This book was absolutely delicious, and the perfect slutty summer read. I felt like I was travelling right alongside Theo and Kit through Europe. From the food and wine descriptions to the pining and angst, this book has a lot to love.

One of my top reads of the year. Casey McQuiston is at their very best, both in their writing, but also in their storytelling. It's their most romantic book, and celebrates the queer experience in an intoxicating, indulgent adventure. I want to read it again and again.

3 stars

I've read and enjoyed all of McQuiston's books, and while I wouldn't say I DISliked this book, it does not match the enjoyment I've experienced with most of the earlier efforts.

Kit and Theo have known each other for a very long time. They played important roles in each other's childhoods, entered into an intense romantic relationship, and broke up, and now it's time for some second chance romance action. While their backstory is compelling, they are somewhat challenging to encounter in the present: especially Theo, who is - at times - intolerable. Theo grapples with the very difficult situation of having famous and wealthy family members, and they just want to strike out on their own. Ugh. Okay. While some of this sentiment is relatable, it's mostly irritating to hear about and NOT exactly relatable to the masses. Theo is also a p-r-o-c-e-s-s-o-r. They both are, but it's more noticeable with Theo. This is a lengthy book - too long IMO - and in addition to cutting out some of that excessive processing and hand wringing, I'd have loved to see about 600 fewer ingredients on the menu (IYKYK). Both central characters have particular affinities for food and drink and are on a tour that centers on this subject, but at times, I felt like I was just reading someone's weekend gathering grocery list. I can recall more about what the characters were eating versus thinking or doing in multiple instances, which is not as cool as it sounds.

I really appreciated this author coming into this novel, and while this book was not my favorite by any means, I will still be clamoring to read whatever McQuiston offers up next.

*I do strongly recommend the audio version when and where accessible.

I was kind of disappointed in this book. I love Red, White and Royal Blue, it is a comfort read with some of my favorite characters ever created. And I heard great things about the storyline of One Last Stop, which has been on my TBR ever since I read RWRB. I hate to compare novels from authors because I understand everything is a different experience and its own moment, but when an author creates your favorite characters in one of their novels it’s a bit of a letdown to read another of their books and have the characters be underdeveloped and somewhat annoying.

Everyone has read the plot summary, so we all know the general plot of the story, which I thought could be kind of fun, interesting and a good way to do character studies, but alas. The first half of the novel is from Theo’s perspective and then the back half switches to Kit’s. I wish the book did dual POV that switched every chapter to make it more engaging.

Theo was low-key annoying and could not express their feelings if their life depended on it. I think that’s what made the overall novel so frustrating for me. I hate when a character is aware of how they feel and do the opposite of it both internally and externally. (It is very obvious Theo knew how they were feeling and what they wanted). Kit’s POV was a light at the end of the tunnel. Seeing him so clearly express his emotions to himself was so refreshing. (A POINT ON THIS: Kit’s POV could have been better because there was a major plot detail shared between the two mc’s right before his POV started that cleared up some of the tension, so maybe this is why he was freer with his emotions, but I digress).

Overall, these characters were not multifaceted and it seemed like Kit and Theo were written for only the relationship and conflict with each other and all other traits were underdeveloped. I am also a sucker for some good side characters. While this book didn’t have bad side characters, none of them were fleshed out enough for me. It almost felt like they were there as pawns to help move the plot along and not real people. Also, the humor (or the com to the rom as I like to say) was nowhere to be found in this book.

Overall, I say give it a chance if you like second chances, miscommunication/lack of communication, and are there more for the aesthetics plot or good well-thought-out characters (which I, unfortunately, need to thoroughly enjoy a book).

Arc from NetGalley

So I really liked the premise of the story and I liked the way it started out.

And I loved how sex positive this book was, but a book over 400 pages of them having sex with strangers after strangers for a bet was off-putting.
One night stands are one thing.
One night stands to try and win a bet of who can seduce more people is gross.
You could try and spin it and say that they treated the other person well and they both consented to spending the night, but I would still feel gross and used if I found out that someone was keeping tally of the people they slept with and was trying to win a bet.

I liked this author's first book, didn't love her second one, and was happy to receive an ARC of this one, hoping it would be as good her first. Sadly, after about 40% I was a bit bored of the two main characters and -- maybe because I am 2x their age and just too old for this?? -- didn't really get the plot of "I am in love with this person so to prove I am OK with him not being in love with me, I will challenge him to fuck as many people as possible right in front of me during this 3 week trip."
If you like food porn and real porn, this might be for you, but each chapter -- a new place, new food and wine description, new watching each other hit on someone else and pretend not to be jealous -- got a bit repetitive for me. By about 40% in, I was skimming it.

That said, I still am happy to support LGBTQ+ authors and books and glad they are being marketed mainstream and not separately, as if you need to be LGBTQ+ to enjoy them. I just happened not to love this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

In McQuiston's 4th major release, Theo and Kit are a pair of bisexuals who went from best friends to lovers to exes after a big implosion on the way to a European food and wine tour. They run into each other 4 years later on the very same food and wine tour before their tickets expired and they strike up their friendship with a hookup competition.

