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Review
5 stars for true love!
This book hit my radar after it won the Goodreads Choice award for best romance, and best debut, and all of a sudden, I was seeing it everywhere, and thank God for that! This is an absolute gem of a read – smart, funny, witty and beautifully romantic with characters that will own you, and a message that will touch your heart. It’s a fantastic read, my last of 2019 and it’s going down as a fave.
Alex Claremont Diaz is the son of the President of the United States. Handsome, intelligent, funny, fun-loving and passionate about a career in politics, he is America’s golden boy and an important part of his mother’s campaign for re-election.
But then there is a minor international incident. While attending a royal wedding in London, Alex has an altercation with his longstanding nemesis, Henry, the Prince of Wales. Damage control demands that Alex do whatever necessary to fix the situation, and he is sent back across to London to spend some time with the stuffy young prince to fake a friendship for the press. It starts with insults and snarky banter, and once Alex returns home it continues with text messages and emails as the two of them unexpectedly become friends. Slowly and naturally they become an important touchstone for each other in the midst of their crazy lives, and when feelings develop, they throw themselves into a secret, forbidden relationship which takes them both by surprise, and which has the potential to destroy both of their worlds.
“You are”, he says, “the absolute worst idea I’ve ever had.”
Words cannot express how much I love these two together. Their dynamic is absolute gold! They are so open with each other. Every text, every email, every phone call and every interaction either made me laugh out loud (I’m so juvenile, I laughed every time they texted and Henry’s texts came from “HRH Prince Dickhead poop emoji”) or made my heart pound as they tease and banter.
“You are the thistle in the tender and sensitive arse-crack of my life.”
And the romance! OMG, the romance is everything! Alex considers himself straight until Henry comes along, so he’s got a bit of figuring out to do when he starts to have feelings for his new friend. But he embraces it like he does everything else in his life – with passion and enthusiasm, and I loved watching them come together. It’s honest and real, fun and emotional, and they are so freaking gorgeous together!
Henry leans down to meet Alex’s mouth, and Alex is. Well, Alex is so in love he could die.
*Dreamy sigh*
But so much more than romance, this is a story about finding your place in the world and fighting for what you believe in. That message comes through over and over again, and with laughs and tears, I watched Alex and Henry wrestle with their realities and figure it all out
“That’s the choice. I love him, with all that, because of all that. On purpose. I love him on purpose.”
Alex and Henry owned my heart. I loved their intelligence and their humour, their confidence and their strength. Their vulnerabilities are beautifully written, and watching them deal with all that they are faced with broke my heart at times, but wow, what a journey. I felt everything alongside them, and their open-heartedness was truly special to see.
“You’re it, okay? I’m never gonna love anybody in the world like I love you.”
There’s a fantastic cast of side characters that are with Alex and Henry along the way, and again, the interactions are sensational. Between their sisters, their best friends, and the incredible President herself, they are smart, funny, awkward at times, and beautifully tender. This crew have each other’s backs unquestionably, and I loved them all so much.
There is a bit of a political storyline, and I was surprised that I really enjoyed it. I’m not one for political reads, but politics are a big part of Alex’s life and I thought that it added a lot of depth and intensity to the story.
I listened to this as an audiobook, narrated by Ramon de Ocampo, and he is brilliant! The book is written in third person entirely from Alex’s perspective, and he reads him with humour, wit and heart. He does Henry’s English accent, too, and it’s awesome.
This is a beautifully written story. I can’t believe it’s a debut novel. Casey McQuiston has delivered a funny, emotional, dramatic and heartfelt story that is an instant classic, and I adored every single moment of it.
“Thinking about history makes me wonder how I’ll fit into it one day, I guess. And you too … History, huh? Bet we could make some.”
5 huge stars!