* Instant NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestseller * * GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD WINNER for BEST DEBUT and BEST ROMANCE of 2019 * * BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR* for VOGUE, NPR, VANITY FAIR, and more! * What happens when America’s First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales? When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, … 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 the 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, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable 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 campaign and upend two nations and begs 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? Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue proves: true love isn’t always diplomatic.
“I took this with me wherever I went and stole every second I had to read! Absorbing, hilarious, tender, sexy–this book had everything I crave. I’m jealous of all the readers out there who still get to experience Red, White & Royal Blue for the first time!” – Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners
“Red, White & Royal Blue is outrageously fun. It is romantic, sexy, witty, and thrilling. I loved every second.” – Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six
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I loved this book so much – it was a perfect, if sadly temporary, escape from the despair of our current political situation, to imagine a White House inhabited by a highly qualified, progressive woman president and her family. It didn’t shy away from some of the darker sides of political life, but there’s an underlying optimism that I miss having when I think about politics. I also loved the narrator Alex’s snarky tone – it kept what could have been an overly sweet love story grounded and real.
I pulled an all-nighter to finish this achingly perfect romance because I was too delighted with it to put it down. Thank you, Casey McQuiston, for a steal-your-breath-away love story that is healthy and positive about sexuality, communication, and representation and made me question why I’ve ever settled for books that achieved anything less.
Red, White & Royal Blue is outrageously fun. It is romantic, sexy, witty, and thrilling. I loved every second.
Wow, did I love this book!! The premise is spectacular: the son of the President of the US falls in love with the Prince of England (in an alternate version of our current world). I had extremely high expectations, since this was recommended to me by about 10 different people at BookBub, and it still managed to exceed them. Charming, romantic, touching, and simply an absolute delight to read.
This book was so cute. I absolutely adored Alex and Henry, and I’m a sucker for anything having to do with the British monarchy, so this was a win all around. I flew through it in just a couple of sittings, and found myself LOLing at some of the pop culture references (of which there were many).
Just finished Red, White & Royal Blue. Reader, I loved it. Seriously, y’all – a royal family/first family enemies-to-lovers romance hitting BOTH my fake friendship and secret relationship buttons? Utterly irresistible.
Holy wow this book is everything. Casey McQuiston — with her debut novel (!) — gives readers exactly what we didn’t know we needed: a rom-com not to be forgotten that’s House of Cards meets Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On.
First Son of the United States Alex Claremont-Diaz (son of the first lady president YAS) is seemingly the ultimate American heartthrob and ladies’ man — until he accidentally causes a large-scale embarrassment for himself and heir to the throne His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales, UK golden boy and real-life Prince Charming (and Alex’s nemesis).
In order to smooth over international relations, Henry and Alex begin a fake friendship for the media, only to fall into an unexpected camaraderie that turns into flirting that turns into a kiss on the White House lawn YAS. What comes next is to be expected: times they are a-changing, but having an openly bisexual son could easily turn voters again Alex’s mom in the upcoming election, and Henry can’t carry on the royal family line if he doesn’t marry a suitable woman to make duchess.
Henry and Alex decide to be in each other’s lives as much as possible on the DL, and their illicit long-distance love affair is swoon-worthy. But two high-profile, international male diplomats falling in love calls for risk and sacrifice, and Alex’s mother’s political enemies may see an opportunity to exploit the pair…
With loads of excitement, suspense, laughs, betrayals, and ~romance~, McQuiston proves herself a force to be reckoned with on the YA stage. She made me laugh and cry, and her political narrative gives readers hope for a future where a woman like Ellen Claremont can run for president — and win.
FSOTUS Alex and HRH Prince Henry are #couplegoals, and I can’t wait to see what McQuiston offers us next. Red, White & Royal Blue is a must-read for fans of YA, romance, and political suspense. Five stars YAAS.
I have been waiting for this book to become available in my library for months (and months and months). Finally, it showed up on my list and from the first few pages, I knew that all of the hype I had been hearing was completely justified. I don’t know if I can put into words how good this book truly is. There aren’t many novels, especially those set in a world I have no way of personally connecting with that can make me FEEL the way this one did. I DID feel connected to these characters personally. I wanted to smack Alex upside the head and tell him to wake up at times. I wanted to hug Henry and tell him that he was perfect just the way he was. I wanted to be friends with June and Nora and Bea because they are such amazing friends, sisters and women. And that’s the thing, this book is full of characters that should be unrelatable: a First Son, a Prince of England, a female President of the United States, but McQuiston not only makes you feel like they could be real, she makes you wish they were. I smiled through the first half and sobbed my way through the second because I was just so emotional over these characters. I wanted so badly for them to be real, for the world where a “mixed race” family could be running the White House and turning Texas (the state of my heart) blue. Anyway, I’ve said a lot without saying much of anything really so here’s what I will finish with, if you are one of the few people left out there that doesn’t seem to have read this book yet, go and do it now. You won’t regret a second of it. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll walk away with more hope for the real world than you had going in, which is really saying something.
