This is 1000% my favorite Casey McQuiston book. I adore Kit and Theo. The first half is told from Theo's perspective and the second half from Kit's. I thought that was a great format. I love seeing both sides in romance novels. McQuiston does a great job with character development. I loved seeing both of them work through their feelings and figure out what they wanted out of life.
This book made me want to travel Europe, Eat, Pray, Love style. I want to eat all the things, see all the sights, and try all of the wine/cocktails.
This book is for dreamers and I'm so glad I was along for the ride.

Thank you so much Netgalley for the ARC. I will be reading it again and again.

I've read all of McQuiston's books so far, and this might be my favorite one. I have seen some reviews comment on the amount of food, wine, and such in this book, but I feel that it stands up to the summary of the book. The synopsis does say this is a good and wine tour, after all, and both main characters work within these industries. It's not exactly unexpected for these things to be in this book.

I can't speak for France or Spain, but having been to Italy some of these places do feel very familiar. This book even helped me rediscover a dessert I forgot about that I've missed since then (panna cotta if you're interested). Theo and Kit falling back in love felt just as real to me. Yes they're imperfect people, but they do learn and grow and try to get their lives together.

The only thing I think that should be mentioned for readers is some sort of misgendering of Theo at the beginning of Kit's POV. I say sort of because it's not intentional or malicious (though misgendering doesn't have to be these things), he doesn't know, and Theo says themself that they accept those pronouns sometimes from those who don't know. Even so, since I haven't seen it anywhere else, I feel readers should know in case this is a trigger for them.

This book is a beautiful queer romance but also featured so much good food! Centering around a food tour through Europe (through the eyes of a sommelier and a baker), this book had me feeling nostalgic for my own visit to Europe and the many foods I dream of still.

This book is a strong recommendation for anybody looking for a romance that also appeals to foodies! I absolutely adored this read as a whole. Cannot recommend Casey McQuinston and their work enough!

I was a huge fan of Red, White, and Royal Blue and One Last Stop, so I had high expectations for this one. The Pairing had the same quippy banter and steamy hot romance, but wasn’t quite on the same astronomical level as the other Casey McQuiston books I’ve read.

Theo and Kit are childhood best friends and former teenage/ young adult lovers who accidentally reacquaint themselves on a tour throughout Europe. The prose engrosses you in their European wine, food, and romantic adventures. It was entertaining and tender at the same time. It was a bit long and the teeniest boring at times, but ultimately worth it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Griffin for the ARC!

I started off really enjoying the story line, the setting and concept initially. Being bisexual myself I was really excited to read this and receive the ARC, I’m very grateful to NetGalley and the publishers.

The writing was hilarious, I laughed out loud at so many moments. I started getting less and less invested in the plot once I realized that the story is two bisexual people in a competition of who can hook up with who first and I’m just tired of this trope for bisexuals. I personally did not finish the book because I was looking for a fresh new plot.

It’s hard not to get sucked into a Casey McQuiston novel… they are so descriptively drawn, and create a lush visual that makes you feel pulled into the lives of the characters. The Pairing might do this better than any of her previous novels, crafting a remarkably detailed and picturesque visual of a European food and wine tour, and the exes that find themselves on the journey together. I haven’t been to many of these places, but felt myself swept up in the tour through cobblestone alley ways, pattiseries, and wineries for the first half of the book. There are so many lovely characters introduced throughout the novel that I would read another book about. However, I have to say that I was not sold on our leads, who I found to be pretentious adults who were flawed in ways that were easily resolved by access to money, and a lot of wine. By the back half of the book, I found myself exhausted by long descriptions of European art and food which overtook any sort of growing affection that the two leads seemed to feel for each other. Despite this, I did enjoy the end of the book and appreciated that communication between the characters led to avoiding the dreaded third act breakup. If you love the idea of living in a chateau in France, can recite seventeen different types of cheese, have watched (and baked something) the Great British Bake Off, and love the more fantasy elements of McQuiston’s novels, this will definitely be for you. Thanks to NetGalley for an early review copy, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. This was fun and I enjoyed both POVs. Sometimes the sex was a little more than the plot, but I still enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 Stars, rounded up to 4. I was really excited for this book, and I really wanted to like it— and in general, I enjoyed it— but I don’t think it’s up to par with the work of McQuiston’s that I’ve read in the past. It was well written, had that classic McQuiston charm and wit, but was lacking in a few key areas.

From what I’ve read, and heard, this is the spiciest McQuiston book yet, and I think that was both a good and bad thing. Good, because the majority of the spicy scenes were quite well written— they felt realistic but still “sexy.” Bad, because it felt like McQuiston kind of sees Europe as some kind of bacchanal for folks in their mid to late twenties. Every city Theo and Kit went to had some eager, young, and hot person who wanted to bed one or both of them— and it just felt gratuitous and unrealistic at a certain point.

