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A review by saw_knee
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? N/A
5.0
Okay, this book is a precious gift to the world. This book had me talking out loud, squealing, and uwu-ing at every chapter. I don’t read many m/m stories, but this one was such a fun story and I was still gushing over the romance even without a woman protagonist. I’ll definitely read other m/m stories if they are popular.
Also, I LOVED the way that this book handled Alex’s bisexual awakening. I kind of recognized myself in his story and I like that beyond the press, no one really thought it was a big deal. Even Alex’s internal monologue was just like “oh this makes sense, I guess.”
I will say that this book is a fun parody of America circa 2020 (minus the Pandemic and Trump ever having been elected). It felt nice to escape into an alternative timeline and see what could’ve been or what might be someday. That being said, 2016 was a very raw moment for me - a political science major. The email scandal and predatory threat of the GOP candidate was just a little too close to home. I was emotionally fulfilled with Alex and Henry’s HEA, but election night waiting for TX to go blue was agony. And the winning speech, referencing “hope and change” — I looked up at my Obama election poster with tears in my eyes. Because that’s the kind of politics that made me want to major in it and that my love for America is rooted in. And lately we’ve just seem to gotten away from it all. Anyways, I digress, but the politics of Red White and Royal Blue was equally inspiring and hard to swallow because of what real-life politics looks like at the moment.
I will absolutely recommend this book to others and it deserves all the hype it was gotten. I was not disappointed at all.
Also, I LOVED the way that this book handled Alex’s bisexual awakening. I kind of recognized myself in his story and I like that beyond the press, no one really thought it was a big deal. Even Alex’s internal monologue was just like “oh this makes sense, I guess.”
I will say that this book is a fun parody of America circa 2020 (minus the Pandemic and Trump ever having been elected). It felt nice to escape into an alternative timeline and see what could’ve been or what might be someday. That being said, 2016 was a very raw moment for me - a political science major. The email scandal and predatory threat of the GOP candidate was just a little too close to home. I was emotionally fulfilled with Alex and Henry’s HEA, but election night waiting for TX to go blue was agony. And the winning speech, referencing “hope and change” — I looked up at my Obama election poster with tears in my eyes. Because that’s the kind of politics that made me want to major in it and that my love for America is rooted in. And lately we’ve just seem to gotten away from it all. Anyways, I digress, but the politics of Red White and Royal Blue was equally inspiring and hard to swallow because of what real-life politics looks like at the moment.
I will absolutely recommend this book to others and it deserves all the hype it was gotten. I was not disappointed at all.