Overall I liked this book. In general, I like McQuiston's writing, although I don't think any of their later works has topped RW&RB. This book was interesting, but didn't leave me as hooked as I wanted. I really liked Kit, and felt like the second half was slightly stronger than the first. I also thought the POV shift being halfway through instead of every other chapter was a fun move, I don't normally see that in romances. That being said, I think the shift is supposed to in a way be a reveal? Like oh wow Kit actually cares more, when it is so obvious he does from the beginning.

I also think the book would have benefited from being a little shorter. Or cutting down the number of locations. I think the big issue for me at the core is the way of traveling in this book isn't something I enjoy, and the same chaos was reflected here. I am much more a fan of staying in one spot and actually absorbing the culture rather than doing a million day trips. In my opinion, when you do so many quick stops you aren't actually getting much out of it. Sure you see the Trevi Fountain and the Duomo and have some Chianti wine, but it's very surface level. And I think the bouncing around felt that way here too. Rather than sit and absorb any of the moments, it was onto the next. Sure it helps bookmark different moments in their relationship, but it feels shallow. And as a result, many of the side characters we meet in the different towns begin to run together because we are with them so quickly. But when every location is described as the most beautiful, with the best food, it begins to lose its meaning.

Ultimately, I enjoyed the book. I will read another McQuiston no questions asked in the future, but this one didn't quite connect with me the way I had wanted to. It took me much longer to read than I anticipated, the way I pulled an all nighter for RW&RB to finish, while this I struggled to come back to. That being said, McQuiston is a strong writer so definitely somewhere between a three and four star for me, rounding down to three.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

The Pairing is by far Casey McQuiston’s best work to date.

This book is HORNY. And not just because it’s an international hookup competition between two hot, bisexual exes who are very much still in love with each other. The descriptions of food and wine are lush and mouth-watering. The descriptions of the locales are beautiful and make you feel like you are traipsing across Europe with the characters. The chemistry and the tension is palpable. It’s a total feast for all your senses.

Read if you love:
• childhood friends to lovers
• second chances
• LGBTQIA+ representation
• #foodporn

I absolutely loved this title. McQuiston has knocked it out of the park yet again. There's not much I can say without spoilers, so I will be coming back to write a more in-depth review after publication, but I will tell you that this book is a must-read. It's so refreshing to read good bi-rep, and this book definitely aced that. This book is a perfect beach/vacation read.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC.

I love everything Casey McQuiston has ever written, so I had very high expectations for this novel.
It completely blew all of them out of the water.
Everything from the plot, the development of the characters and the prose was flawless. It is my dream of a book.

Our main two characters felt so real throughout the book. The dual POV was a nice diversion from CMQ's normal style, but felt natural and helped develop the story and the characters fantastically. CMQ has a way of building a picture of the character so quickly and naturally that I'll turn a page and feel like I already know them.

An the prose, oh boy the prose. Every sentence felt intricately crafted. Reading this book felt like I was eating at a Michelin star restaurant; a degustation of so many incredible moments that had me giggling and kicking my feet.

And it would be hard to write a review without mentioning the food. Every time I opened the book, I felt my stomach rumble. The prose matches the food: sumptuous and luxurious. I need a food trip around Europe immediately.

DAMN. I just read some of the negative reviews for this and I can't disagree - this book is a fever dream of a romance travelogue, pairing two hot queer semi-singles who fall in love/lust with everyone they meet. It IS unrealistic, but it's also NOT. I was so compelled by both of these characters and their journey. and cried at the end.

Beyond that. the writing was incredible. I felt transported to every place the characters visited - most of which I've been to, and which were captured so well.

Truly, incredible masterpiece that I felt was written for ME!

Oh how I adored this book!!I simply need to go to Europe now. The scenery and food were so well written I felt like I was there. A chaotic and lovable cast of characters helping Theo and Kit find their way back to each other. The writing was dreamy and and witty and funny and once again, I need to go to Europe ASAP.

I loved all of the food talk-I felt like I was visiting France and eating all of the deliciousness that France has to offer. It was a steamy read and it felt like someeeee of that could have been cut and I would still understand that the characters were hot for each other. I’m not sure how, but because there was so much, it got to be a bit dull. I'm also confused why everyone, literally everyone, was attractive, young, queer and only had sex of their minds lol. I’m not complaining and if that’s the world McQuiston wanted to write about, who am I to argue? Overall, a great book and I expected nothing else from mcquiston!

