Summary by Goodreads:
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.
“…scribbling verses about quarter-life angst.”
My Thoughts:
What a fun, uplifting, motivating read that we NEEDED in 2019 & 2020! The president of the United States is a woman, the president’s son and the Prince of England fall in love, and we get to see America change for the better.
Alex Claremont-Diaz is the president’s son and he is discovering his bisexuality. Then there’s Henry, Prince of England, who is gay but has always been told to hide it from the world. This novel is about these two public figures finding love with each other and figuring out how to share it with the world.
I truly enjoyed reading about the bravery of these two people. Although their love story and their finding their true selves wasn’t relatable to me, it still taught me bravery and to always be myself and to never be afraid of showing who I truly am. The right people will love you for who you are and the world will appreciate you more for your honesty and your heart rather than what you appear to be on the outside.
The female president of the United States was empowering and a GREAT mother. Alex was a dynamite, hilarious character that felt so much emotion, which made him relatable for me. Henry was tender, sweet, and it took a while to understand his personality. And then June, Nora, Bea, and all other characters were each strong in their own way.
As for the story itself, it was SOOOO entertaining. It made me laugh nearly every chapter, I was enthralled with each character the entire time, and the beauty of the story distracted me from my own life. Not to mention, it painted a beautiful picture of America–one with a female president and an accepting population.
Casey McQuiston is the greatest thing to walk this planet. She wrote a story that other authors would be afraid to write and unashamedly pushed the boundaries. Her writing style is fluid and entertaining and very modern, but she also writes beautiful details. What I really liked was how she wrote the sexual scenes. They weren’t graphic or too much, but rather painted with emotion. I also fell in love with her beautiful letter to her readers. “To every person in search of somewhere to belong who happened to pick up this book, I hope you found a place in here, even if just for a few pages. You are loved. I wrote this for you. Keep fighting, keep making history, keep looking after one another.” If I could describe the book, it would be that. Everyone can belong in Red, White & Royal Blue.
“Thinking about history makes me wonder how I’ll fit into it one day, I guess. And you too. I kinda wish people still wrote like that. History, huh? Bet we could make some.”
I recommend this book to…
…teenagers, adults, anybody part of the LGBTQ+ community, men, women, everyone. Read it in your book club and let it inspire you.
Comfort Guide:
Many, many uses of the “F” word. Practically one on every page. Every other swear word used a lot as well. Several sex scenes, not graphic but still very sexual. No violence.
Info:
Author – Casey McQuiston
Published – 2019
Page Count – 421