Casey McQuiston

Casey McQuiston is an American romance author known for witty, politically charged love stories including the bestselling Red, White & Royal Blue.

Casey McQuiston burst onto the romance scene in 2019 with Red, White & Royal Blue, a novel about the son of the first female US president falling in love with a British prince. The book became a word-of-mouth phenomenon, praised for its sharp wit, genuinely funny dialogue, and its unabashed optimism about politics, love, and queer identity. McQuiston writes with a breezy confidence that makes even the most improbable premise feel emotionally true, and the novel’s central romance develops with enough friction and tenderness to satisfy readers who demand substance alongside the fun.

One Last Stop, McQuiston’s second novel, shifts into magical-realist territory — a young woman falls for a girl stuck in time on a Chicago subway line — and demonstrates a willingness to experiment with form even within genre conventions. I Kissed Shara Wheeler, aimed at a younger audience, applies the same sharp-tongued voice to a high school setting with a delightfully messy love triangle. Each book shows a writer developing her range while staying grounded in the core pleasures of character-driven romance.

McQuiston’s work is not without its critics: some find the political optimism a touch saccharine, and the plotting can be looser than the best genre craftspeople manage. But few writers working in contemporary romance bring as much wit and genuine warmth, and McQuiston’s books make a strong case that the genre can carry real emotional and social weight without sacrificing its capacity for joy.