Unpopular opinion alert: I did not finish (DNF) Red, White, and Royal Blue.
SO many people have raved about this book by Casey McQuiston, readers and bloggers alike. It was all over bookstagram when it published in 2019, and I’m still seeing it appear in bookstack photos of beloved books.
What’s Red, White, and Royal Blue about?
As a lover of rom-coms, I was eager to read this relatively new member to the genre: a queer rom-com in which two gay men fall in love. And one of them happens to be a royal, and the other is the First Son of the President of the United States.
Given how much I adored The Royal We (one of the author’s inspirations for this book), The Heir Affair, and American Royals, I figured that Red, White, and Royal Blue would be a shoo-in for awesomeness. I’m all for different types of rom-coms featuring different types of consenting adult relationships, whatever the genders involved. Love is love.
But, I struggled to get to page 61 of this novel. After finding reviews on Goodreads that mirrored my dismay, I set Red, White, and Royal Blue aside.
What I didn’t like about Red, White, and Royal Blue
From the very first page, I could not get into the characters of Red, White, and Royal Blue. There’s just absolutely nothing drawing me into them, making me want to know more. While main character Alex accuses eventual love interest Henry of being bland — over and over and over again, I might add — it really felt like all the characters were completely devoid of personality.
Except for Alex, who is an obnoxious shit. I mean, I’m pretty sure he’s supposed to be; he has this chip-on-his-shoulder, self-aggrandizing attitude, so I’m pretty sure we’re supposed to see a character arc and redemption for him as the story moves along. But, when we first meet him, there’s nothing endearing enough about him to make me care if he becomes a less annoying person.
My other major gripe with Red, White, and Royal Blue is the political aspect. Now, I’ve read numerous novels centered around politics, and some of them were even rom-coms; somehow, the authors all managed to keep the politics entertaining and to a minimum. Early on in this novel, though, Alex starts talking politics with some Congressman, and it goes IN DEPTH. I’m taking fake political figures, their parties, their platforms, their plans… I felt completely hit over the head with it all, and I just started skimming the pages until the “boring talk” was over with.
I skimmed for awhile…
That’s when I started pulling up Goodreads reviews. Thankfully, there were other dissenters. When I realized there were about 400 more pages to go of Red, White, and Royal Blue, I decided I’d read enough to call it a day.
Should you read Red, White, and Royal Blue?
While I wouldn’t personally recommend Red, White, and Royal Blue, you should try reading it if you’re curious. So many people really love this book and this author, so you might have a much different opinion than I do about this story.
