Scan barcode
A review by mar
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
i'm not gonna lie, the romance had its moments. the museum date night and the quoting romantic lines from historical figures' letters and the "On purpose. I love him on purpose" got to me.
HOWEVER. this is the sort of book i can only really enjoy if i turn off my brain and not think abt the premise for more than 1 second. the oversimplified version of American politics in this book is so weird??? i'm here for criticizing Republicans any day of the week lol but portraying Democrats as some sort of woke, diverse, noble group immune to corruption and motivated only by devotion to Doing The Right Thing is so disingenuous? the author's attempts to bring up actual, real life current issues while also presenting this naïve, simplistic version of American politics that glorifies the Democrats and never acknowledges any issues inherent in the system is just... jarring. it's like trying to have your cake and eat it too.
also UGH all these little comments and quips abt how British Imperialism Bad™ so you know Henry's one of the Good Royals. it's so weird especially when him thinking that is painted as like, endearing or impressive or smth??? literally thank you for the bare minimum i guess, how about addressing the British colonial violence Henry's benefitting from in any actually meaningful way? or how the monarchy is a harmful institution that shouldn't exist in the first place? it just constantly feels like there's an elephant in the room. like any issues that are uncomfortable bc they don't fit with the story are ignored or only brought up through quirky one-liners.
is it unfair of me to be mad about lack of political nuance in an escapist gay romcom? idk. maybe. but it does use British royalty and American politics as a backdrop, so. ["let people enjoy things" ok i enjoy critical analysis and being a hater.jpg]
HOWEVER. this is the sort of book i can only really enjoy if i turn off my brain and not think abt the premise for more than 1 second. the oversimplified version of American politics in this book is so weird??? i'm here for criticizing Republicans any day of the week lol but portraying Democrats as some sort of woke, diverse, noble group immune to corruption and motivated only by devotion to Doing The Right Thing is so disingenuous? the author's attempts to bring up actual, real life current issues while also presenting this naïve, simplistic version of American politics that glorifies the Democrats and never acknowledges any issues inherent in the system is just... jarring. it's like trying to have your cake and eat it too.
also UGH all these little comments and quips abt how British Imperialism Bad™ so you know Henry's one of the Good Royals. it's so weird especially when him thinking that is painted as like, endearing or impressive or smth??? literally thank you for the bare minimum i guess, how about addressing the British colonial violence Henry's benefitting from in any actually meaningful way? or how the monarchy is a harmful institution that shouldn't exist in the first place? it just constantly feels like there's an elephant in the room. like any issues that are uncomfortable bc they don't fit with the story are ignored or only brought up through quirky one-liners.
is it unfair of me to be mad about lack of political nuance in an escapist gay romcom? idk. maybe. but it does use British royalty and American politics as a backdrop, so. ["let people enjoy things" ok i enjoy critical analysis and being a hater.jpg]
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Cancer, Racism, Sexism, and Sexual assault