Ever since Red, White, and Royal Blue arrived on the shelves in 2019, this book has received so much love and hype that I refused to pick it up. Fear the hype, I always say. Not to mention I have never been an avid romance reader. As overwhelming as it can be to decide which tropes I might like, and which authors I should try, the romance genre is one I am venturing to read more in 2022. And reading this Casey McQuiston best seller is all thanks to a virtual book club that I am part of, hosted by @Kay’sSecretLibrary (via Instagram).

I devoured the first 200 pages of this novel, adoring the snarky dialogue, the building romantic tension between Alex and Henry, and eventually the spicy scenes they shared. McQuiston does a pretty good job of intertwining serious political and sociocultural issues relating to the LGBT+ and Latinx communities into the narrative. I loved the diversity in this book, and I can imagine that many readers belonging to these groups feel seen and heard while reading it. 

While there is much to appreciate in Red, White, and Royal Blue, the second half of the novel lost a lot of steam. I do believe that the novel’s length is partly to blame. As I said, I am no expert in romance writing, but contemporary romance novels tend to be around 300 pages or less (in my experience). McQuiston’s book is over 400. The length was actually one of my main concerns entering the novel, wondering if the single leading romance would keep my attention. I found myself skimming certain conversations, including the email exchanges between Alex and Henry, which is never a great sign. While reading this book, I was meant to read Anonymous Sex alongside it for a video vlog, but by page 250, I was afraid to put RW&RB down in case I chose not to pick it up again, DNFing it! I attribute the slowed pace to McQuiston’s shift in attention to the characters’ individual sub-conflicts; i.e., the re-election campaign for Alex’s mother, Alex’s own career choices, and Henry’s duties to some of his homophobic family members. The issues highlighted in these “minor” conflicts were certainly important, but I wish they had not been dumped on me in the middle of the book without the romance woven in more artistically. I know this is a finicky criticism because romances usually leave their subplots underdeveloped which also bothers me. Sometimes too much, and other times too little…Apparently nothing will make me happy regarding the subplots in romances! [insert crying laughing emoji here]

Another reviewer described the writing to mirror that of wattpad/fan fiction narratives and – while there is nothing wrong with that if you are someone who loves those reading outlets – I would have to agree that I was getting a strange mix of YA and Adult romance vibes. The crude, sometimes forced, dialogue gave off teenager rebellion themes while the explicit sex scenes placed this book firmly in the adult romance genre. It was a jarring mixture of tones. It did not help that many Harry Potter references were included, another tendency of fan fiction/tumblr writers. Too many for me. I was never so obsessed with the HP series to be called a “Potterhead,” but I did enjoy the books and movies alike growing up. I just think the era of Harry Potter is past, and I am over the hype of it. Also, JK Rowling has proven to be transphobic and not a friend of the LGBT+ community. She is not someone I want to support or think about, and the many HP references did not help that.

I am very much aware that my opinions of this novel are among the minority of readers, and I can appreciate that. I understand why it has as many admirers as it does, and I still see myself recommending this book to the right reader. Glad I read it, and hoping to try more romance in the future!