sure to delight gay men and straight women and anyone with a modern open mind who would enjoy a light beach read or sitting by the pool with a cocktail or two.

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This book was not for me. Not because of the m/m-romance, I'm absolutely fine with it.

I could not connect to the protagonists and I had a hard time with the constructed problems that get the two of them together.

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This book was so fun! The romance was sweet and read ALMOST like William, Harry, etc fanfiction. The blend of American politics with British royalty was the perfect mix for me.

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Buckle up, friends, we’re going on a ride.

Red, White, and Royal Blue wrecked me. It tore out my heart and left me bleeding on the White House lawn. Even though it took me a while to actually start reading this novel, once I started I couldn’t stop. Though the added sick day and not being able to do anything but lie in bed aided in the completion. Maybe it was the cold meds, maybe it was the writing, but in any case I ended up a sobbing mess with 20% of the book still to go.

The characters were genuine, and lovable. Even with their undoubtable privilege, their emotions were raw and reflected a group of just twenty-somethings dealing with decisions that have the potential to change the rest of their lives. Decisions influenced by the prejudice of those who felt they could judge them, expectations from their families, and their supposed duty to a family legacy.

Alex is the First Son of a President the United States can only wish they had. Henry is a prince that England would be lucky to know. In both cases, it makes reality that much more painful in comparison. Though one can hope the real crown would handle such matter better than the fictional one. America, however, is dealing with a worst case scenario and the scandal in this novel would hardly make anyone blink an eye.

Casey McQuiston built a world I wished I lived in. She created people and places that were so tangible it made my heart ache. She also helped me deal with a grief I have been harbouring since 2016, showing me even more that I am not alone in my disappointment but there is still hope. Thank you for your work, it is outstanding.

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I loved this book. It was sweet' funny, and poignant. A great look into political romance. The passion between Henry and Alex is so well done. You want them to succeed and I love their banter. I love that they batter together through hard times and make it work. A perfect romance. Would recommend.

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This book is pure entertainment-frothy fun along with serious issues and plenty of romance. The two main characters are Alex Claremont-Diaz, son of the female President of the United States, and Prince Henry of Britain, and how they reach their happy-ever-after is a story I will be recommending to all! Alex and Henry are to die for, and I also thoroughly enjoyed every one of the supporting characters, whose own individual stories contribute to the plot and help make this a remarkably heartfelt novel. Highly recommended!

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This book is so cute - laugh out loud funny (Literally, me, snickering at work while I read it!), heartstoppingly painful and absolutely adorable. I recommend it a thousand times over. The perfect romance novel to escape into.

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This book was full-on delightful. A sweeping romance chock-full of feelings, politics, and characters to root for. It was also very cathartic to read this after living through the past two years of Trump and Brexit. I wasn't expecting to be quite that emotionally affected by a sweet romance, but it made me cry.

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THIS BOOK IS PURE JOY. THIS BOOK HAS MY HEART. If you want laughter and tears and heartache and to swoon right along with the characters, you NEED this book. The happy tears I shed were ridiculous. This is the big screen-worthy LGBTQ romcom we've been waiting for. Smart and snarky, with endearing and complex characters, laugh-out-loud moments, and a young love story everyone will root for. This book is a brilliantly written gem.

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This was recommended to me by a coworker who hadn't even read it yet. I was skeptical, but the cover was cute, so I thought, what the heck. I am seriously so so so excited about this book. It has the right amount of cheesy romance with a dash of politics, a heaping spoonful of a characters coming into their own and a huge cup of awesome. The characters are well fleshed out and honestly you can't help but love them all. Added bonus: the excerpts from all of the old letters or poems. They make the story so much more amazing- I was brought to tears multiple times, my heart was just so full. I would 100% recommend to everyone I know and everyone I come across.

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A fantastic read. The romance between Alex and Henry was well developed and lovely to follow and both were well written and wonderful characters. Full of humor, emotion, and a whole lot of fun this is a must read.

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I read this book as slowly as I could and it was so lovely to escape into this alternate-reality future for a while. It was more bitter than sweet having to put down Red, White, and Royal Blue and return to the hellscape that is the real world’s politics.

This book was a fabulous romantic comedy that hit all the notes perfectly. I laughed out loud often, cried a few times, and generally enjoyed the heck out of this book. Alex and Henry’s love story is so exactly my cup of tea - enemies to pretend friends to real friends to lovers - that I was smiling/swooning the whole time.

I can’t recommend this book enough, for the escape into a softer reality where a woman was elected president of the United States, for the gorgeous love story fraught with comedic misunderstandings with extremely high stakes, for the cast of smart, funny characters that are realistically rendered.

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Frenemies Alec, first son of the president and Henry, prince of England are forced to act as buddies. Explicit sex scenes. Some amusing moments. Although I have nothing against homosexuals, I am not quite ready for reading about homosexual sex.

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It's super cute! A fun romcom read that I'd recommend to romance readers, especially if you're looking for more LGBT representation in your romance novels.

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I really enjoyed reading McQuiston's take on a love match between the royal spare and the First Son of the POTUS. Lovely helpings of sass and snark, strong feelings, sexual chemistry and real stakes for the two heroes. I was invested, amused, delighted and affected by this book. Recommending it to all readers of good taste.

(Also, please pitch an adaptation to Netflix. Please.)

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This book was a fantastic antidote to real life: a divorced woman president, an organically diverse set of characters, and so much optimism... I almost didn't need the romance. However, the enemies-to-lovers story of the First Son and the Prince of England is full of adorable banter.

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Way to up the fucking game. All other Romantic Comedies out there have got some pretty tough competition, because between this and How to Repair a Mechanical Heart by J.C LIllis the bar is set to the sky. Like, wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Talk about a home run.

This book has everything. Political Scandal. Intrigue. Sarcastic disasters around every corner. And an absolutely marvelous romance between two absolute doofuses so sweet your teeth will ache.

Please, if like Romantic Comedies, steamy romance, and just two characters who match each other beat for beat in the most frustratingly sexual manner possible, pick this book up. It's everything you've wanted and more.

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