Review also posted to my blog.


content warnings: homophobia, racism, discussions of previous drug addiction, anxiety, panic attacks, discussions of loss of a loved one, depression, discussion of past sexual assault attempt, outing
representation: bisexual biracial (white-mexican) protagonist, gay main character, interracial m/m main romance, bisexual main character, biracial (white-mexican) main character, mexican main character, nigerian main character, gay latino side character, indian side character, sapphic trans side character, pansexual side character, interracial side romance


“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.”


There's a reason why I put this on my 2019 favourites shelf before I even finished it.

This wonderful, wonderful book is about Alex Claremont-Diaz, the First Son of the United States, whose supposed arch-enemy is Prince Henry of Wales. After they both cause a massive fuck up at a royal wedding, as damage control they have to pretend to be besties. The best romance of the 21st century ensues.

No, I'm not kidding. This is one of the most well-written romances I've ever read. It's cute, it's sexy, it's funny, it's angsty. Alex and Henry are both such damn lovable main characters and you can't not root for their relationship to succeed. In fact, every main character is so damn lovable. There's June, Alex's aspiring journalist sister; Nora, June and Alex's numbers-obsessed bisexual best friend; Ellen, Alex and June's mum and also the President; Bea, Henry's hilarious sister with a troubled past; Rafael Luna, the first openly gay person elected to the senate; and so many others that I can't name because then this review would just become me gushing about how much I love these characters.

This book is also hilarious. I would find myself laughing aloud every couple pages because of something funny a character had said, or something Alex had thought. And the humour never comes across as try-hard; it's all very natural, which is really fucking hard to do, so I tip my hat to you, Casey McQuiston.

Asides from being an amazing romance and one of the funniest books I've ever read, this book is also filled with fantastic political commentary. With Alex's mum being elected in 2016, this is obviously a world different from our own, and while it is political escapism it's still our world. There are still absolutely terrible people doing and saying absolutely terrible things; these people just aren't in the White House in the books timeline.

Spoiler

Casey McQuiston also somehow got me so fucking invested in a fake election, to the point where I started crying and cheering when they got Texas??

This is going to be one of my favourite books of the year, calling it now. This book is amazing and I would highly recommend it, even if romcom's aren't usually your bag.


11/04/19: This is becoming a movie. That's it, all other romcom's go home, this is the only one that matters!


20/02/19: I wasn't expecting to actually get approved for an ARC for this AND THEN I DID!!


I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.