Ooof. Red, White & Royal Blue is one of my favorite romances ever, and I think Casey McQuiston is a fantastic writer. I went into this novel expecting to love it, so I was disappointed to find that The Pairing is three things: long, self-indulgent, and more about sex than love and romance. This is even more of a bummer for me to have to say because second chance romance is one of my favorite tropes. As I was reading, reading, and then skimming this book, all I could think was "Dear God, did an editor actually read beyond the first 50 pages?"

I will first say that the premise in and of itself is fun. It sets up a great frame for slow burn, sexual tension, deepening emotional connection, and exotic settings in which our characters will have unique opportunities to rediscover each other four years after a painful break up. I did enjoy the many European destinations. I also fell in love with Theo and Kit and the story of their pure and guileless childhood devotion that blossomed into love when they were in high school. I loved the secondary characters in their tour group too, Stig, the Aussies, the Travel influencers, and of course, the tour guide.

It was what the author did with all of these ingredients that should have made a great novel that spelled its doom.

I saw another reviewer refer to The Pairing as the author's "sluttiest book" and therein lies one of its problems. Theo and Kit are slutty for no reason other than to be slutty. Neither one enjoys their hook ups with other people in a vain attempt to put their former relationship behind them. So why have them be slutty? The result is that both characters (especially Theo) read as emotionally stunted people who haven't progressed beyond the young-dumb-and full of come teenager stage of sexual development. Theo and Kit aren't learning about each other, about themselves with these random hook ups, and they certainly don't move the narrative forward in any meaningful way as they don't bring the two characters together.

The spicy scenes between Kit and Theo also get bogged down in details about sexual preferences instead of their emotional and physical connection. These two spend so much time choreographing their intercourse both before and during that I kept waiting for one of them to pull out a checklist. We know that these two love and adore each other, but they're so concerned about how to have sex that the mechanics push the emotional connection to the background of the page.

Unless the reader is a food and wine connoisseur, or has spent a lot of time watching Top Chef, a significant portion of the narrative is going to be lost to them. There are, not exaggerating, page long descriptions of the meals, desserts, and wine pairings enjoyed by the characters through their entire tasting tour. The average romance reader is not going to have any idea what anyone is eating or drinking without consulting Google, and even then, if the reader hasn't even tasted most of this gourmet food and wine it isn't going to resonate with them. I think it's amazing that the author loves and appreciates food and wine, and knows a lot about them, but it really gets repetitive (and a bit obnoxious, if I'm being honest) after the first 100 pages. Different city, more exquisite meals that only 1% of readers will ever eat.

As I said, I have to look to the editor here. A very large red pen would not have gone amiss.

a huge departure from some of McQuiston's prior works but I loved the food tour around Europe. It's rare to enjoy a second chance romance where you don't always think they deserve a second chance but some how McQuiston writes in a way that you end up buying into Kit and Theo's second chance and are cheering them along for all their past and present mistakes.

I have enjoyed all of the Casey McQuiston books that I’ve read, except for this one. The two main characters just felt very un-relatable and pretentious. They sort of talked about themselves as if they knew they were super attractive and important and could get anyone they wanted and they just felt extremely off-putting. Felt like two characters that just had a lot of growing up to do.

The story itself was also extremely slow and boring. I didn’t care about what was happening. Lots of fancy food and drink talk that I wasn’t interested in. I can definitely see this being some people’s cup of tea but it just wasn’t mine.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book, but sitting down to write a review has been hard for me. Maybe that's because I can't decide what I want to talk about. There's so many things in this book that have made me laugh, cry, want to do a food tour through Europe, hug Kit and Theo, and slap them for being so stupid.

As you can see, it's a journey. (Literally).
Through truly delicious sounding descriptions of food and drink, paired (haha, get it?) with beautiful locations and scenery, we get to know Theo and Kit as they are now, interspersed with bits of information about who they were when they were dating. And as the POV switches around the halfway point, we even get to see them through each other's eyes.
The characters have a beautiful connection, which they have to manage with their now complicated relationship, and we see them interact with so many different people and in so many different places and situations.

But apart from the personal journeys, this is also a book about being queer, about being young and finding your way, and about making mistakes. And yes, it is also wildly horny.

