Red, White & Royal Blue - Outside of a Dog

trade paperback, 421 pages

English language

Published Sept. 28, 2019 by St. Martin's Griffin.

ISBN:: 9781250316776

(2 reviews)

What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?

When his mother became President of the United States, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius--his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with an actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex/Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.

Heads of family and state and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: Stage a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instagrammable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the presidential campaign and …

What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?

When his mother became President of the United States, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius--his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with an actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex/Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.

Heads of family and state and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: Stage a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instagrammable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the presidential campaign and upend two nations. It raises the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through?

This description comes from the publisher.

12 editions

betty@bookwyrm.social reviewed Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Review of 'Red, White & Royal Blue' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

This book's lineage is, at a guess, Hamilton/The West Wing/That brief liberal mania after the election of Obama. It is very much a fantasy of a different political system, one not captured by big money, where politicians may be ruthless or use means you don't approve of, but are serving in politics because of something they believe in. It is a fantasy of an America that could elect a divorced woman president.

On the other hand, if you can't have fantasies in your romance novels, where can you?

I didn't check this out for a long time because I find celebrities, politicians, and royalty, all vaguely squicky, and this book is written on the assumption that all of these are something you are at least a little into. However, the book doesn't rely on your kink for the aforementioned; it has a lot going for it. The book has a …

This book's lineage is, at a guess, Hamilton/The West Wing/That brief liberal mania after the election of Obama. It is very much a fantasy of a different political system, one not captured by big money, where politicians may be ruthless or use means you don't approve of, but are serving in politics because of something they believe in. It is a fantasy of an America that could elect a divorced woman president.

On the other hand, if you can't have fantasies in your romance novels, where can you?

I didn't check this out for a long time because I find celebrities, politicians, and royalty, all vaguely squicky, and this book is written on the assumption that all of these are something you are at least a little into. However, the book doesn't rely on your kink for the aforementioned; it has a lot going for it. The book has a full cast of characters who are delightful, the banter is non-stop, and if you like your books to playfully reference real events, you will be rewarded.

The main couple are also constantly comparing themselves to other literary and historical couples, so if you enjoy that sort of thing, it is the sort of thing you will like.

A lot of this book was not the sort of thing I like, but honestly, it's so well written! Do you like writing?

Elska Bee reviewed Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Review of 'Red, White & Royal Blue' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I don't read romance novels, I don't really read contemporary. So take my review with a grain of salt.

I enjoyed myself quite a bit. I wanted something light and fun and at least a little bit wild and this ticked all the boxes. Tbh I found it to be way more realistic than I expected and I didn't mind.

It gets a tad slow in parts and the political stuff kinda bored me or lost me (I am but a humble Aussie who doesn't understand American political systems).

The romance was really cute and I loved Alex (charming idiot) and Henry (precious cinnamon roll) an unbelievable amount by the end. Some of the lines in the book were so damn romantic that they managed to melt even my stone cold heart.