The Pairing
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: Casey McQuiston

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, I am providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, they exited each other's lives once and for all. Time apart has done them good. Theo has found confidence as a hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day, with a long roster of casual lovers. Kit, who never returned to America, graduated as the reigning sex god of his pastry school class and now bakes at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. Sure, nothing really compares to what they had, and life stretches out long and lonely ahead of them, but—yeah. It's in the past.

All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date and about to expire. Four years later, it seems like a great idea to finally take the trip. Solo. Separately. It's not until they board the tour bus that they discover they've both accidentally had the exact same idea, and now they're trapped with each other for three weeks of stunning views, luscious flavors, and the most romantic cities of France, Spain, and Italy. It's fine. There's nothing left between them. So much nothing that, when Theo suggests a friendly wager to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, Kit is totally game. And why stop there? Why not a full-on European hookup competition?

My Thoughts: This story is a beautifully written love story of the journey of two best friends that became estranged after a difficult split. They both go their own directions enriching their lives. They both have a European tour voucher that is about to expire, bought 48 months earlier. Separately, and not knowing they both reach the same decision, they decide to take the tour. It is not until they are on the bus that they discover that they have taken the same trip at the same time. Now they are trapped with one another through a tour of France, Spain, and Italy. Will they rediscover each other? Or will they enjoy the competition of meeting other people? This follows the tropes of queer romance, enemies to lovers, childhood friends, international romance, and LGBTQ+ community.

This book is narrated by both Theo and Kit, but narrated separately, the first half was in Theo’s POV and the second half was in Kit’s POV. Even though we have the separate POV’s, I felt the character distinction was uneven, with most focusing on Theo. It felt like the book was split in half with the structure as it was. I LOVE dual narration, but prefer it in a back in forth type structure. I usually love supporting characters and they almost always elevate the story to another level for me. However, the supporting characters here were hard to connect with and did not add any value to the plot. The beginning was wonderful and the middle had some valuable insight, then the ending was outstanding. Their journey of self-discovery will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions. The author does an amazing job at scene detail, it does make you feel like you are there through the journey of the European countries. The banter and angst was instilled from the beginning and carried through until the reunion of sorts.

TW: language and sex. This is a long read at over 400+ pages and the audio being 14 hours. Personally, my sweet spot is around 300 pages and less than 12 hours of audio. However, I do love McQuiston and will always give her book a try. It was a bit long for my liking and it could have been slimmed down in some areas, probably at the 75% mark. However, overall, this was an enjoyable book. Love the friends to lovers to enemies and back to lovers theme; I also love a good queer romance. I love how the story spans across the European countries on a trip that includes culture, food, drink, and beautiful scenes. Just because this book was not my favorite cup of tea, I do believe other readers will really enjoy it. I will always be a McQuiston fan. 😍

I am crazy late to this, but I received an ARC of this book and I’ve enjoyed the authors previous books so was excited to see this one, plus anything travel themed with a love story?? Double bonus! The Pairing was funny, sweet, poignant, a beautiful second chance loves story, and quite the wild romp through the UK and Europe. And it made me hungry, want to try to food and drinks, and go on a wild group tour of my own! There were so many little anecdotes that were sweet, funny, or both, a motley crew of characters from all over, a hot an quirky tour guide, and the rediscovery of Kit and Theo, of each other and of themselves—and a bit of an internal monologue and external dialogue of realizing that nonbinary most perfectly describes and epitomizes yourself. There were beautiful bits of language and food and the descriptions were mouth watering. I really did enjoy this one!

Casey McQuiston absolutely does it again with The Pairing. The characters are so real and messy in the best way, and the banter is top-tier! The romance also feels super natural and i really enjoyed their story progression. Some of the side stories could have gotten a bit more development but the main plot is still so great. It’s heartfelt, fun, and left me thinking about it long after I finished.

