Review: Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
SYNOPSIS:
A big-hearted romantic comedy in which First Son Alex falls in love with Prince Henry of Wales after an incident of international proportions forces them to pretend to be best friends…
First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations.
The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince. Alex is busy enough handling his mother’s bloodthirsty opponents and his own political ambitions without an uptight royal slowing him down. But beneath Henry’s Prince Charming veneer, there’s a soft-hearted eccentric with a dry sense of humor and more than one ghost haunting him.
As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. And Henry throws everything into question for Alex, an impulsive, charming guy who thought he knew everything: What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?
REVIEW:
I have been hearing about this book from everyone and I was nervous to start it because the hype train has let me down before…but I am here to now profess my love for Casey McQuiston. This story was a stunning, poignant masterpiece that was so much more than a romance!
I took my time savoring the book, hence why it has been a hot minute since I wrote a review but I haven’t been this moved by a story in some time. Dare I say, my top read of 2019? I was enchanted and captivated by these characters, their struggles, and their complexity. There were numerous moments of laugh-out-loud humor sprinkled around the harsh realities of the world and life expectations. Real talk, there were several times when I just stopped reading and hugged the book because my heart was so very full.
It’s hard to articulate this story, from the romance perspective…it had everything I wanted. Tender, heartfelt moments, angst, passion, all mixed in with the pressures of life. But this novel is about so much more than the romance. It was a journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance for Alex. Where he not only finds himself, but he deals with stereotypes, and learning how to live in the moment when life is constantly going 100 miles per hour. In comparison, Henry (be still my heart) is selfless to a fault and over the course of the story he finds his voice and learns to stand up for himself. My Grinchy heart grew three sizes during that chapter.
I adored watching Alex and Henry navigate their relationship while their was so much uncertainty. Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite troupes, but this book was extra special. When they both decide to take the risk…cue the swoon. Okay that’s a lie, I was swooning the whole book. Their relationship was just a beacon of hope…with times being dark and politics always being tumultuous, seeing love find a way is the hope the world needs.
The secondary characters add a much needed support group to Alex and Henry but also are equally as complex. If Casey wrote several stories about these characters, I wouldn’t be opposed. Alas, they enhanced the story and I love them all the more for it. From Pez’s outlandish style to Nora being a numbers wiz, these quirky, unique characters all bring an extra smile to my face. This is the type of read I will come back to again and again. I couldn’t get enough of this story and as I sit here looking at the cover, I am still smiling and my heart is filled with so much joy from this book it feels like it could burst. I can’t wait to see what Casey McQuiston comes out with next.
LINKS:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
