Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
CW: Forced Outing of Characters, Homophobia, Discussion of Addiction, Anxiety and Panic Attacks, Blackmail, Discussion of Parental Death, Parental Neglect, Politics, Racism, Sexual Abuse, Described Sex
5/5
If you've read my bio, then you'll know that One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston was my favorite book of 2021. As this is only the second book I've read by her, I was anxious to read it. I worried that it might feel like too much of a repeat of One Last Stop, something I learned I needn't have worried about. I had heard great things about it and knew I would enjoy it no matter what. While it used some of the best tropes, it still felt like a unique, engaging story.
Red, White & Royal Blue is about Alex Claremont-Diaz, First Son of the United States during the time of his mother's reelection campaign. While attending a royal wedding in London, he doesn't pass up a chance to mess with his rival, Prince Henry of Wales. The two have never gotten along, but when a minor altercation leads to big cake damage, their respective press teams decide the men must fake a friendship in public. Of course, they are also both physically attracted to each other. Will the time spent tolerating each other lead to more? How much more? And will it put the president's reelection chances in jeopardy?
I loved the characters in this book, and not just the main couple. Family means a lot to the characters in the story, so I wouldn't label this as a "found family" book in the way that One Last Stop was, but the people surrounding Alex and Henry did matter just as much. June, Alex's sister, was out to break all expectations people had for her and stay classy while doing it. Nora, Alex and June's best friend, is very smart and very cool. I would love to see a sequel focused on her. Alex's parents are divorced but have a healthy relationship, which is nice to see. Senator Luna is who Alex wants to be, but that doesn't make the senator one-dimensional. Bea, Henry's sister, has faced just as much scrutiny from the royal family as Henry had, leading her to be his best friend. And then, there's Zara, the woman who keeps Alex and Henry in check while attending to the president. Together, these characters and more make for a rich story.
Considering this story is told from Alex's perspective alone, I do think we miss out on seeing Henry as a full picture. We get why Alex both detests him and is drawn to him, we get his emotional journey, and we get him from the perspective of those that discuss him, but there's certainly more to Henry. I would like a better understanding of his social life, what goes on in his head, and the interactions he has when not with Alex. Perhaps the upcoming movie adaption will be able to add to Henry’s story. However, there are benefits to not making Henry a P.O.V. character. We start off with the idea that he is reserved and boring, but as Alex gets to see more, so do we. The pacing of this works perfectly for the story.
If you want to experience political envy and/or catharsis, this book is for you. Witnessing Ellen Claremont in office is a wonderful feeling that I hope to experience in real life. She's younger than Biden or Trump, she's a woman, and she's truly a leftist. Red, White & Royal Blue will also provide you with a very nerdy love story, historical fun facts, and delicious banter between many of the characters. I especially recommend reading this book before watching the movie. There are a lot of internal thoughts that they may not be able to incorporate that you won't want to miss. McQuiston is a wonderful writer and this was a wonderful book!
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