Literature In A Cup: Red, White & Royal Blue

By Carrie Pinkard

Welcome to month four of Literature In A Cup! We are SO glad you’re reading with us. This month we’re moving away from thriller and horror and into a delectable, syrupy rom-com. Here’s what we have brewing this month: 

On the bookshelf: Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston 

On the kettle: Sweet As F**k

 Red, White & Royal Blue review:

4/5 teacups

“You are", he says, "the absolute worst idea I've ever had.”

Sometimes the best romances come out of the worst ideas. For instance, when the son of the President of the United States falls in love with the Prince in line for the throne in England.  This is the plot of zany, funny, syrupy sweet Red, White & Royal Blue.

This book is the perfect read for a very strange election month. It allows you to enter a world where the president of the United States is a woman, and her son, Alex, is getting into all kinds of romantic trouble.

 Alex, the first son, and Henry, the Prince have crossed each other’s paths on many occasions growing up in the public eye. Alex finds Henry insufferable, and Henry pretends Alex doesn’t exist. This goes on until pretending doesn’t work anymore and they find themselves stumbling into a full-blown, transatlantic relationship. 

Alex and Henry are two very public figures whose families can’t afford the “scandal” that a gay relationship with a foreign entity would bring. So they keep it secret, and they shove that part of themselves somewhere deep down where no one can see it. But like all great and powerful things, their love for each other isn’t easy to contain, and eventually, it bubbles up to the surface.  

The language in this book is both silly and beautiful. You’ll find yourself physically smiling in that easy, goofy way only falling in love brings. Because that’s how it feels reading the book. You fall in love with Henry and Alex, and with the very idea of love itself. 

When you climb inside this book, you get a backstage pass to both The White House and Buckingham Palace. You get to stroll through English gardens, sleep in fancy hotels, and explore the American countryside. You get to feel the pressure of being under the public eye but still desperately wanting a private life. 

This book is Veep meets Hallmark. It’s Scandal meets Lifetime. It’s quick and fun and the perfect distraction from the chaos of the real political world. 

About the book and tea pairing:

We paired Red, White & Royal Blue with our Sweet As F**k tea because, like the tea, this book is a sweet escape. Sweet As F**k combines two things that don’t normally go together: citrus and chocolate, and forms a rich union much like Alex and Henry in Red, White & Royal Blue. This tea has a medium caffeine content that will help you stay up to experience the highs and lows of this romantic comedy. 

Pick up your copy of the book and your Sweet As F**k tea and come escape reality with us. 

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