100% yes. this one was amazing! it gave me all the warm & fuzzies, and it was exactly what I hoped to get from a Casey McQuiston book.

though nothing can take the place of RW&RB in my heart, this one was a pleasant, happy read that had me in a chokehold from beginning to end! and the steam was perfecttttt

💞friends to lovers
💞second chance
💞hookup challenge
💞bi main characters

Great writing and a great storyline, as always! The character development was super engaging as well!

I was so excited for this book as I loved Red, White and Royal Blue. I loved the characters and was rooting for them the entire time. There were some cute moments and scenes that I loved. Unfortunately this book had too many travel, wine, and food references for me to really love this book!

The Pairing is a trip of a romance book. Read this on your next European vacation- it focuses on two exes who are stuck together on a European vacation years after their break up. The descriptions of the food, drinks, and places in Europe alone are enough of a reason for you to buy the book, but the love story is also excellent.

Theo and Kit are childhood friends who became a couple in university then split up in their early twenties. Now, at 28, they meet again on a wine-tasting/food tour through Europe they had booked when together but deferred for years. The story tells of their attempts at reconcilation over the course of several weeks during which they have various sexual encounters at just about every stop on their tour.

What I enjoyed about the book was the queer relationships and the way the author explored them more than superficially, which I have often experienced in novels.

Theo's character is strong and bold and I loved that about the book. The first half is from Theo's perspective, which made me like both characters and connect with them and want to see what happened in the past and how it would all turn out.

Although Kit's character seemed so interesting and sweet initially that I was looking forward to his narration, the second half from his perspective lost my interest, mostly because I felt much less sympathetic to Theo after realising just how sensitive and vulnerable Kit was.

There were many fascinating details about wine, wine tasting, food, and the European setting that would appeal to people who love food and travel. The author obviously did a lot of research to bring authenticity to the setting and the story.

The book was an entertaining read and I think many who like this author will love it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the privilege of reading the digital ARC.

I really wanted to like this one - I've always been a fan of McQuiston's work, and I LOVED the idea of this premise. A perfect summer story that takes us on a European food tour and a second-chance romance. This should have worked PERFECTLY for me.

Instead, I was pretty disappointed. 90% of this book is miscommunication and then having sex with other people to get over each other. It's also each of the two main characters saying how much they love the other person and how smart/strong/sexy that person is, but we never really see anything that is evidence to back that statement up. Ex. Kit tells us over and over how amazing Theo is and how they're the smartest and most impressive person he's ever met... except everything we see of Theo is them not committing to anything, refusing help from others when other people would KILL for an investment, and overall trying to pretend like they don't come from a rich family which will always give them a leg up in the world even if they don't want to be connected to that name.

I think Theo just annoyed me a little too much (and I say that as a 29-year old who doesn't know what her purpose is in life, which means I'm basically neck and neck with Theo), and Kit was portrayed as way too perfect most of the time. I wish we had a little more heart to more of the background characters as well - there is definitely plot there, don't get it twisted. But I just never really felt connected to any of the other characters (whereas in RWRB, June and Nora were my favorite characters).

I think some McQuiston fans will still enjoy this book, but it just wasn't up to my personal taste (and that's okay!). Here's hoping that their next novel will blow me away spectacularly.

Thank you NetGalley, and Casey McQuiston for allowing me to read the Advanced Readers Copy of The Pairing: Special 1st Edition.

The book is beautiful & so was the story. I enjoyed the plot. I recommend this book. Two thumbs up! 👍 👍

Prepare to be swept off your feet and taken on a rollercoaster ride of emotions with "The Pairing" by Casey McQuiston. This book is an absolute gem, filled to the brim with humor, sensuality, and an abundance of pop culture references that will leave you grinning from ear to ear.

This book was absolutely fantastic. It was filled with so much longing and love and culture and I devoured it in two days! I happened to read it while also traveling in Italy and it totally added to the experience. I adored the main characters, they were chaotic and angsty and their love for each other was so gorgeous. McQuinston really knocked it out of the park with this one! I just finished it and I already want to read it again!!

Also it was so steamy and written so well I was literally fanning myself at times😂

🌈Queer rep: NB/M main relationship, nonbinary bi/pan protagonist, bi/pan male protagonist, NB/F and M/M relationships. Secondary FF and MM relationships.

Casey McQuiston has absolutely outdone themself! This romance is set on a European food tour, and the writing is just as decadent as the food, drink, and art the characters experience. I absolutely adored reading this book, and I can’t wait to own a physical copy.

I'm a fan of McQuinston's writing and characters and this book is no exception. The story of Theo and Kit is filled with electricity and bold sexuality even if they are picking the carnal over the emotional. They are hoping that if they stay on the surface, they don't have to revisit the hurt. But of course life doesn't work like that. The only way out is always through.

If wine and baked goods is your thing and spicy scenes are also your thing, you will love this book. Even though I was rooting for both of them the whole time, it seems I slightly prefer my novels from the inside out vs the outside in so this wasn't my super favorite of the McQuinston's novels. But I will continue to read every single thing this author writes!

with gratitude to St. Martin's Press and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I feel so complicated because of this book. I love Casey McQuiston and their previous works, but this was NOT the book for me. I was jealous on behalf of the characters like 90% of the time. This was a very well-written book, and oh man did it make me hungry. But Theo was unlikable, the side characters were forgettable, and how is it possible that EVERY person they come across is hot and queer. It doesn’t even logistically make sense. Fabrizio is the best, and Kit was sweet. Idk, I wanted to love this book so much, and it just didn’t hit right.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Theo and Kit broke up right before going on a European bus tour, but now with their vouchers for a free bus tour about to expire, they both unexpectedly end up on the same bus tour. It's told first from Theo's perspective then Kit's as they travel through France, Spain, and Italy discovering both food and all the ways they've changed over the past four years.