I truly loved to get to know these people and places and just taking my time with every stop on the tour.

It gets only four out of five stars from me, because the pacing felt a little off throughout the book. It wasn't boring and it's also wasn't really dragging, but there were a few lulls throughout the story.

I just finished The Pairing last night, and I’m very conflicted about it? On one hand, I liked the usage of the European trip a lot. I enjoyed watching them travel to new locations, I enjoyed all the food and drink descriptions, and I found the changing setting to be dynamic and exciting.

I didn’t mind the dual POVs, but I did find the abrupt switch very jarring. I also felt like not going back to Theo’s POV until the very end limited their character development. They discuss a lot of things they need to work on in the beginning (aka all their nepo baby problems *insert eye roll here*), but we never see how they resolve any of them because we are suddenly not in their head anymore. I will say, I actually liked Kit’s POV a lot more, so I didn’t hate it being focused on his story, but I felt like narratively the choice didn’t really work because there was no growth.

To be honest, in general the character development is seriously lacking. We never see them fall in love so we don’t know why they are so attached - other than they have great sex? And Kit buys Theo cake? I mean, some relationships are based on less, but I felt like something was missing here. I didn’t understand why they were supposedly meant to be.

Also, frankly, none of the other side characters were developed at all. They just existed to be hot and to flirt with/bang the MCs. I had heard this book described as “horny in Europe,” and yes, it is definitely that and that’s fine, but I wish all the sex hadn’t replaced any romantic or personality development.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Pairing is out tomorrow!

I noticed several less than favorable reviews. This is a Queer ROMANCE novel - it’s not supposed to be heavy and serious. This is a FUN book. I laughed out loud several times during the first half (and again in the second). I think one of McQuiston’s strengths is dialogue, especially witty repartee and flirting. The spicy scenes are definitely more spicy than RWRB (their most recent novel). I enjoyed the relationship being told from both Theo and Kit’s perspectives, and McQuiston did a great job writing each section in a different voice. I also enjoyed reading about the food/drink, but that's because I'm a frustrated foodie.

"Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, they exited each other's lives once and for all.

Time apart has done them good. Theo has found confidence as a hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day, with a long roster of casual lovers. Kit, who never returned to America, graduated as the reigning sex god of his pastry school class and now bakes at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. Sure, nothing really compares to what they had, and life stretches out long and lonely ahead of them, but—yeah. It's in the past.

All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date and about to expire. Four years later, it seems like a great idea to finally take the trip. Solo. Separately.

It's not until they board the tour bus that they discover they've both accidentally had the exact same idea, and now they're trapped with each other for three weeks of stunning views, luscious flavors, and the most romantic cities of France, Spain, and Italy. It's fine. There's nothing left between them. So much nothing that, when Theo suggests a friendly wager to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, Kit is totally game. And why stop there? Why not a full-on European hookup competition?

But sometimes a taste of everything only makes you crave what you can't have."

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

This book is releasing tomorrow, August 6th, 2024. I will be RUNNING to my local bookstore to purchase this and have the physical book in my hands. I need to be able to hug this book, and lay my head on it while I stare up at the ceiling from my spot on the floor. The pages must be highlighted, annotated, and be stained by my tears.

The story of Theo and Kit was devastatingly heartbreaking. This type of angst is the kind that breaks my heart into tiny fissures. My heart ached so much during each chapter. The yearning was written so beautifully, truly a work of art in the way that these two had so much love and respect for each other. I can only imagine this type of love...one that feels like each other is the reflection of their own souls. It was a wonder how these two even breathed without each other for the 4 years they weren't in each other's close orbits. A story like Theo and Kit could convince me that soulmates exist or that their love would go beyond multiple lives or different universes.

Theo's POV of Kit left me with no doubts that Kit is someone who I would have fallen in love with. Kit has this natural charm and ease. People like Kit leave everyone in such wonder of how someone like him exists. Kit's existence is fascinating. Theo's thoughts and ways of navigating life is one that I think most people will find relatable. Theo is desperately trying to search for belonging and purpose, but at the same time has really grown into the person that they have worked so hard to become and are satisfied with where they are. Theo's POV left me holding my breath for when we would switch to Kit's POV of Theo. I just knew that Kit was going to only have the most poetic things to say about Theo. And let me tell you there are no string of words that I can put together for the beauty that are Kit's thoughts and perceptions of Theo. Kit's love for Theo is the only type of love that should ever be worth longing for.

