Who doesn't want to date royalty? It sounds like a dream, of course, unless it can be reality. Casey McQuiston brings that dream to life in her debut novel, Red White & Royal Blue. Even better, this royal romance is queer, multidimensional, and addresses everything a new adult novel should -- including the daunting aspects of "the rest of your life." Heartwarming, witty, fun, and practically regal, Red White & Royal Blue is more than just the perfect summer read: it's a story about true love, resilience in the face of so much hardship, and hope when it feels like all is lost. Casey McQuiston is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Red White & Royal Blue. She lives at the intersection of fun, escapist romantic adventure and smart-mouthed characters with bad manners and big hearts. Born in the Deep South, McQuiston now lives in Colorado with her dog, Pepper. You can find McQuiston at caseymcquiston.com.
When his mother became President of the United States, 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 an 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 and state and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: Stage a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instagrammable 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 presidential campaign and upend two nations. It raises 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?
One of my instant favorite things about this book was Alex's voice. You just dive right into his story, his struggles, his beliefs, and his hopes. I love the way we see the world through his eyes, how flawed it is, and yet how determined he is to make a difference. It feels like the kind of America and world that we want and hope to live in. I wondered why, feeling all these things, the book wasn't in first-person, just because Alex's voice is so strong through the third-person lens. I think, in the end, though I could be wrong, it came down to McQuiston identifying as a woman and thus being unable to truly write in a male's first-person point of view. Despite this challenge, everything I said before stands true: Alex's voice is clear, sharp, and engaging. I truly enjoyed how the story was told from his perspective, and the way in which he told his story. I also thought his character arc was relatable, because he's balancing so many high-stakes items: international relations, friendships, a pretty forbidden romance, the rest of his life. While not everyone will always be able to relate to everything about a character, especially a biracial FSOTUS dating a Prince of England, so much of Alex's character is relatable. While he might struggle with balancing all of these high-stakes items (as much as anyone with so much on their plate would struggle), McQuiston balances the story of Alex's responsibilities to his friends, Henry, family, future endeavors perfectly. In regards to the romance, there's a good balance between the romance (the focal point of the whole novel) and the rest of Alex's life. Not to sound dramatic, but the actual world and world response of Alex's choices actually affects Alex and his future choices, and that daunting aspect of Alex's life acts like its own character. I think many adults at Alex's age feel like they're under that pressure, and was part of the book I was so glad McQuiston commented on, and eventually resolved through Alex's conversations and growth from the beginning to the end. Alex is definitely a main character to cheer for.
I shipped Henry and Alex from the start, which I think has to be true of many readers who picked up this book. The trope is, of course, enemies-turned-friends-turned lovers, and while stereotypical, McQuiston made it quirky, relatable, and organic. Everything about Henry and Alex fell right into place, making it the perfect summer royal romance. One of my favorite ways in which their relationship developed was through the reading of their emails, texts, and other correspondence that deviated from the prose. This combo made this novel feel like the ultimate modern day love story. Even though we didn't get first-person prose, these emails and texts made me feel like we were right inside Henry's and Alex's heads, and allowed readers to be closer to the characters, and ultimately more attached to the development of their relationship. I also enjoyed the depth of detail of each of Alex's and Henry's passions -- Alex for politics, Henry for literature and classics. It makes both of these characters unquestionably believable and also extremely relatable, because their personal passions feel tangible -- and thus, their passion for one another also feels like a physical thing that we can hold in our hands.
Another one of my instant favorite parts of this book was the relatable and believable dialogue between June and Alex, as siblings, and between the White House Trio, as friends. I laughed and smiled as they joked, shared stories, and told truths, because the dialogue was reflective of siblings who love and are comfortable with one another, and hope to see one another grow. I enjoy how we as readers get to see how Nora and June grow even though the story is mostly Alex's and Henry's -- there's hints as to what could happen in the future for the two women, and I think that makes the story well-rounded. It's exciting to see how characters are going to continue when the pages run out, especially if we've grown attached to characters beyond the "mains" like Alex and Henry. Every interaction that involves June and Nora is honest and hilarious, and their impact on Alex's story can't be underestimated.
The plot took readers on some expected and unexpected rollercoasters. All in all, it was highly enjoyable and made for a quick read. The romance, like I mentioned earlier, took on as "enemies-turned-friends-turned-lovers" trope, and there are some other tropes and clichés involved. My favorite, personally, has to be the "gay Pride and Prejudice" vibes I got from Alex's preconceived notions of Henry early on in the book. Because of all the tropes and clichés, I actually found the story benefited from them. As commented on in the book, a romance between the FSOTUS and a Prince of England would be hard to swallow for some very close-minded people -- in a way, being able to pull out these recognizable tropes found in all romance makes it easier for everyone to fall in love with Alex and Henry. I also just enjoy that there are some parts of the book that can be predicted -- such as the world finding out -- and unpredictable -- like the ending presidential race. This is balanced perfectly, just as the balance between Alex's romance, friendships, and personal pursuits are evenly distributed. The only thing that took me out of the story were some of the mid-chapter breaks, which can sometimes be jarring. In some moments, it felt like I was being violently pulled out of a moment, and then the next part of the story feels detached from what just happened. Luckily, McQuiston writes in such an effortlessly-seeming way so that it's really easy to fall right back into the story, and right back in love with it.
Luckily for us, Red, White & Royal Blue has been optioned for film by Berlanti Productions and Amazon Studios. Even more luckily for us, Casey McQuiston is planning on releasing another queer new adult romcom, with more details to come soon. Visit this page for more information on both, and stay tuned for more possible reviews of McQuiston's work on this blog!
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