This was my favorite of Casey McQuiston's books. And that says a lot! Two likeable characters finding their way back to each other. These two were soulmates, best friends and lovers, who were separated by a miscommunication 4 years old by the time they reunited on a food and drink tour of Europe. It was great to see their relationship (re)evolve. I didn't want to put this book down. It was a tiny bit too long - we maybe could have cut out a stop, but overall I really enjoyed it!

I will not be reviewing nor promoting any St Martin's Press titles until they address the racism, Islamophobia and all over reprehensible behavior of one of their employees.

I admit that this one was slower on the uptake than I expected, but god I loved it so much. I'm a grandma- bed by 9:30 asleep by 10- but when I got to 80% at 9:45 I had to stay up til nearly midnight to finish this. Kit is the most woman-coded man and I love him for it, and Theo is so relatably insecure about their place in the world. The amount of pegging jokes in this had me kicking my feet and it was SO wittily written I am obsessed. I didn't understand anything about the wine or the pastry references but they made me very hungry, and I'm impressed that either Casey knew all this in their head or else researched this so well? I can't wait for a reread, as I find second chance romances hit harder on the second read through once all my anxiety about what happened is gone.

I read one chapter and it was so long and slow - when I turned to chapter 2 and my kindle said it was 51 minutes long I gave up

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Bisexuals Theo and Kit are exes and former best friends. After breaking up on the plane ride to a three week European food and wine tour, they are given four years to each use their tickets. Nearly four years later, both coincidentally book the same tour. Stuck together for the next three weeks, the pair make a truce and decide to have a friendly competition to see who can hookup with the most people while on the trip. While they’re reconnecting, they learn more about each other and how things went so wrong the first time while fighting the attraction that never really went away.

Who could resist a Casey McQuiston book? I loved Red, White, and Royal Blue so I was excited to read this one. I really enjoyed the journey that these characters went on. I loved the way that the tour guided the story and gave the story a path to go on. I appreciated that the book was sex positive and gave some different representation. Speaking of that representation though, I will say that I was a bit confused about Theo during the book. On my initial read of the first chapter, I assumed (based on McQuiston’s previous books) that Theo was male. I then read the word “daughter” and thought “Oh ok, female. Let me go back and reread this.” This confusion makes sense later when Theo finally reveals that they are non-binary. If Theo was realizing this in real time in the book, the switch would make sense, but in the context of the story, Theo already knew that they were non-binary. I wish that I could have known that as the reader, even if the other characters hadn’t known yet.

This may also be a fault of me reading too many books in the same genre, but I found myself a little annoyed at Kit for recognizing that he does something wrong but then continuing to do it and expecting different results. I think we’re in an era of books where the characters are becoming more self aware but the conventions of storytelling require them to have the same problems as if they weren’t aware. All is well in the end and it wasn’t enough to put me off entirely, but this is becoming a bit of a sticking point with me. It’s okay and even expected for characters to grow over the course of the book, they don’t have to know what they’re doing wrong right away.

Overall, I really did enjoy this book, although not as much as RW&RB. Bring on more NB rep and I look forward to what they write next.

4.5 stars, rounded up

If I were to describe *The Pairing* in one word, it would be "decadent." Everything, from the wine and food pairing epigraphs to the pining of our main characters, is exactly what I need from a swoony romance.

Depending on your mood when you start this book, you will either appreciate or lose patience with the languid pacing. It excels at providing rich relationship development and quirky side characters, but it can feel a bit drawn out for a lighter style romance.

Overall, I am thrilled with this read and cannot recommend it fast enough for your next heartfelt romance. But you absolutely have to be comfortable with spice. I’m not in the habit of rating spice, but I feel like this is at least a four-pepper read.

Huge thank you to Casey McQueston, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for my advanced review digital and audio copies. My opinions are my own.

Plot - 4
Writing and Editing - 5
Character Development - 5
Narration - 5
Personal Bias - 4
Final Score - 4.6

The Pairing is out Aug 6th, 2024!

I appreciated the Jaws references, but not much else. Unfortunately, this book was very much not for me. I didn't like either of the main characters, I felt that the plot was boring/repetitive, and the conflict was frustrating but not in a fun or interesting way.

The most important advice a great author has ever given is that you should write about what you know, and look up what you don't, I add.

I'm not Casey McQuiston’s biggest fan but, if I'm here, that means I somehow believe she and I could meet on common ground - the queerness, but I'm afraid that's it.
This aspect hasn't changed since her first book: being comfortable in your own sexuality and feeling free to explore; it's the thing I love most about her characters.

