Absolutely loved this one! “Red, White and Royal Blue” is one of my absolute favorite books of all time and this one is now right up there with it

DNF at 30%

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

"The Pairing" is about our two leads, Theo (a bartender and sommelier) and Kit (a Boulanger in Paris), who went from childhood best friends to lovers and are now estranged exes. After their brutal breakup in an airport (and several subsequent years apart), the two end up on a European tour together.

Obviously, anyone who dabbles in the romance genre knows how this is going to go: The two play cold shoulder, develop banter, nurse a blooming friendship, suffer from abhorrent communication, hook up, confess feelings, fight and break up(?), then reconcile and HEA. I take no issue with this format, but this book was just too long for what it was. The driving force of the plot is a friendly wager Theo suggests to Kit to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, which (of course!) leads to a full-on European hook-up competition.

The descriptions of food and wine, while beautiful, were too much (both too long and too frequent); the sex bet was ridiculous to the point of caricature; and Theo's nepo baby syndrome was grating my nerves (i.e., they have Hollywood stars for parents and are super rich, but they play poor, complaining to Kit about struggling with rent while chasing their dreams, etc.) Like, why is the conflict of your story all about how much you suffered having a privileged family????

Granted, my complaints could have been resolved had I chosen to read on--I did read in other reviews that the second half of the book is much more enjoyable than the first-- but I can't justify sinking more time into this book than the SIX MONTHS I've already committed. Ultimately, I think the writing itself and the imagery in this book is top-notch for McQuiston, but I just couldn't buy into the plot and characters.

**3.5-stars**

Kit and Theo were childhood best friends, whose relationship finally blossomed to more as young adults. They were in love, but that was 4-years ago. After a vicious break-up, in the airport, of all places, Kit and Theo went their separate ways and have been estranged ever since. Until now. Things are about to shake up...

At the time of their break-up, they had a food and wine tour planned, which they subsequently canceled. They couldn't get their money back, but the vouchers were good to use for another 48-months. Separately. Alone. As the 4-year mark approaches though, it's unsurprising that they'd both come up with the same idea. It's time to cash in the vouchers, and take that tour.

Unfortunately, they don't discover that still think very much alike until they are actually boarding the tour bus. Oh, hello.

Neither one of them has any intentions of giving up the tour though, so it looks like they'll just have to play nice. And play they do, a little hook-up game to prove just how over one another they really are. I'm sure you can imagine what that entails...

Sadly, The Pairing was a bit of a mixed bag for me. It's a good story, but IMHO, it's not at the level I am used to seeing from McQuiston. This hurts to say. For me, it lacked the humor I'm used to from them. I wasn't attached to either MC and I didn't care if they ended up together or not. I actually preferred not.

Additionally, the side characters had no real development, and in the past, some of the SC have been my favorites. I know that sounds harsh, I'm not trying to be, but it is the overall feeling I walked away with. To be fair though, I did like the beginning, I was pulled in fairly quickly, and then I really enjoyed like the last 10%. It was just the in-between bits where I felt bored and like I was struggling to finish.

Both Theo and Kit felt flat for me compared to characters that I have read from McQuiston in the past. I wasn't crazy about the structure they chose either; as in, the way we were given the different perspectives. I would have preferred a more even back-and-forth. The thing that caused their break-up, I felt like that was resolved around the 65% mark and for me, the whole thing felt wrapped-up at that point. What are we even doing here after that? It was just like a couple fighting versus anything I cared to tune for.

I didn't feel any tension, or real angst after that. And frankly, I do semi-agree with Theo's sister, they do seem to intentionally make their lives harder, especially when it came to Kit!

That's all well and good though. I don't need to agree with a character's actions or decisions, but I don't want to be bored while I'm trying to figure out where they are going with their choices. Theo was frustrating.

The sex competition was fun at first, but then it just started to feel repetitive as time went on. Nothing really beat the couple themselves hooking up though when it came to repetitive. It just felt like the same thing over and over, just in a different place. Stale. Honestly, I was so ready for this to be over and felt more relieved than anything when it was done. Although, I will say, I did think it had a lovely ending.

At the end of the day, while McQuiston will continue to be a must-read author for me, I'm NGL, this was a little disappointing and definitely my least favorite of their work. I've read other reviews though, and know that a lot of Readers are LOVING it. So, just because it didn't work for me, doesn't mean it won't work for you. If it sounds interesting, give it a go.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin's Griffin, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'm excited to see what McQuiston serves us next!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

I really liked this one! Without a doubt, my favorite aspect of this book was following Theo and Kit around Europe. All of the locations and foods were described in so much detail that I felt like I was there with them. I liked this book had a dual POV. I enjoyed getting to spend time with Theo and Kit. I loved getting to see how much love they had for each other and seeing them grow as individuals throughout the book.

