Casey McQuiston  |  Fiction

2019, 422 pages

Listening to an article on NPR, I was fascinated to learn that, coming out of the pandemic, romance print-book sales more than doubled from 2020 to 2023. In 2024, despite declining sales in other publishing categories, romance fans bought so many books that they helped push total print-book sales into the black.

Romance writers, interestingly, see themselves as business people, as well as authors and artists.  Romance writers write fast, sometimes more than one book per year.  And they are not deterred by doing their own marketing, accounting, press releases, bookstore talks.

Having never read a romance novel, I was inspired to try one on for size.  In my research, I discovered many thought Red, White, & Navy Blue to be one of the best.  I made it nearly 100 pages.

The characters are as thin as tissue paper.  The plot makes me feel like I am reading a young-adult book (emphasis on young).  Looks like I will not become a romance fan.  My brain needs some stimulation.  I need to think, ponder, analyze, wonder, even get confused ... and so I am gone from the romance shelves.  (BTW, the book is about the relationship between the son of the U.S. President [FSOTUS], and the son of the King of England).

Clearly, I do not recommend Red, White, & Navy Blue.  If you have a romance novel you think I will like, please reply on my blog!

November 2025