Review: Red, White and Royal Blue

Title: Red, White and Royal Blue
Author: Casey McQuiston
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: May 14, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads 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:

This book definitely lived up to the hype!

I loved this parallel universe with a queer romance between a prince and a first son. They were such a cute couple! It really didn’t feel that far off from the future. Things are changing everyday, and I can imagine these kinds of changes in these historical institutions. However, it was heartbreaking that these two boys, who were perfect for each other, could have been kept apart because of some people’s prejudice.

Some of the parts were predictable, but that’s what I loved about the story. I could tell that Alex and Henry would get together, because of the tension between them. I also predicted that they would be caught in some way because that was the danger of their relationship becoming public.

I’m so glad I read this story! I loved it!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Have you read Red, White and Royal Blue? What did you think of it?