How unfair is it that I wasn’t reading this book in a Parisian cafe or whilst eating pinxto in San Sebastián? A delicious book, laden with romance, gorgeous food and wine descriptions that made me want to book a food tour to follow Kit and Theo. Swoony, sexy - a perfect read.

This book is so delicious I would gladly hop on an international flight just to get another taste!

Theo, an assistant sommelier in Palm Springs, and Kit, a pastry chef in Paris, have a long, complicated, past: from childhood besties to young lovers to breaking up on the flight bound for their dream European food and wine tour. Years later, Theo decides to take a solo trip and cash in on the refund voucher right before it’s set to expire. But their “Saturn return voyage of self-realization” does not go as planned when they realize Kit has also waited until the last moment possible to reschedule his trip and now they’re stuck together for the next three weeks. But what’s the worst that could happen? Especially with a friendly hook-up competition between the two, seeing who can sleep with more people on the trip and win the title of Best Slut. There’s nothing between the two of them at this point anyway…..right?

McQuiston’s desire to write a book that is “inherently bi” and to reclaim and lean into the “slutty bisexual” stereotype (which is so often harmful to those in the community) resulted in a sex-positive, queer in nearly every way imaginable, simply delightful read.

Casey McQuiston could teach a masterclass in sexual tension—the emotions are palpable from page to page. And with the (unofficial) tagline of “May the best slut win,” you know this book is getting steamy!

My one big complaint is a personal matter. This book does have the miscommunication trope, which is one of my least favorite tropes. From beginning to end, these poor characters just can’t quite get through to each other. And while I do think it is well justified in the plot, I can’t help but mentally take them both by the collar and shake them, screaming “OMFG JUST SAY *ONE SENTENCE* ABOUT HOW YOU FEEL.” But if you don’t mind miscommunication, I think this was well done—it’s just not something I usually love.

If you have loved McQuiston’s other books, if you crave decadence, if you’re looking for a book that feels like warm sand and cool ocean, if you need to scratch the wanderlust itch—please do yourself a favor and pick this one up!

Sluts forever!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for providing the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this. Red, white & royal blue was just so incredible but I had to DNF this one. The story was lacking & the 2 MCs were just so insufferable. 😩

What a perfect book.

The Pairing is the story of Kit and Theo, childhood best friends and former romantic partners who accidentally end up on the same food and wine tour four years after they broke up. I fell in love with both of them (and several of the supporting characters!) as they fell back in love with each other. I think the writing in this is Casey McQuiston's best by far - the descriptions of food and various beautiful places in Europe, the layers of each character revealed in their speech and their inner monologue. It was an absolute pleasure to read.

Pairs well with: a perfect reading nook, plenty of time to inhale this book, a tasty snack or refreshing drink to accompany your reading. Wow wow wow did I love this one. Casey McQuiston's writing has leveled up in a whole new way and I am in LOVE with the way it has culminated in The Pairing. Yearning, second chances, two people growing their own roots and finding they lead right back to each other after all, set amongst the most beautiful sights, scents and tastes of Europe?! How can one go wrong? I loved this story. I loved Kit and Theo and getting to be inside each of their heads as they guard and open their hearts to the world and to each other. I loved how evocative this story was, how I could taste everything the characters did with vibrancy, how my heart could ache and my jaw could drop at the glorious and profane way this book wove seamlessly between European vistas and absolute smut. This is the perfect summer read and I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy of it when it finally comes out. I highly recommend.

**Many thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really wanted to love this book. I was sold when I saw food and wine tour wround Europe. Sign me up...no in real life too! childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes end up being on the same tour and have a hook up compition. The book falls flat, the characters are sadly one deminsional. Sadly it was a string of hookup and after 30% in I had to give up. I have DNFing a book I wanted to love.

**Book Review: The Pairing by Casey McQuiston**

I absolutely hate this book. Everything that made Casey McQuiston's writing enjoyable and even personable despite the characters' lifestyles was missing from "The Pairing." The elements of found family, meaningful characters, and even likable characters were glaringly absent. I was so disappointed by this book, which had so much potential but fell short on multiple fronts.