This is an unabashedly, exuberantly romantic wish-fulfillment romance with a political overlay, in which the President of the United States elected in 2016 is a woman from Texas, and the elderly, conservative Queen of England is named Mary.
Queen Mary has two sons and a daughter; the heir is Philip, the spare, the handsome, enigmatic Henry, whose unflappable British elegance and poshness gets under the skin of First Son Alex, a bi-racial college student determined to go into politics himself.
Prince Philip gets married, an event that requires heads of state and families to attend. Alex uses this opportunity to needle Henry, causing a spectacular wedding cake malfunction (a cake that cost 75 grand) that is a publicity nightmare. As a result, Alex and Henry are required to participate in friendship photo ops to demonstrate that there are no problems here, no siree!
And Alex, who never does anything by halves, goes from enemies to lovers as fast as a rocket launch.
Cheered on by his sister, June, a brilliant journalist, and his best friend Nora, who is a brilliant computer and statistics tech.
The banter just crackles with wit and verve, showcasing the sophisticated skepticism of millennials–but when romance happens, it’s heart-on-the-sleeve time . . . while Alex’s mother is beginning the re-election race against a smarmy bigot.
The characters are delightful, the prose pungent, funny, when it isn’t full-throttle poetry. Quotes from lovers of the past are a highlight, as is the feel-good ending. These days of exhausting high anxiety, a wish-fulfillment romance is by no means a bad thing.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.
In her Acknowledgements page for RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE, Casey McQuiston says that, in the wake of the 2016 election, she realized that this book “needed to be escapist, trauma-soothing, alternate-but-realistic reality” and “a spark of joy and hope.” It is all of those things, and so much more. The story follows Alex, the self-centered but passionate twenty-two-year-old son of the first woman president, who enters into a simmering enemies-to-bromance-to-romance relationship with a British prince. Soon, Alex is questioning everything he thought he knew about himself, his sexual identity, his place in the world, and his own political aspirations—all while navigating his new relationship, which, if exposed, could put his mother’s re-election campaign, as well as time-honored royal traditions, at risk. Like seemingly everyone else who’s read this book, I loved it. It made me laugh harder than I have in a long time while reading (that turkey scene, anyone??), and it introduced me to rich, textured characters who were so realistically drawn that they now feel woven into the fabric of my own life. Even the most minor characters are made memorable through McQuiston’s sharp wit and colorful descriptions. And while this book is categorized as a romance, it’s also a stark political statement of hope, one we desperately need as we inch toward the 2020 election. From its vibrant, transportive party scenes to its most intimate moments between Alex and Henry, this book is relentlessly fun, full of so much heart, integrity, and intelligence. Casey McQuiston is a beautiful writer, and I truly can’t wait for whatever story she gifts us with next.
I took this with me wherever I went and stole every second I had to read! Absorbing, hilarious, tender, sexy―this book had everything I crave. I’m jealous of all the readers out there who still get to experience Red, White & Royal Blue for the first time!
Copy received via Netgalley for an honest review
Every now and again, a book comes along that just blows me away.
Red, White and Royal Blue was one of those. I just adored every single thing about it.
A sweet, fun, wonderful enemies-to-lovers story that enraptured me from the first word to the last.
Alex and Henry have gone from “ugh, why are you here” to “sigh, I wish you were here” and I loved every single up and down of their relationship. I laughed, I cried, and I loved with them.
There are fantastic secondary characters that I would love to see more of in the future.
The last 20% of this book was ah-freaking-mazing, and I found myself having to hold myself back from skipping ahead to find out what would happen to our lovelies.
One of my favourite books of 2019.
**I received an early copy of this title in exchange for an honest review**
Wow, wow, wow! This is one of those books I had heard so much about and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it and I’m SO glad I did! It was amazing.
When things go awry at a royal wedding, Alex Claermont-Diaz and His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales, are forced to pretend to be best friends, when in all actuality, they are anything but. Alex has kept an incident that happened between the two when they were 14 top of mind and he just can’t find it in himself to like Henry. Alex is working on graduating from college and then he has high aspirations to go into politics like this parents. Oh yeah, and there is the other little thing Alex needs to focus on, his mother’s presidential re-election campaign.
