I can’t think of a better word to describe this book other than sumptuous. The author wrote such lush and vivid descriptions of the locations and food. Essentially this book is about horny bisexuals on a European food and wine tour. This might actually be the horniest book I’ve read. I had a great time getting to know Theo, Kit and the side characters.

The book is quite long and dragged at times. I wished Theo and Kit could have actually talked to each other more about their feelings, etc.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Picture this: a couple was supposed to go on a romantic food tour in Europe together to plan their dreams....but they breakup on the plane, it's nonrefundable. Later, they end up accidentally rescheduling their food tour on the same date because they both waited until the last minute not wanting to lose their tour fee. Over three weeks in Europe there are so many moments to connect, experience and maybe even figure it out? I loved it.

Theres a lot to love about this book. Kit and Theo are both SOOO likeable. Their tour is an idyllic European food and wine tour. The descriptions are good tier. I wanna go eat all this stuff. Like really really want to. Theo and Kit talk about food being their 'shared second language's and it the descriptions in this book are so detailed it feels like the reader can experience it too! The whole cast of people them meet and befriend throughout their tour is so quirky and fun, whether it be a potential hookup for their hookup competition, a tour guide or a local they randomly meet, the side characters are so detailed and make this story rich and entertaining!

Throughout the book, we slowly find out what happened and what Kit and Theo's history is through, what I felt was, the perfect amount of flashbacks.
This might be the only proper 'second chance romance's I've truly loved. Something about getting stuck together on a food tour of Europe and realizing you've grown and are better people now is EVERYTHING. Honestly though, this was sold to me as a romance.....but I would totally be cool with 'we learned and grew and can be soulmate best friends now and explore Europe on this incredible tour'.

There are definitely some self exploration and coming out moments in this one. I found the discussion of gender in here so interesting, because so much of the book is from Theo's perspective, we don't hear about their gender and are left just to be. To me, their POV is giving NB but then we get whiplash of Kit using 'she her's and then all is right and cool when Theo comes out and Kit compliments the 'mouthfeel' of their pronouns and truly sees them. And I loved everything about that. As a lil sidenote: one of them refers to media that is not explicitly gay but has 'homosexual Flair' and I just adored that.

This is the queer book for people who loved Ross and Rachel's airport romance moment on friends. You'll have to read to see what that means.

This was not for me. But my issue with it was stated in the synopsis, so that is 100% my bad for not reading it all the way. I loved the idea of the food and wine tour. The whole bet on who can sleep with the most people? No thanks.

I'm a HUGE Casey McQuiston fan. Everything they write just absolutely works for me. This is no exception. The Pairing is the perfect summer book: sexy and emotional with incredible descriptions of food, travel, and friendship.

I love a second chance romance and I love queer people getting happy endings. Highly recommend for Casey McQuistion fans.

I generally love this author’s books so much but unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me. Please do not take that to mean this is a BAD book bc it’s not. It’s the same writing we all know and adore.

I couldn’t connect with kit or Theo and I had a really hard time with the “competition” they put themselves in. I am not a fan of that in any book so I probably would’ve steered clear of this one if I had realized how heavily it leaned into sleep with a bunch of people instead of each other trope.

I’m giving it two stars for my personal rating but as far as the writing, descriptions, humor ? It’s still great and the usual we’re used to from Casey McQuiston

Thank you to Netgalley and St, Martins for this ARC — the highlight of 2024 thus far! could have sworn CMQ couldn't possibly top anything they've already put out and I found myself eating my words very quickly, alongside wanting to eat much more than that from the heavenly descriptions of all food and drink in this heaven-sent book! Truthfully, Theo and Kit might be one of my favorite relationships and friendships I've ever seen in a piece of media; they feel real, and raw, and genuine in ways I never imagined characters could feel! The writing and pacing of this book had me on the edge of my seat, and the spice? I'm usually not a fan, but I was kicking my feet and twirling my hair every time, I was rooting for every raunchy endeavor. I cannot wait for you all to get your hands on this masterpiece, out for purchase August 6th!

