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farbooksventure's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
I read Red, White, & Royal Blue again in the aftermath of Prime's film adaptation release. The film is cute & fun for sure, but all it does is making me appreciate how layered the story in the original book is.
I can't believe the way it still managed to be a delighful escapism the second time around. All of these characters are endearingly flawed, I root for them until the very end.
The only draw back for me might be the excessive amount pop culture references. I don't mind the nod towards Stars Wars or The Hunger Games, honestly. The frequent mention of a particular magical fantasy series however? Doesn't age well. I could do without that, but oh well.
If a book managed to make me sit through the topic of international relations and American politics, they do something great.
I can't believe the way it still managed to be a delighful escapism the second time around. All of these characters are endearingly flawed, I root for them until the very end.
The only draw back for me might be the excessive amount pop culture references. I don't mind the nod towards Stars Wars or The Hunger Games, honestly. The frequent mention of a particular magical fantasy series however? Doesn't age well. I could do without that, but oh well.
If a book managed to make me sit through the topic of international relations and American politics, they do something great.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Outing, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
bellas__book_nook's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Outing
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Sexual assault and Drug abuse
aingram's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
4.0
It's a very fun read, I wouldn't say I'm going to remember it for a long time or anything. It's not the kind of thing that "stays with you". But it's a fun queer book that includes discussion of homophobia in the world but ultimately the central characters are surrounded by good people. The "climax" events of the plot I didn't find overwhelming or unsurprising but there's a few things that might warrant a trigger warning.
Overall, it's a great fiction romance story surrounding queer characters.
Overall, it's a great fiction romance story surrounding queer characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Sexual assault
Minor: Gaslighting, Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, and Racism
The trigger warnings are mostly minor, if labelled as moderate it's because they come up a number of times. But nothing is described in any great detail. Even homophobia which is the most like significant is only in a certain high level sense and direct to a main character from other characters that do have a mild redemption. Overall it's an ensemble of characters who deeply care and respect each other. Also given the position of the main characters (politically, which I believe is in the book blurb) the discussion of homophobia and some of the other factors makes a lot of sense. This isn't meant to be a fictional universe like Schitts Creek (TV show reference) where the world has no misogyny or homophobia. It's meant to be a universe that has those things but paints a picture of progress.ellaticonstellation's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Homophobia
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
ohdeerboi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Outing
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Incest, Rape, Stalking, Slavery, Colonisation, and Vomit
katyfayyyx's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Make America Gay Again! 🌈
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Biphobia, Death of parent, Homophobia, Grief, Mental illness, Outing, and Sexual content
Moderate: Racism, Drug abuse, Addiction, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Terminal illness, Classism, Sexism, Colonisation, Sexual assault, and Slavery
leerasb335's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
0.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Homophobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and War
rubadubindabathtub's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Stalking, Religious bigotry, Drug use, and Drug abuse
stellabyproxy's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
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
3.0
“Seventy-eight percent probability of latent bisexual tendencies”
I read this book in just over 4 straight (hehe) hours and absolutely did not regret a single minute. From the second we were introduced to Alex and Henry and thrown into their world of politics, diplomacy and rivalry, there was no doubt in my mind that it was going to be a fun ride.
The pacing of the book felt rather rushed to me, with no room for actual tension to build and the characters establishing a friendship/relationship rather quickly (so much for slow-burn enemies to lovers); however outside of that, and the very graphic sexual content — am I turning into a prude? what happened to my wattpad era self? — there was so much to love about this book. The camaraderie between the White House Trio — Alex, Nora and June — brought the perfect amount of comedic relief that had me outwardly laughing, and enough deep meaningful conversations to have me crying, and internally screaming at the characters to get their shit together and release themselves from the shackles of familial obligation!
“That kind of love is rare, even if it was a complete disaster.” He sucks his teeth, considering. “Sometimes you just jump and hope it’s not a cliff.”
The conversations around sexuality and self exploration between all the characters in the midst of a fiery presidential election campaign allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of them, but also ourselves as a society (particularly those had between Alex and Nora, his father Oscar, and his mentor Rafael Luna). The comparisons between American and British culture, politics and history brought about many laughs and the integration of literature and historical love letters via email exchanges between Alex and Henry left my heart souring. Overall, I am glad the movie adaptation trailer convinced me to immediately start reading.
I have closed this book with one simple takeaway. A concept that has changed history, changed lives and keeps me hopeful for all of us little queer hopefuls…
“Love is indomitable.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing and Abandonment
Moderate: Homophobia, Biphobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Stalking, Adult/minor relationship, and Addiction
ismildlypoetic's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? No
5.0
5 stars = Changed my life/hyperfixation
This reading was a reread, and the original readthrough was the first time I'd ever read an LGBTQ+ book. I've always loved a good fairytale, and this enemies-to-lovers, falling in love with a prince, correction of recent history was incredibly healing, as much as it brought to light the flaws with our world today.
Of course, my memory served me differently than the words on the pages did. I thought the Nora/June/Pez headcannon had a lot more canonical weight than it actually did (a brief mention of the three possibly sleeping together in a hotel, and some harmless flirting). However, some scenes, like the Turkey one, were even better than I remembered.
All in all, this is definitely a book that all queer idealists should read at least once, if not spending hours in addition looking through FirstPrince memes on Pinterest. Everyone needs a side hobby :)
This reading was a reread, and the original readthrough was the first time I'd ever read an LGBTQ+ book. I've always loved a good fairytale, and this enemies-to-lovers, falling in love with a prince, correction of recent history was incredibly healing, as much as it brought to light the flaws with our world today.
All in all, this is definitely a book that all queer idealists should read at least once, if not spending hours in addition looking through FirstPrince memes on Pinterest. Everyone needs a side hobby :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual content, and Stalking
Minor: Cancer, Addiction, Alcohol, and Racism