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A review by ohshebookish
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
"Because you're it, okay? I'm never gonna love anybody in the world like I love you."
Alexander Gabriel Claremont-Diaz and HRH Prince Henry George Edward James Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor (whew that's a lot!) will live rent free in my head until the end of time.
This book has everything:
-Enemies to friends to lovers
-Found family/Familial bond
-Self discovery
-Queer rep
-Badass women
-Banter
-Political commentary
First off, I really enjoyed how the time frame and events of the world are in this story. It's 2020, there's a Democrat woman from Texas as the President of the U.S. with two biracial children. Could you imagine that with the state of the world today? But, crazier things have happened in 2020 in reality, so who knows, maybe one day. The progression that the nation, and world, has made in the story was very refreshing, even though it wasn't without controversy looming. It made me so happy to see, sad that the world isn't this way in real life, and hopeful that maybe one day it could be.
The political commentary weaved seamlessly throughout the story, highlighting topics that are a real concern in today's world. The author tackled those issues with a real lens, and I appreciate how everything wasn't just sunshine and rainbows. All of the characters had to go through difficult scenarios and decisions that made the story feel real. Even the monarchy and the commentary around the royal family was similar to current events. This book isn't just all about the romance, but there is also a lot of depth as the story tackles these hard situations.
The relationships in this book are *chefs kiss* The romance, oooh the romance, it's one of my favorites that I've ever read! The banter between Henry and Alex is top tier, but their emails to each other made me want to MELT. I especially loved Alex's growth. He went from despising (or so he assumed) Henry to being so in tune with his emotions and caring about Henry's feelings before even his own. Everyone should be loved the way Alex loves Henry. And Henry standing up to his family was one of my favorite moments, I literally felt like a proud parent. Let's not forget about the friendships! I loved how not only Alex and Henry found each other, but the entire friend group and support system that developed. It was beautiful to see how they all rallied for each other in different ways.
All in all, this book was such a quick and beautiful read. I laughed, I cried, I got angry, I felt all the feels. I would highly recommend, especially to help get out of a reading slump.
Alexander Gabriel Claremont-Diaz and HRH Prince Henry George Edward James Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor (whew that's a lot!) will live rent free in my head until the end of time.
This book has everything:
-Enemies to friends to lovers
-Found family/Familial bond
-Self discovery
-Queer rep
-Badass women
-Banter
-Political commentary
First off, I really enjoyed how the time frame and events of the world are in this story. It's 2020, there's a Democrat woman from Texas as the President of the U.S. with two biracial children. Could you imagine that with the state of the world today? But, crazier things have happened in 2020 in reality, so who knows, maybe one day. The progression that the nation, and world, has made in the story was very refreshing, even though it wasn't without controversy looming. It made me so happy to see, sad that the world isn't this way in real life, and hopeful that maybe one day it could be.
The political commentary weaved seamlessly throughout the story, highlighting topics that are a real concern in today's world. The author tackled those issues with a real lens, and I appreciate how everything wasn't just sunshine and rainbows. All of the characters had to go through difficult scenarios and decisions that made the story feel real. Even the monarchy and the commentary around the royal family was similar to current events. This book isn't just all about the romance, but there is also a lot of depth as the story tackles these hard situations.
The relationships in this book are *chefs kiss* The romance, oooh the romance, it's one of my favorites that I've ever read! The banter between Henry and Alex is top tier, but their emails to each other made me want to MELT. I especially loved Alex's growth. He went from despising (or so he assumed) Henry to being so in tune with his emotions and caring about Henry's feelings before even his own. Everyone should be loved the way Alex loves Henry. And Henry standing up to his family was one of my favorite moments, I literally felt like a proud parent. Let's not forget about the friendships! I loved how not only Alex and Henry found each other, but the entire friend group and support system that developed. It was beautiful to see how they all rallied for each other in different ways.
All in all, this book was such a quick and beautiful read. I laughed, I cried, I got angry, I felt all the feels. I would highly recommend, especially to help get out of a reading slump.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, and Drug abuse
Minor: Death of parent