Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Red, White & Royal Blue

One of the better romance novels I've read! I found the characters lovable and their lives as political and public figures believable. I also appreciated McQuiston's seamless incorporation of queer history.

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grets_reads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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mndy's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

My expectations were too high from reviews from other people. It was an enjoyable book, but the plot was pretty predictable. I guess that’s what you get in romance novels, but nonetheless, it was a great way to escape reality…

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rachelditty's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Not only were the characters in this extremely unique and memorable, but each conflict was tense and well-rounded. I never felt like there was a lose end to be tied up, or one that was forgotten. My only gripe, which is very minimal, is how fast Alex and Henry seem to fall in love. I know Alex realizes he's always had feelings for Henry and his pursual of their relationship is due to his tendencies to chase after things and dive in headfirst, and Henry was tired of being enclosed in England and took what was given to him when it was presented, but having (nearly) the whole relationship form in the span of one year seemed so, not unbelievable, because I wholeheartedly believed it, but too good to be true. Granted, this whole book's universe seemed much too good to be true [God I wish this was real for the years 2016-2020].

I originally had this at a 4.75 rating because while I enjoyed it, I didn't become attached to it. But from a story standpoint, I have nothing to be upset with. This book was great. I loved it. Fuck it, 5 stars.

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mpbookreviews's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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tsnhjhn's review against another edition

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funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

oh my god. where do i even begin.
first of all, the acknowledgments made this go from a 4.75 to a 5 star book for me—RWARB was truly the escapist realistic retelling of 2016 American politics everyone needed. also speaking of us politics, i learned sm from this book?? so cool.

and now for all the wonderful lovely beautiful relationships in this book oh my
henry navigating thru his shaky familial relationships, philip alluding to chara dev at the end, BEA and pez i’m glad he has those 2
alex’s lovely supportive relationships he is so so loved i adore and will forever adore the white house trio—nora and alex’s r/s stayed so platonic but they were SO affectionate and i loved that there wasn’t any underlying romance involved there; june and alex’s sweet sibling r/s
then ofc all of the white house staff like zahra, amy, luna (his ending was so v much needed and tied the whole wholesomeness up)

and last but certainly not least: henry and alex.
my heart is so full reading abt their love for each other they truly are forever. and i loved how they didn’t go straight from enemies to lovers, but that they had their friend phase in the middle too i think this phase is super crucial for a believable long lasting love tbh so i loved this. all of their texts and calls and emails—you could truly feel the budding romance the pace was absolute perfection. and all of their firsts had me squealing.

the v last scene of the 2020 election were chefs kiss. my heart was pounding for them.

all in all, what a lovely wholesome feel-good book. how i wish america had this level of progressivism. but this book gives me hope for a future like theirs one day 💗

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republicofben's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Red, White, and Royal Blue is one of the best books I've read recently. It was joyful and funny while also managing to be emotional and tense. I would recommend this book to anyone I know, though a word of warning: this is not a young adult book, so be prepared for some not young adult scenes. I loved them, but the cover and story might not convey that if you don't do your research. As the author states in the acknowledgements, this book is meant to be an escape to another world that could have been to give you hope for what could be one day for the real world too. I wholeheartedly felt that, and I hope you enjoy the story just as much as I did.

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