Not only was this a story filled with love that is two halves of one soul, it was a story with stunning views and delicious eats. My wanderlust is only partly satiated due to this book. I need to go through this book and write down every location, food, drink, artwork, and activity that was mentioned. I would love to just walk in the same places where Theo and Kit were and maybe feel a bit of their magic in the air. I also would like to imagine that I could have totally random strangers be infatuated with me and have a hot witty tour guide like Fabrizio on this trip!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Casey McQuiston, and St. Martin's Griffin for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Casey McQuiston has done it again!!! Seriously, how do their books continue to get better and better?! From the start, McQuiston has been very transparent that this is a book about slutty bisexuals, and this is definitely a book about Slutty Bisexuals lmao. From the jump, the reader can tell this book was written by a queer author about queer characters for queer readers, and I greatly appreciate that!! Casey's writing through the voices of Kit and Theo rings so authentically true in a beautiful way. I wanted to eat this book up, as the descriptions of setting, food, and drink were truly delectable. Everything leapt off the page and had me yearning to visit Europe again. Taking a break from my gushing for a second, I will be fully transparent and say that this is not my favorite of McQuiston's book, mainly because the miscommunication was a bit too much for me throughout. I was not able to connect with Theo as much as I had hoped and personally enjoyed the second half of the book more, as it is told from Kit's perspective. However, back to praise: the way that Theo's journey of self-identity is represented in the book is absolutely beautiful, as is Kit's full, unabashed love and acceptance of Theo being non-binary. It was truly written in again such an authentic way and in a joyous way celebrating non-binary people that I loved seeing this representation. I already cannot wait for whatever McQuiston has in store next because I can't get enough of their writing!!!!!

I loved this one! The description of the different European locations, the food, and the drinks made me want to take a European vacation immediately. I usually hate second chance romances but this one was written in a way where I fully understood the past relationship which made me love the current relationship exploration even more. Kit and Theo were both messy, realistic characters that I was rooting for the entire time. I was also pleasantly surprised when 50% in we switched from Theo's POV to Kit's POV. This really helped round out the story and create a fully story. I highly recommend this one looking for a fun, deep, steamy read!

I am a huge Casey McQuiston fan, and have enjoyed her previous books. RW&RB is one of my favorite romances ever. This book was highly anticipated for me, and while I really enjoyed the first 25%, I struggled through the remainder.

To set the scene, Theo and Kit were best friends who finally date, but go through a bad breakup right before they’re set to go on a European vacation. They both decide to use the voucher for the trip right before it expires 48 months later and realize they’re on the same trip.

While I normally love second chance romances, I felt like we didn’t get enough background and were not shown enough of what their relationship was like prior— we are just expected to believe that they were incredible together. The scenery and food are spectacular, but it doesn’t make up for the lack of romance. To top if off, they enter into a hookup competition which could have been fun, except it just got repetitive.

LOVED the queer representation, but felt this one was lacking. I just felt so little for these characters.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and SMP for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Pairing is a second chance romance between Kit, a Parisian pâtissier and Theo a Sommelier. Kit and Theo met as friends and finally confessed their love in their teens and dated until breaking up in their early twenties. The trip that ended up being the final straw in their relationship is what ultimately brings them together again when they both choose to use their vouchers in the last available month. They then travel Europe tasting food, drinking good wine and getting to know each other again.

This is a duel POV but instead of alternating chapters, it is Theo's perspective for the first half of the book and Kit's for the second. The story of their relationship ending unfolds throughout the book while you see them realizing they never fell out of love. You get to meet a cast of really fun characters and if you love food and wine descriptions in your books, you are going to love this! This book is also very LGBTQIA friendly and VERY sex positive if those are things you're seeking!

