Red, White & Royal Blue: Collector's Edition: A Novel

Author Casey McQuiston wrote this fictional gay romance novel sort of as a response to how 2016 turned out. Instead of the political and royal figureheads, we have here in the US and in the UK, we were given ones from a sort of parallel universe thereby allowing her to tell the tales of Alex and Henry. What makes this novel work so well is her character writing. The universe in which they live in is rich with details, especially the political machinations (there is some very interesting political intrigue regarding someone Alex knows) that Alex must deal with as well as the social implications that Henry, as a member of the Royal Family, must also contend with. But it is with these two characters that McQuiston pours her soul into thereby giving life to them. Even as they go on their own character arcs (especially Alex), there remains a consistency to who and what they are even as they evolve and grow as people. Even as Alex comes off as somewhat unlikeable at the beginning, by the time his feelings for Henry begin to awaken he is transformed into someone that we can at least not detest, and by we get into the last third of the book he’s someone that we’re not only rooting for, he becomes a character that we can genuinely care about. Henry is different in that he has that royal veneer about him. He’s totally pleasant as one might expect, but even as Alex starts to see his real self he immediately becomes a likable, if somewhat sad, character. McQuiston perfectly uses their growing relationship to see both of them actually begin to blossom as they discover feelings within themselves and for each other. As I read through all of this I could sense that something bad was going to happen, and lo it most certainly did. McQuiston captures the public backlash of these two getting together repeatedly for what is clearly more than just a friendly visit. First, the challenges are strictly of the heart as they each have to admit what it is they are feeling, then the challenges they face have international implications, but McQuiston continually keeps it focused on Alex and Henry in how this fallout is affecting them. It’s a masterful reminder that despite whatever position we come into, whether it is one we attain from hard work or one that we are born into, that at the end of the day we are still people and that must take precedence. This book completely caught me by surprise. I never imagined myself reading a romance novel that wasn’t in some sort of sci-fi or fantasy genre setting, but through an unusual twist of circumstances, I discovered this book. Before reading Red, White & Royal Blue there had been only a handful of authors to cross my path whose work I would fall madly in love with, three of those being Gini Koch of the “Alien – Katherine/Kitty-Katt” series, Jonathan Latt, author of "The Geek," and more recently K.D. Edwards, author of “The Tarot Sequence” series of books, the first being "The Last Sun" (the follow-up novel "The Hanged Man" is slated to come out in December). I have read and re-read their books repeatedly because they each have created characters that I have also fallen in love with. Now I’m thrilled to say that I can add another author to that group as McQuiston has delivered a novel that I just could not put down. I never thought I would go for romance novels, even if they were of a gay nature, but her writing was so powerful that at the end of the day this book proved that what transcends genres is nothing more than just outstanding quality. Her depictions of Alex and Henry, especially as their feelings truly awoke within themselves for each other, was so beautifully written that for a time I no longer felt like an old gay man (I will soon be 58), but instead I actually felt young again and with that came the innocent feelings of hopefulness and optimism, not to mention a reminder of that emotional rush one feels when falling in love. Through Alex and Henry not only did I get to experience that all over again, but McQuiston also gave something that many hopeless romantics (yes, we gay men can also be hopeless romantics) fantasize over, and that is being swept up in love by a true Prince. It’s a theme that has existed in fairy tales for hundreds of years, and now she has given us one that we gay men can latch on to and, vicariously through Alex, experience being swept off our feet by a dashing Prince. If there is a downside to this book is that I was absolutely saddened when I got to the last page and there was no more story. Despite the fact that Alex and Henry are just fictional characters, they were so well-written and portrayed in this book that they truly became alive in my mind, and having the book come to an end felt like I had to say goodbye to them, which is something that I didn’t want to do. Just as they made each other’s lives better through their love and relationship, getting to know them in this book oddly enough made my life better. Reading their story actually made me happy, so for that, I say THANK YOU Casey McQuiston for writing a most remarkable tale. Your idea for this story that you imagined while on an I-10 off-ramp has been embraced by this old gay man who lives just off of I-10. Maybe if you should choose to write more about these two it could be told from Henry’s perspective. In the meantime, I think I will give Red, White & Royal Blue another joyous re-read!!!

Enemies to Lovers???? Or just really repressed crushes by two queer men? I could not have read this book at a better time in my life. It is June, Pride month and I was horrendously stressed out from life. This book was the happy ending and the most wholesome fluff that I needed to read. There were times where I caught myself grinning while reading, I even got a little teary-eyed when I finished it. Alex and Henry's love story was an amazing one to follow, their witty banter made me laugh and their romantic words made me swoon. I particular loved Henry's character growth, which I won't go in-depth due to spoilers, but he really decided what was important versus what the world was telling him. I consider this a light read, something that is easy and heart-warming to read. While I did enjoy it a lot there are some aspects of it that I didn't enjoy that much. I feel like this book was written to be read by 14 years old, which is fine... if your 14. Most of the book is emails or text messages, which was kind of cool at first, but that it started to feel like a cop-out. That being said, it is true to how modern romances work. A majority of them bond over messaging and online stuff; it was a little jarring to read the messages. Overall, this book was good and heart-warming. It really lifted my mood to read, but just be prepared it reads like a young teen book. I do wish there was a little more at the end of the book, it felt like it stopped suddenly and I was left wanting to know what happened and how the rest of the story with Alex and Henry was going to go.