A light and fun read! I enjoyed reading about Kit and Theo navigating their previous relationship, even when I felt like screaming at them both. The food and drink descriptions reminded me of Stanley Tucci’s memoir, which is a compliment. Also, now I’m hungry.

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

Content warnings: N/A

Theo and Kit, best friends turned lovers turned exes, run into each other on a European tour and realize they have both used their vouchers for the same time frame. Being in such close proximity, they find themselves seeking to prove they are over the other. A silly bet for who can sleep with the most people throughout the tour, a few too many close encounters, and countless glasses of wine later, Kit and Theo realize they might not be as “over” each other as they thought.

I wanted to like this book SO badly. I LOVED McQuinston’s other novels, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this. Sadly, this is a book I should have DNF’d about 30% in, but I kept holding out hope that it might get better. As I’ve seen other reviews state, it is so focused on the sexual aspect of their bet that it’s hard to even care about Theo and Kit as people/a couple. Astonishingly enough though, when I WANTED it to focus on the sexual aspect, namely between Kit and Theo, it was almost glossed over. It’s also so heavy on description of food and buildings that I found myself skimming those parts more often than not. If you like European cuisine and/or architecture though, this is THE book for you. Lastly, every single character in this book was bisexual, which is simply unrealistic and took me out of the story. Don’t get me wrong, I love bi representation in literature, but EVERY character? It was just a bit difficult to take seriously as it’s so statistically improbable. Despite all of this, McQuinston’s writing was absolutely beautiful in some parts of The Pairing and I really enjoyed Kit and Theo’s dynamic as well as the nonbinary representation, so I am sitting at a solid 2 stars for this.

The Pairing is a delightful food and sex romp through Europe that goes on for far too long and has too little plot and character development to sustain itself beyond a novella. It's delightful in that for one, McQuiston is an excellent writer about food. Yes, it was very cliched, and yes a little overwrought, however it did make me very hungry and I did in fact eat and drink wine and pasta while reading this book so they absolutely would make a fantastic food writer. I think they would also make a very fine erotica writer. Almost literally every chapter Theo and Kit were either having sex with someone else or each other, and while that did also go on for far too much and required lots of suspension of disbelief in some parts, at least it wasn't cringeworthy writing, I appreciate that McQuiston is sex positive in addition to themes of consent and of course they are an LGBTQ+ friendly author.

As to the rest of it, the premise sounded great. These are childhood best friends who fell in love with each other, had a massive fight and breakup, now live on different continents, and by some weird stroke of fate have been reunited on a food tour that they'd each gotten a voucher for after breaking up and happened to redeem 4 years later on the last month of its validity. Unfortunately all of this was either not explored at all or was very shallowly explored. Theo and Kit awkwardly reach some kind of detente and as a mask for each other's lingering feelings for each other decide to engage in a sex contest on this two week food and wine tour throughout Europe in order to prove to eachother that they have "moved on." Suspension of disbelief is necessary for virtually any kind of fiction, however it began to feel extremely silly how effectively every single person Kit and Theo meets wants to sleep with either one of them, or have a threesome. Not to mention apparently everyone on this food tour is hooking up and they assume that the tour guide also wants to sleep with them.

In addition to this sex contest, Theo and Kit have an infurating habit of not being able to have any kind of substantial conversation about their feelings or their breakup which is incredibly bizarre given that they are childhood friends and now soulmates apparently. Many of their sincere moments where they might finally have a conversation are interrupted by various things, including the fact that Kit evidently has nose bleeds whenever he feels a strong emotion, and they just never return to these moments. Then if they do it's a brief conversation and they have sex which is described in much more detail than anything else besides food. We don't even get to learn entirely why they are so in love with each other besides it's this magical bond that they knew immediately when they were eight or whatever. Theo is incredibly stubborn and when Theo makes mistakes or causes a huge problem, all we hear from Kit's perspective is that he is so in love with them and forgives them anything.

This book is divided into two parts, one Theo's narration and one Kit's. There's not a tremendous difference in their voices and the story continues in chronological order when the switch happens. Kit is less irritating than Theo at the very least. While I empathize with the fact that some people really do have struggles with various things and it's not because they are stupid or less than, Theo did not take responsibility for the most part and lashed out at others when they made a mistake. There was some character growth, but not much. All of the characters actually were very flat. Maybe because we were only reading either Theo or Kit's perspective and they were too obsessed with each other to notice anyone else, who knows.

I like Casey McQuiston's prior work, specifically Red, White, and Royal Blue, however I feel like this book does not live up to that.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for this ARC to review. This review is my honest opinion.

I am withholding a public review of any book published by St. Martin's until St. Martin's addresses the concerns of Muslim, Arab, Palestinian, and BIPOC authors and influencers regarding Islamophobic statements made by a St. Martin's employee.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this eGalley.

Get ready for a breathtaking literary experience with McQuiston's latest masterpiece, The Pairing! This book is a feast for the senses, taking you on a European food tour that will leave you salivating and craving more. The prose are like a refreshing breath of air on the French Rivera, and the descriptions of food, art, wine, and romance are not just enthralling but completely immersive.

As you join our protagonists, Theo and Kit, on their journey of finding their way back to each other after years apart, you will be captivated by their story and thoroughly root for them. The exploration of gender and queerness ignites a queer ekphrasian element that is exclusive to McQuiston's writing style, making this book truly one-of-a-kind.

The Pairing is a rollercoaster ride of emotions that will take you through the ups and downs of friendship, sensual experimentation, rekindled romance, loss, and heartbreak. But don't worry, McQuiston's talent shines in their riveting descriptions, and you will leave this book wanting to hop on a plane to sip a Vermouth in Spain, munch on a cornetto in Florence, or try any of the fantastic meals and spirits these characters rave about.

If you loved McQuiston's Red, White, and Royal Blue, you're in for a treat because The Pairing takes their writing to a whole new level. This book will make you fall in love with Theo and Kit, as well as the beautiful world surrounding them. I can't wait to see what McQuiston does next!

2.5 Stars
This was a painful review to write. I can't describe how excited I was to get a copy of The Pairing. I adored RWRB.and frankly all of Casey's works. The book was so challenging to finish. I almost gave up multiple times, and this is a case where I wish I had read the reviews before opening the novel. The low ratings were spot on.

Theo and Kit had a nasty breakup and accidentally bumped into each other on the wine /food tour that ended their relationship years ago. They had 4 years to use their trip voucher and ended up booking the same tour when it was close to expiring.

The two have no communication skills with each other and when the reader finally learns why they separated, It seems so benign. They just needed to talk. Theo and Kit decide they need to make the best of this awkward reunion. They come up with a bet to see who can seduce, and sleep with the most people in Europe. They will bed anyone and Europeans appear to be mainly bisexual. I'm not
being sarcastic. Anyone they approach is bi and wants to have sex with them, either apart, near or even together in a group. Theo and Kit had to be movie star stunning, because it would take mere minutes to find a willing body. There were so many conquests. Theo had really turned me off with calling their sleeping partner's marks or referring to them as an item on the menu. The sexual encounters/contest had a creepy feel to it and trust me, I'm not a prude.

Ironically, if you ask me to describe Kit and Theo I could not. I usually convisualize the m c's but they were like the cover of the book. I couldn't tell you any features. They remain two dimensional and were never fleshed out. I simply didn't see them as a couple and couldn't imagine them ever having a future together. I honestly disliked the two, and that made me so sad. I truly wanted to love this, heck, even just like it, but the book was so drawn out. Describing the food and locales, which I usually love, was done to the point of tedium. I needed to know more about the people. I will absolutely read more of Casey's writings, but this was so disappointing. Hopefully others will enjoy it.

Special thanks to Netgalley galley and the publisher for a copy of this book ffor my reading pleasure.

I am a Casey McQuinston fan but this was not my favorite book. I enjoyed the first half but the second half was taken over a bit too much with the food and wine descriptions. I loved that the book was broken up into food stops but some of the characterization just fell flat and I felt like a lot could have been cut down. As I said, I am a fan and will read what Casey comes out next but this one was not a fav. thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I definitely enjoyed this one, but it didn't hold my attention like CM's other books have. The perspective shift was very interesting and I think important to the story. Liked it overall, but didn't have me gasping for air like their other books.

