Book of the Month: Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

In anticipation of the release of Casey McQuiston’s new novel, I kissed Shara Wheeler in just a couple of days (May 3rd), we decided to revisit their debut novel Red, White & Royal Blue and make it our book of the month for May. 

Originally published in 2019, Red, White & Royal Blue centers around the character of Alex Claremont-Diaz, the First Son of the United States, and his fake friendship turned romantic relationship with the Prince of Wales, Henry. It’s a funny, sweet, and romantic story that we can’t recommend enough. If rivals-to-lovers stories are your cup of tea, then we can guarantee that this book will tick all the boxes for you. 

Since its publication, the novel has garnered praise from critics and members of the LGBTQ+ community alike for its fresh and realistic portrayal of a same-sex relationship, instantly becoming a worldwide sensation. In 2019, Red, White & Royal Blue won a Goodreads Choice Award for Best Debut Book, and in 2020 an Alex Award for Best Romance Novel. A film adaptation of the book is currently in the works at Amazon Studios with Tony Award winner Matthew Lopez at the helm.  

So if you haven’t read it, we really encourage you to do it because 1) it’s an amazing book, 2) with the movie coming out sometime in the next few months, we’re certain you’re gonna be hearing about this story a lot, so it’s the perfect opportunity to catch up and add this masterpiece of romance to your bookshelf.

But enough with the rambling. Let’s dig deeper into the book, shall we? 

A $75,000 sugary nightmare, or a blessing in disguise?

The premise of Red, White & Royal Blue is pretty simple: Alex and Henry don’t like each other. When Alex’s mother became the President of the United States in 2015, Alex was promptly cast as the American equivalent of the young British prince, inadvertently creating a rivalry between them. Alex loathes everything Henry represents and the feeling seems to be mutual, even when the young prince refuses to outright act like it.

As sons of two of the world’s biggest political forces, Alex and Henry are in each other’s circles more often than not, so when the First Family is invited to the Royal wedding (Henry’s older brother Philip is getting married), things take an interesting turn.

During the wedding reception, Alex – who is slightly inebriated and ready to poke Henry’s chivalrous and perfectly stoic pose just for fun – ends up tripping over his own foot and stumbling backward into the table bearing the massive $75,000 eight-tier wedding cake, dragging Henry down with him.

He watches, as if in slow motion, as the cake leans, teeters, shudders, and finally tips. There’s absolutely nothing he can do to stop it. It comes crashing down onto the floor in an avalanche of white buttercream, some kind of sugary $75,000 nightmare.”

(Red, White & Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston 2019)

Unsurprisingly, the press quickly learns what happened and immediately sells the incident as something long overdue, stating that the two young men had been at odds ever since their first meeting at the Rio Olympics in 2016. With the tabloids controlling the narrative and questioning the nature of both countries’ political relationship, both nations find themselves in what can only be described as a PR nightmare.

Not wanting the cake-tastrophe to escalate any further and truly have an impact on the already icy and distant relationship between President Ellen Claremont’s administration and the British monarchy, both teams devise a plan for damage control that involves staging a truce between Alex and Henry and selling them into the world as the best of friends. As far as the world is concerned, what happened at the Royal wedding was nothing more than a homoerotic frat boy mishap.

“Act like you like me!” Alex says cheerfully. Henry looks at him like he’s trying to choose between a million choice words, before tipping his head to the side and offering up a well-rehearsed laugh, putting his arm around Alex too. “There we go.”

(Red, White & Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston 2019)

At first, the plan seems perfect, almost foolproof. There’s no room for mistakes. A couple of pictures here and there, some staged interviews, and charity events together, and they can finally turn the page and put the cake incident behind them. Alex and Henry know how to navigate the tricky waters of public relations, they do it on a daily basis. In fact, their first PR stunt in London is a huge success. But this is a romance novel, so over time, that fake and Instagram-ready “friendship” their PR teams cooked up for them turns into something deeper, something real.

A New Year’s kiss and the beginning of a red, white & royal blue fairy-tale

At the beginning of their story together, Alex and Henry’s interactions are limited to scattered text messages and, on rare occasions, late-night phone calls. It’s clear, at least for Alex (whose POV McQuiston deftly uses to narrate the story) that they don’t like each other and don’t expect to like each other either, so neither feels the need to impress the other when they interact. This means that without realizing it, they get to know the purest and most authentic versions of themselves, and logically feelings begin to flourish between the two. *squeals*

But anygays, after months of interacting only on the phone, Alex and Henry meet again in person for the New Year’s Eve Party that Alex, his sister June, and his best friend Nora (The White House Trio) throw every year at the White House. And let us tell you, it’s one of our favorite moments in the entire book.

It’s the first time Alex has seen Henry in person since the weekend in London and the hundreds of texts and weird in-jokes and late-night phone calls that came after, and it almost feels like meeting a new person. He knows more about Henry, understands him better, and he can appreciate the rarity of a genuine smile on the same famously beautiful face.

It’s a weird cognitive dissonance, Henry present and Henry past. That must be why something feels so restless and hot somewhere beneath his sternum. That and the whiskey.”

