Reviews

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Only show reviews with written explanations

komy's review against another edition

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3.0

I might make some people mad, but I think the movie was honestly a lot better.

maya_moksha's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

2.0

It’s a raunchy romance story, with plenty of sex scenes and gaping plot holes.

faeriemjk's review against another edition

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5.0

yes!!!
i loved this book. i read this pretty fasted considering how little i picked it up to read.
that sounds bad, i mean that i just didn't read much when i had been reading this book!
i loved the characters and loved the story just as much. it was so fun to read and actually helped get me out of a reading slump.
i love alex, love june, love henry.
cannot wait for the show that is being made !!

fatimareadsbooks's review against another edition

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2.0

I hate being in the minority, but this was so utterly boring. I couldn’t care less about any of the characters, and the story drags on for way too long. I had to force myself to finish this.

My biggest gripe is the juvenile writing style. The story jumps from place to place, and I had to go back and reread certain scenes. The dialogue feels like a combo of 2017 Tumblr and Twitter - way too corny. Also, the numerous pop culture references are superficial and shoved in. I usually have a high tolerance for cheesiness, but this is over the top.

The politics shouldn’t have taken up this much space in the story. I’m not even going to get into it, but the US propaganda and the glorification of the American two-party system were annoying to read. (@ the Israel line…. #FreePalestine). Also, the political terminology confused me.

Ultimately, I feel like this book tries and fails to tackle a bunch of topics (race, sexuality etc.). The book even tries to masquerade as witty and intellectual at times, despite being a romcom - just embrace the lighthearted romantic comedy vibes! The end result is an amalgamation of ideas that fail to coalesce into a cohesive plot.

In spite of its shortcomings, the book does offer moments of genuine humor and lightheartedness, especially in the last 30%. Alex and Henry’s romance (despite having no buildup and not actually being enemies to lovers) was cute.

Overall, I wanted to like this so bad, but alas it wasn’t for me.

rellimreads's review against another edition

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5.0

Wow! I finally got around to this and I can't add much to the other 5 star reviews other than just to say I am another person who loved this.

Ramon De Ocampo's narration is flawless. He swings between male & female, American & Texan & Mexican & British accents with such ease it seems as if they are all his native tongue.

This book was NOT rushed. In an age where authors are churning out audiobooks clocking in at barely 6 hours ~ this was twice that. Yet it was not mindless fluff, repetitive, nor belabored internal monologues. I enjoyed getting to know and love Alex & Henry. An especially amazing feat since this is entirely written from Alex's point of view. I was cheering for them individually as well as for their relationship. Yet it is all so real. Beyond even Alex & Henry, all these characters are so human. Perfect in their imperfections. Maneuvering the politics was handled in a unique way to the typical "White house" romances I've read.

Totally worth the 6 months I spent on the library's waiting list.