Red, White & Royal Blue

★★✩ (2.5/5)

Hey all - it's been a little while! After a brief hiatus, I'm happy to say that I'm back and ready to jump into some 2019 reads - let's see if I still remember how to do this!

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston was a stray from my typical reads; it's a "rom com" -which I rarely go for - that takes place in hypothetical 2019 US/UK. I read this book because it kept popping up all over #bookstagram and I was intrigued by the concept. I've been really busy traveling recently (hence my break from posting), so a light read was definitely welcome.



The story is about two young men in the public eye who fall in love against their better judgement. Alex is the "FSOTUS " (First Son of the US) - the son of the first female president, and Henry is a prince of England. The two begin as bitter rivals until an altercation between them at a highly public event causes an international scandal. Alex & Henry are forced to make appearances together and their relationship quickly evolves from nemeses to friends and beyond as they start to learn more about who they both really are.

This story is a very light, very easy read that takes a 2019 spin on the classic rom com formula. McQuiston pulls in a lot of current day pop culture & political references (I mean, the plot involves the first female president and heavy involvement with personal emails) and creates some great witty dialogue which I appreciated. Of course, no romance is complete without some intense sex scenes but that's part of the fun.

All in all, the story is extremely fluffy and predictable, but that's not necessarily a bad thing if you know what you're getting into. I'm really glad I gave it a try and now know what the hype is all about. Definitely a 2.5/5 for me (that's a little generous, but I'm giving credit for the characters' clever humor) but an entertaining, easy read if you're looking for one.