This is a spoiler-free, not necessarily coherent review in which I will attempt to put into words how this book made me feel. I’m not gonna lie: when I picked up Red, White & Royal Blue, I was a bit weary. Yeah, the prospect of an entire book dedicated to the Enemies to Friends to Lovers trope and an LGBTQ+ pairing got me to buy this book pretty instantly. I have simple tastes. But I was also aware that this brand of cliche, in the wrong hands, could very easily dive headfirst into cringey territory. I went through the first pages with police sirens going off in my head, and braced for disappointment.

It’s with a full heart and teary eyes that I say man, I was wrong to ever doubt you, Casey McQuiston. The narrative is engaging from start to finish, and feels impressively unique despite its familiar foundation.

The characters feel tangible, not like names on a page, but rather like people you know, people you love, people you pass by on the street and wish you could know. You will struggle and fail to finish this novel without developing an emotional attachment to every single character, and you will be glad for it. You will fall in love with Henry and Alex — our brave, hilarious, wonderful main characters — and their make-your-heart-melt love story; you will root for them, cry with them, and, perhaps unexpectedly, see bits of yourself in them. The latter is no accident; McQuiston says it best in the acknowledgements:

“I hope you found a place in here, even if just for a few pages. You are loved. I wrote this for you.”

This book is a rom-com, yes — and a clever, touching, relevant one at that. But it’s also something else. It is a love letter to our community; a community which sometimes struggles to be that, but without which many of us would be lost, and so very alone. Most of all, through the eyes of America’s First Son and bisexual menace, it portrays bisexuality with a care and truth that other books which have attempted the same feat never quite achieved. For this, I have to thank you, Casey McQuiston: you made me feel seen.