Title: Red, White & Royal Blue
Author: Casey McQuiston
ISBN: 9781250316776
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Copyright Date: 2019
Genre: Adult crossover, Comedy, Fiction, LGBTQIA+, Romance,
Format: Novel
Reading Level/Interest Level: Grades 9-12
Awards or Honors:
ALA Alex Award Winner (2020)
Bisexual Book Award Winner: Romance (tie) (2019)
Plot Summary
Alex Claremont-Diaz, First Son to the President of the United States, has it all: a promising future for a career in politics, his best friend, Nora, and sister, June, working at his side, and a wealth of social engagements to keep him busy. Most of all, he has what all up-and-coming young politicians need: a fierce rivalry with the handsome Prince Henry of Wales. When an accident occurs at a wedding for Henry’s brother, Alex’s PR team decides the best way to keep up appearances between the two enemies is to stage a fake friendship, assuring the public that there is no bad blood between these two nations.
As Alex and Henry undertake their mission, they realize they have more in common than they thought, and their relationship quickly becomes real (and romantic). Under the guise of friendship, Henry and Alex continue to see one another in secret, an act that could risk Alex’s mother’s re-election and upend all the royal expectations placed on Henry. They are faced with many decisions: to define what this relationship means to themselves and each other, re-evaluate what their futures could hold, and most importantly, whether or not to make their relationship public and risk it all for love.
Author Background
Casey McQuiston, master of the queer rom-com, is a NY Times Bestselling Author of three new adult novels: Red, White, & Royal Blue, One Last Stop, and the forthcoming I Kissed Sara Wheeler. In her own words, she writes books about “smart-mouthed characters with bad manners and big hearts,” (Casey McQuiston, n.d.) which sums up her work pretty spectacularly. Casey, a native of the South, currently lives in New York with her dog, Pepper.
Critical Evaluation
I am not normally a romance or rom-com fan, but I can say wholeheartedly that I loved everything about this book. In my mind, romantic comedies are always cheesy and boring, but I could not have been more wrong. With a spit-fire main character and a host of incredible supporting roles, this book had me laughing out loud and screaming “awwwww” within the same breath. Each character was distinct and real, representing a whole spectrum of genders, sexual identities, races/ethnicities, and backgrounds.
While this book is technically classified as new adult, the characters are all in their early 20s, which isn’t that far off from the age of a teen audience. It would be easy for teens to imagine themselves a few years older and how they might handle what the world has in store for them. The tenacity and integrity of Alex and Henry make great role models for teens and offer them the potential to understand their sexuality if that is something they seek.
I am an absolute sucker for the “enemies to lovers” trope, and this book delivered spectacularly. McQuiston’s writing is engaging and witty while serving up a dose of American politics in a palatable way. The exchanges between Alex and Henry were by far my favorite part of this novel and their email exchanges were heartwarming, hilarious, and spicy all at the same time. If I’m being nitpicky and looking for something to dislike (which is honestly, a stretch), I’d say that the ending of the novel wrapped up in a little bit too neatly of a bow. I’ll give that one to the genre and say that these two young men certainly deserved a happy ending in all respects.
Creative Use for a Library Program
Inspired by the bar scene in the novel, host a karaoke night at the library - “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen is a must!
Speed-Round Book Talk
Centered around the typical enemies-to-lovers trope where the characters are anything but typical, fall in love with Alex, Henry, and their host of friends in this breakout rom-com. Set in a reality where the 2016 US election ended differently, this book will literally have you laughing out loud and swooning with each page. The perfect introduction to rom-coms for a first-time reader of the genre, this book is great for anyone interested in a great story featuring queer leads.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation
As a new adult novel, this book has a number of mature themes aimed at an older audience, such as sexual content and profanity. I personally felt that the sexual content was mostly alluded to and handled very tastefully, so I would still feel comfortable recommending it to teens. In defending these potential challenges, I feel that it is important for teens to see the representation of different types of romantic relationships and that the themes and messages in this book are more center stage than the sexual content. There are no recorded challenges to date for this piece.
Reason for Inclusion
This book represents characters from a multitude of backgrounds with many romantic orientations, making it an excellent choice for teens looking to read about people who might be both similar and different from themselves. With incredible writing and a steady pace, this 400+ page book is a quick read with characters teens will certainly fall in love with.
References
Aesthetic-ashess. (2022, January 4). I love him on purpose [Image]. Tumblr. https://aesthetic-ashess.tumblr.com/post/672453267401359360/i-love-him-on-purpose-red-white-and-royal-blue-by
CLCullen. (n.d.). Red, white, and royal blue [Image]. Wattpad. https://www.wattpad.com/969638110-book-blog-volume-2-red-white-and-royal-blue?utm_source=web&utm_medium=pinterest&utm_content=share_reading
McQuiston, C. (n.d.). Home. Casey McQuiston. https://caseymcquiston.com/
McQuiston, C. (2019). Red, White & Royal Blue [Cover Image]. St. Martin’s Press. Retrieved from https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250316776/redwhiteroyalblue
X-lulu. (2021, July 19). Lu’s reading list in 2021 [Image]. Tumblr. https://x-lulu.tumblr.com/post/657173058702983168/lus-reading-list-in-2021-red-white-and-royal
Yendts. (2021, March 31). The Six Fanarts challenge [Image]. Tumblr. https://yendts.tumblr.com/post/647189360420241408/the-six-fanarts-challenge-but-with-red-white-and
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