Henry, as you can imagine, comes from a world steeped in tradition and as an heir to the throne, things must be presented just so. The problem is that because of these strict protocols, Henry is forced to push is happiness to the back burner and focus only on what is best for his family.
When Alex and Henry are forced to spend time together after the royal wedding incident, they find that they may actually have more in common than they realize. They begin to talk to one another and learn about one another. They really begin to see one another for who they are as people, not the bickering teens they once had been. The real question is, will spending all this time together result in friendship, or is there a possibility of something more?
I absolutely loved both Henry and Alex as people. They were complex, yet simple in their own right and they both were dealing with a lot of outside forces. They were wonderful together and apart. I also loved the supporting cast of characters. There were so many people involved in this story that made it that much richer from the sister’s of the two guys, staffers, Secret Service agents, friends and even the parents themselves.
Casey McQuiston did an absolutely phenomenal job with this book and I would recommended it to anyone in a heartbeat. It had it’s emotion, it had it’s heartache, but it also had plenty of humor, which lead to a very balanced and amazingly awesome read!
It took me forever to finally read this one, but I’m so glad I did. I absolutely loved it, much more than I had expected to (I’m always a little cynical when books are hyped…). The characters jumped off the page and felt so real, and whereas I usually prefer much steamier, it didn’t bother me here at all. The setting was perfection, as was the cast of secondary characters. The only minor downside for me was the third person present tense, which jarred me at times. Bit still, highly recommended.
I just loved this book– couldn’t stop reading to find out how first son Alex and British prince Henry will get their HEA. Lots of fun background about the security of the first family and the royals, and a real conflict of duty versus love.
I read this poolside on vacation and it was the perfect summer read! The characters was great, the romance sweet and sexy, and I loved the author’s voice. So funny. Two thumbs up!
I can’t remember the last time I read a book that was this much FUN – from the very first page. Please don’t be put off by a plot you might find implausible. Instead, do yourself a favor. Pick up this novel, suspend your disbelief, and enjoy a message of hope in our world of relentlessly bleak news cycles.
Ellen Claremont, the first woman to occupy the United States Presidency, is facing reelection. Her son, Alex Claremont-Diaz is a handsome, intelligent, charismatic millennial who puts all his considerable skills to work on behalf of his mother, while also imagining his own vibrant political future. That is until he comes face to face with his long-time nemesis and media rival — Prince Henry, the grandson of the Queen of England. That’s when Alex’s expertly crafted plans begins to disintegrate. Because, despite efforts by handlers from two countries, determined to avoid an international incident by convincing the media that there is NO rivalry, Alex and Henry’s “fake” bromance begins to take an unplanned turn.
Suddenly there are personal identity questions to explore, secrets to keep from closest family members, and very real fears about discovery. How might the re-election campaign be impacted? What about all those traditional courtiers at Buckingham Palace? What will the Queen do? Is there any way this situation can possibly end well?
You’ll meet some wonderful characters. Alex’s sister June, another intellectual powerhouse. Their longtime friend Nora, an IT whiz who happens to also be the granddaughter of the Vice-President. There’s June and Alex’s Dad, a LatinX U.S. Senator divorced from Ellen. And the ever-supportive Lou, Ellen’s current husband. And I couldn’t forget Henry’s very stuffy older brother. Plus, a group of staffers from both sides of the pond you will love.
The dialog is witty, the characters smart, the text messages a hoot! I encourage you to enter this alternative universe, where everything is possible and the pages whip by at blinding speed. Casey McQuiston has created something VERY special!
Absolutely fantastic! A great premise that delivers on a great story. I couldn’t put it down.
I read this story slowly. I savored it. I never wanted it to end. Now how do I summarize my thoughts and feelings in such a way to truly capture everything I went through while reading this incredible book?
… there’s the Prince of England kissing him under a linden tree in the garden, moonlight in his hair…
First, I tell you that this is going down as one of my favorite reads of ALL TIME!! Then I’ll tell you that if you love love and everything that it encapsulates, then you need to read this book. I’ll then say that Alex and Henry will instantly steal your heart, one fight and then one insolent banter and then one romantic moment at a time. These two characters will own you with their fight for identity, their fight for rights and freedoms, their fight for love, and their fight for each other. And then I’ll state that there are so many secondary characters to fall in love with that your heart will feel so full way before the story ends. I’m so sad it ended but I am so happy that I got there.
He wants to match the new freckles across Henry’s nose to the stars above them and make him name the constellations.
Calling this story beautiful seems inadequate. For a debut piece of work, Casey McQuiston knocked it right out of the park on the first swing. I marveled at the words she put together. How was she able to capture such fine and almost evasive emotions with such simple sentences? I couldn’t help but feel it all! There was so much warmth and caring and compassion and hope within these pages and it was full of so much feeling!
It hits him, fully: the weight of this. How completely neither of them will ever be able to undo it.
“Okay,” he says. “I’m into making history.”
Both Alex and Henry were dealing with so much pressure. Can you imagine being the First Son (FSOTUS), constantly in the public eye, working towards a political career of your own, viewed as the favored one, the life of the party and a living icon, realizing your bisexual, and then having to deal with the fallout for everyone to see? Or imagine being the crowned prince of England, the epitome of Prince Charming, expected to carry on the royal line, with all of the huge expectations that all of that comes with, being gay, and dealing with it for the whole world to see? Falling in love with each other made their story tragically beautiful. My heart was able to break and swell and burst with joy while witnessing it all.
And then I was a careless fool, and I fell in love with you anyway. When you rang me at truly shocking hours of the night, I loved you. When you kissed me in disgusting public toilets and pouted in hotel bars and made me happy in ways in which it had never even occurred to me that a mangled-up, locked-up person like me could be happy, I loved you.
And then, inexplicably, you had the absolute audacity to love me back. Can you believe it?
Sometimes, even now, I still can’t. ~ Henry
They were supposed to be enemies. It would probably have been so much easier if they had hated each other. But true love could not be denied and a future entwined was inevitable. The story of Alex + Henry was beyond epic – it was transcendental!
You love so much bigger than yourself, bigger than everything. I can’t believe how lucky I am to even witness it – to be the one who gets to have it, and so much of it, is beyond luck and feels like fate. ~ Alex
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston won the book bucket list on my blog for October 2020. I’d been eyeing the novel for months and eagerly wanted to read it, and finally, it secured the most votes. For those unfamiliar with the work, the son of the President of the USA (a female with Mexican roots) falls in love with his arch-nemesis, a prince from the UK (who’s #2 in line for the throne). Both young men are in their early 20s and have strong female allies (sisters, friends) in their lives… but they are closeted. Will the romance happen?
At first, I was a little worried about the book… there is a certain modern attitude in Alex, the American character, that turned me off. He had a very strong personality in which he thought everyone needed to know his opinion. I’ve met too many of these types in my life already… but he also had a certain kind charm that made him intriguing and potentially reachable. Henry, the prince, is much more the the one I’d spend time with.. well, that I’d secretly brood about wanting, I suppose. He is snarky but he mostly throws the shade after he’s received a bunch from Alex. After an international cake incident, they’re forced to pretend to be friends to save face. And of course, when the lights go out, the heat goes up. The reason they dislike one another is because they have the hots for each other.
The book has a bunch of haters and naysayers… mostly because people are jaded. It’s not enough that bigots will hate the book, but many whom you’d expect to like it focus solely on negative things that they want to call out because they can. Could this plot happen? Doubtful. Were some parts exaggerated because we don’t know all the Secret Service protocols? Of course. But who the heck cares? It’s made-up literature. It’s allowing characters to be themselves. It’s entertaining a larger audience than it could’ve dreamed about a decade ago. It’s a romcom. It’s no different than a man and a woman who don’t technically belong together, falling in love and being cheesy. Just two guys this time. And it gets tons of complaints about it being forced and caricaturish… that is why I say some people just like to hate things because they can. Predictable. Instead, I think it’s important to look at what’s really happening in this story.
Leaving the negative Nancy types aside, how charming and fun of a read this was. When I strip away the tough personalities and my own desire for both Alex and Henry (hey, I admit it!)… I see two guys who grow to care for one another through honest words and clandestine opportunity. I root for them. I think of scenarios to see how they’d connect with one another. I even got a little caught up in the politics, and I hate politics. I might’ve skipped a few of those focused paragraphs too. 🙂
The writing is easy, except with the emails/texts compiled in code or using metaphors that make little sense to me these days. Maybe not being in my 20s now, I prefer more real conversation and less sarcasm, lol. But overall, it was the feel good kinda book that I really found myself drawn to this week. I wanted to read more chapters… I tried not to rush thru it. I even looked up more by the author before I finished reading it… just to see what else she’s written.
So… if you like romcoms… m4m relationships… a little bit of erotica (minor)… political satire and drama, and modern 20-somethings pushing the limits just because they can rather than observing boundaries, you’ll love this book. I admit, I really really really liked it a lot…. 4.5 stars… it wasn’t a perfect read, but if there was a sequel, I’d be on that like… never mind, I’ll leave the puns to Alex and Henry. Read it. Have an open mind. You’ll find something great in it.