Unfortunately, I did not love it. The belabored descriptors of food and wine felt like an obnoxious interruption to the story rather than something that added to it. You also get the impression at the start of the book that Kit has done something unforgivable and terrible with the way Theo is responding to them. But you soon figure out that Theo is honestly just immature. Or that's how they read to me. The chip they carried on their shoulder about being a nepo baby while also hyper-fixating on how terrible and irresponsible they are did not make for a fun reading experience. I didn't crave Theo finding a partner, I craved them finding a therapist.

While Kit was more enjoyable as a human his chapters were almost too sappy. McQuiston really leaded in to all the Italian art theme because Kit's chapter long internal dialogues about how amazing and perfect Theo was after readying them from their perspective did not read as accurate.

I'm already not the biggest fan of second chance romance but when your relationship ends basically due to a miscommunication, I am going to have a lot of opinions. Theo's pride kept them from ever talking to Kit after their breakup due to one tiny thing and that was a wild thing for me to wrap my head around. While trying to be friends at the start of the tour they also agree on a 'sex bet' (you read that right) where they would each try to sleep with more people than the other and maybe I am too precious about my romance because my god, I hated that. I don't like reading about characters banging characters that they aren't in love with.

Finally, the ending felt so rushed. They were never fully in their happy moment of the book, they were always trying to sabotage themselves until randomly at the very end Kit sees a goofy note his mom left her brother and that's when he decided a relationship should be fought for. At that point I honestly thought they both deserved better.

Casey McQuiston’s greatest book yet! While previous books have always captured my heart between the fun play on royalty to time travel, “The Pairing” takes away any kitsch and allows McQuiston’s true talent shine through.

Casey McQuiston is an author who started out great and has only gotten better and better. The Pairing is gorgeous, lush, funny, sexy, emotional, thoughtful. McQuiston also flexes their technical skills by weaving gender and identity so seamlessly into Theo's perspective that you scarcely notice it until you enter another POV--the mastery of making someone NOT notice what you're doing is top-tier. This is a book that has everything, a book that had my heart in my throat the entire time I read it. I am bereft that it's over; I am overjoyed it exists. McQuiston has always been a talent to watch, but this cements their stardom even further.

Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book. I truly did. The premise sounded amazing and the plot started to back up my expectations. But overall it just left me feeling like it was too much. Everything was over the top- the sights, tastes, sounds, emotions, everything. Everything was always perfect and magical until the next day when it was MORE perfect and magical and there’s only so much of it I can take. The food descriptions verged on absurd they were so abundant. And let’s be honest, miscommunication is my least favorite book trope and this entire book hinges on characters just not willing to explain how they feel.

I really enjoyed this book -- it combined a lot of my favorite things to read about: travel. food, and rom coms.

At 24, Theo and Kit have an intense break-up while flying to London to do a European food and wine tour. Four years later, they've both decided to use their voucher and finally go on the trip - only to find out they've booked the same trip and are stuck with each other.

I really liked both Theo and Kit's characters and very much felt for them and all they had gone through in their lives. I loved the stories from their friendship when they were young, and could very much see both sides of the argument that lead to their break-up. I enjoyed seeing growth from both of them.

The food descriptions in this book are incredible -- I wanted to eat and drink all of it! The descriptions of all the places they traveled were as well, I had to look up pictures because they all sounded so beautiful. I loved all the side characters as well -- both the people on the bus, as well as the people they meet while traveling. They were all a good way to defuse some of the intensity and tension between Theo and Kit.

I would recommend this one to anyone who enjoys rom coms that have some depth, and some pretty descriptive sex scenes.

This is only the second book I've read by Casey McQuiston but I will definitely check out the rest of their backlist and anything they write in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

McQuiston never disappoints!
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston was sweet, sexy, and all around what I was looking for!
I love Casey McQuiston so much! I highly recommend reading this book. It's such a unique rom-com!
Such a beautiful representation of queer love! A delightful, charming gem of a read.

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I went into this expecting to love it because it was written by Casey McQuiston. I probably overlooked a lot of things I don't usually like for that same reason, and it's skewed my thoughts about this story. But here they are anyway.

