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gaelstorm 's review for:
The Pairing
by Casey McQuiston
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A fun romance that made me want to eat and drink and travel SO MUCH! I really loved both main characters, but their chemistry just didn't quite push it to 5 star levels for me for some reason. This is definitely a very "flowery" and poetic type of love story in the way the characters talk and think (plus a lot of sex). Nothing wrong with that but I just want to set peoples expectations accurately!
There's a lot of description of food, drink, and the places they go to in Europe, but even so I wished for more descriptions?? It felt like there were a lot of names of things (food, places, famous artists/artwork etc) that I didn't know what they were and had to look up instead of the book describing it for me. Also if you're going to randomly say phrases in a different language I really appreciate an in-book translation; there was only a translation some of the time which brought me out of it. Instead of feeling so fully immersed in the European culture and food , I didn't feel smart enough for the book. Like at times it felt like a "had to be there" moment and I haven't so I'm missing out. I was hoping the book would make me feel like I was there instead of making me feel sad I've never been there, ya know?
Anyway, minor complains since I did give it 4 stars! It left me a little disappointed but I think I hyped it up too much in the lead-up to the release.
❤️ What kind of romance can I expect in this book?
(no major plot spoilers but still hidden if you don't wanna know)
Genders: afab nb/m
POV: 1st person, dual POV (half of the book, not every other chapter)
Themes & Tropes: second chance/exes, only one bed, travel, Europe
Sex Scenes? Yes
Explicit Rating: X
How Much: a lot discussions of sex and mentions of sex happening, but only a few really explicit sex scenes
There's a lot of description of food, drink, and the places they go to in Europe, but even so I wished for more descriptions?? It felt like there were a lot of names of things (food, places, famous artists/artwork etc) that I didn't know what they were and had to look up instead of the book describing it for me. Also if you're going to randomly say phrases in a different language I really appreciate an in-book translation; there was only a translation some of the time which brought me out of it. Instead of feeling so fully immersed in the European culture and food , I didn't feel smart enough for the book. Like at times it felt like a "had to be there" moment and I haven't so I'm missing out. I was hoping the book would make me feel like I was there instead of making me feel sad I've never been there, ya know?
Anyway, minor complains since I did give it 4 stars! It left me a little disappointed but I think I hyped it up too much in the lead-up to the release.
❤️ What kind of romance can I expect in this book?
(no major plot spoilers but still hidden if you don't wanna know)
Genders: afab nb/m
POV: 1st person, dual POV (half of the book, not every other chapter)
Themes & Tropes: second chance/exes, only one bed, travel, Europe
Sex Scenes? Yes
Explicit Rating: X
How Much: a lot discussions of sex and mentions of sex happening, but only a few really explicit sex scenes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual content