Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston

Hudson | Holmdel High School, Grade 12

Rating: *****

Red, White & Royal Blue revolves around the love story between the First Son of the United States, Alex Claremont-Diaz, and Prince Henry of England. It starts off with the two hating each other and ruining a wedding, leading them to form a truce in the name of international relations. They reluctantly hang out with each other to make it seem like they’ve always been friends. However, their staged relationship grows into something more. As election day nears, Alex finds himself in a position that could cost his mother the presidency. This novel shows that love cannot be tamed and that we cannot choose who we love.

I adored this book by McQuinston. Even though he is the First Son, Alex was still a very relatable character. He is a young adult and is bound to make mistakes. I thought that McQuinston did a very good job of developing the relationship between the two as it did not feel rushed. This book is perfect for people who love political drama.

Isabella | Howell High School, Grade 10

Rating: *****

We all know the story of the star crossed lovers where the girl is feared to be accepted by the prince’s family after they fall in love to live happily ever after. Red White and Royal Blue is twist of the classic fairytale every girl dreams of and puts the first son of the United States in the princess's shoes as Henry, the Prince of England sweeps Alex off his feet. The story follows the first son and royal prince after they are forced to spend time together and pretend to be friends to keep up appearances after a public scandal at the prince’s brother’s wedding. Very soon they became real friends and that grew to be something much more. For months they sneak around through private emails, fundraisers, and the help of their friends in fear of their family and nations approval, each facing their own personal crises of grief, mental health, and discovery of oneself only getting through it with the thought of each other.

Amazing book. It’s the fairytale I didn’t know I needed. The characters were well written, the representation did not feel forced, and Alex and Henry's chemistry is amazing. This book has everything from enemies to lovers romances to friendship to family love and acceptance to comedy to scandals to discovering one's sexuality. I mean Alex’s mom is the first female president. I would recommend this to everyone, although there are a lot of intimate scenes and language that may not be appropriate for younger readers. It was definitely perfect that I read it in the time the book is set and witnessed the actual 2020 election along with the Claremonts.