I’ve been a fan of Casey McQuiston’s books for a while now, and know that her books are guaranteed to give off some witty banter, laughs, and a great romance. Naturally, I leaped at the opportunity to read the ARC, and then NetGalley sweetened the pot by providing access to the audiobook version as well!

The audiobook was narrated by Emma Galvin and Max Meyers, and both did a good job with the characters. I was surprised at how the POV chapters were divided, with the first half of the book being told from Theo’s perspective, and then the second half being told through Kit’s eyes. The structure didn’t work as well for me, since it didn’t really allow me, as a reader, to connect with Kit for half the book, so by the time his chapters started, I was already not feeling his character.

Maybe this is my own internalized gender bias showing, but I thought the cover illustration was of two guys, until through the reading I realized that Theo was short for Theodora, and for a lot of the book, I was confused about Theo’s gender identity. Kit and others refer to Theo as a girl for significant portions of the book, but then McQuiston does a great job with exploring Theo’s journey of their own gender identity. While the gender identity subject was discussed well, I thought the bisexual representation played heavily into the slutty bisexual stereotype—with the central premise of the story being a hookup competition. The romance takes a long time to kick in, probably because they’re so focused on avoiding feelings by getting naked with someone else.

I would have loved seeing more of the travel aspects of the story—the characters go to some really interesting cities and I’m sure they do a lot of cool stuff, but everything started to feel so repetitive that the cities blended together and got lost in the shuffle. It was overly formulaic—travel to new place, eat, drink, have a casual hookup, lather, rinse, repeat. The characters all came across at petty and immature, and I really struggled with getting invested in their lives and their f*ck-your-way-across-Europe competition. However, I found it incredibly fascinating to see how differently sommeliers (even ones in training) experience flavors. But this book might be a better fit for you if you enjoy second-chance romance in clueless characters, raunchy competitions, and if you’re all about foodies and winies (is that even a word? Well, it should be!).

The Pairing is a second-chance romance set on a romantic and picturesque European food and wine tour. The background was perfect, but unfortunately, I was a little disappointed in the story overall. I had a hard time connecting with the characters. I also had a difficult time with the change in POV to Kit's halfway through and the change in pronouns for Theo halfway through. It made me feel a little disconnected from the Theo I came to know from the first half. Like they were a completely different character. Their struggle with their pronouns was never even mentioned or thought about from her POV, so the sudden change was a little jarring. I also loved and hated the constant food and drink descriptions. They filled so much of the story, that it probably could have been dialed back a bit to focus more on the plot and characters. Overall I had to push myself to finish this one. I did not like it as much as the author's other books. I rated this one a 2.75 stars, rounded up to a 3. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to receive an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Beware of possible spoilers.

I feel like the first thing I should mention is that I adored Red, White, and Royal Blue, so I was really excited to read this one. Even so, I tried not to go into it with too many high expectations. And, well, it didn't matter in the end...It's safe to say I'm not the reader for this book.

The thing is, travelling stories with mentions of food and alcohol pairings and the exploration of people in different countries is something I DO like. Like, yes, please, talk to me about all of it. And, in the beginning, it was interesting. I even liked the characters. The sense of humor was pretty decent and I was curious to see how their relationship would unfold after everything that happened to them.

But then...it went downhill.

The idea of making their hookups a competition was kind of fun, especially when they were trying to out flirt each other while also bickering with one another. But I don't need to be in the bedroom while they get it on with characters I don't know, don't care about, and who aren't the person they're going to end up with. There were just too many scenes, which felt deeply unneeded to me. That's certainly a personal thing. Still, it took me out of the story.

Not to mention, how are they finding all these people who are just willing to hook up with them?? Why does it feel like everyone in Europe just wants to fool around?

Also, was this book long to anyone else? It could be the repetitiveness of them stopping, meeting people, having food and wine, hooking up, and then rinse and repeat. Honestly, it probably was...because by the time we got to Kit's POV I was just so over the story by that point. Which is disappointing because I actually really liked his character and wanted to enjoy it.

The romance: it was...not really there for me. The only time they had chemistry was when they were goofing around, being best friend, and reminiscing about the old days. Then it got to them actually BEING together and something happened. Maybe it's because we don't really get to see them fall in love. They already ARE in love from the start and that kind of takes the fun out of it for me.

The exploration of sex, sexuality, and gender, was nice to read and I'm always for that being in a book. But the rest of the story just fell way too flat for me. That being said, I know a lot of people will probably like this and I hope they really enjoy it.

Thank you to St. Martins Press for sending me an arc in exchange for review.

This book singlehandely made me wish to get my heartbroken just so I can go on a tour just like Theo and Kit and find my lost love. I loved this story so much and found myself googling all the different food dishes mentioned in the book. The romance between Theo and Kit made me cry for them, I loved how they found themselves and found a way to grow together with each other. Absolutely adored this book!

4.5/5 stars

I have read all of Casey McQuiston's books, each one has such standout qualities and a strong voice. McQuiston was able to capture my attention from the start, there is just something about their writing style and how they portray their characters. I was able to find Kit and Theo frustratingly relatable, they were both human. They made mistakes, kept making mistakes, but worked through them in the end to be the best they could be for each other. The chemistry between Theo and Kit was so strong from the start, getting to see that awkward interaction of reuniting with a lost love for the first time. But then getting to see the development of their friendship into a relationship.

Can't wait to grab my physical copy of this book!

My fave book by Casey so far! This second chance romance will have you traveling through Europe, and felt quite bougie. I really liked the queer representation and the tension between the main characters was alive & well! My favorite part was all the side characters who make up the found family, which Casey always writes so well. The only things I didn’t love were the very long chapters and the changes in the POV!

Estranged childhood friends-turned-lovers-turned-exes, Kit and Theo, unknowingly book the same European food and wine tour four years after they were originally supposed to take it together. They went from being childhood best friends to lovers to never speaking again, and now they’re stuck together on a tour bus for the next three weeks.

They’re full of hurt and pain, longing and tension, and four years’ worth of memories they didn’t make together.

This one has two tropes guaranteed to make my heart hurt—friends to lovers and second chance romance—so going in, I already knew I was going to spend a good chunk of the time with an ache in my chest.

Oh my poor heart.

The writing is beautiful.

The location descriptions made me want to pack my bags.

I loved the focus on seeking wonder and the bits of humor peppered throughout.

And don’t even get me started on how the food and drink descriptions had me salivating.

This one is dual POV, and whereas most books written in that structure have alternating points-of-view throughout the story, this one is written with the first half from Theo’s perspective and the second from Kit’s.

That change in perspective was a game changer for me.

Oh gosh, I sure do adore Kit.

There are definitely moments and decisions made that feel less than mature, but ultimately, I could see where each character is coming from and I was happy with the ending.

Additional highlights: all the Anthony Bourdain references, the other people on the tour, and Fabrizio, the gregarious tour guide

I received an advance copy of the ebook from St. Martin's Press. All review opinions are my own.

4.5 ⭐️

4.5 stars



I absolutely LOVED the time I spent with this book. Normally I read over the course of a few days -- this book so delighted me that I spread it out over the course of two months. It is an absolute feast for the eyes, with so many incredible-sounding foods and wines that I am still furious I cannot eat right away. (Don't worry, I'm a fantastic cook, I'll be attempting a bunch of them.)

While this book is being described as the ~slutty bisexual summer~ romance novel (don't worry, it is all that), I feel like a more accurate way to describe this book is ~horny for life~. There is so much almost tangible joy and celebration of all that makes us human -- food, travel, sex, connection. (Connection, connection, connection!!)

And while I didn't love all aspects of this book (Theo's nepo baby struggles were such an eyeroll), I still adored it. I am waiting on my pre-order to arrive, and I fully plan to buy several copies for friends' birthday and holiday gifts. I so strongly recommend this book -- it's a romance novel, but it's also something special beyond that. Do yourself a favor & check it out.

Casey has such a talent for creating characters that are so real and I absolutely loved being in the world of The Pairing.

I love that it's written through the point-of-view of Theo and Kit. My favorite was pastry chef Kit because I constantly saw and smelled the pastries.

Enchanting. Beautiful imagery. Perfection.

I love Casey McQuiston’s books so this was a highly anticipated read but this one didn’t live up to my expectations. I really struggled getting through this one.

I liked the travelling adventures and shenanigans Theo and Kit did throughout the book. And some of the cuisine and wine that was described from across their Europe travels sounded so delicious.