As much as I love Casey McQuiston, I am withholding my review in solidarity with the boycott led by Readers for Solidarity:

An employee within the marketing department of Wednesday Books, an imprint of St Martins Press, which is an imprint of Macmillan, made several concerning statements including using an Islamophobic stereotype (specifically a harmful overgeneralization regarding Muslim beliefs about queerness), racism towards Palestinians, and sharing Prager “university” material that perpetuated harmful misinformation. We are concerned that, based on these posts, this employee may hold prejudice against Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian influencers and authors who they work with and interact with. We are asking that the publisher work with us to ensure the safety of the people who work with this employee to market further St. Martins Press titles, so that no prejudice is weaponized against anyone.

We are only asking for three things:

1. Address and denounce the Islamophobic and racist remarks from their employee.
2. Offer tangible steps for how they are going to mitigate the harm this employee caused.
3. Address how, moving forward, they will support and protect their Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian influencers, authors and readers, in addition to supporting their BIPOC influencers, authors, and readers.

this book brought me so much joy and feeling.

this is friends to lovers… x2. so if that trope isn’t your thing? this might be a skip. it is also, unapologetically sex positive, and queer joy.

theo is incredibly endearing, their energy is !!!! infectious, and starting the story with their perspective is so important to me, the way you see the world through their eyes, then midway through - you see it through kit’s. you see the similarities, you see it in the differences.

it is, a celebratory book even in its heartbreak. the value of finding yourself for you. for loving someone for the places they occupy within yourself while recognising the need for you both to grow. it is — joyous in its descriptions of intimacy, from hookups to more long term loving dynamics. it is sex forward, they’re two pan/bi people who enjoy flirting and kissing both genders and teasing each other. it isn’t a reductive or heteronormative relationship, it is deeply queer.

while theo identifies as non binary / on the trans spectrum, i found myself fascinated with the broadness of how kit interpreted gender. unapologetically himself he is softness and strength, the gentle enduring love and acceptance. he has a moment with the birth of venus where he sees both himself and kit in the feminine, and wonders if where they’re looking at michelanglos david if they see both of them in the masculine of that sculpture.

it is a beautiful book. and i must admit i will be rereading this… several times. i loved it.

also!’ this book was generously provided by netgalley for a honest review!

Casey McQuiston's "The Pairing" serves up a delicious blend of romance and humor set against the backdrop of a European food and wine tour. This narrative follows Theo and Kit, bisexual exes who, after a disastrous breakup, find themselves on the same tour they had initially planned to take together. Intent on proving they've moved on, they engage in a playful hookup competition across France, Spain, and Italy.

McQuiston's writing is vivid, capturing the romantic locales and the gastronomic delights that frame the ex-couple's escapades. The competition between Theo and Kit cleverly unfolds deeper themes of love and personal growth, as their quest to outdo each other reveals lingering feelings and unresolved desires.

Casey is one of my favorite authors. They have such a good grasp on character development and emotional depth. I loved this book equally as much as their other ones! Please read a book by this author and you will love it!

This was really, really well done. Always a fan of CMQ and this book is no exception. Theo and Kit and Europe! What a time! I really wish that Theo's character was a bit more three dimensional. Casey gave us more with Kit and I wanted the same treatment for Theo. Overall, a wonderful read!

This whole story feels like it's the daydream I'm not nice enough to myself to make up on my own - a brilliant, European, foodie fantasy featuring all the intensity of a first love and far, far more sexual confidence than I've ever personally experienced.

I absolutely want to at least temporarily fall in love with pretty much every named character in this book. Pretty much every chapter could be another daydream (fed fruit by a very pretty barista, we don't speak the same language but we don't need to, that chocolatier wants me as much as I want him and almost as much as I want his chocolate, true love...)

There's quite a bit of foodie and art talk that went over my head, but I'll say despite my lack of a palate and having never (yet!) been to any of the artistic destinations in the book, a sexy romp was made romantic almost just by how much our main characters enjoy their world, and the story made me want to romanticize my own life a little more.

Lovely light reading, a quick finish and leaves a pleasant aftertaste. Probably pairs well with a sweet dessert wine, sun, and a pastry with something chocolate in the middle.