BOOK REVIEW: Red, White, & Royal Blue

Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

*BEWARE: This review is pretty much just me flailing around and gushing about how much I love Red, White, & Royal Blue*

Okay, so I hadn’t actually heard of this book until like, early April. Basically, I stumbled upon WhittyNovels crying over it on Twitter and immediately requested it on NetGalley. (Did not think I would get approved, but I did! ) Anyways, Red, White, & Royal Blue follows the story of the First Son of the United States, Alex, and Prince Henry of Wales as they go from enemies, to publicity stunt “friends,” to real friends, to possibly something more. It all kicks off with some delicious shenanigans involving a $75,000 cake and a ballroom brawl. Before long, Alex and Henry are on their way to actually being real friends. Side note: this book caused me so much stress. Anytime Alex and Henry were together my heart was in my throat due to the stress of them being caught/discovered.

Screenshot (79) — My Goodreads progress as I was reading Red, White, & Royal Blue.

What I Did Like:

The characters are fantastic. They’re all zany and amazing and perfectly unique. I love them. My favorites are Alex, Nora, June, Henry, and Zahra. Okay, that’s basically the entire main case. Don’t judge me.
There are so many pop-culture references in this book. It’s fricken glorious.
I’m finding that I quite enjoy the enemies-to-lovers troupe. Just like in The Hating Game, there’s a gradual transition that really make the change work. I mean, it’s also just a fun time to watch someone’s hatred reveal itself to be a completely different emotion.
The friend groups in this book get really cute nicknames from the press. I.E. The Whitehouse Trio, The Super Six, etc.
Surprisingly, I LOVED the environment. The Whitehouse Trio thrives on the chaos that the re-election campaign creates. It’s a fast-moving atmosphere, and you totally get caught up in it.
I love that Alex and henry send emails back and forth. The mixed format of the book makes the characters feeling more realistic. Also, there’s just something about written notes that gets me, even if they’re electronic.
There are so many lines in this book that had me shrieking at the top of my lungs. More than a few times I had to set the book down and walk away because I was laughing too hard to continue.
I really enjoyed the amount of shade that was cast at the 2016 presidential election, like SO MUCH. It was amazing.
All the loose ends get tied up by the end of the book. Loose ends are a real pet peeve of mine, especially in standalone novels. Like, why would you do that?

What I Didn’t Like:

Honestly, I have ZERO complaints. This book checked all my boxes.

Recap:

I loved this book. I honestly think it’s going to be my favorite book of the year. It has everything I love; sarcasm, genuine friendships, chemistry to die for, a chaotic environment, and just the right about of something more. If you like to watch Rom-Com, I definitely think you will enjoy this book. Actually, I have a hard time seeing anyone hating Red, White, & Royal Blue.

TL;DR: You need to read this book. Everyone needs to read this book.

5/5 stars

xoxo, Bree

*Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*