Uh, Siri? Play “The Cult of Dionysus” by The Orion Experience?

Wow. What a delight this book was. To describe its vibes simply: it’s a hedonistic romp, an experience for all the senses, a triumphant exploration of loving fully and deeply and irrevocably.

<i>The Pairing</i> follows Theo and Kit, childhood best friends turned lovers turned exes, who reunite by accident on a European food tour they had planned to go on together years ago. Forced into proximity, the two quickly create a competition to see who can hook up with the most locals by the end of the tour… all the while trying to avoid confronting all the reasons they broke up and all the ways they still want each other.

Okay, not to brag, but I have read an advanced copy of every single one of Casey’s books, and every time I have a near-religious experience devouring their writing in the space of a few days. This was no exception, and honestly, The Pairing could be considered their most well-crafted story to date.

McQuiston perfectly executed the complex dynamic between Kit and Theo. No small feat, between their complicated history, their rich bond, and the simmering tension and longing between them! The characters leapt off the page and I just. adored them so much. I was rooting so hard for them – especially after around the halfway point, where there’s a turning point in the plot and narration >:)

Another aspect of this book that I adored was its multi-faceted exploration of queerness. It situates and juxtaposes queerness with European art and culture and food, making the queerness feel (correctly!) an essential part of Europe’s history. Also: it’s in-your-face bisexual, it defies easy-to-understand conceptions of nonbinary identity, and it fucks with gender roles in such a sexy way. God, I’m obsessed.

The Pairing really puts the pink and turquoise back into the pride flag, if you know what I mean <3 I really can’t think of a better way to say I loved it than that.

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the eARC of The Pairing. All opinions in this review are my own.

I thought I was going to absolutely love this one and I am so sad that I didn't. I loved the concept of two friends turned into a relationship breaking up right before their European food and wine tour only to be reunited when they end up on the same tour trying to use their vouchers before they expire. I was expecting detailed descriptions of food, wine, and travel, but unfortunately that's not what I got. Extremely early on in the book, Theo and Kit become friends again and make a bet of who can sleep with the most people. This was so frustrating to read because they clearly were still in love with each other and just needed to actually talk about their feelings with each other. The book did get better after it switched to Kit's point of view and you realize how much he has missed Theo. The ending was really sweet too. I just wish the first half was more like the second half.

I am torn about The Pairing. I was very excited to read this book after reading the lovely rom com Red, White and Royal Blue, and I was aware of the storyline about two bi-sexual exes going on a European vacation together. I absolutely tore through the book in a day because it’s an easy, quick, kind of smutty read. (Note: this book was unexpectedly sexually graphic). But I was irritated for at least 50% of the book because Theo is such a self saboteur. Literally everyone, from the strangers on the tour, to Kit and Theo’s family, and you, the reader, can see these two idiots should be together. It’s endlessly frustrating to read their inner thoughts, and see their poor communication and self-sabotaging destructive behavior. In the end, it all still seemed too much about sex and not enough about a real relationship or communication. I did love the setting and depiction of all their travel destinations and food experiences. Book me on that trip ASAP. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my ARC.

This was good but not great This one was already a tough sell because I don't love a second chance romance but that's on me, not the book. I should have known better! Overall, The Pairing is cute, the European setting is super fun but... Nothing has hit the way Red White and Royal Blue did for me.

I absolutely loved this book. Such beautiful food imagery that it would make you hungry after a single chapter. Such wonderful depictions of sexuality and friendship and love. I felt like something was missing, but overall I really loved it.

🍷There’s just no reason a romance, especially a second-chance one, needs to be this long! That said, this was a cute, spicy story and I did enjoy the audio. Thank you so much to @stmartinspress for the sneak peek at this. It’s out now!

🍷 Ok, so this one had a lot!
- travel
- second chance romance
- friends to lovers
- spice 🌶️🌶️
- food and drink descriptions that will leave you drooling
- loveable characters
- LOL scenes

🍷 When two bisexual exes go on a tour of Europe and challenge each other to a hook up competition, there’s a lot of possibilities! So beware this one is open door for sure!

🍷 I honestly liked a lot about this, but ultimately when you’re looking at a second-chance romance you KNOW how it’s going to end, and the journey just shouldn’t be this long. By the end I had pumped my audiobook up to 2.75x just to get to the point. If I was sitting down with a physical copy I would likely have DNF’d it.

🍷 That said, if you’ve liked McQuinston’s books in the past or have a soft spot for any of the tropes or storylines I mentioned above you should give the audio a try!

This book was interesting about 1/3 of the way, Theo is a very funny MC, the travel was interesting... then it got repetitive. Lack of communication, the sex bet, the peach... definitely not my cup of tee.
I did like, however, the gender affirmation in this book. Very well and tastefully done.

I didn't hate this, but I didn't love it like I did previous selections by McQuiston. Theo was insufferable and, in a rom-com, it actually is important to like the characters. The writing was good, everything felt realistic, and the humor was funny, but Theo's selfishness, the inability to just talk, the pacing somewhat . . . it was a bit meh. And the premise of the two competing over conquests . . . it sounded funny, at first, but when I read the book, it felt cringe.

Theo and Kit grew up best friends, fell into first love, but haven’t talked in four years. They had a horrible fight and broke up on their way to Europe, and both end up using their refund credits at the same time, ending up on a romantic bus tour as the only two singles. As they move through a food and wine tour of Europe, they decide on a wager to hook up with people other than each other - when that’s all they want.

This book took me on a summer trip to Europe, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Not only did I adore the settings, the food and wine descriptions and the way that CMQ drew me in, but I fell in love with the characters. They were complex and lovely and finding themselves, and also fully whole.

It’s a spicy second chance romance at its core, but it’s also a book about friendship and finding your passions. I loved it.

Definitely their communication could’ve been better, but the travel descriptions and friendships more than made up for that frustration.

The Paring by Casey Mcquiston is the 3rd book I've read by this author. It may be my favorite one yet. Though all have received 5 star reviews from me. This book made me laugh and cry. Sometimes at the same time. This was a beautiful and heartbreaking story. I especially like how the author did the duo POV by splitting the book. Not only did they do a great job distinguishing the different characters, giving them very different personalities and characteristics, but even the way the character narration of the story felt vastly different. I liked both main characters, but I'm absolutely in love with Kit. His poetic way of looking at life and love is beautiful. This book was so fun to read. The travel, the food, the drink, and the friendships they formed along the way, no detail, was spared. I felt like I was right there on the trip with Theo & Kit. I've already purchased my own copy of this book. I look forward to rereading this book again and again. Thank you, netgalley, for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

Theo and Kit, childhood best friends, fell deeply in love and then broke up on the plane ride to Paris. Now both have expiring vouchers for that food and wine tour they never went on, and both (unknowingly) have signed up for the same tour.

I am a huge fan of Casey McQuiston, who wrote this book, and this story is another great addition to her body of work. The romance feels epic because of McQuiston’s expert writing skills, and I desperately want to go back to Europe and eat (and drink) my way through it thanks to McQuiston’s incredible descriptions. This is a beautiful book, and I definitely recommend it.

I’ve adored quite a few of Casey’s books, and really wanted to love this book, too. The sumptuous descriptions of food, wine, and Europe were absolutely delicious, but I found the love story lacking.

The storyline (sleeping with lots of other people, all gorgeous and willing) didn’t seem to be a legitimate way to bring Kit and Theo back together. Theo's journey with bisexuality felt real and earned, especially when framed through Kit's reactions. Still, their connection wasn't as strong as I would have liked it to be. The break-up and the reconciliation seemed unearned, since most of the work was done off of the page.

Overall, I didn't find much emotional resonance in the, admittedly, lush and gorgeous travel story. I’ll keep reading Casey’s books; I usually love them. This one just didn’t hit for me.

I love McQuinston, but I think this premise just isn’t for me. A second chance romance needs to be heavy on the romance for me and this really wasn’t that. Hard to love characters in a relationship I didn’t find myself rooting for. Looking forward to the next!

Childhood best friends turned lovers Theo and Kit had an epic breakup at Heathrow before their epic culinary/art/wine tour of France and Italy even began; Theo went home and blocked Kit’s number, and Kit stayed. They both received vouchers for the trip, and at the eleventh hour, before the vouchers expire four years later, Theo, now a sommelier in training, crosses the ocean again to join the tour, only to end up in a seat on the bus next to Kit–he didn’t take the tour at the original date, either, and wasn’t expecting Theo. They agree to a truce of sorts, and then, since the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else, they challenge one another to a hook-up competition for the duration of the tour. Because they’re totally over each other, right?

