Absolutely wonderful. I adored both Theo and Kit. I also now really want to go on a food and wine tour of France, Spain, and Italy, but only if Fabrizio is leading the tour.

I loved this novel! I wanted to smack Theo and Kit upside their heads! It was so obvious from the get go that they still loved each other. They were so adorable and frustrating at the same time.

4.5 stars
Holy moly this was a RIDE

This started out being so … tense. And honestly, Theo was kind of really un-likeable in the beginning. But oh MAN did they have a big character development
There was SO MUCH SEXUAL TENSION for the ENTIRETY of 20%-60% you could cut it with a DAMN KNIFFEEEE. DAAMMNN CASEY 😭😭
I loved Kit so so so much. He has a special place in my heart (although he’s super similar to Henry from RWRB, and Henry also has a special place in my heart so .. that’s probably why)

Towards the end, I was 🤏THIS CLOSE to throwing my kindle. I was angry, and I wanted to cry and throw up simultaneously. I went through way too many emotions in that last 15% of the book. I am UNWELL

The writing and verbiage used in this book is pretty different from McQuiston’s other books (One Last Stop & RWRB) so it definitely was an adjustment to get used to that, and it was maybe a bit hard to follow along with just how MUCH travelling and new sights they were seeing in the books … that’s it, that’s literally the only reason it isn’t 5 stars.

Everything else was so GOOD. Closer to the publication date I will be posting a review on Instagram and goodreads!

In Casey McQuiston's captivating novel, "The Pairing," Theo and Kit, former best friends and lovers, find themselves thrust together on a European food and wine tour four years after their heart-wrenching breakup. Despite their initial reluctance, they embark on this journey with the intention of moving on and savoring the delights of Europe, separately. As they travel through stunning landscapes and indulge in delectable cuisines, Theo and Kit discover that their past connection runs deeper than they thought. The shared experiences reignite their dormant feelings, leading them to a friendly wager to see who can first charm the handsome Italian tour guide, Luca. However, as they engage in this playful competition, they realize that their hearts yearn for something more profound. McQuiston's writing is witty and engaging, bringing the characters to life with vibrant personalities and relatable emotions. The descriptions of the European cities, the rich culinary experiences, and the romantic atmosphere are vivid and immersive, transporting readers to the heart of the story. The character development is exceptional, with Theo and Kit evolving throughout their journey. Theo, once shy and insecure, blossoms into a confident and ambitious individual, while Kit, initially portrayed as aloof and guarded, reveals his vulnerability and longing for true love. Their interactions are charged with tension and chemistry, making their eventual reunion all the more satisfying. "The Pairing" is a delightful blend of romance, humor, and personal growth. McQuiston deftly explores the complexities of love, loss, and second chances, capturing the essence of human connection and the enduring power of first love. With its charming characters, captivating plot, and stunning backdrop, this novel is a must-read for fans of contemporary romance and anyone seeking a heartwarming and entertaining story.

Queer romance fans rise up because Casey McQuiston definitely has another hit incoming with “The Pairing”.

Theo & Kit - you’ll be rooting for them from the very beginning. I thoroughly enjoyed the level of character development in this story and loved that we got to see each of their perspectives.

The characters take a journey throughout parts of southern Europe and you’ll feel like you’re along for the ride. I really loved the amount of research done for this story & the attention to every last detail throughout.

The book is SPICY for sure! Casey referred to it as their “hungry, smutty darling” and that’s really all you need to know.

where do i start?

cmq wrote one of my favorite books ever rwrb so when i saw this baby on netgalley, who was i to not request? imagine my surprise when it came through immediately!

from the beginning of when this book was announced, i was so excited for a contemporary second chance romance. not only that, but casey said they weren't holding back: the pairing offers musings of gender, art, food, wine, happiness, and love, with some smut scenes that made my jaw drop all written in the beautiful cmq prose. it's all of what's good in life, pleasure and pain and all that's in between.

there's no magic, no fantastical whimsy. it's just two people who used to date who find each other again. there's misunderstandings galore but in a way that doesn't make me want to pull my hair out. it just makes sense. it's human. and that is exactly casey mcquiston's talent when writing; their characters are just so human, as if i would pass by them across the street. it makes it so easy to see myself in people like theo and kit who feel so acutely, who love with all their being, who just want to be happy.

happiness is central in the pairing. oftentimes, we like to ignore or reject things that make us happy because we don't value ourselves as much as we should or feel like happiness should be earned, like it isn't something we should strive to have and should revel in. happiness is not a commodity. casey mcquiston understands this simple fact that we so often ignore. (to the reader: you deserve to be happy!)

delightfully hedonistic, wonderfully indulgent, and full of encompassing happiness while teaching me about art, food, wine, and baking, the pairing has all of what makes life worth living.

so... when can i go on a food tour?

oh man do I love a queer romance. One Last Stop was hands down one of my favorite books from last year, so I was so excited to receive a copy of Casey McQuiston’s upcoming novel The Pairing.