Rating: ★★★★☆

I am famously a romance hater so I do have to make it clear that I don’t just hate this book for being a romance. The biggest and most important issue is that I couldn’t stand Theo. I genuinely couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to like about them, and it’s impossible to enjoy a romance when you’re actively praying on a main character’s downfall. One thing I hate, both in real life and in fiction, is listening to rich kids whine about not wanting to have things handed to them or to be heavily associated with their family name or… whatever else it was Theo was running on about. Tragically, following Theo’s perspective involved being subjected to that on a regular basis.

Another issue that may be just as important as my dislike for Theo is an extremely common complaint of mine when it comes to romances: Theo and Kit were immature and weirdly incapable of communicating for two people who are supposedly adults and ex best friends. I can’t root for couples like that. So I didn’t like 1/2 of the couple I was following and I didn’t support the relationship in general… so I’m sure you can understand why this would make a person not enjoy a romance lol.

One thing I was really excited about when I picked this up was the descriptions of food. Immersive descriptions of food very well may be among my favourite parts of the act of reading. But I thought the descriptiveness here was excessive to the point that it became boring and repetitive. The many many similar-seeming descriptions felt like mini chores I had to push through as I read rather than the mini enhancements on my reading experience I believe all descriptions should be.

The Pairing was such a long boring drag to me and I don’t recommend it at all. But the truth is that this was such a widely hyped book that everyone who wanted to read it probably already has by now.

One of my favorite books of the year, it's hard to dislike a Casey McQuiston novel. Randy, funny, tender, and just plain fun.

I have no idea why it took me so long to read The Pairing, as McQuiston is an auto-buy author for me and I usually devour them immediately. I even pre-ordered this book before I received the advanced copy?? No matter what, I'm so happy I read this book. I started reading it when I visited Europe last summer because I felt it would be perfect to read about Theo and Kit's European trip while on my own European trip. However, perfect or not, on my trip I ended up abandoning all new reads for a reread of the first four Throne of Glass books. It is what it is!

It reads like a love letter--to food, drinks, Europe, and love. It's atmospheric, indulgent, lovely, and HORNY. I love love love Theo and Kit---I want Kit to bake something for me and Theo to pair a wine with it. They are adorable and oh-so-lovable separate and apart. Beyond our gorgeous main characters, the wonderful side characters make this book what it is. McQuiston always does side characters well. Additionally, McQuiston's descriptions are sumptuous and made me want to quit my job and traipse around Europe.

I recommend The Pairing if you want to read a romance featuring two endearing bisexuals traipsing all over Europe doing everything possible to avoid their feelings.

This wasn't my favorite of Casey's books, but I thought that the setting and food descriptions were out of this world. It made me so hungry. I wasn't sure that I loved the POV switch halfway through the book -- I got attached to Theo and very much wanted to know what they were thinking the entire second half of the book. Maybe alternating POVs would have worked better for me? The most special thing was the nonbinary rep -- you could really tell Casey put their heart and soul into that, and I really appreciated it.

Theo and Kit had been best friends for years before they started dating. Four years ago, they tried to take a romantic food and wine tour of Europe, and a fight on the flight over ended their romance and they haven't spoken since. Now both of them have separately cashed in their vouchers for the tour at the last possible moment, and they're separately determined to make it through the trip as friends. And what better way to do that than create a competition over who can hook up with the most locals on the trip?

This isn't exactly the most likely setup for a romance novel, and there are certainly those who will balk at Theo and Kit's free-love, sex-positive vibes. However, as she always does, McQuiston creates characters that are endearing and flawed, and situations that are holy cow spicy, which may win over a different set of romance readers. Also, I particularly enjoyed Theo's character development, as someone coming out as nonbinary and finding their place in the world — it made me miss their point of view when it switched to Kit's POV for the second half of the book. But all in all, this is another winner from McQuiston.

I loved RWRB and I think that has somewhat ruined me for most of Casey's other books. By no means is that Casey's or this book's fault, but rather the impact of Casey's writing.

I could not get into these two. Maybe it's the drama or the money or me, I'll come back to it at a different time but for now, it's back on the shelf.

Thank you for the opportunity! All thoughts are my own.

