Written by Casey McQuiston; Red, White & Royal Blue won the Goodreads Choice Awards in best debut and best romance categories for the year 2019.

Before I start, I would like to mention that this book was my first read during the self-isolation period in early 2020. The World is experiencing a pandemic from a virus called Covid-19 and if I don’t survive this, I just want the readers to know that it was a fucking mayhem and either way a huge turning point in shaping the World.

Synopsis

The story follows Alex, first son of the United States and Henry, the prince of England and their very cute, sensual and scandalous romance. Initially, Alex and Henry consider each other arch-enemies and have a mutual agenda of hatred. Their rivalry blooms into friendship and the friendship takes form of love they never imagined. From the title to the cover to the synopsis, the book has enough ingredients to pull readers, and who doesn’t fancy a brazen love affair that is bold and objectionable.

Review

Red, White & Royal Blue’s success depends highly on not just the chemistry between its protagonists but also on a strong plot, beautifully written characters, politics, and to some extent the glamour and behind the doors drama lead in the private lives of people with celebrity status.

To be fair, the story is predictable, yet the flow of narrative is smooth enough to keep the reader hooked and wanting for more. Alex and Henry’s originality is pure, their friendship an everlasting one and their strengths together have no match.

Although the book lives up to what it offers on the outside, it lacks certain elements which make for a enjoyable read. The plot is great and the stories of each political side are portrayed tremendously well; however, the story is shaped through nonsensical dialogues that appear forced and diminish the impact on the reader. Most of the comic moments were sadly not comical, sugar coated to appear fitting to high profile lives of its characters.

But, the greatest setback of Red, White & Royal Blue does not lie in its forced dialogues and mundane jokes. Graver problem with this book was how distant it was from the real world. It’s essential to have a sense of relatability in contemporary fiction. Red, White & Royal Blue is set in the present world with societal norms of the future. I understand that the whole idea was to portray a society that is ideal in ways it sees sexual preferences, but it still doesn’t change the fact that we’re reading a novel that is set some time after the tenure of President Obama.

That being said, another crucial problem of the book was its conflicts. Alex and Henry had problems, some more pressing than others, but regardless of their gravity, the conflicts were short-lived and were overcome in a poof. It’s good to have a happy story with all smiles, confetti and wines on every turn of the page, but too much of goodie goodie gets boring and steals away the drama.

In essence, it is a good book with its dramatic moments, a great plot and frankly a beautiful love story, but if you’re expecting realism then it will be a slight disappointment.

I give Red, White and Royal Blue a 3 out 5.

Until next time, this is Zee signing of…