* Instant NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestseller *
* GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD WINNER for BEST DEBUT and BEST ROMANCE of 2019 *
* BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR* for VOGUE, NPR, VANITY FAIR, and more! *
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.
I took this with me wherever I went and stole every second I had to read! Absorbing, hilarious, tender, sexy--this book had everything I crave. I'm jealous of all the readers out there who still get to experience Red, White & Royal Blue for the first time! - Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners
Red, White & Royal Blue is outrageously fun. It is romantic, sexy, witty, and thrilling. I loved every second. - Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six
When the president's son and the prince of England cause chaos at the royal wedding, they are forced to enter into a fake bromance in order to fix this PR nightmare. They thought their time together would be painful, but it seemed that underneath the angst were some feelings of mutual admiration and attraction.
I say - believe the hype. This book was really wonderful, and there are so many things to adore about it. I love reading reviews for a book like this, which seems to appeal to so many different readers for different reasons. I therefore commend McQuiston on producing a work that can do that.
One of the things I loved about this book were the amazing characters. They were well drawn and distinct, as well as really interesting. I was particularly fond of the 20-something squad formed when Henry and Alex's groups mixed. The six of them were fantastic and the interplay between them was fabulous. I don't know if McQuiston plans on writing any other books in this world, but I know I would love to read books focusing on HEAs for Pez, June, Nora, and Bea. (I'm just saying...)
I also really enjoyed a lot of places we got to go with these characters. I had a ton of fun accompanying them on their outings. They were sometimes outrageous, but always entertaining. The royal wedding, the NYE bash, karaoke in LA, the Victoria and Albert museum -- all fantastic.
Family also played a huge role in this book. Neither Henry nor Alex's family was perfect, but there was love, especially in Alex's family. He and his sister shared a really special bond, and both his parents were open, loving, and accepting.
But my favorite thing about this book was the romance. Watching this faux bromance evolve into a friendship and then love was a beautiful thing. Alex and Henry were very sweet together, but it was their emails that brought tears to my eyes. It was via email, where they they revealed those hidden layers of themselves and really exposed their emotions.
I think the only reason I didn't rate this book higher was because I felt like the politics encroached a bit on the romance. That said, I still adored this book. I shed some tears as I wrote this review, because I was so touched by the way McQuiston wrote the love story between Henry and Alex, and I look forward to reading more of her work.
