Casey McQuiston
Casey McQuiston is an American author known for their witty, exuberant, and deeply romantic fiction that spans both adult and young adult audiences. McQuiston grew up in Louisiana and later worked in editorial and communications before their debut novel transformed them overnight into one of the most talked-about new voices in contemporary romance and queer fiction. They write with an infectious joy and a genuine investment in their characters’ happiness that has made their work enormously popular among readers who come to their books for both the emotional payoff and the sharp, funny writing that delivers it.
McQuiston’s debut novel, Red, White and Royal Blue (2019), follows the fictional son of the first female US President as he falls in love with a British prince, and became a cultural phenomenon — a breakout bestseller that was beloved for its celebration of queer joy, its tender and funny romance, and its warm political idealism. The novel spent months on the New York Times bestseller list, won the RITA Award for Best Romance, and was adapted into a major Amazon Prime Video film in 2023. It became one of the most beloved queer romances of its era and introduced McQuiston to a massive international audience hungry for exactly what they were offering: romance that is exuberantly, unapologetically queer and delightfully, laugh-out-loud funny.
McQuiston’s young adult debut, I Kissed Shara Wheeler (2022), brought their signature blend of wit, warmth, and queer romance to a high school setting, following a competitive student who must decipher a series of clues left by her rival, who kissed her and then disappeared. The novel received enthusiastic reviews for its playful tone, its sharp characterization, and its celebration of the messy, exhilarating experience of first love. Their adult follow-up, One Last Stop (2021), featured a young woman who falls in love with a girl stuck in time on the New York City subway.
McQuiston’s writing is distinguished by its genuine delight in its own scenarios, its finely tuned comic timing, and its deep emotional sincerity beneath the wit and playfulness. They write queer characters whose queerness is joyful rather than tragic, whose love stories are treated with the full weight and beauty that all great love stories deserve. Casey McQuiston lives in New York City and continues to write fiction that makes readers laugh, cry, and close the book feeling warm and hopeful about the world.