As books go, this one was a little slow out of the gate--set up and exposition usually is. But, like a few other books I've ready, your patience will be rewarded. Once the two men come together, this takes off at a gallop and it's one hell of a wild ride, for sure. Alex Claremont-Diaz is the son of the first woman president in the history of the US. His sworn, mortal enemy is Prince Henry of Wales in the UK. These two have had a tempestuous relationship since their first meeting and nothing has changed. Or has it? A fiasco at the wedding of Prince Philip, Henry's brother,--the two having a squabble at the reception ends up with them both in the cake. Literally--turns into an international incident. President's answer--you go there and make nice. OR ELSE!! Alex is determined to make the best of it and decides that the only way they can convince the world that they're besties is to start texting. Seeing each other socially on occasion. But friendship has a way of turning into something deeper. And there are always consequences to becoming lovers in a public forum. The two are a study in opposites. Alex is a foul mouthed, rebellious son with charisma and real love for the world of politics. He's an idealist who believes in doing good for the people. He's free, if not closeted and questioning. Henry is a true child of royalty, restricted and confined. He's always known who he is and he's not questioning, but he's closeted in more ways that one. Henry is also charismatic and a major romantic. Together, these two are madly in love and afraid of the world at the same time. Watching this play out between them brought me to giggles at times and tears at times. I got so deeply involved with their story that I pretty much forgot MY life. The pacing is delicious. Watching the romance bloom and blossom was perfect. The romance itself flowed along a logical progression of events without losing that sense of the romantic. They learn about each other in intimate terms. Nothing is glossed over, nothing is left out. And when the relationship turns physical, it's tasteful and so damn hot that I busted out a sweat, then had a drink and a cigarette. Ms. Mcquiston has turned out a brilliant book, a great read, and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. This weekend, I plan on watching the movie. I hope it's as faithful to the book as I want it to be. In the meantime, five out of five stars. A must read for anyone--even if you're not into LGBTQ lit. If you want a great love story, this is just the thing.

Tof boek, snel en goed geleverd

Ho comprato questo libro per i disegni e il capitolo in più ( nonostante avessi già il libro) E non ne sono rimasta delusa, anzi è meraviglioso!!! Disegni bellissimi, e il capitolo extra è stratosferico!! Questo libro mi ha fatto amare ancora di più questa storia.

Well this book was kind of everything and I loved every second. I had heard so much about this from other reviewers and I was so excited when I was approved for the eARC. This book was absolutely adorable and definitely was worth all the hype I had been seeing about it! Red, White, & Royal Blue is about Alex, who is the First Son of the United States of America. He was thrust into the spotlight after his mother became President, and basically become like American royalty. It's no secret that Alex really does not get along with royalty, Prince Henry, but they soon get mixed into an international scandal at Prince Phillip's wedding. They are forced to become "friends" and participate in photo ops and spend time together to help save face for both of their families. However, they soon figure out that maybe all the animosity between them was really something more all along. Okay, first things first. I've seen this being labelled as a young adult contemporary book on some websites, but this is definitely not. It is a new adult romance at the very least. There are a lot of steamy scenes and fade to black moments, nothing too descriptive, but more than what you would see in a typical YA contemporary book. With that out of the way, I loved basically everything about this book. I thought the plot was amazingly well paced, I never found myself bored or hoping that the plot would just get going. I was entertained the entire time, and even though it does follow the typical romance formula, the author did some intersting things in the story that made it feel fresh and fun. I also really enjoyed the political elements of this story. We got to see the President and Alex trying to navigate this whole romance and its ramifications during the election year, and see Henry struggle on his end with what this relationship would mean for the "Royal Image". I thought all of that was super intersting and gave the book a deeper level of story telling. This book was also extremely diverse! We have bisexual and gay characters, a transgendered character, and lots of POC rep. And the cherry on top is that these labels did not define the characters! They were part of who they were, and yes their sexuality and race was important to the plot, but it was not their only defining characteristics in the book, and every character was developed beautifully. We also had a female president and tons of strong female characters in positions of power. Speaking of characters, Alex was hilarious. He is outspoken, brash, but still so unfailingly loyal to those he loves, that it made it hard to not love him. Henry was Alex's perfect foil. He was calm, quiet, and more subdued, but so passionate about topics and people he loved. The way they came together and worked through the tough times was really beautiful, and the really are a new OTP of mine. Nora and June were equally amazing. I loved seeing them grow individually and really learn what it as they wanted to do with their lives. Seriously, I loved all the characters, I can't think of a major character who was flat or not talked about enough. I felt connected to them all and enjoyed reading about their character arcs. Basically the TDLR is that I loved this book.

Gran historia.

look. this started out as a three-star cookie-cutter made-for-film romcom for me. but that was only the beginning. the middle, the end -- oh my god. this book bloomed into a brilliant love story as i read on. i'm not American or British (in fact, i come from a country the British wrecked) but i (guiltily) felt like i was both, simultaneously, cheering for Alex and Henry and their happy ending that they deserve, goddammit. the twists were predictable. that's all right. the side characters? 1D tropes at times, especially Henry's side of the family and Alex's mum + handlers. but that's All Right. in the end, it managed to make Alex and Henry's characterisation shine even more. if i reread this book (and i will reread this book) it will be for the emails. god, those emails. those digital love letters in which they bare their hearts to each other. the postscripts in which they convey their longing through someone else's words oh, henry. (this is not a reference to william sydney porter.) i have such a soft spot for this boy (i say, a year younger than his canon age). alex/the author's prose is never as gorgeous as when it's about henry. it's as if everything is grey and monochrome on the page (no offence, author) until henry steps onto it, and then -- a vivid explosion of emotion shaped into words that made my eyes tear up. fxck. maybe the book works for me because of that -- because it's so obvious how deeply alex loves henry, how deeply in love he's fallen for the prince, how everything else matters, too, but it's unsaturated grey where henry is golden warmth. fxck. (i'm not even going to talk about the alternate universe where a woman is president of the United States here because -- oh god the wistfulness hurts) i'm going to read this book again -- not for the plot or the aforementioned alternate universe or anything but the impossible exchanges between two boys who are each other's forever.