Discussion | Red, White & Royal Blue with Ely
Not going to lie, this has to be one of my favourite books of the year so far. So I thought I would do something a little different. Instead of a normal review, I thought I would have a discussion like review, with my most favourite person in the world, Ely from Of Wonderland. I really hope you enjoy reading this.
We both received e-arcs of Red, White & Royal Blue from St Martin’s Press via NetGalley. This has in no way influenced our thoughts and feelings about the book.
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Pages: 432
Publish date: May 14th 2019
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
ISBN: 9781250316776
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD
A big-hearted romantic comedy in which First Son Alex falls in love with Prince Henry of Wales after an incident of international proportions forces them to pretend to be best friends…
First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. 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. Alex is busy enough handling his mother’s bloodthirsty opponents and his own political ambitions without an uptight royal slowing him down. But beneath Henry’s Prince Charming veneer, there’s a soft-hearted eccentric with a dry sense of humor and more than one ghost haunting him.
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. And Henry throws everything into question for Alex, an impulsive, charming guy who thought he knew everything: What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?
Red, White & Royal Blue:
Angel: As soon as I read the synopsis for Red, White & Royal Blue, I knew that I needed to pick it up, and what better way to read a new romance novel than with your bestie.
Ely: I actually saw this book come up on Goodreads while on the train to have lunch with Angel. I sent her the link on Messenger and told her we absolutely had to read it together. She mentioned it was on NetGalley, so I requested it as soon as I got home.
A: I’m a massive romance reader if you hadn’t noticed, and I love reading new romance books that are different and unique. While Ely isn’t a massive romance reader, I’m always raving about all these romances I read – so she knows how I feel about them.
E: I feel like I am a romance reader just from hearing you talk about your favourites so often!
A: Yer, to tell you the truth I am not even sorry about that. I don’t have any readers in my life, let alone romance readers, so you are the person that I need to let all my emotions out to.
E: No complaints here, to be honest. I’m pretty sure I’ve loved every romance novel that you’ve ever convinced me to pick up. Like, hello Elle Kennedy.
A: You know me too well, I try and recommend Elle Kennedy and Sarina Bowen to as many. I think the thing that caught my attention with this book first was the cover! It’s bright pink with two very different males on the cover.
E: The cover is absolutely gorgeous. I’m a sucker for a cover with good typography and some cute illustrations, and here’s one with both. I think I got sucked in by the title as well. I mean, who doesn’t love a good royal romance, right? The pre-teen inside me who loved movies like The Princess Diaries, First Daughter and The Prince & Me was just like yassssssss.
A: Yes! There is something about royal romances that just melt my heart. I think it’s the combination of forbidden love and then the added pressure of representing a country. I’ve also recently enjoyed romances with one of both characters being the children of someone in power. And Red, White & Royal Blue puts those two together and makes even more forbidden – and gosh did it make me smile.
E: Plus we both love the fake dating trope, right? I was actually just about to ask whether you found yourself interested in the politics side of it as well?
A: Oh yes for sure. I think because Alex and his sister were also caught up in their mothers work, that it was easy to be invested in what was happening politically. I also really enjoyed that aspect, it’s only really in recent years that younger people being interested in politics is being represented in books has come about, and I find it really fascinating.
E: I totally agree. I only really became interested in politics following the 2016 election, and we’re not even American. I thought it was really interesting to see a different side of politics. It wasn’t just old, straight white men. Alex and his sister are people of colour, and so is his mother who is the president—I really enjoyed that aspect. I also loved that his mother was the president. Not to get political, but I felt really disappointed when the U.S didn’t get its first female president. I’m glad the country in this book got that chance.
A: That is one of the things that caught my attention immediately. The US election has also intrigued me. Maybe because it’s compulsory to vote here, that I feel all the lead up to the US election was interesting to watch to say the less. I loved that there was a female president, it just made everything a little more interesting.
But what I really loved about this one, was the slow burn romance – holy crap – it got to me so bad.
E: I felt like this book really had a sense of hopefulness to it. A ‘this too shall pass’ kind of message, if that makes sense. I know a lot of people felt defeated when Trump became the president, especially in the LGBTQ+ community and other minorities. This book is like, you know what—we’re going to get through this too. I loved that.
The romance literally ruined me. The whole haters, to friends, to lovers thing? I’m 100% here for it.
A: Yes, I felt exactly the same, this wasn’t just a book about the political side of the US, it was a star shining bright. It’s one of my favourite romance tropes and Casey McQuiston did such a fantastic job.
E: That and fake dating? Like Casey, you could’ve just asked me to marry you.
A: Yes!!! I think one of my favourite things about this one was that nothing felt rushed. I feel like that sometimes in romance books, the romance is rushed and everything moves really quickly. But not only was a past built between Alex and Henry, but also a present and a future.