The first half of the novel is from Theo’s point of view: we learn about Theo’s struggles with ADHD and feelings of failure around launching a viable career. Having failed the sommelier exam three times, Theo is currently flying under the radar as a mixologist in a microbus and distancing themselves and their perceived weirdness around their famous family of movie producers and actors. Once on the tour bus, Theo dissects their relationship with Kit even as they find themselves spiraling closer to their former friend and lover.

The second part of the novel is Kit’s life update and take on the relationship. Kit has been killing it as a pastry chef in France. It is in Kit’s half that Theo, bisexual and androgynous, reveals to Kit they are now using they/them pronouns. Kit, also bisexual, not only takes it in stride, but immediately respects and validates it.

Their reunion plays out against a stunning backdrop of France, Spain and Italy; the lush sensory details reminds me of the classic Californian coming of age novel Weetzie Bat at a slower pace. The writing is juicy, by which I mean luscious, steamy, emotional, horny, rich and decadent, and ripe with so many allusions to art, architecture and literature it’s nearly gluttonous. One of Kit and Theo’s pasttimes is playing a game called On The Fly, where they verbally compose dishes and drinks, taking one element from a menu presentation to create something new and fresh until one is declared unable to be topped; it speaks to their dynamic in so many ways, from their artful creativity to their ability to work in harmony, to their culinary instincts and expertise, to their competitive nature, to their playful give and take, to their conscious turn-taking of topping in bed. Another game that showcases Theo’s nose is a wine guessing game, and their mastery is awesome.

I love how simply, honestly, and authoritatively the novel portrayed a one true pairing that didn’t limit itself to being straight or being monogamous. Most of all, I loved this sense that they could not have stayed together when they were younger, and needed the break to grow up a little, gain confidence and maturity, and come back together as their best selves. The Pairing is a novel I devoured twice, purchased the day it came out in special edition, and will lament the day the digital galley with all my bookmarks disappears from my e-reader.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #ThePairing via #NetGalley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press.

I felt very annoyed that Theo’s main struggle was “is a nepo baby.” But my frustration there pales in comparison to my delight at how fun and horny this book is. The second half is MUCH better than the first and if you can get past the overindulgent descriptions of food and scenery, it is a fun book. (My eyes glazed over at all of the scene descriptions as they started to blend together, which is really funny knowing that the author actually did a similar trip in order to more accurately write about each place. Don’t care! More kissing and tension!)

Ugh. I really disliked this book. The characters weren’t likable, the plot was problematic. The relationship simply wasn’t believable. I was so hype for this book and wanted to love it so I powered through despite wanting to DNF and it was so bleh.

This Casey McQuiston read was not like any of McQuiton's other reads. I did struggle with it, but found the banter and the competition to be very entertaining once I got into the story. I just recommend going into this one without thinking it is a McQuiston book!

If there's a Casey McQuiston book hitting the shelves you better BELIEVE that I'm waiting with stars in my eyes. And they've done it once again. As many of my reviews will reflect, I am a HUGE fan of food/beverage based stories, especially with fantastic descriptions. Casey spared no beautiful scenery, complex flavor palette, or gorgeous baked bread scent mention. Additionally, I loved Kit and Theo and their connection. Admitedly, I preferred Kit's perspective, as I was ready for some straight up love at this point! Another favorite queer romance just found.

A story that revels in its own decadence in the best way. Read for a riveting romp through the world of European food and wine, told through the lens of a pair of pining disaster queers. If you love stories filled with steamy queer sexcapades and food porn, this is absolutely for you! Honestly my favorite of Mcquiston's so far (and I've loved them all)!

{AD} I'm a huge fan of Casey McQuiston but this was probably my least favourite of their books. It's an ode to hedonism, pulsating with wild pleasures. It feels too gluttonous to read in one sitting though as it can be an overwhelming experience.

What I Loved:
🍷 The descriptions of the food tour across Europe - the places, food and wine.
🥐 The LGBTQIA+ representation.
🍷 The beautiful prose with some exquisite quotes.
🥐 The side characters.

What I Disliked:
🥐 I didn't *love* Kit or Theo as main characters. Both were a bit bland and I didn't connect with either.
🍷 The sex scenes were almost too much for me (but that's my personal preference entirely and other readers will disagree as pleasure is the entire thesis of this book!).
🥐 It was missing the humour of earlier books.

But I am sure the right reader will adore this story and I'm still glad I read it even though I won't be re-reading.