deedireads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
“History, huh? Bet we could make some.”
I am a million years late to this book, but I have arrived, okay?? Happily!! And just in time for the movie (which — no spoilers but — was so fun and beautiful and it wasn’t perfect but I still loved it).
Alex is the son of the (woman) President of the United States (who won in 2016 and is rerunning in 2020). Henry is a Prince of England, closeted by the royal family. At first, they’re rivals. Then…they’re not. And then they’re REALLY not. 🥵 But what would happen if the world ever found out?
Look. Is this left-wing political fanfiction? Yes. Is it cheesy? A little, yes. Is it also cathartic? Absolutely. You have to know what you’re getting into: a romance novel, aka a feel-good story with a happily ever after. But this one also packs a rare and deep emotional punch. I loved Alex’s journey to his bisexual identity, especially. I loved the incredible cast of side characters. I also loved the sheer number of spicy scenes here, and their gorgeous emails (read: letters) back and forth.
Basically I just loved it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Homophobia, and Outing
Moderate: Death of parent
booknerdz28's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Outing, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Alcohol
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Grief
floflo_13's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Outing, and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual assault
fairytalefootnotes's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Grief, Biphobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault
memoirsofabooklover's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I enjoyed this book. the premise was really interesting. I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style and would have probably preferred to have the book split perspective between Alex and Henry. I also didn’t like how the scenes would change drastically from paragraph to paragraph, it should have been split in to more chapters really.Very enjoyable overall but some of the politics went over my head and it just didn’t quite live up to the hype it had been built up to on social media.
Spoiler
Some things felt like we didn’t get a resolution to: June and Pez, June and Nora? It just felt like we had been given all the building blocks and didn’t even get the hint of an answer about any of them. the spice was great but it felt a little glossed over. Don’t get me wrong I don’t think all romance books have to have graphic details of sex in them but the way the writer wrote so graphically about everything leading up to the literal sex acts was the same as any good spice writer, but then it would gloss over the acts and describe the in-betweens and afters, I don’t know if it’s just me but maybe it’s because it’s a female author, writing about gay sex?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual content, Grief, Addiction, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
Minor: Alcohol, Cursing, Genocide, Biphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia
jana_f's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Death of parent and Sexual content
Minor: Cancer, Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
theotterside's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Addiction and Sexual harassment
perleerose's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this is what i needed, a masterclass in writing an enemies to lovers tale
so many moments stick out as being my favorite, so many good jokes and genuine tension but truly made me tear up in the best way and will stick with me
so many moments stick out as being my favorite, so many good jokes and genuine tension but truly
Spoiler
the reveal of the whole world supporting alex and henry after they’ve been outed
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Outing
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Addiction and Death of parent
abbie2505's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Sexual content
2blueshoes's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Red White and Royal Blue is ostensibly a book about sex leading to falling in love, but if you read it carefully, it becomes obvious it’s really the other way around. Love is there from the very beginning, in a way that makes a story about two teenage boys into something much bigger, more hopeful, and at times more heartbreaking.
McQuiston somehow manages to gift her readers the same hazy, lovesick binoculars as Alex: somewhere in the distance we know democracies are churning apart, but in this moment all we can think about is Henry, and what stupid thing he’ll say, and the next time they’ll be together.
There’s so much to enjoy about this book: the imperfect yet lovable cast of characters, the witty banter liberally splashed with millenial-isms, the side splitting e-mail exchanges… the queer historical post scripts. The writing is surprisingly lush and atmospheric for a story that takes place in only a few settings, and mostly indoors. Most of all, it’s unusual to find a gay romance that is both silly and self assured. I loved it for this reason over any other.
More than anything, this book made me ache for a world that only felt possible in 2016: a world where we believed a mixed race divorced family could live in the White House, where a moral scandal could actually hamper a determined presidential candidate, where an archaic monarchy was not in bed with the Daily Mail, and a year 2020 when we were not in a pandemic. Perhaps McQuinston has written the new romance trope ending we all needed (achievable or not) - where two imperfect characters fall in love, not happily ever after, but in a way where their love might just change the world.
McQuiston somehow manages to gift her readers the same hazy, lovesick binoculars as Alex: somewhere in the distance we know democracies are churning apart, but in this moment all we can think about is Henry, and what stupid thing he’ll say, and the next time they’ll be together.
There’s so much to enjoy about this book: the imperfect yet lovable cast of characters, the witty banter liberally splashed with millenial-isms, the side splitting e-mail exchanges… the queer historical post scripts. The writing is surprisingly lush and atmospheric for a story that takes place in only a few settings, and mostly indoors. Most of all, it’s unusual to find a gay romance that is both silly and self assured. I loved it for this reason over any other.
More than anything, this book made me ache for a world that only felt possible in 2016: a world where we believed a mixed race divorced family could live in the White House, where a moral scandal could actually hamper a determined presidential candidate, where an archaic monarchy was not in bed with the Daily Mail, and a year 2020 when we were not in a pandemic. Perhaps McQuinston has written the new romance trope ending we all needed (achievable or not) - where two imperfect characters fall in love, not happily ever after, but in a way where their love might just change the world.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Homophobia
Minor: Drug use and Violence