The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
Release Date: 8/6/24
Format: audio/ebook
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

This book took me a month to read. Normally that means a book was a slog or I didn’t like it, but that certainly wasn’t the case with The Pairing. It felt like a book that, much like the food and wine Theo & Kit experience along the way, deserved to be savored.

This book had so much of what I absolutely adore about McQuiston’s writing. They give us impeccably hilarious pop culture references, top notch found family vibes despite this being a romance book, and a queer romance that feels truly unique.

This second chance romance is indulgent in every single way possible. I’ve read early reviews saying it is too much…too much sex, too many long winded food descriptions, too pretentious. I agree it might not be for everyone, but I thought the entire on page journey felt so true to these specific characters. I truly adored it.

Let yourself go and get lost in these pages. I think it’s more about the journey and while I would have loved a litttttttle more on page character or plot growth and development, I understand why McQuiston wrote this the way they did and freaking loved it overall!

3 stars!

I have so many mixed thoughts about this book. I read Casey McQuiston's debut, Red White and Royal Blue when I was first getting into reading and loved it, so when I got approved for this ARC I was so excited. I waited until this summer because I am also in Europe and I wanted to read this as I am fully immersed in a similar experience as the characters.

There were some things about this book I absolutely loved: the rich descriptions of food and drinks, Kit is a perfect human, and there were parts of the writing that made me cry especially when Kit described Theo.

However, I disliked the first 50% of this book so much I had to take a two week break from reading it. While I can understand and appreciate Theo's struggles, at points being in Theo's head was extremely insufferable. I did not feel sympathetic towards this issues about being a nepo baby, and I was BEGGING them to just talk to Kit and finally have a conversation. It was also really hard for me to be invested in the relationship between Kit and Theo in the beginning because a lot of the first half of the book is watching them hook up with other people for a competition across Europe, which was in the synopsis, but I didn't realize the book would also include details of their hookups. This was just hard to read because I was trying to get invested in Kit and Theo as a couple together, but then there would be paragraphs about other hot people in Europe they wanted to be with. Also, unfortunately the continuous cycle of new city, food tour, and meeting some sort of local connected to the tour excursion to hook up with, did get kinda repetitive.

Overall, three stars for how the second half of the book really made things better, and for the emotion this book and some of its quotes made me feel, but I am a little disappointed unfortunately.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I think I was hoping this would be better than it was, but I still enjoyed it by the end. To be honest, I think the first 75% was a bit of a drag. They're basically going around a city, eating food, drinking alcohol, having sex, repeat. I got tired of it pretty quickly and skimmed through parts of the book. My interest was really piqued at the end when they finally clear up miscommunication, where the author explores the roots of their relationship and how two people can make it work when there are so many other factors in their lives.

Dear every reviewer who didn't listen when CMQ said this was going to be their smuttiest book yet and to be prepared: I am sorry you were not ready for this majestic Dionysian venture. God damn it I sure was.

Are you perpetually online and now an avid reader of the smutty smut smut world where problems are solved with sexual tension and sex bets are a fully logical way to express your feelings? Welcome, this book is for you!

I want to say, there are some interesting conversations to be had about character development/depth/purpose and we've all been blessed with some lovely, deep CMQ books in past. This one for me walks that line in a more complex way - where there is some unreliability to the "nepo struggles" as I've seen them called of one of the main characters, I found this book actually sparked a lot of pure emotion for me and really touched on my own struggles with inadequacy and fear. Also, I am personally pro sex-as-character-development. It's real. It reflects some of the messy crazy shit we get into in real life. And, in the glorious context of this book, ITS SO PERFECTLY QUEER.

So thank you CMQ, I loved every god damn bit of these disaster gays trying to eat drink and sleeeep their way back to wholeness. May we all be so guided by Dionysus back to our true loves and selves

This was such a fun read about friendship, second chances, and exploring sexuality and relationships. I loved that the setting of this book took place all while traveling in Europe and we got to experience so many different things with our main characters. Reading this book feels like going on the journey alongside of them and it made for the perfect way to have a second chance romance.

Welp, devoured it (pun unintended but terribly appropriate) in under 24 hours! And I regret NOTHING! Total wish-fulfilment escapism, very sexy, very foodie, very funny and sweet. I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as McQuiston's other Adult novels, literally the only thing that appealed to me when I was pitched The Pairing was who wrote it - but you know what, I loved it. Couldn't put it down and didn't want to. Will definitely be reading it again the next time I want to feel all fizzy and glittery!

