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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
A book of love and hope; and one to take your mind of other things
emotional
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
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:
Yes
Go besties go. Love conquers all boarders.
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Meh. I get it’s a romance novel and facts and accuracy aren’t the point, and if it had stuck close to the romance plot and left the political details fuzzy and in the background, that would have been fine. I love a sappy fanfic-style romance story. But to make the protagonists’ coming out in the 2020 political landscape, and the consequences of that, a huge plot point and then just ignore facts and reality really bugged me. This author did absolutely no research into the U.S. constitution, the presidency, the Royal family, or British history and politics. Maybe if these were two made up countries loosely based on the US and the UK it could have been fine. But you can’t tell me that a prince of a foreign country supporting the candidacy of one party for US president over another wouldn’t be an international relations nightmare, not to mention possibly a constitutional crisis. And you can’t tell me that the Queen of England could just unilaterally decide gay marriage is fine in the Royal family, and the Church of England and parliament wouldn’t have to weigh in. I know nothing beyond watching The Crown and Harry and Megan, but even I know this wouldn’t work so easily. It just took me out of the story completely, and the gooey romance just seemed even more gooey and saccharine the further away from reality the plot got. I just couldn’t enjoy it. Some cursory research would have been nice. The author claims this is mean to be a “realistic AU,” but it totally lost the realism.
I saw some other more critical reviews that took issue with the rosy look at the Democratic Party and the good-vs-evil dichotomy between Democrats and Republicans, but I had no problem with that actually. The story is told from the point of view of the son of the first female US president, who is a Democrat. Of course he, and his family and friends, would be staunchly partisan and view themselves as the ones fighting for what’s right against the evil conservatives. Of course this is an idealized view that ignores the more problematic and grey parts of politics. But also, let’s try to pretend everything about this book was the same except Alex’s family were Republicans. This book had no basis in reality, but that’s even more laughable, isn’t it? There absolutely is a difference between the two parties. Neither is perfect, but they are not the same, and your vote does matter!
I saw some other more critical reviews that took issue with the rosy look at the Democratic Party and the good-vs-evil dichotomy between Democrats and Republicans, but I had no problem with that actually. The story is told from the point of view of the son of the first female US president, who is a Democrat. Of course he, and his family and friends, would be staunchly partisan and view themselves as the ones fighting for what’s right against the evil conservatives. Of course this is an idealized view that ignores the more problematic and grey parts of politics. But also, let’s try to pretend everything about this book was the same except Alex’s family were Republicans. This book had no basis in reality, but that’s even more laughable, isn’t it? There absolutely is a difference between the two parties. Neither is perfect, but they are not the same, and your vote does matter!
September 5, 2024:
I meant to start this reread after the movie came out, in fact I meant to finish it before the movie even came out, but clearly that didn't happen. And I also clearly did not finish it anytime soon after the movie came out. I blame part of that on the fact that rereading is apparently a slog if you remember enough of the book — I had no inspiration to read this because I knew what was going to happen and it doesn't hold enough warm fuzzy memories for me to really want to reread it.
When I first read Red, White & Royal Blue in early 2020, it was my very first foray into the romance genre. I remember being thrown off by its casual narrative style, feeling like I was reading 400+ pages of fanfiction, a genre I respect but personally don't engage with. I still feel like that generalization is accurate — I simply do not vibe that much with CMQ's narration. But what it lacks in style, it makes up for with sheer absurd plot. There's no question that you have to suspend all disbelief to read this book, and that allows for a lot more fun for everyone. No need to question if any of this is realistic, because we've established from the get-go that's not what we're here for. We're here for fun! And fun it is.
No review written for 2020 read.
I meant to start this reread after the movie came out, in fact I meant to finish it before the movie even came out, but clearly that didn't happen. And I also clearly did not finish it anytime soon after the movie came out. I blame part of that on the fact that rereading is apparently a slog if you remember enough of the book — I had no inspiration to read this because I knew what was going to happen and it doesn't hold enough warm fuzzy memories for me to really want to reread it.
When I first read Red, White & Royal Blue in early 2020, it was my very first foray into the romance genre. I remember being thrown off by its casual narrative style, feeling like I was reading 400+ pages of fanfiction, a genre I respect but personally don't engage with. I still feel like that generalization is accurate — I simply do not vibe that much with CMQ's narration. But what it lacks in style, it makes up for with sheer absurd plot. There's no question that you have to suspend all disbelief to read this book, and that allows for a lot more fun for everyone. No need to question if any of this is realistic, because we've established from the get-go that's not what we're here for. We're here for fun! And fun it is.
No review written for 2020 read.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes