I am dnf'ing this at 40%.

I have tried quite a few of McQuiston's works and have a 50% success rate with them. I was drawn to the premise: bisexual exes forced into a tour bus to spend time on a food and wine tour they booked before they broke up? Sounds like a silly, awkward, fun time! I was so in!

However, neither Theo nor Kit really captured my interest and the "friendly competition" to see who can hook up with more people on this trip was not my cup of tea.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to read this. I think I could handsell it to the right reader with how far I got. But I won't be finishing this.

Thank you to the publishers & netgalley for this arc.
So I did enjoy this book in the very beginning. I truly enjoyed Casey’s writing. Theo & Kit were two interesting characters. I loved how they were written about. I also really loved reading the unspoken words and actions between them. I think the author did a very good job at portraying the heaviness between them. Especially with the history. I was truly rooting for them.
Sadly, the book started to feel like they had not much tension or chemistry. Like they had “history” but that was it. I hated that Kit didn’t try harder after having left Theo the way he did. He almost seemed indifferent. Also the whole competition between them trying to sleep with random people just didn’t do it for me.

Theo and Kit broke up four years ago at the beginning of what was supposed to be a great European adventure. Theo decides to take the trip on their own before the voucher expires and arrives to find that Kit had the same idea. What follows is a charming, romantic journey. I love a good second chance romance. I love getting to know the characters and their history all while yearning to know what caused the rift between them and how they’re going to come back together where they’re clearly meant to be. When it’s done well it’s the perfect amount of angst, conflict, and beautiful resolution. This book hit so many of the right notes for me:
- I loved visiting these cities in Europe and the descriptions of the food and drinks. Pro tip: don’t read this book when you’re hungry
- The queer representation is abundant. This version of Europe is a pansexual wonderland. I also appreciated the non-traditional aspects of their relationship that aren’t always shown in mainstream books.
- I enjoyed Theo’s character development and there were several times when they felt so relatable. That struggle to find yourself and feeling like you’re failing and wondering if you’re ever going to get your shit together.
- The ending felt true to the characters and their growth.
- Kit ❤️

There were also things that made this a less enjoyable read:
- It’s long. They are on a 3 week tour through Europe and we get detailed descriptions of every. Single. Day. A nice montage would have been great and could have given us the same impression without feeling as monotonous. The descriptions of the cities and food I loved at the beginning started to feel repetitive and I definitely skimmed over parts.
- The sex competition was not my favorite.
- At times Theo had a manic pixie dream girl vibe that annoyed me. They’re so magical and spontaneous and do things without thinking about consequences, but that’s ok because there aren’t really any because they can charm everyone around them.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this. There is a whole cast of interesting side characters and a lot of warmth and charm. The last 50 pages made me start to forget about how the book dragged in some places and when it wrapped up I had all the happy, warm, fuzzy feelings.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

This author has done it again! :D If you are a fan of hers, you are going to LOVE this story as much as her others. <3

I was so excited to get an advanced copy of Casey McQuiston's newest book and trust me they did not disappoint. The story involves two exes who end up on the same trip that they booked a year ago when they were together. After breaking up and healing, they were shocked to find that they both decided to use the trip ticket before it expired. Traveling through Europe tasting wine and food, they find themselves thrown together in ways that are funny, endearing, and touching.. I couldn't put it down!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc!

The biggest positive of this book is the setting! I loved the tour and the history embedded into the story and it created a really fun plot device. I didn’t love the intense miscommunication for 90% of the book and found both main characters a little unlikeable for it. Unfortunately my least favourite McQuiston book.

Somehow was lucky enough to be approved for an eARC of this book?? Gasped out loud upon getting the approval email. Thank you so much to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and Casey McQuiston!!

My little heart feels so happy after reading this book in one sitting. More of this!! More travel romances please!!!

I enjoyed this so much that I wish I didn’t enjoy it so much so that it would’ve taken me longer to finish it, y’know? Between the travelling, second-chance romance, friends-to-lovers-to-enemies(?)-to-friends-to-lovers, witty banter, one bed trope, forced proximity, ugh! This ticked off so many boxes for me, the perfect summer romance read (I kinda wish I had saved it for my upcoming vacation but I couldn’t wait). If you loved Happy Place by Emily Henry as much as I did for incorporating so many tropes so well, you may like this one for that same reason alone (and then some).

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and again, what McQuiston does better than most is creating characters that are so easy to love. No matter what happens with the story, you cannot walk away from one of their works without having fallen in love with at least one character within it. In terms of The Pairing, I honestly can’t think of one single character who I didn’t love. Everyone was so uniquely themselves, had such strong individual voices. I wanted to scoop all of them up and make them have a coffee with me. In fact, I need a whole Fabrizio spin-off ASAP por favor. Also, more on the Calums who, despite being fictional, definitely need to write a tell-all with a forward by Montana and Dakota.

I almost hesitate to say this next part, considering how exhausting it must be for authors to constantly have their works compared to one another, but I’m going to do it because if you know me and my book couple opinions, you know this is a high compliment: Kit and Theo rival Alex and Henry for me. With their flirtatious back-and-forth, pining, and the way they are opposites with so many similarities, Kit and Theo have something so special. Theo describes their relationship with Kit as being a never ending “yes, and” conversation and I have not stopped thinking about that since I read it. I think that sounds like a magical way to interact with someone you love, never having them question what you’re saying but instead meeting that with genuine curiosity and support. Have you all ever seen that person on TikTok who rates book couples based on how long they stay together after their books end? Kit and Theo are definitely in it for the long haul. I love them so much.

Love in this romcom shows up in so many different ways: the hidden depths of wine, the layers of pastries, bodacious sculptures, French literature, nosebleeds, bacchanals, and the magnitude of a new world unfolding in front of your eyes. In history, both personal and worldly, and in keeping an open mind. In letting love lead. To sum it up, this book is like the entirety of the Elephant Love Medley from Moulin Rouge (the movie, not the musical, it’s important to me that you recognize the distinction). All of this may seem like too much to say about a contemporary romance but it really was magical in so many ways! Dare I say that this is McQuiston’s best work yet? It just may be

Also I miss travelling!! This book let me revisit a couple places I’ve been to and have loved (hi, Cinque Terre) and it took me to places I’ve always dreamed of going (looking at you, my amiga cheetah Barcelona). Maybe we can all find a Fabrizio who exists in real life and make them take us on a Theo and Kit Euro Tour

Also also, just need to give a shout-out to the line “This is just like Ratatouille!”. Not giving any context for that, just loved it

5/5

This book is pure perfection. RWRB and The Pairing? GOD TIER.
Would say The Pairing is definitely for a more mature audience. Also, spice is pretty damn good.

How can we describe this? Friends to lovers, to enemies, to friends? To maybe more? All while on a food and experience tour though Europe. In a bi chaos. *chef's kiss*
This book has SO many tropes, and even the tropes I typically despise I was EATING THEM UP. I'm squealing, screaming, kicking my feet and crying. It's so much more than I thought.

It's a foodie's dream.

HOT BI SUMMER, HERE WE GO.

#ThePairing #NetGalley

5.0

Setting: France and Italy
Rep: bisexual nonbinary protagonist; bisexual male protagonist

When I started this I wasn't entirely sure - it doesn't read like a Casey McQuiston book, for starters because it's in 1st person while I have come to find that Casey is the master of 3rd - but I slowly fell in love with these characters and Casey's writing. O. M. G. The food. The travel. The emotions. The smut. This book has everything. It's basically a couple of horny bisexual sluts frolicking across France and Italy fucking and feeding and it was great. This would be a PERFECT summer read, especially if you're traveling across Europe too! As each chapter is dedicated to a different city, it would be amazing to recreate the same trip. Loved the queerness, the banter, the yearning, the discussions of gender and sexuality, and can we take a moment to appreciate the peach scene in Monaco?!