There was a lot to love here: I alway's love McQuiston's writing is particularly great. I loved the explorations of sexuality and gender, which have really stuck with me. There was also a lot that threw me. The characters were especially obnoxious (specifically Theo at times), while still being lovable. The plot often plodded for me. While I enjoy descriptions of food and travel, it somewhat took away from the overall flow of the book at times and it might have been a bit more of a slow burn for me than I wanted. I wanted MORE from the supporting cast. And finally, I will admit that I struggled with the shear number of sex scenes. This book was Horny. They were not poorly written or devoid of emotion, but I desperately wanted them to contribute to plot development and they often just didn't. Also, I read this on an airplane next to my daughter who can read and it just got pretty awkward trying to hide my Kindle. ;)

The struggle with this is that I have thought about it a lot in the past few weeks. So, it obviously impacted me in some way. I think I'm sticking with my initial rating of 3.5, because it really isn't my favorite CM book. BUT, it has a lot of value and I think it's an important one. So, if you've been a McQuiston fan and/or want a queer summer read that has a lot of on and off page sexy times, pick this one up!

3.5 stars rounding up. Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, it was very enjoyable going along visiting European 3 week vacation. The book is read-narrated in two different perspective. The first half was in the point of view of Theo, the second half was in the perspective of Kit. The 2nd half Kit realized that Kit wanted to use pronouns They-them. It was confusing for it to switch through the middle of the book,

Let’s round up to 4.5 stars because this is a PERFECT romance novel that you need to read by a pool or on your summer vacation! Theo and Kit 🥰🥰 i loved everything about this . The settings dropped you right in, the side characters were so endearing and felt REAL, a second chance romance for the ages!

There were things I enjoyed about The Pairing—McQuiston's writing most of all—but the things I didn't started to stack up until it's all I could think about. As much as McQuiston really marinates the story so you get the full, completely saturated experience of a hedonistic food-tour through Southern Europe where almost everyone is queer, at some point it simply becomes too much. By the third or fourth (explicit) sex scene, I said out loud "I don't want to read this" and then skipped through the rest of them.

McQuiston also knows their audience and wrote a plethora of romance tropes to further the story—second chance love, friends to lovers, one true pairing, forced proximity, only one bed—but then hinges the main conflict on a (rather innocuous) miscommunication. Okay fine, but Theo and Kit are childhood best friends? How are they this bad at talking with one another? Casey really said "you know what they say! Assume means making an ASS out of U and ME" and then made them both in love with either each other anyway.

All of this might have been fine but I just didn't really like Theo as a character* or Theo and Kit as a couple. Their entire courtship happens off-page so all we really get are morose flashbacks about their break-up in between how sexy and virile everyone is. McQuiston changes the POV from Theo to Kit about halfway through (about the point at which I could no longer stand being in Theo's head), but the book still drags on for, like, 150 more pages until a resolution happens. I'm not sure fans of Red, White & Royal Blue are going to love this one.

* they are the eldest child of a pretty successful Hollywood family but refuse to accept financial help when offered because "it was their right to be miserable." However, doing something to prove a point makes Theo seem insufferable and, as their sister points out, comes off as "morally superior".

I am hesitant to provide genuine feedback on this book due to the current SMP boycott. This review goes directly to the publisher, so I hope that will help them realize that they need to take accountability for their actions and their employee's racist remarks. It has been too long without any form of acknowledgement. And that is quite ridiculous in my opinion. It is damaging the authors, as they are not getting honest reviews of their books and are not getting the traction they deserve, due to the lack of response on the publisher's part. I will not be able to discuss this book with anyone, and therefore why would I share a review with the publisher?

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this early!
This plot is definitely not my favorite. I don't love miscommunication as a trope and this is just packed full of it. Theo and Kit's relationship is really developed off the page in this second chance romance, and while their breakup is brutal to them emotionally, I don't really think its well developed for the reader. This is really a bunch of vignettes steeped in food and sex and, while that's great, I personally need so much more to connect to a story. The chemistry is there but it doesn't feel real, the sexcapades around Europe just become farfetched as the book progresses, and I found myself skimming. Alot. I know I'm a bit prudish when it comes to stories but the intricate and robust sex scenes weren't actually my problem: its the substance inbetween.
I'm giving this 2 stars for two reasons only: 1) This is dual POV and Kit's chapters are REALLY superior, and I did find myself enjoying them more than the rest. 2) This is about as Queer positive of a book as I could possibly find. It is a wonderful representation for the LGBTQ+ community, in that none of the representation felt unnatural or forced. It just IS queer, and lovingly so. I also really loved how the pronoun transition that happens in the second half is just so fluid. That is deserving of a star, even if the plot is completely failing for me.

This is my second Casey McQuiston book and while it did not live up to RWARB I did enjoy it. I found the plot a bit boring at times but the spice made up for it.

I really enjoyed this book! I wish I was reading it on a beach in Italy with a beveragino. It’s horny and summery and I liked the way the two parts were structured. We lost a little bit of steam in the back half but overall this is probably my second fave CMQ.

