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athenathestorier's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
And I think part of the thing, right? They felt real. Everyone had nuances and interests and stories. And while Alex is significantly more crass, reckless, and rebellious than me, I saw myself in him perhaps most of all. He dreams of a inspired and honest future, observing and calculating everything in the hopes of watching that future take shape. He's so focused on this dream and where he fits in it, that he plans and plans and plans. He's repeated it to himself so much, painting it in his mind with as much permanence as the paintings in the white house, that when circumstances change, he has a hard time adjusting. It makes him question everything.
Between Alex's lists and Henry's prose, both of them bonded over popular culture, queer history references, and shared societal pressures, I easily got swept away in their developing friendship and romance equally.
Memorable Quotes:
- What kind of garbage country eats bland beans on white toast for breakfast? He can't decide if his Mexican blood or his Texan blood is more offended.
-"Er," Henry says, adding to the list of vowel sounds he has to show for himself. It is, unfortunately, also sexy. After all these weeks, the bar is low.
- He's sure he used to know quite a lot of words, in more than one language, in fact, but he can't seem to recall any of them.
- Exploring your sexuality: healthy, but does it have to be with the prince of England?
- Thinking about history makes me wonder how I'll fit into it one day, I guess. And you too.
- I used to think, if I pictured the person I wanted to be and took all the crazy anxiety in my brain and narrowed it down to that point, I could rewrite it. Use it to power something else. It's like I never learned how to just be where I am.
- "Nora, what's the math?" June says, rounding on her, a slightly frantic look in her eyes. "I majored in nouns."
Moderate: Cursing, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Outing
Minor: Emotional abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
ophycore's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Biphobia, Cancer, Cursing, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Outing, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
meheehee's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Outing, and Alcohol
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
the_harlequin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Biphobia, Cursing, Homophobia, Sexual content, Grief, Outing, and Alcohol
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Death of parent, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Terminal illness, Medical content, Dementia, and Sexual harassment
piratesandprophecy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
i went into red, white & royal blue super unsure whether i would like it or not, but i ended up absolutely adoring it.
aside from being full of casey mcquiston’s trademark wit and humour and goofy, loveable characters (don’t even get me started on her characters) rw&rb is also just such a heartfelt story. it’s about fighting for and being proud of who you are and refusing to be anything but true to yourself even when it’s scary or the odds seem stacked against you. there were so many moments that resonated with me and made me feel so many things. casey mcquiston writes books that make me even more proud to be queer <3
new comfort read unlocked.
Moderate: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Grief, and Outing
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
notartgarfunkel's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death of parent and Outing
Moderate: Sexual content and Terminal illness
Minor: Sexual assault
captainoliimar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Gun violence, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Grief, Outing, and Alcohol
Moderate: Biphobia, Cursing, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Genocide, and Deportation
bencaroline's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Cursing, Homophobia, Sexual content, Grief, and Outing
Minor: Biphobia, Racism, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, and Colonisation
sarahmae531's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There were a few reasons it was perfectly good, and not great for me. Firstly, it read a lot like a young adult novel, except for the explicit scenes. The characters all seemed kind of juvenile and *quirky*, which I usually connect with YA books. It gave the vibe that it was written as YA, but then they wanted to add sex scenes and instead of changing the characters, just aged them up a few years. I also found many of the characters, but especially Alex to be insufferable at certain times, which isn’t something I enjoy as a reader.
Overall a good book and a cute plot line, but definitely not a new favorite.
Graphic: Homophobia and Outing
Moderate: Addiction, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
saurahsaurus's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Genocide, Slavery, Terminal illness, and Abandonment