Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

“Red, White and Royal Blue” was personally, an unexpected delight. There is something special in Casey’s style of writing that makes you feel for the characters and experience what they go through.

As the son of the first female president of the United States, Alex Claremont-Diaz is determined to make a difference in the world. His plans take a sharp detour when he is forced to attend a British royal wedding for the elder brother of his sworn enemy, Prince Henry. His effort to shake Henry’s composure at the reception goes seriously wrong when the two engage in a shoving match and collide with the $75,000 wedding cake. Both countries immediately try to salvage the faux pas by orchestrating joint public appearances for the two young men. Alex and Henry’s mutual loathing soon soften as they get to know one another better via texts and emails. Will this friendship last long? And can it develop into something more meaningful?

Alex is a mostly confident aloof character, however, there are instances when his maturity or self-awareness, shocked me. He is very passionate about his country and genuinely cares about helping people. I also feel that when he makes friends, he trusts them completely, without a doubt. This is probably the reason why he has few friends, but the ones that he has, he trusts them completely and unconditionally.

Henry too is a great character with many layers for us to uncover throughout the journey. We think that we understand him now. But, then Boom! We are made aware of another aspect of his nature that makes us even more empathetic towards him.

The story progresses smoothly. The love in the story is so pure and deep that it made me weep for them, not only during the rough patches of their journey but also for the true and unconditional love they experienced. It also, sure enough, increased my standards for a romantic partner. It was probably really difficult for Casey but, she managed to make us laugh even through the tears because of the great dialogues and their timings.

Also, one cannot forget the presence of characters like June, Nora, Pez, Bea and even Liam. Each of them had their own charm and speciality. Be it Bea’s badass attitude, Nora’s level-headed mind, June’s emotional nature or Pez’s attractive personality, each reader can relate to at least one of them and feel for all of them. Liam also seemed like a great friend. Even though he seemed a bit upset with Alex when he first called, his actions at the end showed the lack of grudges and a deep-rooted friendship between them, again showing Alex’s intelligence in choosing his friends.

However, I also hope that we could be made aware of June’s mind more. The book left me in doubt about what she could have been feeling. Why was she still talking with her ex? What was going on between them? Was she finally forgetting him and attracted to Pez? Why did she feel so scared of joining her mother’s campaign? Did she finally decide what life path she wanted? I know she is not the main character in the book, so the author did not focus on completing her story and I also should focus less on her. But, the doubts roam and personally, the story seems incomplete without all the characters reaching a resolution.

Overall, this book is an amazing read if you are looking for a feel-good romance. Alex and Henry will make you dream of building a relationship like the one that they share. Once you read this passionate sweet story, do share your favourite characters.