I have loved everything that McQuiston has written. When I started The Pairing, though, I was confused. Until I wasn't. They have done such a magnificent job of laying the groundwork for a nuanced character study and a romance that made me yearn for them to just "be" together. When it flips POV midway through the story, I found myself welling up over and over again, and the last 10% was just tears streaming down my face. This is such a great story about living life outside the constraints of a society that seems intent on "othering". What a gorgeous, sumptuous book that I would love to read again for the first time. 🥹 And it also made me very hungry. Read it, and you'll understand. 😋