The Pairing by Casey McQuiston

Do you ever want to slip away to Europe, have a whirlwind romance with the person of your dreams, and eat the best food of your life? That is the subject of Casey McQuiston's new book: The Pairing.

The Pairing follows past lovers Kit and Theo as they reconnect on a trip they were supposed to take together, before they broke up. Now that some time has passed, they both decided to take the nonrefundable trip alone, only to end up in the same place together, four years later. Kit and Theo have different reasons for being there, Theo wants to finally let go of the last piece of their relationship. And Kit wanted to be reminded of Theo again, in all the most beautiful places Europe has to offer.

It's impossible to let go of a love that's been lifelong though. And they find that out day by day on their breathtaking tour of Europe.

As I saw their emotions play out on the pages, I fell more and more in love with them and their relationship. This book was indeed Casey McQuiston's best yet. It explores sexuality and gender more than any of her books before, and I think this is clear from page one.

This book had it all, LGBTQ representation, a trip throughout Europe with detailed food descriptions and pairings, interesting and lovable side characters, deep character development, beautiful scenery, just the right amount of spicy scenes, and complex relationships with dual pov, but in a way you've never seen it before.

As I was reading this book, I knew I would hate for it to end, especially once I got midway through the book and the author switched perspectives over to the other person in the relationship. I had thought that the whole book would be in one perspective, only to find that it switched halfway. It was a little bit of a disappointment because the person that I related to was losing their voice, but I enjoyed getting to know both of them fully.

I almost wish the book had been told completely in two versions of the same story. They see the world so differently, and it would be interesting to see the full story carried out from each perspective.

I can truly say that I will miss these characters unlike any before, they were my favorite couple I have ever read about. This is probably because I felt like I had so much in common with Theo, and similarly my husband has a lot in common with Kit.

I think it was great to see a bisexual relationship in a book. It is difficult to find great representation of LGBTQ couples in modern literature, and I have always felt that CM does a great job of exploring various queer relationships. I felt very attached to their relationship, especially because many parts of them felt close to home.

It is so important to see diversity like this in books, and it is why I scoop up CM's books whenever they hit the shelves. I would love to see more of this content in bookstores today, and more authors that are really passionate about displaying LGBTQ relationships.

I know now that in a few years, I will go on a food-tasting tour around Europe. It has become a goal of mine since I started reading the book. It felt like I was learning about all the places to go and things to do, and I found myself looking up things just to make sure they were real.

It felt as if CM had written this story not only to share a beautiful love story but also to tell us how to have the trip of a lifetime in some of the most breathtaking places in the world.

I hope you get a chance to read this amazing novel and find that you also love Theo and Kit, despite how hard it is to let them go.