You know what I love about books? They allow you to get away. Run. Get lost in a world that's not your own. Forget. Disappear for a while. Live a life that's better than yours, or at least easier than yours. Maybe that's why I love fantasy and romance, but hate crime. I've been...not lazy with reading lately, just preoccupied with other things. When it's about art or reading, art always wins. I think as much as running off to different worlds can be soothing, so is watching a pencil glide on a fresh new sheet of paper. My dopamine, fresh sharpened pencils, and a new block of white paper, endless possibilities to create. Tell you what though, I don't miss the frustrations or tearing my hair out when something goes wrong though. Like my favourite white pen being sold out everywhere, what is this? Insanity? Have you all lost your mind?! Maybe that's why I'm constantly stuck on the next thing, the next drawing, because it allows me to get away. Lost in the careful lines I'm making, or the precise shading I focus on, one tiny square centimeter at a time.
Anyways I made it a point to read at least one LGBTQ related book during Pride month and since June is running out that's exactly what I did. Picked up a gay romance novel that's been sitting on my desk since...July 20th 2022. Yes I can give you an accurate date, no I am not psycho (a little but not in this situation) but I know because I bought it in Vienna before a Guns n' Roses concert. Lets not assume new releases make it here or that we're open minded enough to read gay books. The horror you guys! Two boys in love! It's the end of the world I tell you. A friend of mine does the same, reads LGBTQ books during Pride month, his choice of the month was ''Call me by your name'' which I read a while back and you can read about here ( click ), and I chose ''Red white and Royal blue'' by Casey McQuiston.
This is another ''I saw the movie before I read the book situation''. I know you guys, you don't have to say it, I'm a sinner that keeps sinning. Abomination after abomination. If there's a literary god he or she will come down just to smite me into atoms for this.
I was intrigued from the get go because can you imagine the scandal! The first son, the son of the president of America AND a crown Prince of England? In an affair! That would be such a juicy scandal, I'm over here cursing because it's not real. Also it made me think while reading the book, what would happen if a Prince or a Princess felt this way? The crown would never allow it to be public, so they'd be forced to what, hide all their life? Marry somone they decide is a good catch, and live a fake life to please the masses? How fucked up is that? Are we still at a point where we feel people aren't supposed to be happy with who they love, because their love is different? Are we still in a place where we condemn a person, because of love. Love, you guys. Love that should be celebrated, love is the closest thing we have to magic, and the thing that is running low these days. It's so easy to hate, it's so easy to ''fall in hatred'' but it is so hard to commit, to allow yourself to be vulnerable, to fall in love...we should do more of that. No matter who with. We should take every opportunity to be happy and to feel love.
The two main characters of this book are Alex, son of the President of USA, who btw is a woman! Divorced, from Texas, Hispanic ex husband. You can tell it's fiction just from this aye? Lol. Someday maybe. Alex is a student, big into politics, big into making changes, making peoples lives better, he's cocky, he's confident, he's sure of himself, to a point where he comes off as arrogant at times, to everyone around him, except those who actually know him. I think we all know the type right? And then you have Henry. The Prince. Second child of the heir to the throne, I believe that's what the Britts call the ''spare''. Ever considered how ugly that is? You have a second child as a ''spare'' so the bloodline lives in case something happens to the oldest child? Again. Fucked up. Alex and Henry are the perfect opposites because while Alex is cocky and aloof, Henry is reserved, and maybe not shy, maybe rather coy? Calm. Quiet. He's a Prince in every sense of the word, when he has to he knows how to turn on the charm and be the perfect picture of the crown Prince, that people expect. I believe he himself said it best, ''Prince Henry belongs to the people'' and that's what he is, a perfect image for the people. This image of perfection doesn't rub well on Alex though, who has a problem with Henry since the second they met.
On the surface they both despise eachother, but as you dug deeper in the story, you see this is the furthest from the truth as it could be. The feud started with, was it the Olympics? I think so, which were one of Alex's first events as the first son, Henry being used to the sodding circus and heartbroken over the loss of his father, came off as rude, and perhaps condescending to a very nervous Alex who got it in his head that the Prince hates him. Wouldn't it be nice if people just learned to communicate? Just talk. Speak. Open your mouth. Voice your opinion, not everyone will agree, but at least you were heard.
So years later these two met again at a wedding, that is Henrys older brothers wedding, we all know what a big deal Britts make of Royal weddings right? I think the entire bloody country stops for a week just to celebrate it. How...I lack the proper word to convey how pointless I find Royals in the year 2024. Idiotic. And this whole feud between Henry and Alex could go under the radar if not for a huge cake covered scandal. I laughed out loud at that, because it is hilarious that accidentally smashing a 75, 000 dollar cake (seriously tho??) can cause an all out international dispute. So with the pressure of getting re-elected the President of USA sends her son back to England to ''smooth'' things over with Henry. Fix their international affairs. Let me tell you thoug it was more than affairs he was fixing. Lol. Seriously though with two ''mortal enemies'' and an international stage like this, what could possibly go wrong?