The characters, Theo and Kit, felt one-dimensional and lacked the depth that usually makes McQuiston's characters relatable and endearing. The charm and wit that typically define McQuiston's narratives seemed to be lost here. There was no sense of community or the strong bonds of found family that I had come to love in McQuiston's previous works. Instead, the interactions between Theo and Kit felt forced and superficial, making it difficult to invest in their stories or care about their outcomes.

Moreover, the plot itself was uninspired and lacked the engaging twists and turns that are hallmarks of McQuiston's storytelling. The book's pacing was uneven, and the dialogue often felt stilted and unnatural. It was frustrating to see such a promising premise squandered on a narrative that failed to deliver on its potential.

In summary, "The Pairing" was a significant letdown. It lacked the heartfelt connections, engaging characters, and captivating storytelling that have made Casey McQuiston a beloved author in the romance genre. This book felt like a missed opportunity and did not live up to the high standards set by McQuiston's previous works.

The Pairing

OH MY HEART THIS BOOK! Pairs well with literally anything, it was so delightful.

Theo and Kit were childhood best friends, then they were lovers, and now they are living two worlds (and continents) apart. Their voucher for the food and wine tour of Europe they booked before they split up is about to expire and they unknowingly redeem it on the same tour. So many wonderful adventures across different cities of Europe. Among the art, food, wine and friends, they set off on a competition to who can find more lovers on all their adventures. However, these two must accept that the ultimate pairing is really each other.

Such a wonderful story from Casey McQuiston. I absolutely adored Theo and Kit, they way they came together as they are now, acknowledging their past but moving into their future together. The rest of the characters on the tour were also a huge delight and so fun to watch throughout the book.

The narration was absolutely wonderful. I loved how the dual POV worked - switching halfway through the tour instead of alternating chapters as is common with dual POV. Hearing the different languages read to me was also a true delight. I alternated between the eARC and ALC but preferred the audio for the language and accents.

Check this one out if you're looking for:
- Second chance romace
- Non-binary rep
- European adventures
- Food and wine pairings galore

I'll just say - if Casey McQuiston writes it, I'm going to read it. I am amazed and I think this is an important story. I hope everyone reads it.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and Macmillian audio for the ARC/ALC. The Pairing is on shelves August 6th, 2024! My opinions are my own.

Thank you to Casey McQuiston, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of the pairing in exchange for my honest review.

The Pairing is a lovely second-chance romance. Kit and Theo broke up four-years-ago on an airplane ride and now live on separate continents. So imagine their surprise when they both end up on the same food and wine tour. To prove to each other that they are absolutely over the other person, they decide to start a competition to see who can hook up with the most people during the three week tour. The only issue? They both love the other person.

What I really appreciated about The Pairing was how both Kit and Theo stuck true to themselves. Kit knows he still loves Theo, but also recognizes that they can’t repeat the same patterns from the past. Theo has found what they are passionate about but is lacking the confidence to set their heart to it. However, they are not willing to sacrifice their wants to be with Kit. It’s great to read a romance novel where the characters stay true to themselves and do not change who they are at the core to be together. The only thing while reading the book is that I really struggled with is that it felt like there was to much going on all at once. It was a second chance romance while the characters were also trying to figure out what they wanted in life while on a European tour. I enjoyed the separate components but all together it just felt like the story needed to be longer or one of the subplots needed to be less prominent. For example: I could tell Theo and Kit still loved each other but it was hard to believe it without being told that they were in love because there was so much else going on. While I did truly like the book I was just left wanting more.

Kit and Theo broke up four years ago. With a wine and food tour voucher ending soon, Theo hops on a bus only to find Kit sitting next to the only open spot. This food tour, across France, Spain, and Italy will show these two all that has changed and all that has stayed the same.

McQuiston writes with such panache and such delicacy, it feels like a feast for the eyes to read each of their books and this is no exception. Kit and Theo are fully fleshed out and immediately lovable and frustrating as they go through the ups and downs of break ups, friendship, and finding each other once more. No McQuiston is without its supporting cast and this book is no different. While all of the fellow travelers are strangers at the start, by the end of the three week tour, they are all old friends and family. They complemented Kit and Theo beautifully.

