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A review by queer_books_and_kitties
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
4.0
I have many thoughts and feelings...
Okay lets start with the very few negatives;
1) It's kind of obvious that the author doesn't know a whole lot about some of the UK institutions mentioned in the book. I honestly don't think that matters too much, though, it didn't take away any of the joy I felt following these beautiful and diverse characters through their journeys.
2) Since the vast majority of characters are living lives that most of us will never really understand fully, it made them a smidge unrelatable at times. Nearly all of them had more moments that countered those odd unrelatable ones, though and overall I fell in love with most of them very quickly.
3) Certain plot points seemed predictable/inevitable, however that didn't really take away the impact they had when they happened.
Now for the far more positive observations:
1) I feel like Casey McQuiston did a really great job of including a wide variety of LGBTQ+ characters and included a bunch of the thoughts/feelings/struggles a lot of us go through at certain points in our lives.
2) Alex's slow build up to realising that he's not straight was perfect. It really captured all those little doubts and worries that you have when you figure out you're not exactly what people expect or assume you are.
3) The supporting characters such as June, Nora, Bea, Luna, Shaan and (my personal favourite) Zahra, add a lot of depth, personality and fun to the narrative.
4) Alex and Henry are both very lovable and complex characters. I fell in love with both of them almost from page 1 (despite Henry's initial coldness)
5) The overall story is a really powerful one in my opinion. It left me feeling hungry for more every time I put the book down.
6) Alex's and Henry's personal journeys were just as compelling as their joint one.
7) I loved the found family aspects adorable and emotional.
8) The family dynamics (even within the Royal Family and the First Family) felt very real and personal.
9) There were several points that brought a tear to my eye (gay love/trauma/rare and beautiful human connections in a few different forms).
10) Even though the romance felt pretty linear in a lot of ways, it was really brought to life by the smatterings of angst, spicy scenes and tender moments.
Overall it was a joy to read and I may even go as far to say it could be a comfort book that I come back to when I've finished the 100 other books on my 'to read' list!
Okay lets start with the very few negatives;
1) It's kind of obvious that the author doesn't know a whole lot about some of the UK institutions mentioned in the book. I honestly don't think that matters too much, though, it didn't take away any of the joy I felt following these beautiful and diverse characters through their journeys.
2) Since the vast majority of characters are living lives that most of us will never really understand fully, it made them a smidge unrelatable at times. Nearly all of them had more moments that countered those odd unrelatable ones, though and overall I fell in love with most of them very quickly.
3) Certain plot points seemed predictable/inevitable, however that didn't really take away the impact they had when they happened.
Now for the far more positive observations:
1) I feel like Casey McQuiston did a really great job of including a wide variety of LGBTQ+ characters and included a bunch of the thoughts/feelings/struggles a lot of us go through at certain points in our lives.
2) Alex's slow build up to realising that he's not straight was perfect. It really captured all those little doubts and worries that you have when you figure out you're not exactly what people expect or assume you are.
3) The supporting characters such as June, Nora, Bea, Luna, Shaan and (my personal favourite) Zahra, add a lot of depth, personality and fun to the narrative.
4) Alex and Henry are both very lovable and complex characters. I fell in love with both of them almost from page 1 (despite Henry's initial coldness)
5) The overall story is a really powerful one in my opinion. It left me feeling hungry for more every time I put the book down.
6) Alex's and Henry's personal journeys were just as compelling as their joint one.
7) I loved the found family aspects adorable and emotional.
8) The family dynamics (even within the Royal Family and the First Family) felt very real and personal.
9) There were several points that brought a tear to my eye (gay love/trauma/rare and beautiful human connections in a few different forms).
10) Even though the romance felt pretty linear in a lot of ways, it was really brought to life by the smatterings of angst, spicy scenes and tender moments.
Overall it was a joy to read and I may even go as far to say it could be a comfort book that I come back to when I've finished the 100 other books on my 'to read' list!