First, the things I liked. I liked the second chance plot, the exes going on a food and wine tour of Europe and the side characters made for some fun entertainment. Kit was also a really nice character and his POV was definitely my favorite in the book. I also liked the actual romance that's at the core of this book. The interactions between Kit and Theo made me smile and they made me cry and I loved those small moments of vulnerability and love between them. But they were so overshadowed by everything else in the book that you really had to look to find and appreciate them.

The food and wine descriptions were fun at first, but after a certain point I just started skimming them. I liked the way Kit and Theo would come up with recipes on the spot, but the other descriptions from every place they went to was too much and I stopped paying attention to those pretty early on. Same with the art and sculpture appreciation in the second half of the book. It was just too much describing and not enough actual conversation.

Like I said before, I enjoyed Kit's POV but since it only comes in at the 50% mark, I spent a lot of time checking my location on my Kindle to see how much longer I had to wait to get there. Theo's POV was okay, but their character was just not as interesting as Kit's. There was a lot of "woe is me" energy and right when I felt like things were getting interesting from their perspective, we switched to Kit's and though my reading experience got better from that point, it did feel a bit abrupt.

Now that I'm actually thinking about it, another reason why it was easier to enjoy and appreciate Kit's POV is because he felt more mature than Theo. Like they're both flawed and put each other up on a pedestal. But Kit was also willing to take responsibility and work on the issues from their past so they could have a future. Theo just had a lot of irrational anger and judgement and not enough acknowledgment of their own role in the mistakes of the past. I really empathized with Theo's self-confidence issues and the way they see themselves. It was one of the things that made me cry and I love how their breakup forced them look at things differently and work on themselves more. But I would have liked to see more of them actually tackling things head on without avoiding their issues and flying through life in a very surface level way.

At some point in the book, Theo says something about the breakup being good for both of them. And I completely agree with that. Their lives were so enmeshed that stepping away from each other helped them grow in different ways. I just wish Theo had grown a little more. This book would have been so much better if there was less food, wine and sex and more conversation between the characters. Like I appreciate a smutty book, but there was just so much unnecessary sex here. This book would have ended a lot quicker if they had just talked to each other, and I would have enjoyed it so much more that way.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I went into this expecting to love it because it was written by Casey McQuiston. I probably overlooked a lot of things I don't usually like for that same reason, and it's skewed my thoughts about this story. But here they are anyway.

First, the things I liked. I liked the second chance plot, the exes going on a food and wine tour of Europe and the side characters made for some fun entertainment. Kit was also a really nice character and his POV was definitely my favorite in the book. I also liked the actual romance that's at the core of this book. The interactions between Kit and Theo made me smile and they made me cry and I loved those small moments of vulnerability and love between them. But they were so overshadowed by everything else in the book that you really had to look to find and appreciate them.

The food and wine descriptions were fun at first, but after a certain point I just started skimming them. I liked the way Kit and Theo would come up with recipes on the spot, but the other descriptions from every place they went to was too much and I stopped paying attention to those pretty early on. Same with the art and sculpture appreciation in the second half of the book. It was just too much describing and not enough actual conversation.

Like I said before, I enjoyed Kit's POV but since it only comes in at the 50% mark, I spent a lot of time checking my location on my Kindle to see how much longer I had to wait to get there. Theo's POV was okay, but their character was just not as interesting as Kit's. There was a lot of "woe is me" energy and right when I felt like things were getting interesting from their perspective, we switched to Kit's and though my reading experience got better from that point, it did feel a bit abrupt.

Now that I'm actually thinking about it, another reason why it was easier to enjoy and appreciate Kit's POV is because he felt more mature than Theo. Like they're both flawed and put each other up on a pedestal. But Kit was also willing to take responsibility and work on the issues from their past so they could have a future. Theo just had a lot of irrational anger and judgement and not enough acknowledgment of their own role in the mistakes of the past. I really empathized with Theo's self-confidence issues and the way they see themselves. It was one of the things that made me cry and I love how their breakup forced them look at things differently and work on themselves more. But I would have liked to see more of them actually tackling things head on without avoiding their issues and flying through life in a very surface level way.

