Red, white & royal blue : a novel /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

* Instant NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestseller *
* GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD WINNER for BEST DEBUT and BEST ROMANCE of 2019 *
* BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR* for VOGUE, NPR, VANITY FAIR, and more! *

What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?

When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius--his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.

Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. Soon Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret romance with a surprisingly unstuffy Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations and begs the question: Can love save the world after all? Where do we find the courage, and the power, to be the people we are meant to be? And how can we learn to let our true colors shine through? Casey McQuiston's Red, White & Royal Blue proves: true love isn't always diplomatic.

"I took this with me wherever I went and stole every second I had to read! Absorbing, hilarious, tender, sexy--this book had everything I crave. I'm jealous of all the readers out there who still get to experience Red, White & Royal Blue for the first time!" - Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners

" Red, White & Royal Blue is outrageously fun. It is romantic, sexy, witty, and thrilling. I loved every second." - Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

DEBUT Alex Claremont-Diaz, son of U.S. President Ellen Claremont, doesn't consider Prince Henry of Wales his arch-nemesis, not exactly. It's just that Henry is a generic blank canvas with zero personality and a truly unfair resemblance to a real-life Prince Charming, and Alex can't help despising every bland thing about him. After the two have a very public confrontation at a royal wedding, damage control is required from both sides of the pond. In order to maintain friendly international relations, Alex is forced to pretend to be longtime best friends with Henry. When the two actually spend time together, however, they learn that there is much more to the other than they'd realized. As a contentious reelection campaign for Ellen looms on the horizon, Alex and Henry tentatively forge a genuine friendship, which grows into more, until reaching an inevitable boiling point. VERDICT With a diverse cast of characters, quick-witted dialog, and a complicated relationship between two young people with the eyes of the world watching their every move, McQuiston's debut is an irresistible, hopeful, and sexy romantic comedy that considers real questions about personal and public responsibility. For fans of Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan's The Royal We, as well as Alyssa Cole's "Reluctant Royals" series.--Jessica Moore, Milwaukee P.L.

Publishers Weekly Review

McQuiston's outstanding debut pivots on an inspired rom-com premise: What if Alex Claremont-Diaz, the half-Mexican son of the first female president of the United States, fell in love with Prince Henry, England's heir? The two heartthrobs are arch-nemeses at first. After a scandalous mishap at a wedding, however, they are required to pretend to be best friends lest their enmity spark an international incident. Not surprisingly, their hate turns into a bromance. When Henry kisses Alex, the First Son goes into a mild gay panic, but their snide texts soon become gushy emails ending with romantic quotes. The scions also contrive ways of being together at Wimbledon, in Texas, and at a West Hollywood karaoke bar to steal kisses or have secretive sex. Of course, their romance will eventually be discovered and leaked to the press during the president's heated reelection campaign. The impossible relationship between Alex and Henry is portrayed with quick wit and clever plotting. The drama, which involves political rivals, possible betrayals, and even a meeting with the queen, is both irresistible and delicious. Readers will be eager to see more from McQuiston after this extremely promising start. Agent: Sara Megibow, KT Literary. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

As the First Son, Alex Claremont-Diaz cannot totally avoid his archnemesis, the uptight Prince Henry. When his (booze-fueled) anger nearly causes an international incident at the royal wedding, Alex and Henry are required to participate in a publicity tour to prove to the world that they are besties, which they definitely are not. Henry is way too perfect and handsome, and soon, Alex realizes he doesn't actually hate Henry, and the feeling is mutual. McQuiston's debut is for readers who love romantic comedies and Pod Save America: Alex is a history nerd and policy wonk, and his and Henry's emails are full of equal parts dirty talk and literary quotes. There is a villain (and, yes, he is a Republican), but he is barely given page time in favor of Alex's relationships with his tight inner circle, with his own political aspirations, and his intense affair with Henry. In between sweet and steamy love scenes, Red, White & Royal Blue allows readers to imagine a world where coming out involves no self-loathing; where fan fiction and activist Twitter do actual good; and a diverse, liberal White House wins elections. This Blue Wave fantasy could be the feel-good book of the summer.--Susan Maguire Copyright 2019 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

The much-loved royal romance genre gets a fun and refreshing update in McQuiston's debut.Alex Claremont-Diaz, son of the American President Ellen Claremont, knows one thing for sure: He hates Henry, the British prince to whom he is always compared. He lives for their verbal sparring matches, but when one of their fights at a royal wedding goes a bit too far, they end up falling into a wedding cake and making tabloid headlines. An international scandal could ruin Alex's mother's chances for re-election, so it's time for damage control. The plan? Alex and Henry must pretend to be best friends, giving the tabloids pictures of their bromance and neutralizing the threat to Ellen's presidency. But after a few photo ops with Henry, Alex starts to realize that the passionate anger he feels toward him might be a cover for regular old passion. There are, naturally, a million roadblocks between their first kiss and their happily-ever-afterhow can American political royalty and actual British royalty ever be together? How can they navigate being open about their sexualities (Alex is bisexual; Henry is gay) in their very public and very scrutinized roles? Alex and Henry must decide if they'll risk their futures, their families, and their careers to take a chance on happiness. Although the story's premise might be a fantasyit takes place in a world in which a divorced-mom Texan Democrat won the 2016 electionthe emotions are all real. The love affair between Alex and Henry is intense and romantic, made all the more so by the inclusion of their poetic emails that manage to be both funny and steamy. McQuiston's strength is in dialogue; her characters speak in hilarious rapid-fire bursts with plenty of "likes," "ums," creative punctuation, and pop-culture references, sounding like smarter, funnier versions of real people. Although Alex and Henry's relationship is the heart of the story, their friends and family members are all rich, well-drawn characters, and their respective worlds feel both realistic and larger-than-life.A clever, romantic, sexy love story. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

CASEY MCQUISTON is the New York Times bestselling author of One Last Stop and Red, White & Royal Blue, as well as a pie enthusiast. Born and raised in southern Louisiana, Casey now lives in New York City with Pepper, a poodle mix and semipro personal assistant.