I am a huge fan of Casey McQuiston’s previous but unfortunately this book was not it for me. I found the pacing to be extremely slow. The book has far too many detailed descriptions of the locations, drinks, and food to the point it becomes boring. I just could not find myself invested in Kit and Theo as a couple, and I love a second chance romance. Perhaps I would’ve enjoyed this more if it was a movie or limited series where you can see the visuals rather than read the lengthy descriptors.

CASEY NEVER MISSES! This book was was lush and gorgeous and horny as hell. It is the absolute perfect summer vacation read and will leave you in turns breathless, desperate, and melted upon your furniture of choice. I love my sweet slutty bi dumbasses Kit and Theo with my whole heart and groin. I love the questions the story raises about who you are and who you become with and without someone. I love the slow burn, the unusual dual POV (it switches halfway through) that gets you in the heads of both main characters while still maintaining a ton of tension and just enough mystery to keep you wondering what's going to happen and what the other one is thinking. I love the magnificent, hilarious, diverse cast of characters. I love the lush descriptions that just keep delivering and making you sigh with how you can taste and feel and smell and see everything. And I laughed my ass off the whole way through. I was cackling so much I drew attention so I let my partner know it was the new CMQ novel and she said "I should have guessed." Thank you Casey for bringing so much horny laughter to my life.

I have been waiting and waiting to see Casey's portrayal of a nonbinary character and of course they fucking delivered. I LOVE that we see to some extent the difference of Theo figuring out who they are and how they express that to other people--especially with Kit, someone they were so close to before, who they haven't spoken to in several years. I love that we got to see so many gorgeous takes on what sex can look like between two partners with different genitalia, and how wonderfully Theo and Kit communicated and connected on this topic. I hope Casey writes a million more nonbinary characters because we NEED AND WANT this kind of representation in romance. It's so important.

My only complaint is I guessed the way the book was going to end at, like, 27% through, when they talked about there being no one to take over the bakery. This is not really a complaint but maybe it could have been left slightly more mysterious, lol.

What a fucking blessing to be alive at the same time as Casey McQuiston. Thank you for bringing so much joy to my life. In conclusion, read The Pairing because IT'S ABOUT THE GAY YEARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU <3 to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC, I am so grateful!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

20-something exes Theo and Kit find themselves on the same tour bus, having both redeemed vouchers for a trip they’d booked together (pre-breakup) before the trip credits expired.

My favourite parts:
This book nearly made me buy a one-way ticket to France and embark on the western-European food and wine tour of my dreams. Major props to the author for setting the scene SO beautifully, with rich descriptions of fine pastries and local desserts, savvy wine-o knowledge, and savoury tasty morsels from small town trattorias, while describing the scenic stops along the tour. I really liked Theo and preferred the first half of the book from their perspective, struggling to find their way into a career they excel at and love, while also coming into themself and their identity.

My less favorite parts:
There were quite a few things that I didn’t love in this story, but one of the main issues was that I felt no chemistry between the main characters. Also, I really dislike the trope in romance books where one minor miscommunication sparks the main conflict, and this story was no exception... just have a *single* conversation and this whole mess wouldn’t have to happen!! For two characters so in love and in tune with each other (and who have known each other for so long), the conflict didn’t feel believable, and the whole friends/lovers/evolving relationship could have been more complicated for better emotional payoff. The ending was predictable and cute.

Read this if you want a surprisingly sex-filled frolic through the streets of Western Europe and a lil second-chance-romance action 🍷

I made it to just over half way through the book before I realized I simply did not like this book. This is very unfortunate for me, as I have really enjoyed Casey's books in the past and I was SO excited for this one - I even have it pre-ordered! This just felt so draggy to me. I get its about a food and wine tour but I'm not sure how many more in detail descriptions about food and wine I could have mentally handled. I was bored, to say bluntly. The relationship between the characters should have already had chemistry built, considering it was a second chance romance, but I felt zero chemistry or passion between them the whole time. I want to root for the couple to get together, and I wasn't rooting for them at all. I wasn't rooting for them to stay apart either, I just felt indifferent towards the whole thing.

I enjoyed “Red White and Royal Blue” and quite liked “One Last Stop”. Unfortunately I gave up on “The Pairing” after the first random hook-up about 15% of the way through. I found it hard to engage with this book and couldn’t really care less what happened to the two protagonists.

I never thought I would see the day that I would review one of Casey's books with less than a three. First, let me say that I have an unbelievably profound respect for them as an author but this book and I just
...did...
...not...
...vibe

In contrast to their other stories, this book is straight up sad. It's weighed with careless, completely avoidable heartbreak and so much angst-filled yearning. At times it felt like it was just going on forever with too little of the witty, humorous moments of levity.

Where was the rich tapestry of supporting characters? Each one more interesting than the next? And while I would take a bullet for most of Casey's MC's, I'm not even sure I like Theo and Kit.

~sighs~

but I can't bring myself to end this on a sour note. There are three things about this novel that I really enjoyed:
1) I loved getting to see and explore all of the unique and exquisite European locales the tour group visited
2) WARNING SPOILERS (slightly)
The narrative switches between the MC's roughly halfway through the book adding a nice shake up to the storyline and an interesting layer to the character development
3) Fabrizio—I have no notes