E: Yes! One of my biggest pet peeves with books is when the romance moves too fast and the characters lose themselves because they’re so ‘in love’ with the other. Alex and Henry are still themselves throughout the book, even though they both grow as characters, and we learn more about them and their personal history, as well as their connection to each other. They get to be Alex and Henry, but they also get to be just Alex, or just Henry. I really appreciate that in romance books especially.
A: Totally. They were whole characters, they had their own stories, and characters arcs that grew throughout the book. And the reader is really able to hook on to this and as the novel goes on, and both Alex and Henry grow so do their stories.
E: What about some of the other characters? I really loved both Alex and Henry’s respective sisters—they are so different, but they both added so much to the story and added extra depth to the history of both boys too, I think. Not that that’s their sole purpose, but they gave a little extra insight into what each family was like and the differences between the ways Alex and Henry grew up. It really added to the understanding of why everything happened the way it did.
A: I feel that family was a massive theme here and like you said it added another layer to both Alex and Henry, but the sisters are also their own characters that have their own journeys. I’ve always been one to say that family, or those that are around you, influence the person that you become. All going back to the saying a nature vs nurture.
What really makes Red, White & Royal Blue stand out for me from other royal/political romances is that it is a gay romance. And it doesn’t shy away from that. I think that Casey did an exceptional job and intertwining something that isn’t very often seen in both books and in real life – but made it very real.
E: Absolutely. None of the side characters feel like side characters. They all have their own lives and stories, and it’s really amazing how Casey managed to intertwine them all without it feeling too busy or making any seem less important.
This is something that could very much happen in the near future. Maybe it won’t be the Prince of England and the First Son of the U.S, but who’s to say a child of someone in power won’t be part of the LGBTQ+ community. I’m sure someone already is out there, but I don’t know of any of the top of my head. I think it’s important that those kids/teens/adults/whatever see that it’s possible and that it’s okay, as well as everyone who isn’t in that position too.
I for one hope that we start seeing some more of this kind of story in books and film/TV more often!
A: When I finished it, I felt hopeful. I was left with a massive smile on my face that made me feel good. It’s not often that a book does that to me. But I felt satisfied. And it’s something that I know I will recommend to people all the time at work now.
E: I absolutely agree. I felt like the huge weight was lifted off my chest after I finished reading it. It made my heart feel full and gave me hope for other books in the future.
A: While I did love this book, I did feel that it did lack a little conflict towards the end. I felt that it was building up to something and was a little flat for me. Did you feel the same?
E: I did. I felt like the stakes weren’t really that high, and everything was sort of tied up a little too nicely. Maybe I’m being too pessimistic, but I feel like life doesn’t always work out like that. I know this is a romance novel and readers want that happy ending, but it almost felt as if Alex and Henry’s lives were suddenly perfect. I feel like they still would’ve had a lot to work through.
A: I am all good for happy endings, I mean I love happily ever after, but like you said I felt that it was tied up a little too neat. Obviously, in the end, I wanted everything to be amazing, but like I said there was all this build up and then nothing. It wasn’t like they are just two ‘normal’ boys. They are in the spotlight, whether they like it or not and that does make a difference.
In saying all this, I liked how the inner conflict was dealt with. Both Henry and Alex have a lot going on in their lives, then to add them falling in love. While it was hard to do deal with it at times. I adored watching then fall in love. It just made me melt so damn hard. Oh, and I was cheering for them the whole way through.
E: They are truly the cutest. Not only that, but they’re funny together. I love a good romance where the characters can be comfortable with one another and be friends with one another. Sex is great, but I’m all here for that love and support in healthy relationships.
A: I feel they are like puppies, I don’t know why. And yes totally, I would also like to mention that this is a New Adult novel, not YA. Please be warned.
E: Lol, in typical Angel & Ely style, we forget to mention the important details and spend the entire time gushing. You’re all welcome.
Just before we sort of wrap-up, I wanted to mention the next book Casey has mentioned on her Goodreads just because it sounds amazing. There’s no title or release date or anything like that, but I’m already super pumped.
She describes it as ‘two girls falling in love under extremely unlikely circumstances which may or may not involve some light romcom-style time travel’. I just think this sounds so amazing. I get this feeling that Casey is going to be one to watch when it comes to LGBTQ+ romances, and frankly, it’s about time.
A: I am so intrigued by this. It sounds so interesting and I can’t wait to see where and when this time-travel takes place. There so needs to be more girls falling love in both NA and YA so I am all for it.
E: Honestly, I’m kind of hoping for 90s/early 00s time travel. Like I am so here for that. But I’ll happily take any f/f time travel story that Casey wants to write.
So that’s the end of our discussion! I had so much fun reading this book (and writing this discussion) with you, bestie <3 I hope the rest of you enjoyed it just as much, and remember to go check out my blog, Of Wonderland to see Angel and I discuss some other romance books!