In general a lot of Theo and Kit’s problems just didn’t feel relatable, or felt like “rich kid problems.” Like, I’m sorry you won’t accept a loan from your super rich sister to keep your side hustle going while you live in Napa Valley as a sommelier— yes this is definitely super relatable to me, for sure. For a book that felt like a “come, experience this world with me,” book, the characters did not lend themselves well to that experience.

This book was meant to be savored. I wish i read it over the summer because it feels like the first time you sunbathe. The peaceful warmth of the sun kissing your cheeks. Mcquiston has clearly grown as a writer, while still lovingly filling pages with witty banter and humor. I had so much fun with this one.

Review currently withheld due to SMP marketing boycott via Readers 4 Accountability. https://r4acollective.org/

The Pairing by Casey McQuistion was not what I expected when I first started this book. I'm not that surprised, though. Casey McQuiston is very much a hit or miss for me. I either LOVE her work or do not get it at all. I thought this would be one I would love but it fell short for me. I didn't like the characters and I wasn't invested in their story. I really liked the premise of the story. I liked that we had two bi characters. I just didn't care about them so the story didn't work, either. I know there's going to be a lot of people who LOVE this and I'm excited for them to read it and I will definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a queer romcom.

I just read the Best ARC Ever, I feel like I could float away on a cloud of focaccia, vino, & heart eyes!

An absolute triumph of a romance novel! Theo-and-Kit, Kit-and-Theo: best friends forever, and then lovers...until suddenly they weren't. When they are accidentally reunited on a gourmet grip across Europe, they grapple with the pain of their parting, their eternal horniness for each other, and the struggle to fit their feelings into their renewed friendship. Delicious food and drinks pair together every place they visit, and perhaps Theo and Kit can pair together in delicious love again too.

Peak bisexual chaos. Queer relationships abound! The food descriptions and locations are amazing but what got me the most was the quiet moments between the two main characters.

I am a big Casey McQuiston fan and had high hopes for this book, which I listened to on audio.  In my opinion, The Pairing did not measure up to McQuistonś previous works.
Told in Theoś POV, the beginning really dragged for me.  It was about traveling, booze, hooking up and more booze.  Don´t get me wrong, I usually love these books, but there did not seem to be any real substance.
The second part of the book picked up a little and was Kitś POV.  He seemed more solid and interesting.
I really wanted to like this book more, I gave it 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.  I will be reading more of Casey McQuistonś books,because this is not a typical work for her. 
Thank you to Netgalley for the copy of this book.

Overall hot and fun! The food chit-chat was a little much, and I did find myself wanting them to mention drinking a cup of water. I thought Theo's sections were a bit whiny, but Kit really came through. Maybe it is not a literary triumph, but it is an excellent little gay vacation book!

Another addicting read from Casey McQuiston, and probably my favorite so far. The characters were incredibly well-developed and the dynamic felt so fresh. It was absolutely delightful to see gender and sexuality presented this way within the romance genre. As a genderqueer person myself, Kit’s description of his attraction to Theo was so immensely affirming. All in all, the genuine understanding Theo and Kit had for one another with their history made the sexual chemistry and the consequential tension incredibly palpable.

I did feel that the pacing was impacted by the lack of development in supporting characters, it made the moments without both of the protagonists less engaging. That said, it was still an overwhelmingly fun read and it left me wishing for more in the best way.

I have never in my life been more thrilled to receive an ARC then when I got this book. I've loved all of Casey's work so far and this was no exception.

In many ways, this felt like the book Casey has been waiting to write. Something about the prose and the setting and the characters feel like this is a book that has been brewing for some time. And it really works, I loved Kit and Theo and their relationship dynamic. I don't really think of myself as a second chance romance lover but this one did it for me.

The setting was also incredible, all the food and wine descriptions alongside the local sights. It really made me want to go specifically on that tour as it sounded incredible (although it would be so expensive in real life).

My only gripe with the book is the sheer amount of sex in it. It was like a crazy amount, not only for the practicalities of reading but also just like the actual idea that (if they were real) these people would be having that much sex. I don't know how to describe it but it felt out of touch with reality. Also it felt close to the edge of the stereotype that people who are bi will sleep with anyone and everyone. I'm not docking it any stars for this issue because I think it's more a personal preference than a literary critique but I did find myself wishing for approximately 50% less sex in the book.

I received an advanced copy of this book.
Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I really wanted to like this. I’ve throughly and genuinely enjoyed Casey’s other works but this was just NOT it.
I didn’t actually like either of the main characters and it just came off kind of tasteless. I will say, the second part was better than the first. I couldn’t stand Theo. I felt like the second chance aspect was just half baked…

Whew, what a Pairing indeed! This is shaping up to be one of my top reads of 2024. I always love Casey's stuff, but this was next level *chef's kiss*.

Theo and Kit have incredible chemistry, and even their occasional miscommunications and hang-ups are handled in such a realistic and raw but also mature adult way. And that's just the romance part of it! The food and travel descriptions alone are worth the binge read, but the way the book also manages to be both tender and incredibly horny are what rocketed this to a five-star read.

What a delight to read. I loved the chemistry between the main characters and genuinely was rooting for them from the beginning