✨ My favourite book of 2019 is FINALLY OUT ✨ YOU MUST MEET ALEX (ADHD & BISEXUAL ICON), HENRY (ULTIMATE CUPCAKE) AND THE GANG (THEY'RE EVERYTHING OKAY) IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, NO EXCUSES ACCEPTED AND THAT IS ALL

♚ full review now posted~ Sometimes you gotta decide to be happy and [b:Red, White & Royal Blue|41150487|Red, White & Royal Blue|Casey McQuiston|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566742512l/41150487._SY75_.jpg|61657690] is dying to do just that, so fucking let it, alright? As for me, I'm gonna keep it in my handbag just in case I ever need cheering up, with the absolute certainty that it will never disappoint.

"Sugar, I cannot express to you how much the press does not give a fuck about who started what," Ellen says. "As your mother, I can appreciate that maybe this isn't your fault, but as the president, all I want is to have the CIA fake your death and ride the dead-kid sympathy into a second term."

This is 2019 and the USA elected their first woman as POTUS three years ago. Alright, do take a second to cry a bit, I'll be there whenever you're ready.

You okay?

Alright. [b:Red, White & Royal Blue|41150487|Red, White & Royal Blue|Casey McQuiston|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566742512l/41150487._SY75_.jpg|61657690] follows 21 years-old Alex Claremont-Diaz - the Mexican-American First Son the United States don't deserve but should dream for - while he's sloooowly realizing that:

① Henry the Prince of Wales is really the Leia to his Han Solo and oh, not the stuck-up jerk he always thought he was;

② Ethical Issues in International Relations are some bullshit;

③ Wanting to kiss the fuck out of the aforementioned Prince probably means that he's bisexual and I mean what the hell, nobody's ever telling him shit

... and I mean what are words? My god, I do not know. Reading [b:Red, White & Royal Blue|41150487|Red, White & Royal Blue|Casey McQuiston|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566742512l/41150487._SY75_.jpg|61657690] was such an uplifting experience, I had to do that's too cute breaks.

What's that, you ask? Well it's like, you're reading, but it's TOO MUCH and you just HAVE to take a break and smile/hiss/squeal/clap and that's entirely too ridiculous for anyone to see you that way so you'll 100% hide if someone comes but you just CAN'T HELP IT and it's glorious and it makes the book go on way longer because you KEEP DOING IT every two pages and sometimes you stand up and you JUMP and did I say that you would hide??? I visited my mum this week and (yes it's relevant) I don't usually read as much there but here I was, at 3 fucking am, squealing and whispering alone in my room, it's so cute omg it's so cute!!!!!

ANYWAY. My thoughts are all over the place so I decided to pull off a classic ADHD move and make a list, because why the fuck not?



➊ ALEX. Our biracial FSOTUS is infuriating and narcissistic but we keep thinking stuff like, OKAY FAIR ENOUGH. He's very much likeable and entirely too much but ohmygod he's so funny and endearing, his confusion and GAH, everything?? I adore him and I want to wrap him in a tight hug even though he would probably tell me that he hates me but oh well, still worth it. Moreover, it's not present in text and I might be projecting so proceed with caution but I read Alex as having ADHD. His hyperfocus, his insomnia and his general behavior were really relatable to me, honestly.

[UPDATE: the author answered me on twitter and confirmed that Alex had undiagnosed ADHD *cries* I'M SO HAPPY]

He's absolutely sure that guys who kissed the Prince of England and liked it don't get elected to represent Texas.

➋ Hmm, Henry, obviously? I've never been invested in anything even loosely related to the British royal family (imperialism and genocides ruin cute boys, don't you think) but I swear that if someday they manage to create a gay cinnamon roll even half as interesting than Henry, I would be. I mean at some point I wrote a note with HENRY IS THE ONLY BEST PRINCE AND THAT IS ALL. Hahaha I know, dramatic much? But he made me cry, okay? The persona he has to manufacture in order to survive his family's crushing expectations truly broke my heart.

"Alex?" Henry's voice sounds scratchy and bewildered across the line. "Have you really rung me at three o'clock in the morning to make me listen to a turkey?"
"Yes, obviously," Alex says. He glances at Cornbread and cringes. "Jesus Christ, it's like they can see into your soul."

➌ The hate-to-fake friends-to why do I want to text you all day every day-to wow that's some kiss-to lovers romance. It was GLORIOUS, absolute perfection and my expectations for romance novels dramatically increased, it's ridiculous. My go-to move when I need cheering up is now rambling endlessly about the utter perfection that is Alex and Henry's relationship and I'm not even sorry about it.

*cough* Em *cough*


(also look at us talking in English when we both speak French LMAO)

➍ The splendid characterization: indeed [a:Casey McQuiston|17949486|Casey McQuiston|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1608160367p2/17949486.jpg] created a full cast of well-rounded characters all equally interesting and diverse. BRAVO.

➎ The friendships and family dynamics are truly amazing? When an author manages to make you want to be part of her characters' lives, it's without any doubt a win. As I'm one second from boarding a plane to meet people that do not exist, I am confident that [a:Casey McQuiston|17949486|Casey McQuiston|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1608160367p2/17949486.jpg] rocked it. June, Nora, Zahra, Amy, Zahra, Bea, Ellen - I adore them all.

"Stop trying to Jane Austen my life!" he yells back.
"Listen, it's not my fault he's a mysterious and retiring young royal and you're the tempestuous ingénue that caught his eye, okay?"
He laughs and tries to crawl away, even as she claws at his ankle and wallops another pillow at his head.

➏ After two years of a white supremacist squatting in the white house it's just really exhilarating to read about Alex's democrat mum as POTUS, and at some point it felt so real that let me tell you, coming back to Earth was HARD. Besides, I really enjoyed the political part of the plot. It does waver a bit but honestly, I was never bored, so? Plus she was such a supportive mum, I loved her so much.

The next slide is titled : EXPLORING YOUR SEXUALITY: HEALTHY, BUT DOES IT HAVE TO BE WITH THE PRINCE OF ENGLAND?

➐ THE MARVELOUS TREATS THAT ARE HENRY AND ALEX'S EMAILS. I might have highlighted *whispers* everything. Mostly they're full of our boys being so fucking adorable it hurts but they also include quotes from queer historical figures and reading them was magnificent?

- Have been home for three hours. Already miss you. This is some bullshit.
- It is, indeed, bullshit. It's all I can do not to pack a bag and be gone forever. Perhaps I could live in your room like a recluse. You could have food sent up to me, and I'll be lurking in disguise in a shadowy corner when you answer the door. It'll all be very dreadfully Jane Eyre.

➑ Alex's humorous voice and more generally, the writing. [a:Casey McQuiston|17949486|Casey McQuiston|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1608160367p2/17949486.jpg]'s words just flow smoothly and the story is not only perfectly paced - there are weird jumps in time but it's mostly a formatting issue and I presume that it'll be taken care of in the finished copy - but also effortlessly funny and compelling. Most of the time you're either smiling wildly or tearing up, and that's some achievement right there.

The phrase "see attached bibliography" is the single sexiest thing you have ever written to me.

▸ I've been rereading quotes all day and ugh, I can't stop smiling it's unbearable and mostly I want to shove them down your face and scream NOW YOU GET IT????

CW - anxiety, panic attack, homophobia, public outing

*arc kindly provided by St Martin's Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All quotes will be checked against a finished copy of the book upon release date.*

Art created by myself with free vectors from Vecteezy

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