Review: Casey McQuiston – Red, White & Royal Blue

Can you believe I haven’t even reviewed my absolute favourite book of the year on my blog? I’ve read it three times already, but haven’t reviewed it properly? Let’s fix that right now.

“History, huh? Bet we could make some.”

What happens when America’s First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?

When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius—his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There’s only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.

Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through?

Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue proves: true love isn’t always diplomatic.

Rep: bisexual Mexican character, gay love interest, Mexican side characters, bisexual side character, Black side character, gay side character, trans queer side character, pansexual side character

CWs: homophobia, grief, public outing, racism, sexual abuse, addiction, panic attack, alcohol consumption

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As a queer person who’s still trying to figure out (aspects of) her identity, this book meant so much to me.

With every LGBTQ+ book I read, I feel like I’m a little closer to understanding who I am and what it means to be queer. This book achieved that especially, because it’s so clearly rooted in the LGBTQ+ history. I especially loved the emails Alex and Henry exchange.

On top of that, I’ve never read about a main character questioning their sexuality in their 20s in a way so similar to my own experience. I will honestly admit, this had me in tears reading it, because it made me feel so seen.

Aside from this representation, this book has a lot of seemingly effortless diversity. It basically shows the political climate you can only wish was reality, which makes it a hopeful read. And it’s a hilarious read as well. Overall, this book had me laughing and crying and loving these characters so fucking much.

While reading the book, I actually listened to the Spotify playlist the author made to match the characters, and this really added to my enjoyment! I especially love Alex’s playlist 🙂

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