This was such a fun story and I was really glad for the opportunity to read it! I enjoyed the banter and the chemistry between the characters and how they found their way back to each other and how they rediscovered themselves and their relationship throughout the course of their travels. It was such an honor to get to read this lovely story.

Honestly, my new favorite CMQ book. I could not put this story down. Who doesn't love a childhood friends-to-lovers-to-strangers second chance romance? And I really could read more about the side characters we meet in this. My only gripe is that if felt wordy when poetically waxing about food/wine/art. Otherwise this book was definitely worth the 2 nights of sleep deprivation I put myself through.

3.5 Stars

This starts off quite slow and insufferable. It was hard to be in Theo's head, and for the first third of the book, I thought I was going to hate the book completely. Theo is more of a queer quip machine than a person, and with the weird nepo baby chip on their shoulder, it was all a bit much, and I couldn't find it in me to care about the story. I just wasn’t invested in Theo that much as a person, and didn’t care for them.

I found Kit’s inner voice to be more enjoyable, but both Theo & Kit’s problems - outside of their relationship - felt flat and underdeveloped. They were resolved too quickly, and often came from out of nowhere, with no build up or context, and they sometimes didn’t make much sense at all.

Most of the secondary characters have little to no depth or personality, and we see such little development. So many of them were almost compelling but we don’t get the chance to really know for sure.

The story itself is horny and sumptuous, and kind of a vibe, but I didn't start caring much until (Again), like a third of the way into the book. By the time we make it to Kit's section, the book levels out a bit more, and is a bit more bearable. The reflections on gender and art, and the section in Florence were BEAUTIFUl, and really redeemed the book for me.

However, the pacing wasn’t great, and the book felt a bit too long. This was fun and horny and romantic and delectable, but also poorly paced, and over reliant on zingy one-liners, with weak character development. It felt like Casey went on a food tour that maybe changed their life, and I love that for them, and felt transported there, so that was definitely a plus.

Ultimately not the best, nor my fave McQuiston, but it's a fun addition to the queer, bacchanalia cannon.

Sweet, bittersweet, deliciously layered and multifaceted much like a fine wine. 🍷 Made me want to book a month long tour of Europe and just go eat and experience and enjoy life. Reading Theo and Kit experience the trip and all they saw and tasted is a close consolation prize.

I loved that the pov switches half way through the book and we get to experience the story from both Theo and Kit’s point of views. Thought that added a special richness to it.

Taking off half a star because literally everyone was super hot. 😂

This would make a great movie!

The Pairing’s premise intrigued me. Two bisexual exes on a European adventure competing in a hook-up contest? Sign me up. I was expecting big laughs, mutual pining, and travel fomo. I got some of that but I just felt like this was lacking. The food and beverage descriptions at first were great but after a while it felt like filler. Theo got on my nerves and while I loved Kit’s POV I wish we would have gotten that much earlier in the book. I never felt like the two had much chemistry between them. We also didn’t get details of the break-up until way too late. I will still recommend this book but it was a solid 3 stars for me.

I wanted to enjoy the book, but it was extremely spicy. The best part was at 84% in the book. Sold 2-3 star rating.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read the digital ARC of The Pairing in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and St Marten's Press for access of an advanced reader copy of this book.

Kit and Theo are childhood best friends turned partners. As they embark on a three week European food and wine tour, the couple experiences an epic break up. Apparently, they both got vouchers to move the tour to another date, and, inadvertently, book the same tour four years ago. Neither has seen or talked to the other. As they begin to reconnect, Theo proposes they begin to wager who can have the most hookups on their three week adventure. Drama ensues.

What I loved!
I adored the food sounds, smells and sense of place. This book was expertly researched. You could feel the sun and taste the honey and wine.

What was lacking for me.

Ultimately, the two mains were a bit whiny and immature for my taste. Their personalities were pretty surface. More so, the seconary hookup characters were nothing but European caricatures.

I have really enjoyed other Casey McQuiston books. This one, ultimately, just wasn't for me.

The Pairing is truly an exquisitely crafted, unputdownable story. Casey McQuiston delivers beautiful descriptions of the European tour and of Theo and Kit themselves. Perfect read if you love childhood friends to lovers and second chance romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of The Pairing in exchange for my honest review.

Sadly this wasn’t for me. I love the premise but the actual plot was non existent and therefore this story dragged on. I also did not care for the mcs and at the end of the day.

🥹 immensely grateful for the ARC

As a reader who is quick to recommend Red, White, and Royal Blue to any and all within earshot; I absolutely loved this novel. Oh my goodness. 5/5 stars is the easiest feedback here. It’s definitely spicier than McQuiston’s other work, but it’s also infinitely more poetic. Theo’s POV the first half is fun and witty and reels you in. Kit’s POV the second half is (the best kind of) devastating and romantic and *insert swooning emoji here. Then? Then!! You have to account for the actual settings and food/drink theme that literally had me googling flights on one screen and downloading local concept restaurant menus on another? Oh but wait there’s more to love and appreciate, because McQuiston also captures Theo’s identity and Kit’s sexuality in the most respectful, understandable, and seamless of ways.

I love this book. I love it a lot. I love it and would love to pair it with all of my friends the moment it’s published.

I’ve also added this review to my Goodreads

Casey McQuiston once described The Pairing as being their horniest book yet. And I wholeheartedly agree with that statement. There were multiple moments where I had to set the book down and walk away from it, just to get a reset from the intense horniness sitting on these pages. But this book played with that emotion, played with the queerness of it all, and that is what made it an entertaining read.

I truly felt like I was embarking on a European summer vacation, which is a testament to McQuiston’s writing style. They provided just enough detail to draw up the setting imagery. I felt completely immersed in these locations I’d never been to before (and it made me excited to take my own Europe trip in the future!). But where I was truly in awe relates to the sheer amount of intricate details McQuiston provided about the food and drink. They took that pairing theme and ran with it—in a way that often had my jaw on the floor. The deftness with which they drew those details out was a marvel (despite me not understanding half of the food and drink terms).

In the vein of McQuiston’s writing style, I did notice they tended to rely on summary narrative quite often. There were pages of Theo and Kit’s internal monologues, and many scenes in which the characters summarized conversations they had with others. In most cases, the conversations that were summarized were ones I wanted to read about. That reliance on summary narration was a stylistic choice, but one that did keep us readers at arm’s length from Theo and Kit’s friendship development with the minor characters.

Theo and Kit! Of course, we must talk about the queer leads of this novel. From the first page, it was clear that these two were built for each other and that no other romantic situation would prove fruitful. And that tension made reading about their hook-up competition wild to read about.

I can still remember reaching the halfway point and asking myself “Where is Kit’s perspective on all of this?” I turned the page, and there was our boy, Kit, finally chiming in on the story. It was a risk to not have the perspectives interchanging, but it worked incredibly well for this story. We were with Theo long enough to see their developmental arc almost complete, just to move over to Kit to watch his arc take root. Between the two perspectives, I preferred Kit’s over Theo’s. I do believe that preference is due to Kit’s romantic thinking whereas Theo had a greater habit of complaining and self-destruction. Which is fine! That dynamic is what made their coupling work so well.

Would I say this is my favorite book from McQuiston? No, but I will admit it’s difficult to shake my pure adoration for Red, White & Royal Blue. I did find this book had its fair number of strengths and weaknesses, but McQuiston’s writing shone the entire way through. I am walking away from this novel thinking about the follies of human nature and how often we get in our own way; but, sometimes, those follies still create the most epic of love stories.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

This book got a lot more tolerable after (1) it switched to Kit's POV, (2) I gave myself permission to skim past the sex scenes, and (3) I read a bunch of one- and two-star reviews and realized I wasn't the only one who thought it was an interminable train wreck. Even so, that maaaaaaybe pulled it up to 2.5-star territory? Maybe.

So...

I was excited about this book! I don't adore RWRB the way a lot of people do, but I thought it was cute, so why wouldn't this be similar? Reader, it was not similar.

I'm cis, so my opinion about the nonbinary representation is absolutely suspect. What do I know, after all? But Theo read very, very female to me throughout, and not in a good way.