I feel fundamentally changed by this book.

A second chance, queer, food and wine tour love story??? This book absolutely ate and I have no notes.

The queer joy and ability to thrive in this book without being questioned or giving explanations made me so happy. These characters were confident, sexy, and so unapologetically them.

Theo and Kit were so dumb about each other in the most loveable way and I just wanted to pinch them for how silly they were being, but I love them so gosh darn much.

The atmosphere and the forced proximity of a food and wine bus tour was so perfect. Each stop was so vivid and brought something special. It has made me want to book my own food and wine tour!!

This book may very well be the spiciest book I’ve ever read, I was BLUSHING at some of these scenes!!

Overall, this may be my favourite Casey McQuiston yet.

This one was a bust for me. While I loved Red White and Royal Blue, this one didn’t have the same lovable characters and it definitely dragged. McQuiston has struggled to capture lightning in a bottle again for me.

McQuiston's writing is engaging, and the European setting adds a delightful backdrop to the romance. The chemistry between Theo and Kit is palpable, and their banter keeps the story lively. However, I felt the plot relied a bit too much on familiar tropes, and at times, the pacing seemed uneven.

First off thank you to NetGalley for this chance to read the book. Next i didnt think i would love anything as much as Red White and Royal Blue but this was darn near close. I for one would read again and purchase a copy in person to read again and possibly again.

After reading Red, White and Royal Blue and One Last Stop and loving both stories, I was surprised that I did not enjoy this book.

I don’t have an issue with how anyone identifies or whether they have a lot of sex with a lot of people.
I like to read spicy stories, but I just didn’t connect with all of the interactions where everyone seemed to just jump into sex without hesitation.

The wealthy nepo baby part of the story got old, the lack of developed side characters, humor or true caring was disappointing. The more I read, Theo and Kit did not seem like a good match and not ‘a pairing’ to me.

I had to struggle to finish reading the book, hoping I would enjoy it more. I hate to rate with so few stars, but this book wasn’t as interesting to me as the two books I listed above.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This book was fun! I loved RWRB so was super excited to read this one. While I didn’t love it quite as much, it was still a fun romance with depth and I loved the European setting, food, etc throughout.

Unfortunately I did not finish this book as it just was not for me and I found once I put it down I did not desire to pick it back up. No particular reason for this so I am giving it 3 stars as I feel it is a good book if you enjoy contemporary romance and Casey McQuiston’s other books!

I fell in love with Casey's writings since Red, White and Royal Blue. I love how well they craft their stories with such love and emotion. I love coming back to their books.

Not my favorite Casey title. Not exactly sure why I didn't like it as much as their other titles but the beginning felt a little bit slow and I wasn't invested in the characters as much as I have in their past works.

- This is a potentially controversial opinion, but I think THE PAIRING is McQuiston’s best book since RWRB.
- I adored both Kit and Theo. They’re my favorite kind of romance characters: smart and kind but also dummies who can’t see what’s right in front of their faces.
- It’s true that this book could be half the length if they just talked to each other. But the slow burn that keeps heating up and heating up is so delicious.
- Also delicious: the food! the wine! the art! the many many hot people they encounter! This book is a feast.

To preface, I’ve read 3 other Casey McQuiston books and loved all of them. I think McQuiston is great with character dynamics and development. I could definitely see that in this book, but ultimately I don’t believe this book was for me and therefore my review may not reflect perfectly what it is.
I found the main characters to be rather unlikeable compared to past characters from this author and I couldn’t seem to get them to grow on me during the entire 400+ pages of book. I’ll admit their banter was witty and fun, but I found their lack of communication stressful and their backgrounds definitely stretched my ability to believe in the story. Objectively, I enjoyed their development together through the story regardless of my feelings on the characters separately.
The writing quality was up to par with all of their other books and I loved the personal touches with the use of wine, movies, and literature to build on what’s being said. Overall though, I think I went into this book expecting something very different and being let down from what I was given. The characters were just not my thing. I did really appreciate the nonbinary character though and how their coming out was handled.