From the Bookshelf of Top to BOTM Book Club…

Red, White & Royal Blue

Casey McQuiston

Start date: July 1, 2019

Finish date: June 29, 2019

Discussion: Summer Reading

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 11 topics — 32 comments total

Summer Reading

Hell and Gone Discussion Thread!
By Markie · 6 posts · 10 views

last updated Jul 31, 2019 02:47AM

Red, White, Royal Blue Discussion Thread!
By Markie · 4 posts · 23 views

last updated Jul 30, 2019 10:20PM

What Members Thought

Jul 14, 2023 Raquel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2023-reading, m-m-romance

This gave me so many feelings and not all of them were in expected places. It made me smile like a complete idiot, and I loved it so much that I needed to take a break from novels for a while.

Red, White and Royal Blue is the enemies-to-lovers story of Alex Claremont-Diaz, a first son of the United States, and Prince Henry, a prince of England. Told exclusively from Alex's point-of-view, it takes place in something of an alternative reality where Ellen Claremont, a Democrat from Texas, was elect ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 23, 2023 MJLovestoRead rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2023-books, best-of-2023

Red, White & Royal Blue is one of those books I put off because of all the hype surrounding it. Not that it was negative but I'm always a bit skeptical when it comes to books that everyone and their mother is reading. And now that I have finally taken the plunge due to the movie of the same name coming out in a few weeks, I am here to say: believe the hype!! This book is wonderful from beginning to end and I fell hard for not only Alex and Henry but every other character Casey McQuiston has crea Red, White & Royal Blue is one of those books I put off because of all the hype surrounding it. Not that it was negative but I'm always a bit skeptical when it comes to books that everyone and their mother is reading. And now that I have finally taken the plunge due to the movie of the same name coming out in a few weeks, I am here to say: believe the hype!! This book is wonderful from beginning to end and I fell hard for not only Alex and Henry but every other character Casey McQuiston has created.

Sure, this is the story of how the son of the current POTUS falls hard for a Prince of England and their crazy journey to happiness. But I also found myself head over heels for each of the supporting members of both the White House and Windsor Castle and the way they guide and support our couple no matter the consequences. And those consequences are crucial with the POTUS up for reelection and the Royal Family never happy with any diversion to their status quo. However, the love that is there for the taking whenever wild child Alex may commit a blunder or when Henry is outed as being beyond enamored by Alex, never failed to give me huge doses of the warm and fuzzies. With all that Alex and Henry go through to simply love one another, it was beautiful to see that others could tell this was the real deal and would do anything to make sure they were both protected at all costs.

But yeah, it's the unexpected love affair between Alex and Henry that drives this book. Their start as supposed enemies and how that turned into being each other's everything. All the texts that served as the outlet for their true feelings. Displays of pure affection for the other through secret trysts and forbidden encounters. The slow build-up to Alex and Henry being the loves of each other's lives was beyond sigh-worthy and I didn't want their romance to ever end.

I did love that McQuiston added the right amount of angst wrt political ramifications from Alex's side, in particular, as there is more than meets the eye wrt to his mother's reelection. Nora and June as part of the tightly-knit WH Trio with Alex really come through when needed adding even more richness to an already outstanding story. It was very interesting to see a bit of the inside of what transpires in the world of the President of the United States, getting a true birds-eye view of their lives and battles to stay in power.

Every emotion possible was felt as I devoured each and every page of this well-written book. It's witty, adorable, passionate and loving. I am only sorry I took this long to read it and honestly couldn't recommend it more if I tried. It is so much more than I always thought and is definitely worthy of a re-read, which I don't say all that often.

When looking for a truly delightful storyline, look no further than Red, White & Royal Blue. It is fabulous and I happily give it a huge 5++ stars! ...more

Like · see review