FIELD DAY FOR THE WIN!

Read This Book If…you’re a foodie and mayyybe a little bit of a slut!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy!

Genre: queer romance
Spice Level: 4/5🌶, 3-4 explicit scenes
Setting: Europe
POV: dual, 1st person, present tense
Tropes: second chance romance, friends with benefits, road trip, one bed, body count competition

My Thoughts:
Second chance romances are one of my favorite tropes and so this book was exactly what I wanted! The food and drink descriptions throughout Europe were delicious, as was the spice.

I was a little skeptical of having a body count competition in a romance book, but the author pulled it off! I especially enjoyed the POV switch halfway through the book.

There’s great Queer rep throughout, including an exploration of bisexuality and gender identity. This book made me want to jet off to Europe for a month!

Memorable Quote: “I don’t know if I love Theo because I’m queer or if I’m queer because I love Theo, but I know there’s nothing I need that Theo doesn’t have.”

Probably the horniest book I’ve ever read, and that’s saying something! I will alway love the banter in a McQuiston novel, and I really love the queer narrative presented as an assumed thing (I think this works even better with the heavily European cast). I also really loved the food talk, but did leave this feeling so hungry for both this food and Europe. I can’t put my finger on why this wasn’t a 5 star, maybe the repetitive nature of the travels or the half and half POV (I would have preferred switching off!), but this was really fun!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

I really liked this one! I can definitely see why some people have issues with the pacing, because it is a very slow and meandering book. But, I loved it for that. I loved slowly getting to know the characters and their struggles, made even better by the decadent settings. Every bit of this book was like a good dessert, sweet and balanced and so much more complex than you'd expect. I truly loved this. It was painful at times, but never lost it's faith in love. I'd absolutely recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Idk if I was trying to get back with my ex, I don't know if having a competition to see who can get the highest body count on our European vacation would be my thing?

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me this book!

I love Casey McQuiston's writing. Their characters and writing style always just work for me and make for a really satisfying read.

This is a hazy, lust-fueled few weeks of European food & wine tour with lavishly described decadent food and desserts, drinks, and hookups.

I loved Theo and Kit. I loved how they were coming back together after breaking up. I didn't love the stupid misunderstanding but it was maybe necessary for both of them to do some growing. I had a little trouble with their falling back in love via a hookup competition but that's a personal style thing. It did allow for a heck of a lot of mutual pining. I did love how easily they fell back together and picked up all the little quirks of a long-standing best-friendship that had evolved into love long ago.

I also loved how Theo deals with coming out as nonbinary and how Kit is immediately on board with it.

All of the characters were quirky and endearing. Literally everyone was bisexual and hooking up with everyone else. It was a lot, but in an endearing way.

I thought it was a really interesting choice to tell the first half of the book from Theo's point of view and then switch to Kit for the second half. The audiobook narrators switch halfway through as well. This is a little jarring at first, but it's written really smoothly so it didn't bother me much. I can see that it allowed McQuiston to drag out the misunderstanding / getting back together for as long as possible while highlighting the mutual pining.

I recommend the audiobook because it was really well done and also makes the hazy, decadent, lust-filled setting really immersive. Both narrators did a fabulous job bringing the characters to life and the transition between them was really smooth and not jarring at all.

Even though it's not my favorite McQuiston novel, it's still excellent and I highly recommend it.

*Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and Macmillan Audio for providing an early copy for review.

I’m going to be really honest. It’s pretty clear that “Red, White, and Royal Blue” was written to appeal to a wide audience, while the books since have been a lot more niche. And that’s fine. I believe authors should write what they’re passionate about. But it’s also clear that I’m not part of the niche audience the author is targeting.

The first three chapters of the book felt like the openings of three different books. For me it was like being stranded in the ocean and buffeted by the waves, without anything to tether me to shore. And I hate that feeling. So I’m not going to finish this book, and I’m not going to start any more books by this author. We’re not a good fit.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this ARC ✨

"Perfect Pairing" by Casey Mcquiston is a delight! This charming romance blends humor, heart, and a dash of foodie heaven to create a really entertaining read. If you're looking for a feel-good romance with depth, this book is a must-read!

I've been anticipating this book for a while and while it wasn't my favorite of the author's books (tied between RWRB and One Last Stop), it's still a five-star read filled with second-chance pining, food descriptions for miles, and an armchair vacation through Europe!