First of all amazing title. The Pairing means so much more as you get to know our favorite almost sommelier and each chapter has a pairing with the city!! This is a beautiful tribute to euro trips and now I want to go on a food tour real bad. Atmosphere on this one was top notch.
Character development between the two leads felt earned and real. I really loved the full backstory of Theo and Kit, I could tell there was a lot of thought put in to how their relationship would develop throughout the years. The POV switch happened at just the right time. Also really liked the exploration of gender and sexuality- the part where they were wearing the same outfit was just *chefs kiss*.
The original miscommunication felt like it was done with purpose, but the miscommunications that followed were a bit frustrating. I almost thought we were going to get a La La Land type ending, but it went for more HEA which while fun felt like it lacked the depth the rest of the book had. Overall I enjoyed the process of watching these two eat and sleep their way through Europe.
4.25

I can’t even begin to describe how much I loved this book. I loved the way the point of view switched in the middle, I love how Theo and Kit are meant to be but not in the way that makes it Hallmark cheesy; it’s more that you want to cheer them on. The characters are flawed and lovable and everything you want your main characters to be. You want to shake them and hug them at the same time, and the way it turns out is perfection. I will have to order this book to keep because I already want to read it again.

I wanted to love this more but I found myself reading so much about food than the characters. This was a queer love story, Theo & Kit are fabulous and I want to be friends with them!

It was okay! I didn’t love it but it was enjoyable enough for me. I felt the characters were incredibly pretentious, it made them not super relatable for me and that’s fine.

I'm so upset that I hated this book because I loved Red, White and Royal Blue and One Last Stop. But this book was absolute torture. I should have DNFed but I peeked at some other reviews and they told me it got better once the POV switched so I held out. My main compliants are that this book was so pretentious and unromantic. I hated the characters. I can only handle so many beautiful descriptions of food before my eyes glaze over. I think I need to avoid second chance romances for a while...

How do you get over the great love of your life? And when you find that you actually can’t, how do you live with that yearning in your heart–yearning for the person you love, what you had together, and who you used to be with them?

I absolutely adore The Pairing. I have never laughed so hard and cried so much over a book. If I were allowed to read only one book for the rest of my life, I would choose this one. It’s clear that Casey McQuiston put their entire soul into writing it and I'm endlessly grateful that it exists. Something I can’t get enough of with McQuiston’s writing is how they follow the most heart wrenching, tragic admissions of love with absolutely hilarious one-liners (trench foot of the heart??), and then top it all off (ha) with spice to end all spice.

What I appreciate most about this book is Theo. I relate to them in so many ways: with their fear into their late 20s of committing to being great at something and leaving their hometown, their fear of loving and being loved because they’ll inevitably fuck it all up, their journey with gender expression and loving themself. I discovered things about my own gender identity through Theo, and they made me feel incredibly seen and hopeful.

I’ve always wanted to travel to Europe, especially Italy and France. Kit and Theo have such a joyful sense of belonging here. Now, I want to experience these places–the food, drink, and art, and find these characters here, and share in their love, their grief, their joy, their self-discovery. If love is a haunting, Kit and Theo’s love will haunt me forever. Thank you a million times, Casey McQuiston.

Casey McQuiston has outdone themself. The Pairing is sexy, romantic, funny, and moving. The connection and romance between Theo and Kit is hot and tender, but manages to do so much more than that too. It's a reminder to savor the beauty around you - in food, in every sensory experience, in physicality, and in the people you care about. It's also a reminder that seeking your pleasure and fulfillment is not only important, but is revolutionary. This book is special and it is FUN. I can't wait to read The Pairing over and over and over again, savoring every phrase.

