Red White & Royal Blue — The Modern Day Fairy-tale
Book: Red White & Royal Blue
Author: Casey McQuiston’s
Genre: Romance, contemporary, LGBTQ+
Rating: 5/5
Summary
Casey McQuiston’s debut novel, “Red, White & Royal Blue,” is hilarious, heartwarming, and intellectually stimulating, with just the right amount of British Royals and American politics scandal.
Alex Claremont-Diaz, the 21-year-old son of the first female President of the United States, has harbored animosity towards Prince Henry of Wales since his teenage years. When Alex and his sister June travel to the UK to attend the royal wedding of Prince Henry’s older brother, Alex accidentally pushes his rival prince into the wedding cake, causing an altercation between them that is captured by the media. The photos in the tabloids threaten American-British relations and escalate into an international crisis.
To do some damage control, Alex and Henry are asked to stage a fake friendship for the media, to which they are initially reluctant. Despite being preoccupied with handling his mother’s re-election campaign and pursuing his own political ambitions, Alex agrees to make appearances with Prince Henry in the UK for the weekend. During this time, Alex discovers that beneath Henry’s Prince Charming veneer, there’s a soft-hearted, humorous, and passionate person who reveals his true self away from the public eye.
As President Claremont delves into her re-election bid, Alex finds himself in a secret relationship with Henry that could jeopardize the campaign and create a disaster for both nations. Prince Henry risks everything for Alex, who is impulsive, charming, and sometimes over his head. Is it all worth it? and most importantly, will they make history?
My Review
I never buy a book solely based on ratings, as I believe the reading experience is unique to each individual. However, my experience with this book left me in awe. It is one of those rare books that linger in your mind for days, with favorite scenes replaying over and over, keeping it fresh in your thoughts.
Everything in the book made me enjoy it until the very end. Forbidden romance between Prince of England and First son of the states. Yesss! The transition from enemies to lovers was both funny and intellectually stimulating. As I read the book, I found myself no longer seeing them merely as two men, but as two souls falling deeply in love, trying to navigate their feelings amidst the heavy responsibilities they bear for their respective countries.
The book has so much politics and I never really have that much interest in politics but Casey McQuiston has done her best to make the political aspects of the story enjoyable. My top three favorite things about the book are:
1. The intimacy and love in Alex’s and Henry’s view. It is shown so clearly and powerfully to the readers. I have read many romance novels that have steamy scenes in them, and Red White & Royal Blue has a fair share of them but instead of describing the physical intimacy in depth, Casey McQuiston described the character’s emotions, vulnerability and passion towards the other in those scenes.
2. The character growth is beautifully portrayed from the start to end. The book doesn’t just stop with soul stopping romance and banter between intellectual people but It shows the character growth of Alex from the begining and how much he has learnt about himself because of the relationship with his Prince.
3. The exchange of emails between Alex and Henry was heart-touching, soul-crushing, and filled with warm, gooey feelings. It started with messages and calls and then evolved into heartfelt emails. The words Henry effortlessly and willingly wrote to Alex were something I longed to receive myself.
“Should I tell you that when we’re apart, your body comes back to me in dreams? That when I sleep, I see you, the dip of your waist, the freckle above your hip, and when I wake up in the morning, it feels like I’ve just been with you, the phantom touch of your hand on the back of my neck fresh and not imagined? That I can feel your skin against mine, and it makes every bone in my body ache? That, for a few moments, I can hold my breath and be back there with you, in a dream, in a thousand rooms, nowhere at all?”
“I never thought I’d be stood here faced with a choice I can’t make, because I never… I never imagined you would love me back.”
“I’ve always thought of myself as a problem that deserved to stay hidden. Never quite trusted myself, or what I wanted. Before you, I was all right letting everything happen to me. I honestly have never thought I deserved to choose.” “But you treat me like I do.”
“I thought, if someone like that ever loved me, it would set me on fire.”…”And then, inexplicably, you had the absolute audacity to love me back. Can you believe it?”
These emails turned me into a lovesick puppy and just made me fall in love with them.
I could endlessly gush about why I adored this book, but you simply have to take my word for it and experience it for yourself.
This is a modern day fairy tale with a prince charming and a smart, impulsive and over his head son of the US president. If you love enemies to lovers, political scandal and royalty, you won’t be disappointed!
