I adored this book! I absolutely loved the main characters Kit and Theo and I think this book would make a fabulous vacation read. I definitely want to take Kit and Theo’s trip and taste all the delicious food and wine! I also loved the fact that there wasn’t a third act breakup - really nice to see a slightly different romance novel structure that still qualifies as a romance and has a happily ever after! Also, this was the first romance novel to have me cry happy tears at the end: I found Kit and Theo’s love story to be unbelievably beautiful!

I am taking a star off for three reason: 1) this book is long. I think it needed a better editor to tighten up the plot and chop at least fifty pages. The sex competition was fun at first but became extremely repetitive as the novel progressed and dragged the plot out towards the end. 2) The reason for Kit and Theo’s initial breakup was lackluster. I think it’s really hard to write a second chance romance with a convincing initial break up because you don’t want the reader to hate either character for their previous actions. However, having Kit and Theo break up over essentially a miscommunication felt lame. 3) The side characters felt two dimensional and like a compilation of European stereotypes. This wasn’t awful, just enough to take me out of the story.

“The Paring” was a wonderful summer read with great bi and non-binary representation. Casey McQuiston will continue to be an auto buy author for me!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Two bisexual exes are forced to confront their unresolved feelings when they both accidentally book the same European food and wine tour. What starts as a casual hookup competition to prove they’re over each other quickly turns into something much more complicated—and much more romantic.

Theo and Kit have a long history: childhood best friends, mutual crushes, lovers, and now estranged exes after a bitter breakup. Four years have passed since their dream trip to Europe was derailed by their sudden split, but now, with their old tour voucher about to expire, both independently decide to take the trip—solo. What they don’t expect is to find each other on the same tour bus, embarking on a three-week journey through the most romantic destinations in France, Spain, and Italy.

Determined to show they’ve moved on, Theo and Kit make a wager: whoever can hook up with the tour’s hot Italian guide first wins. But as they indulge in the stunning sights, incredible cuisine, and intoxicating wines of Europe, the sparks that first brought them together start to reignite. Soon, the competition isn’t about anyone else—it’s about proving to themselves that what they had might not be over after all.

Casey McQuiston once again delivers a delightful, heartfelt, and sexy rom-com that explores complex emotions, second chances, and the messy nature of love. *The Pairing* is filled with witty banter, mouth-watering descriptions of food and wine, and steamy, romantic tension as Theo and Kit navigate their way through Europe—and their tangled feelings for each other. The backdrop of vibrant European cities adds a rich, immersive atmosphere to their slow-burn romance.

The chemistry between Theo and Kit is palpable, with McQuiston skillfully blending humor, passion, and poignant moments of reflection on love, loss, and self-discovery. Fans of McQuiston's previous works will find the same signature charm and queer joy, while also relishing in the fresh dynamics of a bisexual second-chance romance.

Tropes
- Second-Chance Romance
- Enemies-to-Lovers (with a twist)
- Forced Proximity
- Queer Joy

The Pairing is a joyful, swoon-worthy rom-com packed with humor, heart, and heat. Casey McQuiston fans will savor this delicious blend of romance, travel, and emotional depth, making it a must-read for anyone looking for a feel-good story about second chances and rekindled love.

I’m not sure I understand the relationship between our two main characters. I get that they’re in their 20’s…that things are still being figured out…but why is miscommunication even happening?! There is too much history to not ask questions.

Crazy, toxic relationship woes aside. I enjoyed this book for its representation and exploration of food, wine, and friends! I liked the unconventional vulnerability as it reminds the reader that even strong willed people can find love and understanding. Ultimately, it made me want to simplify my life to only enjoy good food, good wine, and good books.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, St Martin’s Press, and author Casey McQuiston for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am so sorry but I am just not the right reader for this one. It was a bit too "open door" romance for my liking and I had a really hard time connecting with the characters. I did find myself wanting to take this amazing trip they were on and eat all the yummy food and drinks! But overall, this just isn't for me.

Casey McQuiston is an author I will return to again and again. Like returning home, their books bring me immense comfort. This was a lovely rekindling romance brimming with yearning and enduring love.

A great second-chance exes to lovers read. My first Casey McQuinston novel and I will definitely be reading more!

This was probably a 3.5 star that I rounded up. The first part of the book is from Theo's point of view and I wasn't enjoyed it that much. I didn't like the choices both characters were making. The second half of the book is from Kit's point of view and I started to enjoy it more. I was still not keen on the amount of sleeping around all the characters were doing. I honestly don't really like a romance where the two main characters are sleeping with other people. But I really enjoyed the descriptions of various places they visited and lover all the food descriptions. That helped redeem it for me. Overall a decent book.

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston ⭐️⭐️⭐️

What I loved:
🍷 The travel scenes were so fun and made for a super aesthetic read. Anyone who has been to Europe or dreams of going to Europe will love it.
🍷 All the wine talk! I love a book about food and/ or wine and this was delightful.
🍷Their romance development felt very real and even though I usually hate the miscommunication trope, I felt this was well done.

What I didn’t love:
🧳 The book had a little too much spice for my taste. Others might appreciate that but I wish I had known going into it!
🧳 Overall it just felt a little too long. Scenes definitely could have been cut or reduced and the product would have been the same.

