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A review by sarah2438
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
4.5
Oooh I really enjoyed this one. I devoured it in 24 hours and it would've been faster if I wasn't trying to be a responsible adult going to bed at a reasonable time. I LOVED Kit and his half of the novel was incredible. If everything had been from his POV, this would've been 5 stars. But while I liked Theo, I just didn't like them quite as much as Kit. Especially at the beginning, they were VERY bitter. Not saying they didn't have a right to be, but it started to get annoying and I'm glad their attitude took a turn when it did. Beyond that, I just resonated with Kit's poetic voice more. I'm glad that Theo's half was first because I still liked their voice and didn't know what I was missing yet. The story itself was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed fantasizing about these destinations while I ignored the grey sludge outside my window. McQuiston does such a good job with the sensory details, and this includes descriptions of the food. Oh my goodness, the FOOD! My mouth was watering. And I just adored the meaningful connections our MCs made on their journey through Europe.
Any other critiques I have are very minor-- I think McQuiston tends to use a lot of Millennial slang that can be a little cringe, and even though I think it's sometimes done ironically, the cringe remains. (Slay!) And similarly, the idea of a bodycount competition across Europe was just not my vibe. This is where I reveal what a wet blanket I am-- it's so dangerous to just go home with random people in Europe. I just kept thinking, this is how you get yourself in a bad situation.
But all of these complaints are pretty nitpicky, and they're overshadowed by a seriously fun romance and story. I absolutely recommend this one and I will be purchasing my own shelf trophy to transfer my annotations.
**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review!**
Any other critiques I have are very minor-- I think McQuiston tends to use a lot of Millennial slang that can be a little cringe, and even though I think it's sometimes done ironically, the cringe remains. (Slay!) And similarly, the idea of a bodycount competition across Europe was just not my vibe. This is where I reveal what a wet blanket I am-- it's so dangerous to just go home with random people in Europe. I just kept thinking, this is how you get yourself in a bad situation.
But all of these complaints are pretty nitpicky, and they're overshadowed by a seriously fun romance and story. I absolutely recommend this one and I will be purchasing my own shelf trophy to transfer my annotations.
**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review!**