I really enjoyed this. I thought it was a really lovely contemporary romance between two people who are so clearly meant for each other figuring out if and how they can really be together. And I thought the perspective shift halfway through the book was a great way to get insights into both characters.

Truly went into this book with great expectations as I love other books from this author. Unfortunately this book was just not for me. It felt very slow and drawn out, and I found myself skimming a lot of the pages. The character development was subpar, and extremely underwhelming. Something else that was a turn off for me was the over explanation of every activity that the characters participated in through the book.

I knew that I was going to enjoy this book. As I have enjoyed all of Casey McQuinston's book, this was no exception. I want to say that I did struggle with the amount of hook ups that happened, but then again that is 100% me and nothing towards the author or those that honestly love it. I appreciate that we get Theo's POV and then Kit's. It is about finding one's true self and love discovery and it is fluid as they find the right fit for them.

I honestly think this hurts me more than it will hurt anyone else.

This was one of my most anticipated books for 2024. I had been following the book's creation since Casey posted themselves on Instagram visiting all of these European locations as research. Sure, when the description was released, it didn't sound like something I would pick up otherwise, but this is Casey McQuiston we are talking about here. Red, White, and Royal Blue is still one of my favorite books of all time, and I loved One Last Stop and I Kissed Shara Wheeler. Surely, if anyone can get me to read a book like this, it would be them. But alas, I fear this is the first of their books that I have really disliked.

Now, I will preface this with saying that this book is really not for me. I'm aroace, so I don't love smut. I don't know how to cook, so a food tour didn't seem like something I would click with. I haven't traveled abroad, so I can't relate to that experience. If you like any one of these things, I am sure you will find more enjoyment out of it than me. But as it is, I just didn't like it.

This book felt like it was constantly going in circles. The characters gush over food, have some wine, pretend they are totally not in love, have sex, repeat. It didn't feel like anything of relevance happened for the majority of the book because of this. That was, until, the characters made stupid decisions that made me audibly groan. Listen, I love Alex and Henry, so I am not immune to loving stupid characters, but this took it a level too far. I won't get into it because of spoilers, but about midway through the book the characters made a choice that nearly made me DNF the book. It was quite frankly infuriating, if I am being honest.

Maybe I would like this sort of book if I enjoyed the characters, but nope. I really didn't like Theo, and while I admired Kit's endless yearning, it was hard to enjoy him when I just wasn't invested in their relationship. But what really disappointed me where the side characters: I can't remember a thing about a single one. With Casey's other books, I find myself thinking about the side characters almost more than the main characters. I ADORE June and Nora, Niko and Myla, Smith and goddamned Rory. And the fact that I only remember certain characters because the two main leads talked about them a lot, and not because they gripped me in the same way the other books' side characters did... I think it honestly stings the most out of all the things this book disappointed me by.

Let me preface this again: I LOVE Casey McQuiston's other books. I honestly feel really bad leaving a review this mean because I adore them so much. But gosh, I just am really let down with this one.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for an ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.
The Pairing follows Theo and Kit who are ex's that broke up on a flight for a European food and wine tour. They went their separate ways but the vouchers they got for not going on the tour expires in 48 months. When they happen to end up on the same tour again, they're forced to reconcile with what happened.
I always get nervous when I read books from authors I love but I feel so happy that I received an ARC of this book because I absolutely LOVED it! This book was so special to read and I feel so honored to be able to read this book when I did.
I absolutely loved Theo and Kit together but also as individuals. I thought their relationship was so sweet to see how it grows and became deeper as they went on this tour with each other. I really loved that we also got perspectives from both of them and really loved being in their heads. It was so sweet watching them come together and realize how much they grew in their years apart after their breakup. They were such a great couple and I loved them.
This book was also hilarious as is to be expected. I laughed out loud a few times and once near the end I had to put the book down because I was laughing so hard. I really loved the humor and the way that Casey McQuiston knows ALL of their characters nad not just the main two.
Also if you get hungry easily, this book will definitely make you hungry. A few times when I was reading this I got super hungry. The descriptions were as good as I'm sure the food was.
Overall, I adored this book and I am so excited to pick up a copy when it comes out. I cannot express how much I loved this and how happy I was to get an ARC. Please pick this book up when it comes out as it is 100% worth the read.

Oh my God, what to say about this book? This book is everything to me. Kit & Theo are so precious. This book has changed the way I think about life, about love, about risks. It's made me want to live a more expansive, experiential life. And yes, it is HORNY. My god, is it horny. This book is delectable. I loved it so much.

Casey McQuiston is back and better than ever with their horniest book yet, and I love them for it! 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Spicy times aside, I appreciated the backdrop of a sun-soaked tour of the food and drink of France and Italy (though it did make me wish I’d waited until I was a little closer to my next European vacation to read The Pairing so I didn’t have to have such FOMO).

I want to eat a French pastry while on a euro food and wine tour STAT!! The food descriptions and location descriptions were decadent