Review: Red, White, and Royal Blue

 


Yeah, this was one of those books I put off reading for the longest time thinking it surely wasn’t as good as everyone seemed to think and YES IT REALLY IS. It has absolutely everything going for it: sweet romance, intricate subplots, compelling secondary characters…honestly, the whole end of the book made me tear up. My absolute favorite scene was when they came across a mural of the two main characters dressed as Han and Leia because I am a simple nerd at heart.
I know I just mentioned the side characters, but they deserve mentioning again. There’s so much range and depth to every single character, each one has their story going on that ties into the plot in ways both obvious and unexpected. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: a strong ensemble is a sign of a truly well-written romance.
I think McQuiston also does a really lovely job of writing about homophobia here: it’s very much present, because the book is dealing with some serious cultural forces, and you can’t set it aside, but there are also so many moments of joy and love that the homophobia isn’t overwhelming.
Also, as a political science student, this book does an excellent job of conveying and navigating the nonsense of the political system, as well as Alex being an absolute dork about political science. I do love a playboy character who’s also brilliant. Anyway, 100% not an overrated book. It brings such an overwhelming sense of joy and victory (with a few barbs about our political reality) to an alternate United States, which is much-needed right now. Go read it, everyone.

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