But it can't be enough.
I could have excused a lot, and I mean A LOT, of wrong details, especially since you can see they come from an American romanticized view of Europe, even if a little research wouldn't have hurt but, essentially, there's no pairing in this story.
From beginning to end this book is only about Theo: their version of how they and Kit broke up, how they felt, how they survived, how they changed, their relationship with their family and being a neo-baby. And then, when we hear from Kit’s POV, it's still about Theo: how much his heart broke because he missed them, how much he loves them now, how gorgeous they are and always were, how they helped him during the darkest time of his life, and so on.

Some things were just stupid - even the Italian guy couldn’t speak Italian, can you believe it?! -, while others just have to know them - for example, in Monaco, the biggest yachts don't leave the harbour because it's too much of a risk and labour.
And even if I could close my eyes in front of how much Call Me By Your Name” must’ve been an inspiration for the author - with peach and everything -, I can't really empathize with a love story with very little romance, focused on an unlikeable character that always got their way.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

The food and travel descriptions in The Pairing are what made it an enjoyable read. It's so immersive and the writing is great! I just couldn't get behind Kit and Theo's romance rekindling. There was so much miscommunication and one conversation could have solved everything. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Pairing pairs exceptionally well with Casey McQuiston fans of any demographic!

Casey McQuiston is BACK! Not only have they triumphantly returned with this book, but it is delicious & invents a brand new trope for the romance world. This book features two bisexual exes as they finally redeem a food tour through Europe. But while Theo & Kit agree to see who can sleep with the most people, they start to realize that the old feelings are still there. If you cannot tell, the angst generated from this particular trope is DELICIOUS. It is steamy and creates some of the most amazing sexual tension that builds between the two characters. I appreciated this sex-positive approach and hope that it is received as well as I think it was intended.

The storyline here is a bit two-fold. There is the first literal half from Theo's point of view (TV) and then there is the second half from Kit's point of view (KV). (Also, I loved the Taylor Swift reference here it's spot-on). The first half of this story had me SALIVATING over the food and wine pairings. Honestly, the food descriptions are truly one-half of this story. The descriptions are going to make you hungry and you'll be grabbing snacks left and right imagining that you are having more of the rich foods/wines that are contained within these pages.

The other half of this story sort of gets revealed as soon as we switch perspectives. I can honestly say I was very surprised by the sudden revelation that takes place when Kit starts describing Theo. It made me sort of overhaul all of the internal mental pictures that I had of Theo and that isn't a problem in the slightest. I loved both of their characters regardless, but I guess it just forced me to completely reevaluate some parts of it. I don't think this is a bad thing and perhaps I missed earlier clues in the story, but I found myself a bit jarred for better or worse.

The ending of this story is truly everything that we as readers have come to love about Casey McQuiston's writing. It feels good to the point of tears. (Truly I teared up reading the last couple of chapters). The ending felt like a celebration of these fictional lives and I am truly going to miss Theo and Kit (pardon me while I continue to mourn that these characters are fictional).

All in all, check out this story. Casey McQuiston is a phenomenal writer and knows how to write a book that will put you through the entire emotional gamut.

Come hungry, leave horny! Casey McQuiston is back with another pair of complex characters caught in a fraught international love affair. But they have undoubtedly stepped up their game: this world is rich not only in culture and history, but also in sexual exploration. Be warned that the sex is spicier than the food! But watching these best friends-ex lovers find their second chance romance makes a rich, satisfying reading experience...in every sense!

A feast of the senses! Glorious food and drink descriptions, a lot of hot people having a lot of sex, believable relationship (if slightly unbelievable problems of the "people in romance novels cannot communicate if it would increase the drama" variety). You root for these two to figure it out. Relatively minor things kept bugging me that maybe wouldn't bother other people (This is a really limited idea of Europe! There is just no way anyone could eat this amount of food every day! Drinking as much as these characters drink every day would make every following day unbearable! Nobody is ever drinking water!!). I feel very nitpicky, but for me these were really constant, distracting thoughts.

I'm not sure what I loved more - the heat between Theo & Kit, the description of the European countryside OR that of the food and wine they consumed. I left this book longing for Italy and also STARVING. I really enjoyed the chaotic and quirky characters, their witty banter, the realistic arguments and miscommunication that can so often happen with couples and even just people who've known each other for a long time. Lastly, the side characters on the bus became a little family, which I always adore. This is my 3rd book by Casey McQuiston, and it's definitely up to par with the others, which I also loved! This also makes for a great beach read this summer.

brb gonna go drown my sorrows in Aperol Spritz.

I'll get the good stuff out of the way - queer rep, delicious sounding food, and a way for me to personally relive my trip to Italy.

Now the bad... the first half of this book is told by Theo who is inherently unlikable, immature, and pretentious. When the narrative flips to Kit, it is MUCH more enjoyable but at that point you have him longing for Theo and you're kinda like "but, why?" There's a lot of stereotypical portrayals of characters, side characters don't add to the story, and the hook-up wager comes off as try hard and strange.