The sex, omg so much sex. Please make it stop. Everyone on the planet (or at least everyone in western Europe) wants to have sex with all the others, in great and gory detail? Nooo. Also: So! Much! Drinking!

Overall, this book felt like an excuse to write off a long and expensive food-and-wine tour. With, did I mention, way too many descriptions of sex?

There were a few lovely moments buried amidst the dreck—I'm pretty sure I laughed out loud a couple of times, early on—but I can't remember them at this point, and I'm simply glad to be done with this.

My thanks (... sort of) to the publisher/NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

I am feeling very conflicted after reading this book, it was a lot of love hate. I like second chance romances but am not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope which is how they broke up in the first place. Overall the book made me feel some feelings which is why I am bumping it to 4 stars, but for the most part the main feeling was frustration. I feel like it’s my own personal taste that I did not like that the sex with strangers was constant, and that they never got rejected by anyone. It was “can I buy you a drink” to the first person they saw and then 5 minutes later they were leaving and going to have sex and it was always out of spite or hate or jealousy. If this happened once or even twice it might not have bothered me, but it was very intentionally every chapter (city) of Theo’s POV. I understand it was supposed to show how open they were with sex and that their reunion was messy and angry, but it got to a point where it took away from the whimsy of the story/trip. And then after having sex with a bunch of strangers they made rules that they couldn’t have sex with each other, it just felt silly.

It wasn't horrible but it wasn't amazing either. I would not read it again but it was nice while it lasted.

The culinary delights and picturesque settings in The Pairing made me ready to pack my bags and move to Europe. The main characters are on a food and wine tour, gallivanting across Spain, France, and Italy, and there are nonstop narration of delicious sounding dishes and drinks. The novel’s depiction of travel is similarly enchanting, I wish I could visit all the cities mentioned. I also enjoyed the dual POV’s, I thought it worked well for this situation and seeing both sides of the story.

Despite the charm of the cuisine and wanderlust, the book falls short in its character development and romance. Theo and Kit’s relationship feels contrived and lacks depth, as all of the getting-to-know-you and falling-in-love happened before the book started, and the readers are just supposed to believe it. All the side characters come across as one-dimensional, failing to evoke any genuine interest. Some of the lines, humor, and spice were also cringey to read.

Overall, the food and travel descriptions made this worth the read, but I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a fun romance novel.

No one is more hurt by this review than me.

And maybe it's just the hopeless romantic in me that still believes in soulmates, but I felt as if I was suffering trying to push through a book where the two (clearly still in love) MCs spend over half of the book hooking up with other people.

If anyone could make this plot work for me, it would be Casey McQuiston. Their humor scratches an itch in my brain, their cast of characters is incredibly loveable, and they never fail to put a smile on my face...

... But (almost) everything about The Pairing fell flat for me.

So, here's what I thought worked and what didn't:

Wasn't Doing It For Me: Plot
Four years ago, Theo and Kit broke up right before embarking on a European food and drink tour. Instead of sampling the best of Spain, Italy, and France, they got a 48-month voucher for the tour and some sour memories.

In the present, the two accidentally use their tour voucher simultaneously. They haven't seen each other since the fateful breakup in Heathrow, and now they're determined to play off how much they've grown without the other by their side.

What results is a competition to see which of the two can hook up with the most people before the end of the tour and a LOT of crossed signals and feelings.

Perhaps it's just a personal thing for me, but hooking up while knowing you're in love with someone else put a sour taste in my mouth. ESPECIALLY when there were a couple of different descriptions of Theo envisioning Kit as the person they're hooking up with instead of the person DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THEM.

Even though the majority of their partners were chill with a one-night stand, it didn't spark any warm or fuzzy feelings for the MCs. I could see the author making a genuine effort to not objectify any of the hook-ups but also evidently struggled because they were dealing exclusively in one-night stands.

(Also, the lack of concern for checking for STDs with new partners was making me incredibly nervous, but maybe that's just the traumatic middle school Sex-Ed lessons talking.)

Was Doing It For Me: Setting
The one thing I thoroughly enjoyed about THE PAIRING was Casey McQuiston's descriptions of each of the cities on the tour.

There were multiple points where I felt like I was on the tour with them, and it pulled such vivid memories of walking the streets of Paris that I simply felt transported. If you want to read a book based solely on the setting, this is a book I would wholeheartedly recommend.

Wasn't Doing It For Me: The Dreaded Miscommunication Trope and Kit/Theo
However... This book focuses on Kit and Theo and not on the setting. I did not find either of them to be particularly likable, the cast of side characters was lacking, and (worst of the worst) this book hinges on a miscommunication trope.

Neither Kit nor Theo are the best at communicating and, though they felt real/fleshed out, they were not the type of people I would befriend (or probably even like) in real life.

Theo comes from a famous family with well-means, but bemoans any offer of help or aid because of so-called 'nepotism'. They hate being from money, which is the worst when it comes to well-endowed characters because they don't realize what that kind of money could do to change a person's life (i.e., they know $$$ is there, even if they don't want it to be).

Also (once again), the scene where they were envisioning Kit while hooking up with someone else... NEXT.

Kit was a little more likable, but not by much. I'm generally not a fan of people who know when someone likes and/or is in love with them yet continue to use it to their advantage when those feelings are not reciprocated, and that was the exact kind of energy Kit was giving.

Bottom line, I thought Kit and Theo to be the type of characters that would be the unlikeable ex in any other romance novel.

Was Doing It For Me: LGBTQ+ Rep!
I love finding books that have some layer of representation, and I know I can always rely on Casey McQuiston to deliver LGBTQ+ representation. Both of the MCs are bisexual, Theo is non-binary, and almost all of the supporting cast is at least a little fruity.

Wasn't Doing It For Me (Rehashed): The Plot/Conclusion
All in all, I was let down by THE PAIRING. Will I always pick up Casey McQuiston's new project? Absolutely! But this new release was, sadly, not for me. If this sounds like your niche, then I would undoubtedly recommend it, but my hopeless romantic heart wanted more.

Nevertheless, my most sincere gratitude to Casey McQuiston, Netgalley, and St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read The Pairing e-arc. Unfortunately, I will not be reviewing or posting because SMP has yet to address everything that's happened. Free Palestine.

Oh my gosh I think I could gush on and on forever about The Pairing by Casey McQuiston. I loved everything about this queer second chance romance. Kit and Theo were such lovely main characters to read about. They were both so special in their own way that also made them perfect for each other. The book takes place on a European food tour that mostly centers in Paris, Spain, and Italy and the descriptions of the things they were eating and drinking throughout the book constantly made me hungry. And speaking of descriptions the spicy scenes in this book were so well done. Theo and Kit aren’t your traditional couple and they way they know and love each others bodies was just so hot and well written. As someone that reads a lot of romance I feel like those types of scenes can become very cookie cutter but these just felt so intimate and sexy. I don’t really know what else to say other than I loved this book, Kit and Theo were so lovely and flawed, but working on smoothing out the flaws, and I just loved their love. Thank you netgally and stmartinspress for the digital arc of The Pairing.

DNF - I wanted to give this book a fair shot, because I've loved and disliked McQuiston's work in the past, and I think they do incredible character work, but this book was not for me.

My issue mainly comes from the character of Theo - a "poor" nepo-baby. That's going to be a hard sell for any reader in 2024, but Theo's personality doesn't help matters, and their POV - especially to start the book wasn't enjoyable. I also couldn't get over the poorly developed side-characters that were just stereotypes of European citizens.

As a big second-chance romance lover, I really cannot stand when the story tells but doesn't show the past, and that was the case here for Theo and Kit.

People are going to love this because it's a McQuiston book, but I do think Theo will be a hard sell for more readers than not.

Thank you to NetGalley for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Pairing has a really fun premise that I was looking forward to. Compared to some of McQuiston’s previous books, this one fell a little flat for me. I didn’t really buy Theo and Kit’s romance. It felt like some of the book and plot were unresolved. This book wasn’t quite for me, but it is still definitely worth the read if you’re a fan of McQuiston’s other books.