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A review by sarag19
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
3.0
2.5 out of 5 Stars Rounded up to 3
***Wish granted! ARC received from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for honest review. Opinions are my own, thanks!***
I'm so torn on this one. There are parts of it that are good but when it falls flat it falls incredibly flat and struggles to to pick itself back up again.
The Good
- Representation. This book is just heaping with representation across the board from the main characters to the secondary characters. The first children are bi-racial and the book has a lot of LGBTQ+ representation within it. When Alex declared himself to be bisexual I was worried, it seems often enough that we see bi erasure even if people don't really mean it but it was really nice to not see that. Alex is bi, his relationship with women and men mean something to him and people respect that.
- Politics. Okay, as a political junkie I enjoyed that aspect of the story. This was definitely a "what if" story about had the 2016 election turned out differently and during the book a campaign is running in the background. Its addresses the petty, ridiculous but also down right cruel nature of politics even if it just kinda glosses over it. I wanted more of this story.
The Not So Good
- Characters. I just had a hard time with the characters and some of the dialogue. There were so many times during this book that I had to remind myself that these were college grads not high school students getting drunk at parties while the parents weren't home. Which happens more than was necessary.
- Romance. For a romance book this wasn't my favorite part. If you have read enough fanfiction in your time (guilty, sorry not sorry) you've read pretty much everything this book will throw at you. Two characters that have hated each other from the beginning, but secretly loved each other for that entire time that get forced together, literally. They end up in a broom closet, lifted straight from a million fanfiction stories. The friendship felt at least a little more organic to me but the romance just hits you over the head as suddenly being there, same with their apparent arch enemy status. I'm led to believe it was because of something Henry said years ago or because he is pompous and arrogant? I suppose, it felt more forced than the romance did. The romance itself it pure fluff, with some fluffy sex scenes thrown in for good measure until it comes to the "conflict".
- The Conflict. Can't have a fluffy romance without a conflict. Even the bigger conflict, back to politics here felt tacked on to give some resolution to that story line and in the end it really didn't impact the plot since it happens so late in the story.
In the end its not a bad book, I think some of the issues I had could have been helped with pacing and deciding what it wants to be, a political fantasy or a romance fantasy because it can't really balance being both.
***Wish granted! ARC received from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for honest review. Opinions are my own, thanks!***
I'm so torn on this one. There are parts of it that are good but when it falls flat it falls incredibly flat and struggles to to pick itself back up again.
The Good
- Representation. This book is just heaping with representation across the board from the main characters to the secondary characters. The first children are bi-racial and the book has a lot of LGBTQ+ representation within it. When Alex declared himself to be bisexual I was worried, it seems often enough that we see bi erasure even if people don't really mean it but it was really nice to not see that. Alex is bi, his relationship with women and men mean something to him and people respect that.
- Politics. Okay, as a political junkie I enjoyed that aspect of the story. This was definitely a "what if" story about had the 2016 election turned out differently and during the book a campaign is running in the background. Its addresses the petty, ridiculous but also down right cruel nature of politics even if it just kinda glosses over it. I wanted more of this story.
The Not So Good
- Characters. I just had a hard time with the characters and some of the dialogue. There were so many times during this book that I had to remind myself that these were college grads not high school students getting drunk at parties while the parents weren't home. Which happens more than was necessary.
Spoiler
The characters of the royal family in particular really struck me as harsh and caricature of the stiff upper lip can't accept change British. Its the only real backlash that struck out to me about the romance, everything else functioned in a world were same sex relationships are just totally cool. There is still a lot of homophobia in the world, not just within the royal family.- Romance. For a romance book this wasn't my favorite part. If you have read enough fanfiction in your time (guilty, sorry not sorry) you've read pretty much everything this book will throw at you. Two characters that have hated each other from the beginning, but secretly loved each other for that entire time that get forced together, literally. They end up in a broom closet, lifted straight from a million fanfiction stories. The friendship felt at least a little more organic to me but the romance just hits you over the head as suddenly being there, same with their apparent arch enemy status. I'm led to believe it was because of something Henry said years ago or because he is pompous and arrogant? I suppose, it felt more forced than the romance did. The romance itself it pure fluff, with some fluffy sex scenes thrown in for good measure until it comes to the "conflict".
- The Conflict. Can't have a fluffy romance without a conflict.
Spoiler
Alex and Henry have both been in the public eye for years, particularly Henry having been born right into the public eye so the fact that they are shocked and everyone around them is shocked when their romance gets thrust into the gossip pages made me laugh. Even if their wasn't a reelection going on it was going to happen eventually. Its not like they are exactly being careful with keeping their romance secret.In the end its not a bad book, I think some of the issues I had could have been helped with pacing and deciding what it wants to be, a political fantasy or a romance fantasy because it can't really balance being both.