Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Red, White & Royal Blue

by Casey McQuiston

* 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

Reviewed by girlinthepages on

4 of 5 stars

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I'm not quite sure what I can say about Red, White, & Royal Blue that hasn't already been said. I picked it up well in advance of my targeted ARC "schedule" and was sucked into the story of politics, royals and romance that combined my love of modern monarchy with the political trials of the US today.

I loved reading about Alex and Henry's true hate-to-love romance (complete with utterly hilarious texts and emails) that was a slow burn and never felt rushed or unauthentic. I loved how they both had their village surrounding and supporting them even when the pressure of their stations was overwhelming, and Alex's mom was #presidentgoals (she was SUCH a badass I would totally vote for her, I need one of those Claremont-Diaz 2020 stickers!)There's also a LOT of representation in this story that never feels forced, from the various ways characters identify with their sexuality to their family backgrounds. As a biracial child myself, it was so inspiring to see biracial children in the White House (who come from a divorced family, no less) and show how a seemingly dysfunctional family can still be the support system you need in the face of adversity.

A few other wonderful things about this book I enjoyed:

- The sassy White House staff who are always cleaning up Alex's messes

-Henry's bodyguard

- The dreamy, peaceful Texas lake house that June and Alex visit their father at

- Alex and Henry are both really intelligent and it shows in their banter and emails and references to historical figures (and in Henry's case, sometimes relatives) from their respective countries. Love a smart romance.

- Family putting each other's needs first (especially Alex's mom for her children, and that can't be an easy feat when you have an entire country to worry about)This is new adult done RIGHT- sure it had some steamy content but it's about self exploration and figuring out how to adult in your 20s and friendships and family and shenanigans and created a space specifically for that 20s transitional period in life and I AM HERE FOR IT. (This is what we all wanted New Adult to be from the beginning, TBH).

Overall: Honestly, as much as I enjoyed this book, it was hard to read at times because it made me imagine a world where things had gone differently in 2016, a world where a red state could swing blue, where a liberal minority could lead the charge and overcome hatred and inequality. The Claremont-Diazs' are by far my favorite fictional first family.This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 25 March, 2019: Finished reading
  • 25 March, 2019: Reviewed