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A review by elenasch
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I read this book in tandem with a few horror novels I’m working through as a bit of a palate cleanser before I went to sleep at night — the cartoon after the horror movie so to speak. I was expecting an easy, fluffy, tooth-achingly-sweet read, but then I got fully swept away by this beautiful story and devoured the book much faster than I meant to.
The tenderness that this book has — I think my heart grew three sizes, grinch-style, by the time I’d finished reading. Reading this was like remembering what it was like to fall in love for the first time. The way that the author handles a coming-out story, with the all of the stresses and fears and questions and was SO true to life, and I saw a lot of familiar feelings and experiences reflected in these pages. Every relationship in the book felt real.
I don’t think this book will be for everyone, but boy was it for me. I’m genuinely floored by how much I enjoyed this, and how such a corny premise (sorry but it’s true) can become such an incredible tapestry that so lovingly displays the colors of first love / family dynamics / political interest / found family / coming of age / hope for the future / belief in the indomitability of the human spirit.
And at its heart, a beautifully, unapologetically, celebrator-ily queer love story. Cue the sparkles and rainbows, I’m already looking forward to my re-read.
The tenderness that this book has — I think my heart grew three sizes, grinch-style, by the time I’d finished reading. Reading this was like remembering what it was like to fall in love for the first time. The way that the author handles a coming-out story, with the all of the stresses and fears and questions and was SO true to life, and I saw a lot of familiar feelings and experiences reflected in these pages. Every relationship in the book felt real.
I don’t think this book will be for everyone, but boy was it for me. I’m genuinely floored by how much I enjoyed this, and how such a corny premise (sorry but it’s true) can become such an incredible tapestry that so lovingly displays the colors of first love / family dynamics / political interest / found family / coming of age / hope for the future / belief in the indomitability of the human spirit.
And at its heart, a beautifully, unapologetically, celebrator-ily queer love story. Cue the sparkles and rainbows, I’m already looking forward to my re-read.