A review of Red, White & Royal Blue, by Casey McQuiston. St Martin’s Griffin, 2019.

When I picked up Red, White & Royal Blue, I braced myself for a book riddled with the tired clichés that often come when dealing with LGBT representation in storytelling (especially the stereotypes that are typically seen in writing about gay men). I expected to see the “dominant and submissive” dynamic, the flamboyant protagonist, and the overly strong love interest that can’t take “no” for an answer. However, much to my surprise and delight, I found myself halfway through the book in one week and regretting that I’d ever doubted the writing of an author like Casey McQuiston, whom I can say has done a spectacular job with balancing characterization, drama, and comedy to create something truly unique.

The Premise: Red, White & Royal Blue follows Alex Claremont-Diaz, the only son of the first female president of the United States of America, as he falls in love with Henry Windsor, the Prince of Wales and heir to the English throne. An altercation at a diplomatic event forces them together to save their public image. Occasional outings for publicity’s sake turn into exchanging phone numbers, which turn into late-night calls from across the world. These, finally, turn into a kind of swooning love that can only manifest in romance novels.

The Best: If there is anything that McQuiston does best, it is fleshing out each and every character in the story and giving them their own complex personalities, interests, and white-rabbit subplots that inevitably clash with the main protagonists. For example, Alex’s sister, June, experiences intense political pressure that comes with having a world leader as a mother and is forced to set aside her passions for politics. Instead of narrowing the world down to just two people who fall in love, McQuiston offers a fresh perspective by handling politics, public pressure, and sexual orientation in a way that feels natural. Red, White & Royal Blue is realistic. It seems as though the author has either once been in the position of the characters before, or has done careful research into the perspective of queer men: how they handle sexuality, and the way that society and government are imagined from the perspective of non-corrupt politicians and genuine people, who are human in their mistakes.

The Worst: It is easy for readers to get attached to the characters and the plot within Red, White & Royal Blue. The only thing that strikes a nerve is the fact that the book seems to be advertised as a sort of “enemies to lovers” romance. Yet the “enemies” part of Alex and Henry’s relationship only lasts a few chapters in the beginning; typically, those who favour the “enemies to lovers” genre yearn for a particular emphasis on the “enemies” part so that the pay-out with the eventual romance feels more earned. We’re supposed to feel the hatred between these two characters and the reason behind the animosity should be complex enough that the reader feels torn. The depth of Alex and Henry’s hatred, however, is founded on a rather shallow foundation, in which Alex grows tired of being compared to Henry for years, until they get to know each other. When searching for a book in the “enemies-to-lovers” romance genre, one would expect more than just fleeting annoyance or a couple of petty exchanges; rather, one would expect full-blown fighting, conflict, and a rage that lasts until something finally gives. Though, this could simply be due to my bias towards “slow burn” love stories.

The Verdict: Red, White & Royal Blue changed my life both as a reader and as a writer. I love the ways that diversity is beginning to be shown more respectfully in literature and how it’s starting to influence the visual media of this generation. Queer people becoming more integrated in every day life (and the accuracy to which they’re represented) is very important for the intellectual evolution of society. More importantly, I appreciated how everything was easy to follow from the beginning, middle, and end. If anyone were to ask me what I’d recommend for a nice summer romance read, it would definitely be Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue.