A review by cupiscent
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this - a great and intricate character study in a complex and nuanced situation, with a solid and moving romance.

But the ending, particularly on the American side, just...

in the time that has passed since this was first written and published, or maybe it's just my current bleak outlook, but honestly, the hopefulness of the election result literally hurts, because it feels so far from reality. So impossible that America, let alone Texas, could be won over by those circumstances. Could view that Republican behaviour as unacceptable. Could do that. Overall, it's so sweet, but that poked me right in a bitter bruise. (To be honest, the film version worked better for me, in that Alex had put in a lot of hard work on the ground to shift Texas, but also in that the film felt intentionally further away from reality. The book is so detailed, so close.)