Kit and Theo seemed to have a few things in common, like their hairstyles, being in the food & drink industry, and being totally in love with each other but their characters were honestly a bit immature despite the promise that they had both grown up. They were also so obsessed with one-upping each other in their sex competition that it made me lose interest in whether they got back together. Separately though, their characters had promise.

Overall, this was an alright read. I felt it could have been shorter because it lagged in the middle and got boring and repetitive. Also, there were so many descriptions of the food, the places they visited, and the people they interacted with, that it was a lot of information to process and didn’t really feel necessary.

That being said, I will still look forward to reading more books from Casey.

The Pairing is Casey McQuiston's third adult romance, and the story is told from both POVs, with Theo narrating the first half of the book, and Kit narrating the last half. CMQ has been quoted saying they are "Trojan-horsing a trans romance" with this book - one of the characters is non binary and the other is cis, and both are bi. CMQ has also said they wanted to flip the "bisexual slut" cliché - what if they really are bisexual sluts? Is that really so bad?
I love CMQ's voice and style of writing, and it really shines through in descriptions of art, landscape, and food. I did feel that this book was lacking some heart, but I admire the intention of celebrating all queer love and stories (not just the easy to digest, cis gendered, coming out stories). If the Olympics is making you dream of Europe, pick this up. This is absolutely their spiciest book yet, so if you want some spice in your life, pick this up. It's out now!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.
ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary 
Kit and Theo have been friends since they were small, so things felt very natural when their friendship turned romantic as they approached adulthood. They planned a trip to Europe, during which they would enjoy a 3-week tour through France and Italy. But a relationship-ending fight on the plane had them requesting vouchers for a future trip, and going their separate ways for good. Four years later, the vouchers are about to expire, so they end up on the same tour, unbeknownst to each other. What ensues is a lot of food, wine, reminiscing, and a competition to see who can sleep with their sexy tour guide first. But why stop with Fabrizio? They decide to make it a Euro-tour of hookups, but will they be able to stay away from each other amongst the flirting and temptation? 
 
Why did I pick up this book? 
I was gifted an advanced copy, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. I requested this advanced copy, though, because I have really enjoyed McQuiston's other books! 
 
What did I enjoy about it? 
This book was so incredibly descriptive, I felt like I was on the tour. From the sights, the sounds, the food and drinks, it was a book for all senses and made me want to go back to Europe (and my twenties) so badly. I loved that each city was another step for Kit and Theo, as if each new destination was moving them closer together. The dozens of side characters were also such a treat!  

What did I not enjoy about it?  
While the descriptions were beautifully written, it made the story drag a bit. There were many moments I would find myself wanting to skim to get to some plot development because there was almost too much description of every morsel they ate. I also felt as though this four-year conflict between the pair was resolved unrealistically quickly and simply.  This is the person you love/loves you most and you hurt each other, then one conversation and it's fixed? Hmm.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy! This was a great summer read! I adored both characters and their relationship. The setting was spectacular and reading about all the food/wine was a treat. The story had a lot of heart as both characters knew so much about each other but still kept discovering more about each other when they reconnected. This was a really solid read!!
Thank you again to NetGalley and the publisher!

This was a fun and sexy story. I loved traveling through Europe with the characers and seeing the hijinks they got into. There was strong character development and I thought the ending was well done.

Casey McQuiston is the GOAT of writing the best characters & friend groups! I'm obsessed every time. Kit, Theo, & the rest of their European tour companions were no different. They were all so much fun, especially Fabrizio! This book truly felt like a love letter to food & drinks. I don't think I've ever been more hungry while reading a book lol. The push and pull between Kit & Theo had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I felt like I was turning each page faster than the last. I felt every single emotion so strongly & really related to both Theo & Kit in many ways. I literally stared at the wall for 20 minutes after finishing the book because I just didn't know what to do with myself now that I was done.

I really felt like I was traveling through Europe with their group & it made me so nostalgic for my own tour through Spain & Italy a decade ago.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Casey McQuiston for sending me an early copy!

The Pairing has McQuiston's classic playfulness, which makes it a summery delight to read. Picturesque settings and a deliciously nonplussed protagonist engage the reader from the first page, and the author's quick wit keeps the pace moving. My only critique was that it was not clear from the early chapters that Theo was nonbinary, especially because they referred to themself as someone's "daughter" at one point. However; I appreciated having the dual perspectives in a nontraditional format, and I felt it gave the story a new dimension. Fans of A.R. Capetta's The Heartbreak Bakery, Casey McQuinston's other works, and Rainbow Rowell will love this Queer European romp.