The real big issue is that too much of the romance with Theo and Kit happens off-page, and I think this really hurt the story of their relationship getting back together. I didn't feel that I cared one way or another if they got together in the end. It lacked that "will they, won't they" feeling that second-chance romances thrive on. It was just ... boring?

This book is a sexy romp through Italy, Spain and France full of delicious descriptions of decadent food and the drinks that can be paired with them. In McQuiston’s capable hands, it felt like I was traveling, eating and drinking along with the characters. I learned A LOT about wines, pastries and art and have added several tourist attractions that I’d like to visit some day. Casey Mcquiston wrote two of my all-time favorite books, Red White & Royal Blue and One Last Stop, so I had high expectations for this one. I give McQuiston kudos for writing something that felt so drastically different from those novels. I love how McQuiston writes a world that you want to live in where literally everyone is queer and/or accepting. The main characters and the supporting cast of characters are all vividly brought to life. I was just as invested in the main characters romance as the other people on the tour. And McQuiston is funny and a master of banter. I will definitely be reading whatever she writes next.

FYI the two bisexual main characters take their “body count”competition seriously so there’s multiple scenes where they’re having sex, making out or flirting w other people. In fact it seems like these two pick up literally everyone, to the point where it was kind of unbelievable. I started to lose interest a quarter of the way into this book when they were too busy making each other jealous, because it’s not really my jam when the focus is solely on sex, but eventually there’s a shift and we get back into their complex relationship and the growth both theses characters have gone through. It was well-written and having the European backdrop felt like the vacation I can’t afford, so thank you Casey McQuiston for letting us live vicariously through these characters. Unfortunately I’m more plot driven and my expectations for this book were too high. Did I end up enjoying most of it, yes, but it wasn’t nearly as good as Red White & Royal Blue or One Last Stop. I was disappointed but will still be reading Casey McQuiston. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

⚠️⚠️⚠️ WARNING: Do not read when hungry.

Thank you to NetGalley, Casey McQuiston, and St. Martin's Griffin for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review (Unpaid).

How do I describe this book in more than one word? It is simply art. Food and music and poetry and literature and film and wine and food (yes I know I said it twice) and nature and paintings and sculptures and the human body and carbs, so many carbs - art is infused in every single sentence - it consumed me. I underlined so many sentences to share with my best friend when this book releases because I need her to be consumed by this masterpiece as well.

On the craft of writing, I would like to applaud Casey McQuiston for their detailed descriptions of literally everything but also for being able to write two so similiar but also so utterly unique point of views in this novel. I was worried when it switched to Kit's pov, it would sound too similiar, but it DIDN'T. I was amazed really. On a similiar note: WHAT A FANTASTIC CAST OF CHARACTERS. So distinct, so easy to obsess over, so many beautiful faces and voices and minds to love.

The Pairing by Casey McQuistin

Pairs well with:
- Warm feelings
- Lost love
- Second chances

The amount of joy this book left me with absolutely makes me put this near the top of my favorite reads so far this year. Casey writes the most perfect love stories and their joy on the pages can be felt right in my own heart. The ending had my cheeks hurting from smiling so much. Adding this to Red, White, and Royal Blue for books that I can listen to on audio 1000 times and never get bored.

The food vibes and travel vibes are BEYOND dreamy in this book. I could barely focus because all I could think about was how I needed to travel to every place in the book. This was just written so beautifully. Some of the metaphors throughout the book gave me goosebumps. I personally was not a fan of the challenge between Theo and Kit, but that doesn’t over shadow any of the really amazing things about his book.

This was one of my most anticipated book of 2024 and to say I am disappointed is an understatement.
Kit and Theo are so insufferable especially Theo that it was so hard to have any connections or feelings towards either of them. All they cared about was sex which includes their sex competition. This is not the spice that I like as they just seemed like horny teenagers. I am not sure what type of story she was trying to get across but this just wasn't it.

Guess I will be returning my copy when it arrives

This book was...fine. I wanted to love it because I enjoyed both <i>Red, White, and Royal Blue</i> & <i>One Last Stop</i>. But it just fell short for me.

The positives - I like this author's writing style, and I like how the characters are flawed and slightly unlikeable. Makes them more realistic in my opinion. I also enjoyed all the travel, and the food/wine descriptions made me want to book an extended European vacation. I also typically enjoy the second-chance romance trope, and that was true here as well.

The less positive - While I liked the first half, I found the perspective shift in the middle of the book to be jarring, and it didn't work for me. I enjoyed Theo's character and voice in the first half more than Kit's in the second. I also found the second half of the book to be really predictable in a way that made me want to just hurry up and get to the end of it.

I don't regret reading it, and I'll continue to read this author's work. This just isn't their best, in my opinion.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.