Scan barcode
A review by jiibii
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
5.0
Holy fucking royal shit... You bet this was the surprise of the year.
I'm sure you've read the summary for this book. I'm sure you've thought to yourself "okay, I know just what to expect from this cheesy, cliché-to-the-moon yaoi wanna-be fluffly hit of the summer. It's gonna be cute, sweet, light and bubbly and forgetful."
Y'all, I got so much more than what I was bargaining for.
Yes, it's clichéd. But it's one hell of a bitch-slappingly realistic cliché. I don't know exactly how the author has done it, but she has managed to turn the unlikeliest case, every gay millennial's dream fictional scenario, and turned it into a blindingly bright and expertly paced message of hope, love and tolerance.
What took my breath away was the way the story moved so fluidly from "yeah this is cheesy af but wow is it fun" to the depiction of these two heads-of-state simply being two boys falling in love, getting to see the way in which they see each other and the way they end up needing each other, and finally delving into what this individual relationship means for both of their countries, for the writing of history, and reverberation it has on an international level. And again, what surprised me to such a profound extent was the way it all felt real. I'm not sure what other people are saying about the book, but reading this as a gay guy, I felt it could not be more realistic. I really do feel you could transfer the whole book into real life and it would have played out like that. The poignant critiques to American politics also made it a wild ride, and there were some moments that just turned you into that GIF of Meryl Streep screaming YES at Viola Davis.
The dynamic change of scope and magnitude is, I think, what really makes this book worthwhile. At the end of the day, it comes off smoothly as a tale of two guys in love, regardless of their position, and how they push through. I also feel the characters were as well developed as a story like this needed them to be, with each of them having interesting personalities that made the narrative move along at the perfect pace; I loved seeing these two boys falling in love.
What can I say, I'm a romantic. That makes me as biased as Henry is royal. And I concede when saying that it is a bit too idealistic. But I do recommend it, especially if you like some emotional attachment and social criticisms in your would-be fluffy gay YA contemporary. I desperately wish I had had this book when I was younger, and at the end of the day, I hope that it does reach into the hearts of the young gay generation. Y'all rock.
I'm sure you've read the summary for this book. I'm sure you've thought to yourself "okay, I know just what to expect from this cheesy, cliché-to-the-moon yaoi wanna-be fluffly hit of the summer. It's gonna be cute, sweet, light and bubbly and forgetful."
Y'all, I got so much more than what I was bargaining for.
Yes, it's clichéd. But it's one hell of a bitch-slappingly realistic cliché. I don't know exactly how the author has done it, but she has managed to turn the unlikeliest case, every gay millennial's dream fictional scenario, and turned it into a blindingly bright and expertly paced message of hope, love and tolerance.
What took my breath away was the way the story moved so fluidly from "yeah this is cheesy af but wow is it fun" to the depiction of these two heads-of-state simply being two boys falling in love, getting to see the way in which they see each other and the way they end up needing each other, and finally delving into what this individual relationship means for both of their countries, for the writing of history, and reverberation it has on an international level. And again, what surprised me to such a profound extent was the way it all felt real. I'm not sure what other people are saying about the book, but reading this as a gay guy, I felt it could not be more realistic. I really do feel you could transfer the whole book into real life and it would have played out like that. The poignant critiques to American politics also made it a wild ride, and there were some moments that just turned you into that GIF of Meryl Streep screaming YES at Viola Davis.
The dynamic change of scope and magnitude is, I think, what really makes this book worthwhile. At the end of the day, it comes off smoothly as a tale of two guys in love, regardless of their position, and how they push through. I also feel the characters were as well developed as a story like this needed them to be, with each of them having interesting personalities that made the narrative move along at the perfect pace; I loved seeing these two boys falling in love.
What can I say, I'm a romantic. That makes me as biased as Henry is royal. And I concede when saying that it is a bit too idealistic. But I do recommend it, especially if you like some emotional attachment and social criticisms in your would-be fluffy gay YA contemporary. I desperately wish I had had this book when I was younger, and at the end of the day, I hope that it does reach into the hearts of the young gay generation. Y'all rock.