At some point in the book, Theo says something about the breakup being good for both of them. And I completely agree with that. Their lives were so enmeshed that stepping away from each other helped them grow in different ways. I just wish Theo had grown a little more. This book would have been so much better if there was less food, wine and sex and more conversation between the characters. Like I appreciate a smutty book, but there was just so much unnecessary sex here. This book would have ended a lot quicker if they had just talked to each other, and I would have enjoyed it so much more that way.

I know a lot of this is about what I didn't like, but I rated this four stars because regardless of all the things that I could have done without, this book still left me with a smile on my face. I'm a sucker for a HEA and this one had a really soft, hopeful HEA. The writing was also really beautiful in places and brought out my emotions in ways I wasn't expecting. Like there were some portions of Kit's POV that was so poetic and lyrical, and I just loved the way it was written. Those were the moments that had me tearing up and really feeling this story and these characters. There's a certain charm and quaintness about the story that I couldn't help but appreciate and it made me like this story even with all its flaws. This book won't be for everyone. You'll probably love it or hate it, or you could be like me and find the diamond under the rough and like it for what's at its core.

𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞. 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐫, 𝐭𝐨𝐨, 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐞—𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨, 𝐬𝐨 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭.

I listened to an audio ALC of this book as well as an E-ARC and I have to praise the amazing narrators. The Narrator for Kit especially is so phenomenal and I really enjoyed both of their performances.

I am so conflicted with my rating for this book and let me tell you why.

It's beautifully written. Like, viscerally, soul achingly beautiful. You can see and taste and smell and feel every location that travel to, everything they eat and drink. You can feel the emotions from at least one character to the marrow of their bones, and it makes your chest ache.

Now, part of why I'm so conflicted is that the set up of this book is miscommunication. And then it devolves into other miscommunications as they travel around. It's also second chance, friends to lovers and I don't like any of those tropes.

I struggled with the first half of this book which is told by Theo's POV. The first half of this book the two MCs meet again after having broken up years ago and going on this trip around France, Spain, and Italy on a tour bus. They are eating, drinking and fucking their way around the countries.

However, where Kit seems to be conflicted and almost heartbroken around Theo, Theo treats the first half of the book like a vapid horny teenager. Literally everyone finds everyone attractive and Theo gets whatever they want in the way of women, men, and getting on yachts. It just didn't endear Theo to me at all and it tends to drag with conquest after conquest.

The second part of the book is told by Kit's POV and this is definitely where it picks up because he's utterly infatuated with Theo. There is pining and romance and tenderness and love and it made me want to root for them. Unfortunately every time Theo opened their mouth in response to something sweet he said or some tender moment with self deprecating humor it really took me out of those scenes and made me not like Theo at all.

Even towards the end Theo says "I love how good he is to me. I love how good I am to myself when he's around." but Theo never says that they are good to HIM. Because they are not.

I believe this book could have easily been 100 pages shorter, as it drags on a bit, even though I did enjoy all the places they visited. The book made me hungry with all the amazing descriptions of the food and all the gorgeous architecture and art.

There was so much to enjoy and yet so much that also feel flat for me. So I think I'm giving it 3 stars. Maybe 3.5. I just wish Theo met Kit with the kind of incredible compassion and love that Kit brought to Theo and I would have rated higher. I'm just kind of bummed because the writing is seriously so beautiful.

I loved Red, White, and Royal Blue, which was a fun story. But I was not a fan of this book. I am not impressed by conflicts that only exist because two characters spend 400 pages not admitting that they like each other.

I had really high expectations going into this book because I have absolutely adored everything else I've read from Casey McQuiston... and I was not disappointed! I really loved this book!

I felt immediately connected to and invested in the love story and I really loved the bisexual representation in this book! And the travelling, I seriously felt like I was on a European vacation with the main characters, I was so engrossed. I loved the descriptions of food and wine and different places it really felt like an adventure!

The spice level on this one was on the higher side but I actually really loved it. I loved that these characters explored sex in really fun and lighthearted ways (but also some really romantic ways too).

I also really appreciated the flaws and the shortcomings of the main characters. I enjoyed seeing them reflect on their growth but also the ways they still had space to grow.

All around loved this and would recommend to all my bisexual friends. And my spicy read lovers. And my pals who want to travel to Europe but without having to get on the plane. Loved it!