I believe this is Casey McQuiston's best work to date. I am huge fan of their writing; Shara Wheeler was incredible, THE EMAILS in RWRB, and who else could have come up with "Ghost" but on trains? But, The Pairing? Surpasses them all.

STRUCTURE

The Pairing is about two exes who accidentally redeem their vouchers for a three-week food and wine tour across France, Spain, and Italy at the same time. Instead of chapters, the book is sectioned into cities - the same cities our characters are visiting. This makes for the most cohesive and pleasant reading experience because I never got confused as to where we were because I'd read one city at a time. Each location also has a pairing to accompany it for any food nerds like me who what to look up the wines and pastries. Also- what is super cool is that instead of switching POVs. the first half of the book is from Theo's POV and the second half is Kit's. There are many reasons as to why this choice made the reading experience so powerful, but they are spoilers so I won't list them here.

VOICE

Casey McQuiston always writes relatable characters who are loved flaws and all. However, perhaps because I myself am more like Theo-and-Kit than any other McQuiston characters that I just really felt like they hit their stride in character voice and development with this book. There are parts of this book where the characters are in agony and my heart would pang along with them as if I was going through it myself.

OTHER THOUGHTS

I should point out out that while full of longing, this book really is silly and fun and carefree. It's a love letter to being alive and WANTING. It's an homage to horniness. It is McQuiston's version of Michelangelo's David. So, despite the hard-hitting come to Jesus moments, this book is about sluts deserving rights too. And I think that's wonderful.

Obv 5 stars. Would recommend for anyone who started drinking Negroni Sbagliatos as a way to feel closer to either Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, or both. Or for anyone who loved the Europe-centered Mary Kate & Ashley movies.

Literally a few days ago, I swore off all food-related books due to how much I’ve hated the majority of them but I had requested this previously and so, I was stuck. I loooooved Red, White, and Royal Blue but really didn’t enjoy One Last Stop, so this could’ve gone either way.

What made me finally cave on this was when, at 24% and already not loving it, there’s a very ~meta moment~ where Kit is describing the book he’s reading and says “do you know how sometimes when you read or watch or listen to something, there’s a… resonant homosexual flavor?” And yes! I do. We all do! But when that’s well done, it’s not told to you over and over (Theo is bi! Kit is bi! Both of them identify as bi!!!!!!!), you get the feeling through the story (which is exactly what he described!). I just truly didn’t care, and while I’m interested to see how their journey goes, I’m not interested enough to continue dragging myself through this when I could be reading something else I’m excited about.

“I don’t know if I love Theo because I’m queer or if I’m queer because I love Theo, but I know there’s nothing I need that Theo doesn’t have.”

dare I say… move over Henry and Alex? 🫢

CMQ REALLY did it this time, and Theo and Kit are fantastic additions to their line of incredible characters. Theo is a messy, raw, stubborn and relatable nonbinary bisexual and Kit is basically an (also bisexual) Timothee Chalamet but like… if Timothee was a real person. Ray of sunshine, stunning good looks, immediately well liked by all, etc. you get the picture.

The story is rich with typical CMQ detail, I could practically taste the foods and wine they enjoyed, smell the oceans they swam in, and feel the intense range of emotions between them. Casey is so good at weaving in tropes without making them obvious, that I don’t even realize they’re happening until they’re over with. (“Wait, there was only one bed!!!”-me three pages later)

Thank you CMQ and netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC, and undoubtedly, this will be THE gay book of 2024. ❤️

Huge thank you to Net Galley for this ARC!
First of all, I love a Casey McQuiston book so I immediately requested this book and boy, am I glad I did (and super thankful I was approved).
This book was what Kit and Theo would describe as an experience. There were notes of romance, growth, friendship, exploration (both of the world and of the self), etc.
I felt so connected to the characters and inspired by their experiences.
It’s friends to lovers, it’s second chance, it’s found family, it’s lgbtq+, it’s amazing. If you are into any of the aforementioned, read this book. ASAP.