(Red, White & Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston 2019)

That night marks a before and after for these two. After gravitating toward each other all night, and Henry misreading a friendly kiss between Alex and Nora at midnight (Henry’s feelings are more evident than Alex’s at this point), the two young men find themselves all alone in the White House gardens talking.

We won’t share in detail what happens or how it happens, but we can say that one thing leads to another and what we all (including the characters) have been waiting for since this staged friendship began finally happens: Alex and Henry kiss.

Alex is frozen, registering the press of Henry’s lips and the wool cuffs of his coat grazing his jaw. The world fuzzes out into static, and his brain is swimming hard to keep up, adding up the equation of teenage grudges and wedding cakes and two a.m. texts and not understanding the variable that got him here, except it’s . . . well, surprisingly, he really doesn’t mind. Like, at all. 

In his head, he tries to cobble a list together in a panic, gets as far as: One, Henry’s lips are soft, and short-circuits.”

(Red, White & Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston 2019)

The Kiss™, of course, leads to a series of misunderstandings and weeks of confusion that drive both men insane. Alex, for one, spends a really long time trying to figure out his sexuality and understand why Henry’s kiss meant so much to him. McQuiston does an excellent job of chronicling the struggles of a person trying to understand who they truly are and why they hadn’t realized they were different before when all the signs were there.

Straight people, he thinks, probably don’t spend this much time convincing themselves they’re straight.”

(Red, White & Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston 2019)

Henry, on the other hand, disappears completely. Like a turtle, he retreats into his shell and completely ghosts a very desperate and confused Alex. Well, that is until they’re forced to comply with the last post-royal wedding PR event they’d agreed upon: The State dinner at the end of January, where both England’s relatively new Prime Minister and Henry are invited.

It’s precisely on that night that Alex and Henry finally clear the air, admit their mutual attraction, and get together. Not in a formal way, of course, but they definitely become two consenting adults who are aware that they are very attracted to each other and decide to enjoy whatever time they can have together – no strings attached. 

So what happens when America’s First Son and the Prince of Wales actually fall in love?

Chaos, that’s what happens. Both Alex and Henry know that technically speaking and despite the strong feelings that grow within them, they can’t be together. They are two very prominent characters in the politics of their respective countries. Alex’s mom is up for reelection and Alex can’t risk his personal life-ruining that for her. And Henry is still in the direct line of succession, he has obligations and expectations to meet.

This fantasy world that McQuiston created for Red, White & Royal Blue and that apparently is better in terms of acceptance and progress than the current and pretty shitty reality in which we all live, is still a world in which discrimination, family legacies, and politics play an important role in deciding the course of these characters’ lives.

So as Alex and Henry’s relationship grows stronger, so does the pressure on them to keep it a secret. But sooner rather than later, people in their inner circle start to find out and inevitably so does the press, and that brings new complications to the table.

Fucking shitting hell. He is so fucked. Henry is so fucked. And, Jesus Christ, his mother’s campaign is fucked, and his political career is fucked, and his ears are ringing, and he’s going to throw up.”

(Red, White & Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston 2019)

We won’t spoil what happens, but the last third of the book is truly the longest, scariest, and yet most satisfying roller coaster of emotions we’ve ever experienced. McQuiston’s excellent storytelling capabilities allow us as readers to experience what these characters are going through and let us tell you something, it’s all just absolutely exquisite! *chef’s kiss* *standing ovation*

“You really are a complete idiot if you believe that,” Henry hisses, the note balled in his fist. “When have I ever, since the first instant I touched you, pretended to be anything less than in love with you? Are you so fucking self-absorbed as to think this is about you and whether or not I love you, rather than the fact I’m an heir to the fucking throne? You at least have the option to not choose a public life eventually, but I will live and die in these palaces and in this family, so don’t you dare come to me and question if I love you when it’s the thing that could bloody well ruin everything.”

(Red, White & Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston 2019)

The angst, the longing, the sacrifice, and the effort that these two put into making their relationship work is just heartbreakingly beautiful. One of the things that we think really makes this book stand out from others in its genre is the fact that at no point Alex and Henry’s love for each other feels compromised. Despite the avalanche of problems they have to face, as a reader, you know what these two characters feel and you are aware of how the bond between them only grows and grows the more they are together. There’s heartbreak, yes, but there’s not one instance in the entire book where you think that maybe splitting up would be the best option for both their nations. Alex and Henry are destined to be together against all odds. Period. Screw the US and the UK!

Red, White & Royal Blue is a beguiling story of forbidden romance that will have you blushing and grinning like an absolute idiot from start to finish. It’s a compelling, genuine, and heartbreaking journey of two young men navigating their sexual identity in a stereotyped and prejudiced society. Alex and Henry’s relationship, while predictable to many, unfolds in a very organic and real way, making it memorable in our eyes.

In our humble opinion, with this book McQuiston not only gave us an incredible queer story, but they built for us an idealistic fantasy world that we can escape to when we need it most.

Some of you will differ, but we believe that not all literature needs to be a thoughtful exploration of trauma and politics, sometimes books can just be fun because true love isn’t always diplomatic. True love sometimes just is.

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Red, White, & Royal Blue is available to purchase from most booksellers around the world. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for all queer stuff!