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 & Royal Blue proves: true love isn't always diplomatic.

Oh how I adored Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston.  This was a rich and deep story inside a masterfully constructed world and Top Pick for 2019!

Alex Claremont-Diaz, President Ellen Claremont’s son he is not only in the presses eye he has political ambitions of his own. Alex is smart, witty, bash (often very in your face) and sometimes neurotic (or maybe undiagnosed ADHD) and oh how I adored him!

Prince Henry of England, oh the Prince of England…buttoned up, aloof and at first hard to read.  As the story progresses so much of Henry comes into focus and his personality comes out as he opens up to Alex through, text, emails and phone calls all of which the reader gets to experience.

Buckingham Palace deeply rooted in traditional is strangles Henry in the process of holding into the past. And this becomes more and more clear as the Henry the reader comes knows is such a contract to the prop the media displays.

Henry and Alex were complex characters… both embraced the good and bad of the other and this added to much to the books real feel. Both are believably, truly flawed and head over heels in love with the other while knowing the other deeply and with acceptance. Alex’s comments about Henry’s dark moods was so well done!

Witnessing Henry stepping into this own; finding his voice; stepping out from behind his royal facade was captivating.

This was far from a boy meets boy and love fixes all; this plot was complex and laced with more than just coming to terms with sexuality, it was also about how sexuality is part of history, world history and global politics.

And yes I know that is a lot but all that never distracts from the love the reader can feel deepening.

Thank you, Casey McQuiston for this story!