Red, White, and Royal Blue – 3 Stars

Red, White, and Royal Blue
By Casey McQuiston
3 Stars (out of 5)

I’m struggling to review this book independently. I saw the movie first, and really liked it, so I had high expectations for the book. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to them.

I really liked the setting/general romantic plot. Prince of England falls in love with First Son of the US? Fantastic premise. Forbidden, and not just because they’re gay. Very modern, given that a large amount of their relationship happens via text and email. It was a fun idea, and it was enjoyable to watch it play out.

That being said, there were a few points—big points—that just didn’t work for me. First, the characters themselves. They fell a little flat for me, a little cliché. I didn’t quite connect with either of them as much as I wanted to.

Second was that it was too political for me. I know, that sounds completely ridiculous given the premise and even the title focuses on politics. But for me, I like to read to escape, especially politics. Reading about British politics doesn’t bother me. I find it both interesting and safely distant. But the American politics, especially toward the end of the book (which I won’t elaborate on, spoilers) were too real for me to enjoy. I think a lot of readers will love them. They just weren’t for me.

The final point that didn’t work for me was the big climax at the end. It felt a little too impersonal. I felt distant from the characters in these scenes at a time when I wanted to be feeling with them, even if they were feeling numb.

I’ll also just say, I was hoping for a bit sexier of a read. It wasn’t a deterrent for me, but I’ll just throw it out here as well while I’m on the vein of things that didn’t quite work for me.

Maybe watching the movie first ruined the book for me, but all these points that didn’t quite hit home for me in the book, turned out great in the movie. In fact, these points were my favorite aspects of the movie. So all in all, I probably won’t read this book again, but I will watch the movie again.