Indulgent in every sense. It will make you want to visit Europe. I did appreciate the POV shift halfway through.

A beautifully written book filled with nuanced descriptions of food, drinks, and sex. This book featured second chance romance and the miscommunication trope. The main characters are so in love with each other, it's obvious to everyone except for each other. I really enjoyed the inclusion of bisexual and nonbinary characters, without otherizing them.

The romance was sweet but the descriptions of food and drink was way too detailed for my taste. If you are more of a foodie, then I think you'd love it.

Also the main characters are sexual beings. Hookups are a plenty throughout the story, as what is probably normal for many European bus tours. It did not feel gratuitous to me, but maybe that's just because I'm part of the queer community.

A solid 3.5 star read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book! As a big Casey McQuiston fan, I was super excited to receive an ARC and had a great time reading it. This is the perfect beach read (definitely not work safe with incredibly well written sex scenes). I'm a sucker for queer human disaster characters, even if they can be a little unlikable-- that's honestly par for the course for anyone in their 20s, coming from personal experience. I had a great time reading this, salivating over the food/wine and art descriptions and all the tropes like "there is only one bed!". I know it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I have liked it a lot more than other romances that are popular right now.

This was SO different from IKSW, though there was one thing in common. They both stunned me halfway. With this one, I had absolutely no idea that Theo was non-binary, their name actually Theodora. Knowing the author writes LGBTQ+ romances, until I reached Kit's POV, I assumed that both MCs are bisexual males, and realizing I was wrong obviously confused me to the point I had to give the book a break for a couple of days. In my defense, I don't know any non-binary people, so I pictured Theo as a male.

I think this book is pretty good with its sentiment and general outlook it shares with the reader. I loved the take on the miscommunication trope, which is generally so easy to go wrong with. Having seen the repercussions of misunderstandings in my personal life, I think the way McQuiston depicted the impact on a relationship and the people involved, even long term. The dual perspective definitely helps get across both characters' version of events and how they coped with it. The narration was on point too, super enjoyable with the fun pronunciations and unique accents.

put this book down multiple times (thanks summer, I’m so busy!) BUT! Every time I did pick it up I put it down thinking of both Kit & Theo. I absolutely loved their story, it had me giggling, and blushing, and swooning. Leave it to CMQ to have me falling back in love with Europe & wanting to go travel & eat & explore more!

Casey McQuiston's books are guaranteed to be filled with characters in emotional turmoil but so deeply in love! I loved how this story was told through the perspectives of both characters, one telling each half of the book. Both of them were so obsessed with each other and trying to play it cool. I normally don't love second-chance romances, but I really enjoyed this story! And the atmosphere of traveling through Europe on a food and drink tour was perfect for this story! I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to see what they write next!

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is so cute!
This book follows Theo and Kit (exes) as they go on a food and wine tour in Europe.
They decide to go on this competition to see who can hookup with the most people. Of course things aren’t as easy as they seem and Theo and Kit have other things to worry about (for example how they feel for each other).

I really enjoyed how Casey Mcquiston always finds a way to deliver complex characters and she manages to discuss difficult topics in such a good manner.

I really enjoyed this book and the scenery it granted me. I felt like I was in Europe alongside Theo and Kit!

3.5 stars rounded up.

I'm disappointed I didn't love this one as much as I expected to. Out of all of Casey McQuiston's books, this is the one I struggled to connect with the most. Which... If it were any other author, maybe my review would be more glowing, but I know how good McQuiston can be, and this just didn't hit the same notes as their previous books.

First, the positives: I did genuinely like Theo and Kit and their differing PoVs. Both of them felt relatable to me; Theo with their gender identity and struggle to find their "thing" in life, and Kit's entire personality and vibe. The full cast of characters was just fun. Also, it's very clear that McQuiston LOVES the places that they wrote about; I've never felt such an intense desire to tour the Mediterranean until I read this book and how they described these places (and foods!) with such care and adoration.

Now, the negatives: while normally I wouldn't complain about literally every single character being queer, but... why was literally every single character young and hot and queer and interested in Kit and/or Theo? I adore a good summer romance fantasy, but it was also bordering on (or treading right over) unbelievable. Now, normally as someone who is bi-asexual I'm not bothered by spice in books, but I might genuinely have been too ace to comprehend the debauchery. And then the miscommunication trope was... rampant.

So, was it a bad book? Not at all! It just wasn't really my vibe. I still adore McQuistion and anything they write.

“The Pairing” by Casey McQuiston 5/5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book and the audiobook!

“The Pairing” follows exes, Theo and Kit, as they accidentally reunite on a food and wine tour across southern Europe.

If you have been following me, you know how much I adore Casey McQuiston’s books. This book was (unsurprisingly) fantastic.

I LOVE Theo and Kit. I found myself so connected to both of them. All of the characters in this book, even the side characters, felt so human and real. This aspect combined with the stunning descriptions of European scenery and food made the reading/listening experience so immersive.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a beautiful, emotional, summery book! It comes out on August 6th!

Warning: This is the Horniest Book You Will Ever Read — because it’s horny for everything. It’s breathlessly horny — for sex and food and booze and wine and art and architecture and Europe and life.

THIS is a summer read. More specifically, it’s a European Food and Wine Vacation Summer Read. I should have waited until I was on my vacation in Italy to read it, because my trip is going to be the same… except fewer (no?) bisexual hookups and way more hiking.