It's funny because in the begining it was nothing but duty to their country, to their family that kept them obeying orders and tolerating each other. Smiling through the pain if you will. But that rather quickly changed to an unlikely friendship after being forced in a supply closet, during a possible shooting threat. Ah this reminds me of seven minutes of heaven, no wonder truth came spilling out. Honest conversation you guys that was all it took, to smooth things out. Talking, texting, addmittedly in the begining a lot of it was insults but texting insults went into full on love letters. Electronic that is. (Big mistake). A lot of the story is told through their text and email exchange. I'm still deciding overall if I like this or not. I mean in a way it seems like fillers but on the other hand it gives you a better insight into the character itself.
I am going insane over the fact that it's a New Years party, where drinks are flowing, emotions are running high, the Prince who kisses Alex and sends him reeling. A literal kiss from the Prince you guys! I mean you know I'm a gothic Barbie at best, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the irony of a Princes or true loves kiss on midnight. It came out that Henry liked Alex from the first moment and Alex was just daft. Which man isn't? Tell me ladies, how many times do we find ourselves explaining something to our men, that they are just completely oblivious to seeing? Too many times, that's how many. I gotta tell you, I absolutely loved the slow build up of their relationship, the exploration, mostly Alex, Henry know who he is from the get go, and that's apparently ''as gay as a maypole'', lol. Any Britts round here? The hell is a maypole, and why is it gay? (*Update, I got the response that it's a ''tall wooden erected pole, around which people dance during midsummer. Suddenly everything makes sense. To my SI readers, this is apparently what we call a ''mlaj''.) Alex learning about himself, and his feelings and what it all means...I loved it. Not because Casey did a really good job of conveying the message but also because it made me think about how many Alex's are out there. Maybe a book like this is exactly what they need to be brave themselves.
It makes you think though, their relationship, their romance, it's impossible, it's doomed from the get go, like a tragic Romeo and Juliet, Samson and Delilah, Cathy and Heathcliff, Tristan and Isolde. Nothing but tradgedy. But fear not my lovelies this book does not end tragic. You know me, you know I can't stomach books with unhappy endings, and you know my best friend, you know he proof reads endings for me. It's hilarious watching peoples faces when we go buy books together, I'm a visual being, I'll pick up a book if I like the illustration on the cover, I'll hand it to him to read last two pages, and then it's either ''uh huh sister this is not for you'' or ''awww you're going to love this'' that decides if I buy it or not. I guess in a way...that's love too. Understanding that committing to a whole long ass book just to be disappointed by the end really isn't my cup of tea, and doing everything in his power to prevent it.
It's funny you know because...I don't think this book is targeted at teenagers, and I'm pretty sure some saucy bits could make parents blush, but thinking about it, what it would mean for confused and lost teenagers to read such a book, to maybe understand better, to cope. To allow themselves to love. Hell I know I'd love books when I was younger that would make me understand me. Not sexually speaking though we've all established I may be bisexual, Angela Bassett, that's all your fault, so help me Jesus. On a serious note, parents have the talk with their kids, about the birds and bees and all that crap, I think we all had it at some point, awkward and bizarre...but let me ask you this, parents assume, they give you the safe sex speech, but...what if you're not in fact straight? Or just confused...my point is, I'm glad such books exist now, so that the LGBTQ kids have something uplifting to read and feel less alone. Let me point out again, if any of you out there need a safe space to talk, vent, cry, laugh, celebrate, confess, leave me a message here, I promise you, this space is always a safe space to talk.
A lot of the story revolves around politics, the race to get another Presidental campaign, the campaign itself. Running for office, the press, the duties of Royalty etc. It's all...overwhelming, not to you as a reader but just thinking, the lack of freedom and the sorta opression they all live under. I'm not going to babble endlessly about the book, you have to read it, I'm not spilling the ending either, but! I will tell you about what I loved the most.
Firstly, Zahra. She's the Presidents deputy chief of staff, often forced to essentially ''babysit'' the Presidents son, or rather fix up the messes he makes. I found that oddly, familiar, I often find myself in the same situation. But I loved her. Funny. Witty. When she told Henry she will ''Brexit his head from his body'' I laughed out loud.
And secondly. The date. THE FREAKING DATE! I would sell my soul to Satan to have someone take me out like this. Or murder. Jury still out on that. I'm kidding. Maybe. Seriously guys, Henry took Alex in a freaking museum, in the middle of the night, when it was empty, to dance in front of an altar, joking to see if it will catch on fire. Lol. Not to mention he had everything memorised and could explain all artefacts, where they come from and what they mean. Sure a Prince should know his country's history, even if it's all stolen. But for real, I am frothing at the mouth, I am chewing glass, I am crying glitter. The perfection. Me and who? When? A date like this is everything in my book. I mean I'm not saying I didn't have a...simmilar...type of date, but the romance of this is killing me. Perfection defined on those couple of pages.
And a couple of words on the movie, it's good sure, cast was chosen fantastic, Alex's sister apparently killed off, but of course it's nothing like the book. I think it's a staple we can surely always use. The book is always ALWAYS better than the movie. BUT! And this is exciting, the movie is getting a sequel! I went all iiiiiiiip when I heard about that. I mean it probably won't be based on a book like this is, since there is no book, but can you imagine they get married in the sequel? Oh. My. God. Now that is a royal wedding I could watch.
Any books you recently read and loved? Re read maybe? Let me know in the comments, always open to new suggestions, that I then never get to read. I am a hopeless case like I said many times before.
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