From Powells.com
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Our favorite books of the year.
The Best Books of 2019 (So Far)
Staff Pick
Casey McQuiston’s debut novel is electrifying. I fell in love with Alex and Henry (those emails!), but I was completely overwhelmed by the sweetness, the humor, and the absolute hopefulness of Red, White, and Royal Blue. I’m still piecing my heart back together. Recommended By McKenzie W., Powells.com
I'm a firm believer that we all need a little romance in our lives from time to time. There's been so much hype about Red, White, and Royal Blue (at one point, a coworker saw me pull up an image of the book and shouted "Oh my God, I loved that book!") and I just wanted to see what all of the fuss was about. It turns out that the fuss is correct. I experienced so many emotions while reading this book. I laughed, I cried, I sighed joyfully, I sighed annoyingly. Neither Alex nor Henry are perfect, but that's what makes the book so wonderful. Here are these two young men afraid to be who they are, but all they know is that they love each other in all of their messy glory. I think that everyone should read this book. Love is one risky, wonderful, amazing thing. More people should believe in it. Recommended By Katherine M., Powells.com
This book is not only #relationshipgoals, it's also #governmentgoals. Sweet and vulnerable and so real, this book immediately made it to my top five. When the First Son and the Prince of England clash in an incident of international proportions, they are forced to make nice for the sake of both their countries. But what starts as a strained truce soon develops into a real friendship, and then grows into something more... I cried at the end of this book, and then immediately picked it up and read it again. Recommended By Azalea M., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
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, and Royal Blue proves: true love isn't always diplomatic.
Review
"Royal watchers, prepare yourselves, because this LGBTQ+ romance is destined to leave you swooning." Pop Sugar
Review
"[An] exquisite debut....McQuiston manages to make her characters believably, truly flawed while still utterly lovable. It’s hard to watch [Alex] fall in love with Henry without falling in love a bit yourself — with them, and with this brilliant, wonderful book." The New York Times Book Review
Review
"Red, White, and Royal Blue is funny and fun, and the family and political dynamics feel spot-on, but it's the frank and unforgettable romance between these two young men that will compel readers to start it all over again when faced with the last page. It's that hard to say goodbye to this couple." BookPage, Top Pick
Review
"Effervescent and empowering on all levels, Red, White, and Royal Blue is both a well-written love story and a celebration of identity. McQuiston may not be royal herself, but her novel reigns as must read rom-com." NPR
About the Author
Casey McQuiston grew up in the swamps of Southern Louisiana, where she cultivated an abiding love for honey butter biscuits and stories with big, beating hearts. She studied journalism and worked in magazine publishing for years before returning to her first love: joyous, offbeat romantic comedies and escapist fiction. She now lives in the mountains of Fort Collins, Colorado, with a collection of caftans and her poodle mix, Pepper. Red, White, and Royal Blue is her first novel.