Book Review: Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Red, White & Royal Blue

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Red, White & Royal Blue 〰️

I very much enjoyed this read. It was a pleasant romance with lots of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ rep and I'm always here for that.

I will say, however, that each chapter felt too long. So many things happened in each chapter with very little transitioning. I felt that each chapter could have been divided up a bit. This book would then have more than 15 chapters but it would flow better and read better and it wouldn't change the book's length. But that's probably a nitpick on my end.

Besides that nitpick, the only thing I didn't truly care for was all the politics. I mean, yeah, you have the president's son and the prince of England so some political discussion is hard to avoid. But with Alex's mom up for re-election, the political talk (especially near the end of the book) became a bit too much. Plus, there were lots of numbers talk, and numbers flew over my head, so I kinda skimmed over that bit. Also, I'm not American, so most of the political jargon about states being blue and red and all that fun stuff also went over my head.

On the plus side, I loved the writing style of this book. McQuiston certainly had me chuckling out loud a few times. I know I'm an author and I should know this, but I can't pinpoint what POV this was in, but I loved it. It was in the third person present tense, but it read like it was in the second person also? As I said, I should know what POV this was in, but I can be an idiot sometimes. Either way, loved it. Made for an even more interesting read.

As for Alex and Henry, I thought they were adorable together from the start. They get together early on, too, which is great if you aren't looking for a slow-burn romance. We kind of know how it's going to end, but it's the journey that makes this story great. However, we could have had more Pez in the story. He was a super interesting character and I felt he didn't have enough screen time.

All in all, this was a cozy LGBTQ+ read and I highly recommend. Also, I just learned they made a movie of this and it just came out, so time to go and watch that and see what made it into the movie and what didn't!

Book review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Everything, Everything

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Everything, Everything 〰️

I admit, I got the ending and twist spoiled for me because I had read Save The Cat! (a guide to writing novels), and this book was one of the examples for romances. I never thought I'd read the book, despite finding its premise super interesting. Then my friend was moving and getting rid of a lot of books, and this was one of them that I got from her. Despite having it spoiled for me, it was a while since I read the plot in Save the Cat!, and so I was still on the edge of my seat, wondering how they got from point A to B.

This book was genius. From the writing style (including the emails, letters, and texts to the artwork), short chapters vs long chapters, it all worked to tell a cohesive and interesting story. The premise was fascinating as well. Maddy is said to be so sick she can never leave the house. But she soon falls for the boy across the street. We can see Maddy fall head over heels for Olly through a series of cute interactions. I can feel their chemistry. They are adorable teenagers acting as normal teenagers should. (Even in Maddy's case, where she's never had the experience of a normal teen because of her "sickness."

I loved learning about Maddy's world in her white, sterile room. I loved Carla. She sounds like the perfect nurse to have as a friend when you are stuck inside. She's so kind and caring and is the one who gives Maddy the idea to live her life, despite her illness. And it's a good thing she did because it's how we discover Maddy wasn't sick all along!

Yoon really plays with your emotions through this book. Despite feeling trapped, we also feel hope for a world worth living, one outside Maddy's bubble. Even when we thought Maddy was sick, we still wanted Maddy to live a normal life. And when she does in Hawaii, we see the world in anew light, like a toddler experiencing life for the first time. Things we took for granted are now brought to light, and I love that. This book truly makes you appreciate love, life, and the gift of being alive, even if things seem bad.

If you're into a cute YA romance and want to see the world in a new light, this book is excellent for you.