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Casey McQuiston: Red, White & Royal Blue (Paperback, 2019, St. Martin's Griffin) 4 stars

What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?

When …

"Fanfiction-like" and I mean that in a good way

5 stars

You may not know this about me, but one of my favorite activities is to look on Ao3 for cursed fanfiction to show people. I often go to RPF, not because I have anything against it, but because real people already inspire revulsion, so if I can find, say erotic Ben Shapiro fic, I've hit "gold" so to speak.

I've read some Political Real Person Fic (usually the ones starring Margaret Thatcher, because as a USian, that inspires less revulsion than looking at a Reagan fanfic) and sometimes just prompts to see what people like writing about.

I would be VERY surprised if Casey McQuiston has not written Political-RPF, because this very much reads like a Politics RPF with fictional characters (OCs if you will).

It hits all the right notes, it's heartwarming, but, unlike what you may expect about a Royal Romance, it is very honest about how fucked up the Royal Family is (as is the US).

I was told not to read this until 45 was out of office (because I became aware of it around the darkest times of his presidency, and I was worried it would piss me off like other contemporaries that mentioned Trump like it was no big deal everyone will be fine). I'm not saying things are ideal now, but slightly less painful, and now's as good as any time to read it (because unless you wait a bajillion years, I doubt things will ever be ideal)

Give it a chance, I feel it did most everything right.