By: Cait Marie
Blurb
First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations. The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince.
As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?
Review
This was a re-read, but I realized I never actually reviewed it. And with the movie releasing this week, what better timing?
I first read RWRB back in 2019 when it released. And I technically read it twice that year but didn’t count both. I’ve always had a very little attention span, and sometimes… frequently, I will love a book so much but want to consume it all quicker than I can physically read, so I end up “skim reading” the whole thing in a matter of hours. Also, because I’m the female version of Alex, who’s way too busy and is all over the place. This is literally how I made it through school–by being able to skim and pick out key words and parts.
And I can get the whole book this way. Someone can quiz me after, and I will be able to tell you just about anything. BUT I don’t feel like it counts because I’m not fully consuming it. So, I then re-read it thoroughly if it’s something I enjoyed.
This is what happened with RWRB. I immediately adored the story and the characters and had to read through it again. So, I took my time with it after (since I already knew what happened and didn’t have to appease the ADHD/anxiety).
ANYWAY, I’ve since read it a couple more times all the way through and skipped around to read favorite parts many more than that.
Alex and Henry are everything. This book is everything. They’re my second favorite ship of all time (right after Malec, which I’m just now realizing is basically the same thing…), and I will happily re-read their story over and over. It’s hands down my favorite contemporary romance.
There are so many reasons to love this book that I will undoubtedly forget to mention something. The three biggest, apart from it just being hilarious and adorable and angsty, are: the LGBTQ+ rep, the mental health rep, and the family/found family themes. Despite the book being about the first son and a prince, it’s incredibly relatable.
I am without a doubt the somewhat quieter, female version of Alex. Every time he says he needs to make a list because he’s overwhelmed or anxious, I laugh because that’s my thing too. His general perspective and views, the way he cares about his friends and family, all of it made me think, “It’s me.” Even after reading it so many times. However, Henry’s bouts of depression and the way he tries to keep people from seeing the real him? That’s also something I deeply resonate with. That pretty much describes the first 25 years of my life. The past few years have been a lot better (I’m now 32), but I still struggle a lot with depression and retreating into myself.
The whole story felt perfectly developed. We get the backstory sprinkled throughout, and even the side characters felt well rounded. That’s one of my other favorite things about this book. Despite focusing on Alex and Henry, their families and friends are woven through the story so well, and they all clearly have lives of their own. They don’t just exist to support the main plot. I’d love to get a book about June or Nora some day.
The LGBTQ+ themes are also so, so important. We get a variety of rep in this book, and there are characters who deal with not being accepted, as well as ones with support. Seeing both gives a really great balance. It felt realistic, and it was beyond inspirational. It tugs on all the heartstrings.
McQuiston’s writing style is so easy to read. Everything feels so natural and effortless, making it difficult to put down. It was the first book to ever make me laugh out loud. The turkey scene is still my favorite thing of all time. That was the moment I really fell in love with RWRB and knew it was going to forever hold a place in my heart.
There’s honestly not a thing about this book that I don’t love. I’m completely obsessed. It’s one of my absolute favorites and a comfort read, and now the movie will be a comfort watch (I’ve already seen it once and probably will again before this review goes live). They made a lot of changes, which I won’t go into here, but it’s still very much the Alex and Henry I’ve loved the past few years.
History, huh? Bet we could make some.
Red, White & Royal Blue – Casey McQuiston
Functionally Fictional 
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