I'm going to get hate for this, but...I ended up skimming most of the sex/sex competition scenes. I don't think Casey McQuiston overdid it, but they got old after a while and made Theo a little irritating and both them and Kit less sympathetic.

Aside from that, I adored reading about the sumptuous food porn and bacchanalia of Kit and Theo's European adventure. It felt oddly cozy to read about their travels, and I loved the fantasy of where they choose to take their relationship.

Casey McQuiston has done it again!

This story has it all: lovable characters, steamy romance, and mouthwatering descriptions of food. The story started out kind of slow for my tastes, but really hooked me about halfway through. I loved getting to know all of the characters and really appreciated that they weren't just treated as extras but had their own stories and goals. I adored the descriptions of each new place--especially the food and drink, Theo's sommelier skills were mesmerizing and had me wishing I could discern the differences between different wines. And of course, I couldn't get enough of the romance. I could feel the heartache between the two characters, which made their eventual romance that much sweeter. It was, overall, a beautiful story.

I would recommend this book to fans of Casey's other works, contemporary romance, foodies, and travelers. 4/5 stars.

The Pairing pairs Theo and Kit and food and wine. If you're a foodie or a wine enthusiast you might be as obsessed as the will-they or won't they again lovers. Theo is a member of a Hollywood family and a sommelier-in-training. Kit was Theo's boy next door and the guy who broke Theo's heart. He now lives in France and works as a high end pastry drudge. The two already did the friends-to-lover thing, having lived together and everything. Their total separation happened on their way to this very three-week European food tour four years ago. They both happened to have rebooked. Theo literally runs (falls) into Kit on the tour bus, causing a nosebleed. The rest of this book, which takes its sweet (or tedious, depending on your perspective) time with their inevitable reconciliation / unreconciliation / conclusion.

It went on too long for me, but I still liked it. The lovers are both bisexual and as adventurous sexually as they are with their other appetites (remember they're both foodie drinkies). Their queer lives are matter of fact front and center, just as McQuiston's other characters' are. The rest of the cast also consists of folks who seem like they might be boring, but can surprise you. I wouldn't mind reading novels from other pairs' points of view.

As a lover of Casey McQuiston novels I was so excited to have received this arc. After downloading it to my kindle I decided to briefly read the synopsis and realized that I probably should not have requested it. My decision to DNF at 25% took a lot of thought.

We follow our two main characters, Theo and Kitt, four years after their breakup on a food tour through Europe. Second chance romance? I could dig it. Watching them hook up with other people when I’m a romance girlie at heart? Not for me.

I do feel McQuinston had extensive knowledge of food and wine and handled that subject matter well. I found Theo to be a complicated character in that I was sympathetic to him while also finding him incredibly annoying and pompous. He is the embodiment of mid-2000s hipster vibes and I dated that, and no thank you.

Maybe I will eventually come back to this but as of current I am decided to not finish.

Kit and Theo were supposed to go on a European food tour four years ago, but they broke up on the way to the trip. Four years later, both, unbeknownst to the other, decide to use the voucher they received on the same trip. It’s not until they get on the bus that they discover they are on the same trip. Now they are trapped with each other for three weeks of travel across Europe. Because they are so over each other they challenge each other to see how many people they can hook up with while travelling. They begin to discover that spending time with each other is as fun as before.

First off, the food tour was truly transporting and I loved how it set the scene for this trip. We got to experience the idyllic countryside of France, Spain and Italy and I loved I felt as if I were in these towns. I also thought the cast of characters Kit and Theo meet along the way were perfect and such huge additions to the story.

I thought, in the first half, we got a good insight into Kit and Theo’s relationship and why things ended the way they did. We then get the second half told from Kit’s perspective and learn that not all is as it seems. You begin to realize that both Kit and Theo changed after their break-up and became more of their own people.

This second chance romance, while bumpy at times was a story that was beautiful for Theo and Kit. You can tell they truly care and love each other, but are frustrated by how things ended. I loved learning the break-up caused them to understand themselves more and make themselves more able to manage a relationship. If you love a story about a second shot at first love, this is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

read if you like: second chance romance, forced proximity

Casey Casey Casey!!! The way that she writes her characters you feel like you are friends with them and just want to live in their world. I never wanted this story to end and am so thankful to have read this when I did. Just pulls on all of your heart strings.