Thoughts on : Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Posted by Kay on March 19, 2021 10:49 pm in 3 stars reads | 2 comments

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Genre : Contemporary Romance
Stand alone

About the Book  :

First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic.  International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations. The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince.

As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?

I feel a little like the odd one out when it comes to Red, White & Royal Blue. The book has received heaps of praise, and I can see why, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite work for me. It wasn’t bad (I rated it 3 stars on Goodreads), but it didn’t end up becoming a new favorite either (which I kind of expected after all the hype).

First, the positives.

Casey McQuiston’s writing is engaging, simple in the best way, and is really easy to slip into. It hooked me from the first few pages and I immediately wanted to know more about the characters. Something about it just felt comfortable, cozy, and I’ll definitely be reading more by the author.

The story and the setting are also a lot of fun. Yes, it requires you to suspend your disbelief a little, it’s idealistic and unrealistic and… well, it’s fiction! I love when authors go a little over the top, and a romcom is the perfect place to do so. I was feeling anxious and I didn’t read this book because I wanted to be reminded of everything bad happening here in the real world, you know? So I really appreciated the escapism the book offered me at the time.

And I loved the characters, and their relationships together. I love a good group of friends who have clear goals and personalities.

So there was a lot I enjoyed. Sadly, I felt the book was a bit too long. There was a good stretch of pages in the middle where nothing much happened to advance the plot. Alex and Henry would talk and hook up, but it felt a bit repetitive and I was slightly bored. Also, I didn’t care much about the politic plot. It’s usually something I enjoy, but here it was so secondary to all the rest for so long, that when it finally mattered, I couldn’t care much for it.

There were a few other things that bothered me, but I don’t really want to get into it much more. Overall, I had a good time : I loved the romance and really enjoyed the writing, but I think it just wasn’t a perfect match for me – and that’s okay.