I knew I was going to like this one going into it. It's a McQuiston novel and I really adored their first two books (especially One Last Stop). I was surprised to see that the first half is in Theo's POV and the second half is in Kit's--I had assumed the story would be alternating point of views. But I actually think it worked really well the way it was done. I adored Theo--maybe because they remind me of myself? I'm not sure, but they're my favorite brand of messy. In fact, I was kind of sad when the book switched to Kit's point of view, but quickly decided it was a lovely way to tell the rest of the story.

Nothing about this book stood out to me as particularly special or exciting but it's a nice addition to McQuiston's roster!

If you like queer romance and some humor (and food and spice!) give this one a go :)

Theo and Kit accidentally book the same European food and wine tour, years after a dramatic breakup. Theo's now a bartender and aspiring sommelier, while Kit’s a top pastry chef in Paris. When they meet up on the tour, they challenge each other to a hookup competition with their hot Italian tour guide.

This book was way steamier than I expected and hit the perfect balance of angsty longing for a second chance romance. The side characters were a blast too.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This book is a total VIBE! I’m a huge McQuiston fan and they do not disappoint in this newest novel coming out August 6th!! Theo and Kit each narrate — Theo for the first half and Kit for the second half. Getting to hear things from both perspectives is amazing and while there is definitely miscommunication… it’s actually more of a “what if” sort of feel and learning. I love the way McQuiston incorporates descriptions of food, wine and places! It was so easy to picture and even imagine how things would taste! This book is definitely SPICY!! I spent a lot of time smiling and chuckling while reading this!

Deeply emotional and beautifully written, the most unique romance I've ever read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

Okay, I should have known based on the premise alone that this book was not going to be for me but I've loved Casey's other books so I wanted to give this one a try. I should have trusted my instincts. That doesn't make this a bad book, all of the 5 star reviews indicate that, it is just not for me and is not the kind of romance I enjoy reading.

One of my favorite things about Casey's previous books was how quickly I loved each character (and the side characters) and wanted nothing but good things for them as they figured out their lives and romantic entanglements. Unfortunately I didn't really like Theo or Kit all that much. I do love that we go both of their prospectives but I just didn't find myself really rooting for them or wanting them to be together.

The hardest thing for me was definitely all of the hooking up with other people Theo and Kit did for the first half of the book. I dislike romance books where the main characters are dating and or sleeping with other people outside of the endgame pairing (unless the characters are poly but that is totally different). It's not that I don't approve of casual sex (though my poor demisexual brain has a hard time understanding why strangers get people so horny) but it's hard to enjoy or read those scenes because they feel so pointless. Why do I need to read about Theo and Kit sleeping with other people when I just want them to be together and figure their shit out! We do get this in the second half but by then I just didn't care anymore.

I did give this book 3 stars because the descriptions of the cities and food and wine all over Europe was absolutely the best part. You can tell a lot research went into that part of the book and I really felt like I was there enjoying all those places with Theo and Kit.

So yeah, this book was just not for me but I think if casual sex, messy characters, beautiful descriptions of Europe are your thing you will enjoy this book.

It took quite a while for me to begin to enjoy this book. The second half was much better than the beginning. Definitely my least fave of CMQs books so far but overall still ended up being a decent read.

Ahh, Casey McQuiston does it again! In fact--and I can't believe I'm going to say this--but I liked it better than Red, White, and Royally Blue. And I looooved that one.

McQuiston's latest, The Pairing, is the most fun I've had with a contemporary romance in months. The food, the spicy scenes, the pining. All of it was excellent. I think this might be my new fave of this author!

I really enjoy Casey McQuiston books. I always know they are going to be good. That being said, this is my least favorite. I enjoyed the second half much more than the first half which is really boosting this rating. I think it just felt a little too repetitive? Go to new city, eat, drink, hook-up, repeat. I like the idea more than the execution. But Theo and Kit are sweet and complicated and flawed and very human.

CMQ had me at Sluts in Europe, and this book delivered so completely.

It also made me hungry, so, you know. Have something tasty nearby when you read. But the sheer gender of the book, the eroticism, the sensations and emotions evoked in every line drip just like Kit's fancy honey. It's funny and sweet with a heavy dash of pining that made me long for something I've never even had (is there a word for that?).

I'm already looking forward to reading this again because it made me feel all the feels, and those are the best kinds of books. Casey is a master of words and this is indeed a masterpiece.

