#BlueWithandRoyalBlue

[bidotorg]

"First and foremost, I applaud @casey.mcquiston for putting a queer character of color front-and-center in the narrative. Not only that, the entire novel is jam-packed with a diverse cast from many walks of life. I also deeply appreciated both how Alex comes to realize his bisexuality and how his burgeoning orientation is not the main conflict of the story. McQuiston pulled from their own coming-out process in coloring in Alex’s realizations (McQuiston is also bi and nonbinary — hooray for #ownvoices!) This leads to a more varied and subtle epiphany for him as he comes to be surprised that he hadn’t realized earlier he was bi sooner — a revelation familiar to many, many bi people. This gives his arc of realization an extra dimension of verisimilitude. Add to that the fact that he has no problem owning the term 'bisexual', and that his loved ones support him exploring his sexuality, and we have a delightfully rosy level of acceptance I wish every bi person could experience. (Again, it’s not Alex’s bisexuality that is the crux of the conflict, but the timing of his realization — and with whom he is discovering this attraction.)

"While McQuiston’s dialogue between the two lovers is what really soars throughout the pages, I have to take a moment to commend the author for 1) taking time to render realistic same-sex scenes in what many would dismiss as 'chick lit', and 2) making sure the courtship is placed firmly in the present, with a modern take on epistolary departures in the text. In layman’s terms — watching Henry and Alex’s love grow over text messages and emails, both out of their need for privacy and also being 20-somethings who live across the pond, really grounds this fanciful (but wildly charming) premise."