When you choose a wine to match a meal, you’re not declaring all other wines invalid. Pairings are binary but also boundless: More than two possibilities exist, but selecting only two highlights something about each. This truth is hornily illustrated in Casey McQuiston’s very adult, very queer romance, THE PAIRING (St. Martin’s Griffin, 411 pp., paperback, $20).

Theo and Kit are childhood soul mates who fall in love, move in together, and break up just before a three-week European food and wine tour. Now the nonrefundable tour tickets are about to expire, and Theo (they/them) has decided to embark on the trip solo. Unfortunately, Kit has the same idea.

With their hearts still shattered, they immediately launch a hookup competition, flirting (and more) with various guides, sommeliers and attractive locals in a nonstop bisexual smorgasboard.

Theo narrates the book’s first half, so we see all their flaws magnified while admiring Kit’s charisma. Then we switch to Kit, and suddenly it’s Theo who’s bold and fascinating. Soon our duo is back to their old game batting improvised cocktail and dessert recipes back and forth, bonding over imaginary dishes as they eat and drink and et cetera in every city of the journey — until they finally end up where they truly want to be.

The Pairing was definitely a bit different from Casey's other books but no less delightful to read. It was an excellent upbeat and fun summer read. I'm almost never a fan of miscommunication but this is one of the few times I think it really worked in the favour of the characters. Younger kit and Theo were definitely "right person wrong time" and their time apart worked in their favour and led them back together at the right time. Their time apart really helped them grow as individuals and truly figure out who they are and getting to read them meet the new version of one another was beautiful. I also liked that the story had a bit of a casual feel in a way. I would've liked to see a bit more significant conversations between them but the more casual feel did I think make it easier for Kit and Theo to get to know each other again.
It was kind of nice reading something a but different from Casey's other books while still feeling like it was obviously written by them. I'm excited to see what Casey has in-store for their next book!

The Pairing is exactly what I want in a romance novel. It's funny, it's sexy, and it's exciting. The sweetness made me fly through the book and I enjoyed the trip. I can't wait to have everyone I know read this.

I enjoyed this book. It was fun. This book mostly made me hungry and want to go to Europe. This is a second chance romance for Kit and Theo who reconnect on a European tour they were supposed to go on before their breakup.

I loved Kit’s POV but didn’t really enjoy Theo’s. This book was also much longer than it probably needed to be. The side characters were more compelling at times.

*Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Netgalley, and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Even though this book was good, it wasn't quite up to Casey McQuiston's usual standard for me. The characters rang a bit flat, and I found myself more interested in the food than the story. Still a fun trip around Europe! Just not on par with One Last Stop, which is my favorite of their books

McQuiston writes some of my favorite romcoms - they're hilarious and endearing (and sometimes spicy). I enjoyed Theo and Kit's adventures across Europe, even though they left me craving pastries and wishing for a cocktail or a glass of wine. The first half of the book is first-person from Theo's perspective and I love that we get to know Theo so well but never find out what Theo's pronouns are. We get to know who Theo is and when we find out Theo's pronouns halfway through, it truly adds to our understanding of who Theo is instead of being a core descriptor that sets the tone for everything else. The second half of the book is from Kit's perspective and I enjoyed that part but not as much as Theo's, I think. The characters are nuanced and getting to know them was almost as fun as their second chance love story. I could have done without the miscommunication elements and the contest, but that's generally a me problem and not something I'd consider a negative about the book. This one had me laughing out loud as I listen to Theo and Kit's adventures, and I was sad to say goodbye to them.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Casey never misses! Another incredible book. I read this right before I went on a trip to Europe and it inspired me so much. The characters were so fun and I love a good second -hance-friends-to-lovers romance

I fell in love with Casey McQuiston with RED, WHITE, AND ROYAL BLUE! I continue to read and enjoy every book by this author, but I have yet to love one as much as that first one. I do tend to enjoy their gay romances a bit more than their sapphic romances. I did thoroughly enjoy THE PAIRING and the descriptions of the scenery and the food/wine were *chef's kiss*! I enjoyed the "plot" a bit more than the "romance" but overall I really enjoyed this story and will continue to read anything Casey McQuiston publishes.

If you’re into queer rom-coms with witty banter, character development, and tons of of food and wine, this book is for you. It was cute and funny while also being really sweet and tender at times, so like all other McQuiston books. I would say that if you are already a fan of McQuiston, then you will like this for sure.

I really don't know what I was expecting but this book was not it. The characters genders were hard to follow and there was an awkwardly egregious amount of sex.

Theo and Kit were childhood best friends, then took the chance on becoming a couple. It was everything they both ever wanted. On the way to a European food and wine tour, they get into a fight and they break up. When Kit didn't show up on their flight back home, Theo packed up his things and they didn't speak again. Fast forward a couple of years and both are thriving. Theo is living in California and working as a bartender and aspiring sommelie. Kit never returned home, instead has been living in France and working as a pastry chef. The voucher for the food and wine tour is about to expire and Theo plans to go on it as a sort of farewell to their old life, and Kit. When they arrive on the tour bus, who is there but Kit! Desperate to prove that they are over each other, they start a hookup competition. Three weeks in the most beautiful cities, enjoying amazing food and drinks with the ex that you never got over...? What could possibly go wrong?

I absolutely love this friends to lovers vibe. I love that the characters of this book were so genuinely themselves. The biggest takeaway was the realization that if you are going to love someone over the different seasons of their lives, you need to love them fully or not at all. What Kit and Theo had was magic. The kind of love that people dream of. The breakup was devastating but both characters grew so much. The spice was also incredible. This was a great book with great representation for the LGBTQ community. I definitely recommend.

I have a so-so relationship with this author's books. I've enjoyed all the previous novels they've written but upon reflextion I never really LOVED any of them, and I think this book is the same. I do tend to enjoy romances that surround the food industry because it's what I do for work, it's fun to see it in novels! I think the premise of this really saved the book for me. I obviously knew the outcome of the relationship in this book but it didn't really lower my enjoyment at all. Overall, this was a lot of fun but I never liked either of the main characters. I thought they were whiny and a bit annoying and all their problems would've been solved if they just TALKED TO EACH OTEHR from the beginning. Yeah, yeah, drama, plot, all that, but it would've made me like them. I'll always read anything Casey McQuiston writes even though their Saphic books work a lot better for me!

The Pairing was the romance I didn't know I needed. I love Casey McQuiston's books and it's so fun to see how their writing style morphs and grows with each published book. The Pairing is a departure from McQuiston's usual style of writing and is a very different romance. That might have been off-putting for some romance readers, but that's what made me love this book. It's new and fresh and different.

Theo and Kit's story was unconventional to its core, but I think that's what makes it fun and exciting. I don't think I've ever read a second chance romance where the couple is actively sleeping with random people on a bet while still building sexual tension with each other. The way the hook-up bet was woven into creating tension and emotion was really good. I had no clue where the story was going to take me next, other than through a tour of Europe with some great food. It kept me engaging and (metaphorically) flipping the pages wanting to know what would happen next. I listened to the audiobook, which was super well done. And the POV switch? GENIUS!!!

Two highlights: Monacco and the fountain

You know how this love story is going to end, but it doesn't matter, because the journey of getting to the happy ending is so delicious. Sumptuous descriptions of food and art abound, and the spicy parts are extra saucy!

Another hit for Casey McQuiston. I loved the descriptions of the food and wine and scenery. It made me want to take a food and wine tour of Europe, too. Or maybe it gave me the chance to experience it in my mind. The romance is fun. The sex is over-the-top.
I read this first, then listened to the audiobook. I liked the narration. It was interesting that the book was told from one character's point of view for the first half and the other character's the second half.

What a wild ride. I loved both characters and how messy and real they were. The only bad thing about this book is it made me so hungry! But it was so much fun to read and travel vicariously with them.

This was personally a disappointment for me. I loved RW&RB, and I had really high hopes for more from this author. It simply fell flat in the romance department. Kit and Theo’s relationship was immature and felt entirely dependent on their physical attraction to each other. Everything about this screams horny, from the settings, to the descriptions of food, to the actual plot, but I couldn’t really connect with any of it. I feel like we spent so much time on the humorous aspects of the hook up and the overly decadent food/drink pairings, and not enough establishing a genuine rapport between our mc’s.

I am a HUGE Casey McQuiston fan, and I’m so sad that this one fell flat for me! Though I loved the characters and their journeys, including LGBTQ+ rep, there was truly no plot. Sometimes I can stay just for character development and vibes, but there wasn’t enough to keep me hooked.

The Pairing is another uniquely creative story by Casey McQuiston, author of Red, White and Royal Blue and my favorite, One Last Stop. It's the love story between two friends who are bisexual who have known each other since childhood and become romantically involved, until one day while heading on the vacation of a lifetime together have an argument which ends up tearing them apart. It's very funny and extremely adorable as well as charming. In my opinion also one of the main characters you may say, is the beautiful, imaginative scenery McQuiston creates for the reader to envision as the two characters trapse around Europe.

Theo and Kit had been best friends since childhood, then turned boyfriend and girlfriend. But after a horrible fight at the airport when they were going on a dream vacation to Europe to visit beautiful countries and eat their way through cities and towns, they break up. Never to see each other again.

But, a few years later, Theo has decided it's time to take this trip no matter what. The ticket is expiring, and she could use a break from her chaotic life in California where she is the daughter of an all-famous acting family, (except her) who has decided to do life on her own and has not really been able to find exactly what her talent should be. But as soon as she boards the bus in Paris to begin the eating and drinking tour of Europe, she is taken aback when she sees sitting in one of the seats, her ex-boyfriend Kit. Now, the two must attempt to get along, play nice and try and stay away from each other so they can enjoy the trip.

But, of course, that begins to become extremely difficult as they start to remember what their relationship used to be and just how much they enjoyed each other's company. So, as a joke, they decide to participate in a bet. But of course, things begin to go downhill because of jealousy and misinterpretations.

And then something starts to happen as they travel to beautiful areas with gorgeous scenery and delightful food and very wonderful friends they begin to make at each stop. But what about the bet? They both know this will never work. Kit, a chef in Paris and Theo a sommelier and catering company owner in California are not going to change their lives...are they? With so much to lose, how could whatever this is be a win?

The Pairing is an apt name for this enchanting, humorous wonderfully sensitive story with delicious food and beautiful scenery to admire in your imagination. The book will have you so delighted by the end that you will be booking your very own trip to experience what you have created in your mind's eye!

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin'sGriffin #ThePairing #CaseyMcQuiston for the advanced copy.

I think this author just isn't for me. I tried to read one other book from them and ended up dnfing too. I am 25%
into the book, and it's just now getting into the plot. However, I can't connect with the characters, and I just find them awkward. Also, the banter isn't bantering enough for me.