Adorable. Beautiful. Charming. Delightful. Excellent. Flirty. Genius. Hot. Impactful. Joyful.
Okay, I’ll stop. I’m thinking too hard on a cute word that starts with K.
Before I continue, I want to put it out there that my blog, website, and social media page are all LGBTQ+ friendly. I will continue to choose books and post content fully supporting all gender identities, sexual orientations, and love between consenting adults.
The book chosen for the Adventure Awaits Book Club for November 2024, was Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston.
If I had the time, I would sit here and come up with a whole alphabet of positive words to describe this book. I started this one immediately after finishing the AABC October 2024 book choice. The former was not my cup of tea. The latter, though, is everything I want in a book.
I love love. I will watch movie after movie of cheesy love stories. I will spend hours gushing in my journals about my love for my partner. I will gleefully choose any and all books related to people falling in love.
I don’t want to sit here and say that the book is only great because it involves love. There are many aspects about this DEBUT novel that are enjoyable.
- It’s a debut novel
- Diversity related to race and sexual orientation
- Political commentary
- Quality writing
- Sexual orientation exploration
- Sexual expression exploration
- Spicy scenes
- A quality scandal
- A quality sibling relationship
I point out that the novel is the author’s debut novel because, as an author, it’s my dream to have a book published and it be wildly successful. Who wouldn’t want this out of their debut? Sometimes it can take a while for the success one hopes for, but I love seeing people’s dreams work out better than they probably imagined.
If all the characters in the books you read look like you, believe like you do, and live life like you do, maybe you should do some self reflection. I say this about the people in your real life as well. People are so quick to turn to hate when something out of their norm presents itself because they don’t often see that not everyone looks, acts, or thinks like them.
The main character is biracial and is Mexican and White. The author briefly explores aspects of his Mexican heritage and how this has impacted him and his family growing up, primarily in a political context.
The two main characters, and a few minor characters, are part of the LGBTQ+ community, and there are also aspects of how their identities impacted them throughout their lives, primarily in a political context.
After living in Texas for 11 years, one can only dream that the ending of the book would happen in real life. I have so much hope for the state I grew to love, and I know that so many people there are fighting for a different political outcome in the state.
Who also doesn’t love a female president?! I hoped for that to become a reality in 2025, but I will have to continue to fight for that reality for the future. I felt that the movie focused more on the political aspect and I appreciated the main character’s work being valued more in the movie. I felt the book pointed out the “binder” a few times but never really went where I thought it would considering I watched the movie before I saw the book.
The book was written well. There isn’t much to say about that fact. It flowed easily and kept you eagerly turning each page. I don’t think I underlined a single typo (I enjoy underlining typos because I know they happen, I don’t judge!) If there was one, I obviously didn’t care, because I just wanted happiness for the two main characters.
I think I’ve already pointed out that there are LGBTQ+ characters in this book. I can understand and appreciate the author having one of the main characters experience questioning his sexual orientation. I don’t claim to be an expert, but I know many people have likely questioned their sexual orientation as they aged which is the reason for the Q in LGBTQ+. I think it’s helpful for people to understand that sexual orientation isn’t as simple as “pick one.” Sometimes you don’t really know how you feel until you meet a specific person and that’s okay!
There wasn’t a large amount of sexual expression exploration but the main character does acknowledge how he hasn’t had sex with a man before. So, yes, there are sex scenes in this book. It’s spicy but not to the point of taking anything away from the story. It honestly shows how physical attraction grows and how the more comfortable you are with someone, the more you are likely to express that physically. If you don’t like books with sexual content, this isn’t the book for you.
I appreciated the scandal in this book. If you live in this country, and likely most others, you are likely aware that LGBTQ+ individuals have to fight for their rights daily. Prominent political figures are likely used to having their personal lives scrutinized, but no one should have to have their personal business exposed like the characters in this book. Your sexuality and expression of said sexuality is no one’s business unless you feel comfortable speaking about it. I enjoyed the family support of some of the minor characters and the confidence to stand up to the less supportive characters.
The main character’s relationship with his sister was cute. It replicates how many of us would likely do anything for our siblings. It also shows how difficult it can be to be your true self, even with the people we trust the most.
I know this book has touched the lives of many based on comments I’ve read about it. I hope it gives people hope like it gave me hope. Hope for a future where a woman can be president. Hope for a future where consenting adults can love who they love without fearing for their safety. Hope for a future with political candidates who aren’t there for themselves but to genuinely help others.
I highly recommend this book!
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The Adventure Awaits Book Club December 2024 book choice is One Day in December by Josie Silver!
Ariel Pierce 