I had no idea what to expect with this books besides I’m trying to read more Queer reads, and The Pairing definitely fit the bill. I had the eBook and audio and read both ways. I liked how it was split into both POVs. I did find it weird that each character had their own narrator but then used that narrator to pretend to be them too. I didn’t really care for their voices either.
I did find the story super fun and I love the idea of travelling and doing foodie tours, it made me hungry and want to do the same tour. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers slow burn story. I enjoyed the no reservations, let loose vacation that resulted in our characters figuring out what they need in life.
I’d recommend this to other readers.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press for my copies.

CMQ done did it again. I find myself saying "This is their best so far" at every new release.

Authentically honest, incredibly witty, and occasionally spicy makes this a fantastic Summer Read..

Still flabbergasted at getting an ARC Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley!!

I wanted to like The Pairing by Casey McQuiston, but it didn’t resonate with me as I had hoped. While the book had moments of promise, it ultimately fell short of my taste.

There were some aspects I enjoyed: the charming European tour vibes, the mouth-watering descriptions of foods and wines, and the consistency in detailing the characters. The author clearly did her research in bringing the story to life, and even as a non-wine drinker, I felt like I understood a lot of what the characters experienced on this tour. The nostalgic element of rekindling old friendships was a nice touch, and while I am normally not a fan of second-chance romance, I had no problem with it here.

However, the book had several drawbacks for me. I found myself wanting every single smut scene to be over as soon as it started; none of them were sexy to me, and all felt awkward and very weird. I was also hoping for more European adventures. While there were brief glimpses of bike rides and beach days, the majority of the story focused on the characters hooking up in ways that didn’t appeal to me and being horney for eachother.

The characters themselves were a mixed bag and I didn't love either of them and they were just meh. Theo, who I wanted to like cause they were funny, came across as selfish and acting like a frat boy who refused help from anyone—overall, a Nepo baby. Kit, while initially promising and sweet, turned out to be a pushover (and a sub in bed) and was just not sexy to me. Despite these issues, Theo and Kit are the perfect pair for each other, balancing each other out with their contrasting strengths and weaknesses. I loved how the author demonstrated that. This was a well-written couple just not personally my type of couple I enjoy.

I was on the verge of giving up on the book on several occasions. When it switched to Kit's POV, that was my saving grace to continue this book. His perspective kept me reading a bit longer, offering a more romantic and engaging narrative that aligned better with my reading style. I wish the book had bounced back and forth between the two perspectives to better show the growth of their relationship and their growing love for one another. Despite this improvement, I still had to force myself to finish the book.

This book might be a great fit for fans who enjoy steamy romance with a European travel backdrop; it just didn’t work for me.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Casey McQuiston for this early copy!

I absolutely adore Red, White, and Royal Blue! So, when I saw this available to request on NetGalley, I HAD to request it! The synopsis definitely drew me in. When I found out that it was a friends to lovers second chance romance, I was pumped!

I rated this book 3 stars because I honestly see so much potential in the storyline. In theory, I should’ve loved this book. But, I DNF’d it pretty early on. I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad book, I just don’t think it’s the book for me. I unfortunately wasn’t able to connect to the characters no matter how bad I wanted to.

A lot of people are going to love this book, but unfortunately I’m not one of them. And it makes me extremely sad.

Casey McQuiston is an amazing writer and I will continue to read everything they write.

Here’s my mixed review. I've enjoyed many of the author's previous books, but this one was a struggle. The premise was good, and the characters had potential beyond their obsessions. However, the overwhelming focus on their sexual encounters was off-putting. Kit and Theo were constantly trying to outdo each other, and every character they met was attractive, horny, and bisexual. The story seemed less about their personal growth since their breakup and more about their numerous sexual encounters across Europe. I ended up skimming many scenes because they felt repetitive. If the book had been 30% shorter, with a more distinctive supporting cast and fewer hookups, I would have enjoyed it more. Sadly, the repetition made it hard to care about their reconciliation. Despite this, I appreciated the development of their feelings, the vivid descriptions of food and wine, and some of the sex scenes. I'll continue to read the author's work, hoping for characters and plots with more depth in the future.