Tell ’em, Michelle
So, What’s The Story?
Alexander Gabriel Claremont-Diaz, the first son of the (female!) president, has hated Prince Henry of Wales for as long as he can remember. Sure, he used to stare at his picture in tabloids endlessly when he was younger, but that was out of hatred, definitely not a crush thing.
Sure, Alex.
But due to an unfortunate incident with some cake at a high profile function, Alex and Henry have to play nice. Attend some international relations setups, take a few posed, friendly pictures, and then they can go back to being enemies. Except…it turns out Alex kind of likes Henry. He’s easy to talk to, their banter is off the charts, and it’s nice to finally have a…friend. But we also know there’s more to it than that.
As Alex comes to terms with his sexuality and his feelings for Henry, he also has to deal with the pressure of being the president’s son and having the public eye on him 24/7. And that doesn’t even factor in that as British royalty Henry is not allowed to be gay. His queen would be perfectly happy to leave him locked in the closet for the rest of time. So where does that leave any potential relationship between them? What could go wrong between a biracial, bisexual American political figure and a forcefully closeted member of the British Royalty? Nothing, right?
Proud to be an American (Reader)
This is one of those books that you don’t want to put down, but you also don’t want to end. The romance was worthy of some self-fanning and breaks to cool down, without being cringe-level explicit.
Every character in this book had dimension and made an incredible group that I so want to be part of. It’s a pretty amazing feat that in a world that’s SO saturated with politics, I still wanted to come home and read a book that dealt with politics in a really personal way. The only way I can describe how this book made me feel is by comparing it to Hamilton. I was lucky enough to go see it (#humblebrag…or just #brag), and for one of the few times in my life, felt incredibly patriotic and proud of my country. There’s a reason it’s so popular. Red, White & Royal Blue made me feel the same way.
Thinking about history makes me wonder how I’ll fit into it one day, I guess. And you too. I kinda wish people still wrote like that.
History, huh? Bet we could make some.
Red, White & Royal Blue is more than just a swoon-worthy romance novel – it also succeeds with grace in addressing issues about racism, gender, sexuality, responsibility, and ethics. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed the cheeky undercurrent flowing through the novel – the arched eyebrows, the witty correspondence between Alex and Henry. It was all so perfect. They’re perfect.
And that’s the heart of this book – it’s a celebration of the people who work relentlessly to carve out a place for themselves in a world that doesn’t seem to offer much space for them – those who love in spite of the hatred and contempt that surrounds them, women who’ve had it with the damn patriarchy already, and those who are told that their dreams are just that – dreams. This book holds the belief that dreams are real, and damn worth fighting for.
Read this book, I don’t have a bad thing to say about it.
Bonus!
This book is a perfect fit for not just one, but two #TNReads Challenge 2019 categories. Strike out a book that features a duke, prince, earl or rogue from your list because this book is heavy on the prince. Then also strike out a book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist because this book has not one, but two of those as well. If this is the first time you’re hearing about the #TNReads Challenge 2019, click that link. And then congrats – you’re two categories down, only 22 to go!
But that’s not all! While doing my research for this post like a good little writer, I stumbled upon something amazing. Looks like this book is going to be adapted by Amazon. Thank god I have Prime. I’m going to pretend that this book isn’t set in an alternate future, but one that really happened. Because I need this relationship and those tabloid covers (read the book, trust me) in my life.