Slower paced, stretched out over three weeks and 400 some odd pages, this story of love and finding oneself is as beautiful crafted as the dessert and drink pairings Theo and Kit bandy about throughout different parts of the book. A stunning beautiful book.

Perfect summer romantic comedy. Casey McQuiston can write a romance. This was fun, had some of the best characters in a romance that I've encountered and I finished in one sitting.

Casey Mcquiston has once again proven why they are a force to be reckoned with in modern queer literature with their latest novel, "The Pairing." Mcquiston's storytelling prowess shines through in this captivating and heartwarming tale that explores love, identity, and the complexities of relationships.

Having read several Casey McQuiston books this one was by far my favorite. It is a cute queer love story set alongside heartbreak, the pains of growing up and a European summer. Part love story and part love letter to Europe and food the book made me long for some of my favorite restaurants around the world and nearly scream from the amount of pining the characters were exhibiting.

Delicious and sinfully indulgent, The Pairing is a feast for the senses. This is the type of the book that makes me sad you can only read a story for the first time once. That reminds me why I really, truly love to read. McQuiston's gorgeous prose and captivating, lyrical descriptions mean every detail — from the food to the sex to the destinations — jumps from the page, making the experience of reading an entirely immersive one. I found my mouth watering, my heart tripping and swelling and shattering, my sense of awe reigniting along with Kit and Theo. A unique dual-POV perspective (the first half from Theo; the second from Kit) allows the reader to see each character through the lens of the person who loves them most. The Pairing is everything a second-chance romance novel should be, yes, but it's also so much more: A love letter to travel, to food, to wine, to history, to self-discovery, to love itself. Equal parts romantic and poignant and sensual and laugh-out-loud hilarious — if you can't go on your own European food tour, this is truly the next best thing. Five stars (really, an entire sky of them) to this exceptional novel.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this novel

DNF. I am very sad to say I did have to DNF this book. I was really excited to read it. I love all of Casey’s other books, but I couldn’t get into this one. I wasn’t connecting with the characters or the story. I didn’t really feel like the characters were flushed out or written to be multidimensional. I would definitely give it a try if you’re a fan of Casey’s books, but I’m sadly gonna have to sit this one out.

It's really had for a book to top Casey McQuiston's Red, White and Royal Blue for me, and while it still hold my top spot when it comes to their works for me, there were definitely moments when I felt like The Pairing was going to dethrone it. The Pairing is perfect. I fell in love with Theo. I was enamored with Kit. These characters are perfect and I wanted them to just figure it out and get together yesterday. Plus the way the food and wine is described throughout this entire novel had me hungry and craving all the delicate pastries and indulgent drinks.

I can't say enough about this book except you need to read it this summer. And then plan a trip to Europe.

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did - a food-and-sun-soaked summer tour of France, Spain, and Italy, with a second-chance bi-for-bi romance? Here FOR it.

Unfortunately, a lot of this didn't work for me. I think first off I'm just not allosexual enough for this book - while I knew going in it was going to be two exes flirting their way through Europe and having a hookup competition, it was just /so/ much of it, to the point that it felt repetitive, and worse, much more along the destructive behavior side than the liberating queer joy it was intended to be. Especially since only a third of the way through the tour, Theo's chosen hookup for the night drops them because they're so clearly still hung up on Kit, which then causes them to spiral and view each subsequent hookup as a way of proving something, which then leaves a bad feeling hanging over each one. It means that for both Theo and Kit, their coming back together comes through a weird haze of longing and jealousy and through one-note set-dressing characters who are only there to be attractive and DTF, rather than seeing all the things they loved before and discovering new things to love about the people they've grown into once they've addressed the fight that broke them up four years ago.