BFFs turned couple turned exes end up on the same food-and-wine-tour-of-Europe together. Theo is a sommelier and bartender, Kit’s a pastry chef. They decide to have a friendly hookup competition.

I mean, this thing sucked me in with all the food and the wine and the booze and the Europe. Though I was mostly like, “OK, author, I know you only wrote this so you could expense this same exact trip…” I mean, why not, good for you….

Now, I know what you’re thinking — how can you have a romance when the people are hooking up with other people? I had the same question, since that’s not normally something I’d go for. But it somehow WORKS. Is it all vibes, no plot? Pretty much - but the vibes are vibing.

I’ve always liked this author and it was just more of the same here… funny and real and sexy and fun and joyful. It’s a lot. Like, god bless, Theo and Kit… have at it, kids. Frankly, it sounds exhausting to me.

(Got this early from NetGalley and waited too long to read it — it almost ceased to put the A in ARC.)

Theo has to be one of the most insufferable MCs I’ve ever read. I don’t mind an unlikeable MC, but I need growth. Theo doesn’t have that growth and is just…beyond intolerable. A whiny, woe-is-me nepo baby does not make me a sympathetic reader. Theo’s POV takes up the first half of the book, and I hated their internal monologue. So so much. 10/10 would not want to know this person in real life. While Kit’s POV is slightly better, it’s mostly him being horny for Theo and expressing those feelings by thinking about poetry that reminds him of Theo. I do not care enough about either of them to be invested in a HEA.

2.5 stars

I'm bummed I didn't love this because it was one of my most anticipated books of the year. However, this author has been hit or miss for me (loved RWRB and OLS but HATED IKSW). The whole first half of the book was maddening to me. It felt both pretentious and immature. Everyone wanted to have sex with the MCs, everyone was bisexual, nobody would have an honest conversation, it was just too much and felt incredibly repetitive. Then to find out this massive breakup was just a miscommunication?? And speaking of, in all their years of friendship and being together, they didn't have one mutual friend they both kept in touch with who would've heard both sides and been like "hey yall are being dumb!" Also, they are 28 now! That feels too old to me to be in a deep hoe phase and refusing to talk! Plus, so many people push the stereotype of bisexuals being slutty and this did nothing but perpetuate that more.

I will say, I much preferred the second half of the book maybe because it was Kit's POV. Had it started with Kit or even had a constant switching of POV, I think i would have liked it better. What saved the book from a lower rating was the hookup contest mostly ending at the 50% mark and finally getting Kit's POV.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

First 20% was great. I loved the whole tour of Europe setting. The plot was just redundant and we had to wait for them to visit cities to finally say it

I personally love all of Casey McQuistons books! I am a avid reader of LGBTQ+ fiction. This book is super cute! I love the story line of two exs meeting again on a vacation! I am not the biggest fan of the miscommunication trope, so if that is not your cup of tea this one may not be for you. It is also very spicy so you have been warned :)

I’ve seen such mixed reviews for this book that I’ll admit I was nervous going into it. I’m so happy that I didn’t let them cloud my enjoyment. This was so much fun!! Everyone who wished they were on their own euro summer needs this book in their life. It was so enjoyable but also had a lot of heart to it which is what I’ve learned to expect from Casey

Casey McQuiston just has this way of writing romance novels that completely sweep me away. They’re just full of rich atmosphere, complex characters, great chemistry, and unique plots. The Pairing follows two bisexual exes who are accidentally taking the same food and wine tour through Europe. To prove that they’re totally over one another they decide to have a contest to see who can hook up with the most people during the three weeks. Old feelings definitely aren’t going to rekindle between the two of them… right?

I love it when authors can make me love a book with tropes that aren’t my favorites. Second chance romance and friends to lovers never land at the top of my romance trope list, but I thought that this overall story just worked so well. I loved getting to see the glimpses of Kit and Theo’s relationship in the past and why they initially split up. It made it so rewarding to see how they had grown in the years that they were apart and how they could make their relationship work differently this time.

Kit and Theo were both individually compelling characters. The book is told in a dual POV with the first half being in Theo’s perspective then switching to Kit’s for the second half. I loved reading about Kit and Theo’s passion for food and drinks and getting all of McQuistion’s rich descriptions. The explanations of their different family lives and how that impacted them growing up added a lot to the story. I also really loved their chemistry and the different dynamics that were shown through their sex scenes.

While I did have an excellent time reading this book, I didn’t love it quite as much as Casey McQuiston’s other two adult romance novels. The overall story and romance in this book was lower in stakes since it didn’t have the super high concept of Red, White & Royal Blue or One Last Stop. So because the plot was a little more simple I didn’t feel like the book needed to be as long as it was, there were some small moments where it felt like it was dragging a bit. But for the most part I really did love the book. I’m always going to be excited to pick up whatever Casey puts out next. Beautifully written novels full of queer people finding love and getting their happily ever afters? Hell yeah.

Love Casey McQuinston. I will always read whatever they put out. I love that they always incorporate queer love and situations that all humans deal with.

Review withheld due to ongoing boycott of all Macmillan books. Review will be updated once the boycott has ended.

YES! Thank you, Casey McQuiston! This is much more Red, White, and Royal Blue than lesbian ghost sex on a train! And I loved it so much!!

Unfortunately, this book was a big fat DNF for me. I’m so bummed because I loved this author’s other books, but this was just so slow, boring, and the characters were both so unlikeable. I read about 60% and had to give it up.