Red, White & Royal Blue

rating- 4.5/5

definitely made it to my favourites:) The book just progressively gets better and better, and i thought it was really great to start off with.
Casey McQuiston's writing is really unique and is equal parts of ‘easy to devour' and ‘heart wrenchingly beautiful'. My favourite part of the book is definitely the banter between Alex and Henry. The banter is extremely well written, to the point where their conversations made me laugh out loud (the turkey bit- bahah).
“I'm having my entire life haunted by a deranged American Neanderthal and a pair of turkeys apparently”- henry to alex “The phrase ‘see attached bibliography' is the single sexiest thing you have ever written to me.”― henry to alexThe development of Henry and Alex's relationship is also gradual and doesn't jump to an immediate love interest. especially how, despite being in a relationship and knowing that they both love each other, they both struggle to be open about that: to the point where Henry believes that Alex doesn't love him back and will leave. (slowburn? for a standalone?) although this does have other complex factors like keeping their relationship secret as well as the fact that they're both important people and have not come out yet, involved.

PREMISE
Alex Claremont Diaz, the first son of the United states has always hated the prince of England, Henry Wales. To him, no matter what he does, he will always be compared to him. It doesn't help that he's half mexican and the son of the first female president of America (people really are stupid). When a mishap at the royal wedding brings his dynamic with Henry into the papers, he's forced to stage a friendship with the seemingly proud and uptight prince to maintain international relations.
“You are”, he says, “the absolute worst idea I've ever had.”-alex to henry
CHARACTERS
The characters have so much life in them and are presented in such a quirky, fun and endearing manner, that you can't help but like them. And when i say that, i mean ALL characters. every. single. character. had a story to tell. Most often, side characters are brushed off, only included into the story for conflicts or to help the main character with a redemption arc. (which doesn't sit right with me, since more often than not, my favourite characters are not? the main characters?) And, although the story focuses on Alex and henry's relationship; Nora, June and Ellen's stories really reach the readers because of the way they were written. Zahra, Amy and Cash also end up being an integral part of the story despite their small amount of page time. (might i add, Zahra is such a badass and i absolutely love her personality. -referring back to where i say, my favourite characters are not the main characters) But, obviously i love the main characters as well. Henry is just adorable and i personally think, Alex is literary perfection. He's bold, passionate and straightforward (also a such a nerd sighs) in a way i can never get tired of reading.

a few of my favourite parts of the book//
first off, the book touches the topic of grief beautifully. Bea talking about henry's grief is something that really helped me understand the profound hurt and despair in people's lives due to the loss of a loved one.
secondly, despite being humorous and quick witted in theme, the book doesn't fail to bring across the theme of society's view on gay relationships and marriage. The underlying hurt and sadness due to people's inability to accept their relationship can be felt throughout.
“Thinking about history makes me wonder how I'll fit into it one day, I guess.”- alex to henry, in their mails Lastly, the small bits of information given to us along the way, really sets the book apart and helps greatly with character development. For instance, henry went from seeming stubborn to being absolutely lovable and a literary genius. This doesn't happen suddenly but gradually with the smallest details, like alex calling henry for the first time only to find him watching the Great British bake off, to finding out his dog is named david after david bowie. {it's the tiniest details:)}

a few setbacks//
this is me trying to be critical since i'm an extremely lenient reviewer and can't stop rating books with 5 stars,
-I personally think the book would have been so much better in first person since i love reading things from a character's point of view. The third person did put me off a little bit, but the emails and texts definitely added a personal touch that saved the third person from ruining it for me.
-I did talk about how the book did a great job at giving equal preference to all the characters and it did, except for one character : Pez. Honestly, in the beginning and how he was introduced did seem like he would be an important part of the story, but it almost felt like the author forgot to talk about Pez after a point. His character had immense potential and did almost seem like a literary equivalent of June and Nora for Henry, but then after a point, he just disappears? (lazy writing?)
(didn't stop me from giving it a 4.5 star review though, just saying)

Overall, i loved the book and i think it is exceptional for contemporary romance to be both impactful as well as endearing and beautiful. The book does a great job at delivering a heartfelt romance while also having an overview of politics and addressing current problems in the world.