A review by maybreads
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

funny hopeful
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

2.75

“i saw her at the devils sacrament!!!” girl… what were YOU doing at the devils sacrament 👀

I spent formative years on tumblr and I suspect Casey did too.
My issues with this book are very related to the political narratives within. It feels like wish fulfillment. It feels naive. It feels a bit cringe.

Imagine instead of 2016 it's the 2020 election when Trump emerges.
And the power of gay love turns Texas blue and saves the day.
Due to the references to real political happenings from the past decade this feels like it has something to say. However it is too cutesy
and delusional
to feel anything close to realistic. The result is a sweet enough romance surrounded by
an but her e-mail server plot
, a weird mix that doesn't work for me. 

You can't do escapism but the political commentary is soooo on the nose and wish fulfillmenty that you're also not reading something that has any real merit (in my opinion). Maybe some people do enjoy a fictionalized Trump as a villain in their gay escapism romance... I just rolled my eyes everytime that plotline showed itself. 

Back to the romance. Henry and Alex work. They have banter, the have chemistry. They vibe very fast tbh and then it's just waiting for them to realize that they actually do have feelings beyond fwb. Enjoyable. 

I'd recommend this to someone who can handle the cringe vibe of the politics. 
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