I'm also sad to say that even for a fun, summer escapist book (I'm totally willing to believe that everybody in Europe is hot and bisexual and DTF at the drop of a hat with just a small eye roll and a sigh for the sake of a light summer read, but also holy shit it's legit EVERYBODY), it just doesn't hit the mark for me. The place descriptions just don't capture the spark of each of these locations (this may work better if you haven't been to any of them, but even with sense and place memories of what McQuiston was trying to evoke, they just kind of jarred or felt superficial); there's obviously going to be a lot of telling with a sort of location-hopping, tourist-book-esque plot, but aside from some of the art descriptions and a passage from Theo about just standing with one piece and having that be your experience instead of trying to glut yourself on everything, it all just felt like skimming the surface and not connecting with what made it special. It's just flat, and unfortunately, boring in its repetitiveness. McQuiston's expertise lies in emotions, not in descriptions, and the food and meal descriptions show that the most strongly, mostly because they /don't/ tap into any emotions and end up more as lists. Granted, lists that do make your mouth water just hearing about them, but once again, there's no spark of connection about what they evoke, which feels particularly damning when the title is The Pairing and Theo gets a whole monologue about how a food and drink pairing should evoke an experience and be a whole sense memory. (I have a huge bias, but do not get me started on the Italian leg of the tour, I'll be here all night)

The last 20% of the book is probably worth an entire star on its own and almost turned my feelings on the book around, if I hadn't been so disenchanted by that point. This is the part that actually gets to the heart of the matter - the emotions, the different ways love shows and is expressed and traps, and how people grow and need to grow. Unfortunately it is also forced to butt up against the previously established "problems" Kit and Theo had, which weren't thoroughly explored enough to make a resolution feel anything other than both "this took you this long?" and "that's it? you're just...over it?" at the same time, which is a weird feeling.

You could never go wrong with a Casey McQuinston book! I am so honored to have been chosen to read an ARC of one of Casey's books!

2 exes find themseves on the same European food and wine tour where they challenge each other to a hookup competition because they are "over each other" (lol, becasue no ones going to be jealous and still in love, RIGHT?!?)

enjoyable, funny and heart warming. I read this in under 24 hours and would now love to book a European food and wine tour!

The Pairing is a travelogue of sorts, following the star-crossed Theo (a non-binary almost-sommelier with a sharp wit) and Kit (a French pastry chef and world class flirt) through France, Italy, and Spain on a food and wine tour they booked together years before. Only they’ve broken up since then, zut alors! They ended up on the same tour together 4 years later. Let the awkwardness commence.

I have to admit that when I was approved to receive a galley of The Pairing, I was already predisposed to love it. After all, I’ve absolutely loved Casey McQuiston’s previous novels One Last Stop and Red, White, and Royal Blue.

The Pairing is as special a novel as I’ve read in many years. A relatively simple story about a pair of old friends-turned lovers getting their second chance is well-trod territory in romance. CMQ manages to envelope each tender scene and sexy moment with a sumptuous dough of detail like a patissier of only Kit’s caliber could. Each morsel of Theo and Kit’s journey back to each other is worth savoring.

The situation is the perfect setup for memorable moments that are both heartbreaking and hilarious. I won’t spoil any of it here for you. If you’re looking for gorgeous writing and whip-smart lines of dialogue, you’ll find plenty in The Pairing. You might also find yourself falling in love with sexy bisexual Theo and Kit…and all of the side characters as well.

I’d like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with this copy of The Pairing.

HELLO I LOVED THIS.

Two exes end up on the same European bus tour and must come to terms with being together for a few weeks. This entails finding the truth about the breakup and deciding what’s next for them. WHILE EATING AND DRINKING EVERYTHING AND IT IS DELCIOSO!

I felt like this was one part travel blog, one part study of the service industry, and one part romance. It was a delight to listen to - full of accents and wonderful foreign language moments by excellent narrators. It had incredible queer rep, queer joy, and some “finding themselves” types of moments, concerning queerness, gender fluidity, and also the way brains, experiences, fears, and relationships work. Casey is so careful with Kit and Theo, and I trusted that nothing bad would happen to them, even if the road was rocky.

All in all, highly recommend the audio AND the print/ebook so you can read AND listen to the words, recipes, and pairings. 🩵

My only note that knocked off half a star is the amount of sex - and casual, random hook-up sex at that - that made its way around both the leads. I just…. Couldn’t get behind why it was necessary to the story? But the rest of the book was such a hit for me I’m sure I’ll read it again!