Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

4 stars! Spoiler free review!

I’d describe this as cute and classically high school kind of romance with a little bit of steaminess sprinkled in.

Do I think this was worth ALL the hype it got?

Hm, no probably not.

But do I think it’s worth a read if you like M/M adult romance with gay + bi rep?

Yes!

So, what I mean by “classically high school” is that the romantic backstory, development of feeling towards each other and progression of their relationship, angsty-ness, and immense amount of lust felt like the type of romance you’d expect between younger characters, perhaps two high schoolers. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, just felt like young love and lots of emotions and quite a bit of dramatics.

I liked each of the boys equally on their own and both of them together, which is something I always want out of a romance, I can’t stand it if I hate one person in the relationship. I even liked the side characters. I actually really liked the President-Mom! She was blunt, but she was there for her kids. She understood keeping work and family in balance and I appreciated how realistic that felt in the story.

Side note… I know there are thoughts about a specific quote she said in the beginning of the story. I’m part of the group here that feels people were being too harsh on this author and misconstruing her wording because they didn’t understand the tone she put into the quote. I don’t believe any harm was meant by this and people were really just being too sensitive

The steaminess was optimal. Not too much, not too little. Not even too graphic either if you think that might turn you away from this adult romance.

The ending was so heart warming and satisfying and makes you go AWWW.

Overall really enjoyed the romance, the writing, and the story. I’m a new fan of Casey McQuiston. I plan to read more of her books!