I have been a long time fan of Casey McQuiston and will definitely continue to read her new books but this one wasn’t my favorite! Definitely would be a favorite for someone with different reading tastes!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Kit and Theo’s breakup left them both reeling. Four years later, Theo decides to finally go on the European food and wine tour they had booked together. And so does Kit. Meeting again, they are reminded of what they loved about each other and what eventually went wrong.

The Pairing, a.k.a My Slutty Bisexual Summer (my subtitle, not McQuiston’s), was so much fun. I loved the setting, the characters, the banter, and of course the food. It was the perfect steamy summer read, and had me wishing I was floating down the French Riviera. It also has a powerful message about gender, coming out, and finding people who appreciate the whole you for who you are. The conversation around these themes in the book was really interesting and heartfelt. I loved the representation. Kit and Theo’s relationship is really sweet, including childhood friends and second chance romance tropes. Fair warning, it is a bit spicier than McQuiston’s previous books! But that too was a beautiful exploration of queer sexual expression, and I’m here for it.

Casey McQuiston never misses. I love everything about this book from the characters and their relationships to the settings and the conflicts. Theo and Kit both felt so real and relatable and I absolutely loved their relationship. Friends-to-lovers isn’t always my favourite, but this one really worked.

Of course, the representation and celebration of pleasure in all its forms was one of the biggest highlights. It’s just so well done, so fun to read and so impactful.

Loved all of the food descriptions! I am a huge fan of Red, White & Royal Blue and One Last Stop. I enjoyed this one too and would recommend it.

This book was a DNF for me. Personally, I just could not get into the story and did not like the characters.

I'm so glad I finally had the time to pick up this novel because truly it is one of Casey's best books. I am kind of a sucker for a second chance romance, and you never stop rooting for Kit + Theo to get the hell out of their own ways and get back together despite everything that has happened since their first almost-trip to this food and wine tour. I think loving someone, falling completely out of touch, becoming a new and (improved?) person, and then gettin ghte chance to fall back in love knowing everything you know now, and knowing yourself as a solo unit it so important and did so much for me.

The food and drinks described in this book were insane, and I was so hungry the whole time. The food porn in this book was incredible, and my five senses tingled the entire read between the beautiful settings, Casey's eye for descriptions, and for the beautiful people really transported me to the European cities I've always wanted to go to and haven't gotten the chance to visit yet.

The supporting characters were lovely, and I miss them so much. I wish I could spend another several hours with everyone else on this tour, and the many many lovely faces we met during the journey.

I know not everyone loved this book, but I did and that's what matters to me. I think it's some of Casey's strongest writing to date, and I enjoyed myself the entire time. It was a really special, fun read and exactly what I needed when I read it.

Overall, not my favorite McQuiston novel. I enjoyed the backdrop of the European vacation, however, there were a lot of inaccuracies. My biggest grip with this book is the characters; I found them rather underdeveloped and flat. There was nothing compelling about their relationship or why we should root for them to get back together. I found it particularly hard to sympathize with Theo, whose major personality point was being a nepo baby. Even worse, when we see Kit's perspective, it's almost entirely centered on Theo; I would've loved for more time to have been spent developing these two characters as their own people rather than solely focused on their relationship. I've liked McQuiston's other releases, but this one unfortunately missed the mark for me.

Ultimately these characters (Theo and Kit as well as the plethora of side characters) really charmed me, and CMQ’s prose lent itself well to the visceral European settings and beautiful atmospheric moments. And, I’m a sucker for second chance romances.

Parts of the book (especially the middle third) dragged, and I think it might have worked better for me had it been cut by about 75 pages. Would still recommend for CMQ fans or if the description sounds good to you! 3.5 stars rounded up

I think this is the first McQuiston where the characters are a little older and already comfortable in their queer identities.

The Pairing explores themes of love, identity, and personal growth. McQuiston's engaging dialogue and heartfelt moments create a delightful reading experience that balances humor and emotion. While I didn't enjoy this as much as RWRB, the book was still a fun and breezy read that made me want to drop everything and travel to Europe.

What I loved: the setting and the characters. Theo and Kit are on a culinary tour throughout Europe and it made me wish I was traveling alongside with them. I enjoyed getting to know them and liked when the point of view flipped half way through the book to get both Theo and Kit's thoughts. The side characters were delightful and they meet a ton of people in each place as well. I loved how the story ultimately resolved.

What was a little lost on me: There is a ton of wine name dropping, which makes sense because Theo is a wine aficionado, but it didn't enhance the scenes much for me. There were a so so many characters and it was hard to keep them all straight by the end. The book frequently moves locations and it was hard to tie scenes into locations by the end.

I loved the plot of this book. I felt like it was a little long-winded, and there were multiple times throughout the book I realized I was dozing off, but overall, a fun read.

UGH I did not like this book one bit. I loved Casey's first book, Red, White, and Royal Blue but every book after has felt so forced to me. The relationship felt completely wrong, there was too much yet not enough going on, and after the first couple of cities, every single stop felt the same. 2 stars.