Red, White & Royal Blue
Casey McQuiston, 2019
Romance Graphic novels & humourYoung adultContemporary fiction
The president's son and a British prince fake a public friendship after a tabloid disaster, then start texting privately. A rom-com of ambition, family and impossible crushes. The banter is quick and sharp, the romance warm and tender, and the political-family chaos keeps the pages moving.
Feels like tenderness, hope and wonder. About love and power.
Who it’s for
You may like it if you enjoy witty contemporary romance, texting banter, and stories about public image versus private feelings. Be aware that despite the YA tag, it includes frank language and explicit adult content.
Why read it
It gives you a funny, hopeful look at ambition, family and a crush that should be impossible, with enough political detail to feel real.
A page from the book
The case for jumping anyway, from a man who landed hard.
Alex groans. “Please, for the love of God, do not ask me. I’m on vacation. I want to get drunk and eat barbecue in peace.”His dad laughs ruefully. “You know, in a lot of ways, your mom and me were a stupid idea. I think we both knew it wouldn’t be forever. We’re both too fucking proud. But God, that woman. Your mother is, without question, the love of my life. I’ll never love anyone else like her. It was wildfire. And I got you and June out of it, best things that ever happened to an old asshole lke me. That kind of love is rare, even if it was a complete disaster.” He sucks his teeth, considering. “Sometimes you just jump and hope it’s not a cliff.” Casey McQuiston.McQuiston drafted it as a 2016 NaNoWriMo project — a what-if in which the first woman president's son falls for a prince. It debuted at number one on the New York Times list.
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A friends-to-lovers romance about old feelings, a shared dream, and the nerve it takes to begin again somewhere unfamiliar.
Where to get it
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Questions readers ask
- Is Red, White & Royal Blue for me?
- You may like it if you enjoy witty contemporary romance, texting banter, and stories about public image versus private feelings. Be aware that despite the YA tag, it includes frank language and explicit adult content.
- What is Red, White & Royal Blue like?
- The banter is quick and sharp, the romance warm and tender, and the political-family chaos keeps the pages moving. Feels like tenderness, hope and wonder. About love and power.
- What should I read after Red, White & Royal Blue?
- If you liked Red, White & Royal Blue, try The Happy Ever After Playlist (Abby Jimenez), The Spanish Love Deception (Elena Armas) and The Dead Romantics (Ashley Poston).
A taste of the feed
HOW IT SOUNDS WHEN A MAN ADMITS LOVE SONGS GOT IT WRONG
You think you know what love looks like. You think the fairy tales and the romantic movies prepare you. And then you finally, really truly find it and you realize you never knew a thing about it until her.” He shook his head. “She was every love song I’ve never been good enough to write.
The Happy Ever After Playlist · Abby Jimenez
What it means to stop pretending and simply claim what you want.
Because when I finally take those lips in mine, it will be the furthest thing from pretending. I will not be showing you what it would be like if you were mine. I’ll show you what it is. And I sure as hell won’t be showing how good I could make you feel if you called me yours. You’ll already know that I am.
The Spanish Love Deception · Elena Armas
The case for ghost stories as love stories with bad timing.
Because ghost stories were just love stories about here and then and now and when, about pockets of happiness and moments that resonated in places long after their era. They were stories that taught you that love was never a matter of time, but a matter of timing.
The Dead Romantics · Ashley Poston
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