Introduction

“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.”

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.

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. What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?

My Thoughts

Another electric summer read! It’s pride month and, while I can’t include every book with a queer mc on this month’s TBR, I’m making an effort to integrate my queer reads into my books this month. Just like with only reading books by black authors/with black mc’s during Black History Month, books by queer authors/with queer characters shouldn’t be excluded to only Pride Month – I just want to make that clear. I have plenty of reads with LGBTQIA+ representation coming up throughout the rest of the year, so I hope you all can indulge me while I go on rants about how these books make me feel. Without further ado, let’s get into Red, White, & Royal Blue:

Alex and Henry! Let me tell you: I wasn’t big on the plot when I read the synopsis. I didn’t know how I felt about reading political stuff involving America’s First Family – it just felt a little too weird to me. I have an interest in politics but not enough to read fiction that would contextualize the inner workings of the White House. Political parts aside, I loved this book. Alex and Henry have my heart, truly, and my love for them is seriously battling my love for Achilles and Patroclus – yes, this book was that good.

What can I say about this? Casey McQuiston: you’ve got a loyal reader for life. Plot aside, the writing in this book was just so effortless. It was easy to read and understand, but it was also extremely profound at many parts. These characters wouldn’t be who they are without McQuiston’s brain, so I do want to thank her for this gift. The banter between Alex and Henry were my favorite part but they weren’t the only characters who stole the show. Literally every single named character (with the exception of Queen Mary for…reasons..) were so interesting in their own right. My favorite character outside of our mains was Ellen Claremont’s assistant Zahra because THAT woman can command attention.

Obviously, I came and stayed for the romance, but let’s talk about something a little more serious. McQuiston took the last 4 years of #45’s presidency and completely rewrote what the American narrative could’ve been. Instead of four years of bigotry, the book gives the reader four years of progress. I love fiction specifically because of books like this. Fiction allows us to imagine a world that isn’t exactly our own, but a world that could be better – still fucked up, but a little kinder, a little more compassionate, a little more loving. I finished this book at 11:42 pm with tears streaming down my face. It has been so long since characters were REAL to me.

I’ve said it before, I love fantasy, but I know those characters aren’t real no matter how much I immerse myself in those books. Alex and Henry were real to me, though. My heart broke for them. I was gutted at the lies people have to tell to afford themselves a happy life. It hurts being reminded that you can’t live in your pandemic isolation bubble forever – the world is still cruel and unforgiving, and there is still so much work to be done to make it a true home for everyone. But books like this are a welcome respite because it gives you hope that maybe change can come around sooner than expected. 

I went into Honey Girl knowing that I’d connect with the main character. There was no way I couldn’t connect with her, even with our differences. I went into Red, White, & Royal Blue expecting nothing more than a Hallmark romance. I didn’t expect to be rubbed so raw by the beauty and tragedy of a love that you’re willing to risk it all for. I love Alex and Henry and I’ll be thinking about them for weeks to come.

Rating

Could you tell where this was going? Overall, I give the book 5 stars. There is no way that I couldn’t. Popular books are popular for a reason and this one is no exception. It is a tough act to follow, hopefully my next read can keep up.