Review: Red, White & Royal Blue

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was a bit nervous to read Casey McQuiston's "Red, White & Royal Blue" because of its many positive reviews and author endorsements, but thankfully, it more than lived up to the hype. This really is as good a book as people say it is, and I highly recommend it. I loved the book's humor and all of the laugh out loud moments, but there were also a number of serious moments that nearly brought me to tears. I also enjoyed the unusual style of narration in the second person, which made me feel more connected to the characters. Finally, the world building in this story was incredible. I wish the real world was a little bit more like the one depicted in the book!

Alex and Henry were lovable and incredibly well-developed characters, and so were all of the secondary characters (particularly June, Nora, and Zahra). I felt like I got to know Alex a little better than Henry because the narration primarily seemed to be from Alex's perspective, but Henry still came across very vividly and realistically. I think a lot of that was due to the emails that were incorporated into the story. They allowed readers to see what was going on inside both Alex's and Henry's heads as the story was unfolding around them.

I would love to see Nora and June get stories of their own in the future. Also, Zahra seems to have found her HEA already, but perhaps a novella from her perspective that parallels the events of this book might be an interesting companion story? It would be very interesting to see how her relationship developed alongside Henry and Alex's. At any rate, I look forward to reading whatever Casey McQuiston chooses to write next!

*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

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