This books follows two exes who end up on a European food and wine tour together. It is FULL of miscommunication, so if that’s not your jam, be warned. I really liked the book. I will say, it got a little long for me, someone who isn’t very interested in art history or travel (don’t come for me, I live on an island why would I leave). The descriptions of food though, that got me. I was hungry throughout this entire book. Spice level is pretty high, I’d give it a 4/5 on a spice meter. The characters were all just the most delightful. This is a 3.5/5 for me just because it got so long I found myself skimming over the longer parts of art descriptions.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of The Pairing. It releases August 2024!

Prepare for a stunning European getaway! THE PAIRING follows Theo and Kit, who have quite the history together: childhood best friends, secret crushes, in-love couple, and now, estranged exes. After breaking up en route to their dream European food and wine tour, they went their separate ways and haven't spoken since. Now, the duo has put their relationship behind them for good—except they each still have the voucher for that trip. What will happen when Theo and Kit end up on the same tour? And how do they navigate all of the long-simmering feelings they still have for each other?

The absolute highlight of this book for me was the setting, and Casey McQuiston does a fantastic job of developing all of the different destinations the characters visit. I loved all of the descriptions of the food, the wine, the art, the different landmarks and scenery the characters encountered along the way. Everything felt so vivid and vibrant, and I truly felt as if I were in France, Spain, Italy, etc. with Theo, Kit, and their tour group. I also loved the whole premise of exes going on a glamorous trip and lowkey trying to make each other jealous, not wanting to admit that they were falling for each other all over again, and finally, relearning each other and these new versions of themselves. However, the romance aspect of the story is actually where things fell a little flat for me. I thought the banter between Theo and Kit was great, but wished their relationship had more depth. We're told that they were so in love, but never fully shown why they loved each other, and I thought their whole background could have been fleshed out a little more. I also just wanted to know more about them as characters in general—I thought there were so many different aspects to both of them, like family, identity, etc., that could have been expanded on. So overall, while I did enjoy THE PAIRING, I definitely found myself wanting more from certain areas! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Casey McQuinston did it again!!!
i don't really know where to start.
An extremely powerful story of two childhood friends, Kit and Theo, who became lovers and then exes.
After a breakup they part ways for four years and meet again in London, where their food and wine tour in Europe starts.
why did they broke up? what's their reaction when they find out that they are stuck together for weeks and they will travel Europe together??
read this sexy, funny and very well written novel to find out!!
it will feel like traveling with them thanks to casey's writing skills: they did an amazing research job for this book and it shows.

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

After a disaster of a breakup on the plane ride to an European food and wine tour, Theo and Kit have spent four years getting over each other. Theo has delved into the world of wine-- running a bar out of a renovated VW bus while studying to become a sommelier (and subsequently failing the exam three times with a fourth on the horizon). Kit has returned to France, the country of his childhood, and graduated from a prestigious pastry school in Paris with the achievement of "pastry sex god" under his belt.

However, the tour voucher expiring and (independently) the two exes decide to finally take the trip. Solo. As a celebration to getting over the other.

Things don't go as planned.

Now stuck sitting next to each other on a three week tour, Theo and Kit have to prove to themselves, each other, and every other person on the bus that they're over each other..

In Casey McQuiston's newest book. THE PAIRING, us readers are taken on a trip across the most romantic (and delicious) parts of Western Europe with two bisexual messes. And I do mean Bisexual Messes. The sheer amount of research and passion McQuiston poured into this book is unbelievable, and I may have found myself desperately trying to find this exact tour (with the unfortunate understanding there wouldn't be nearly as many hot and available singles in real life).

Told in dual POVs, THE PAIRING is a rare treat into the minds of both protagonists and the <i> yearning </i> ya'll, it's almost unbearable. However, the longing is tempered by breathtaking descriptions of the Italian coasts and french pastries and homemade pasta and some very salacious peaches ;)

This was a delight to read. You could really feel, taste, smell the atmosphere of this book. And Casey really knows how to write chemistry and sexy scenes. That scene with the peach on the boat. I am deceased.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Pairing by Casey McQuiston.

Here's the deal, I LOVED Red, White, and Royal Blue, a LOT, too much, I don't want to get into it. So yes, of course I want to read her new stuff, just...stop looking at me like that, it's been a hard few years.

This will set your pantaloons directly on fire. Like, find a quiet spot where no one will bother you for a solid week, and if you need to call a priest when you're done, fine. I mean, stop it. Descriptions of food and drinks that are enough to make you blush, let alone the beautiful settings in which blushery activities occur. Two beautiful bisexuals, in love years ago, seeing each other again unexpectedly, feelings of longing flaring to the surface, forced to go on an incredibly sexy food tour as a way to reunite. Yeah, I want to read that. Can. I. Read. It. pLeAsE?

It's everything I could have asked for, in February no less, the month of hot, Parisian hookups and brie cheese...right?

Gonna go take a cold shower now.

This book is exquisite. I loved every single aspect of it from page one. Red, White, and Royal Blue is one of my all time favorite books and The Pairing gave me all of the same feels. I felt every emotion, tasted every flavor, saw every color. The friendship and love between Theo and Kit is so sweet, so genuine, so pure. I loved learning their history and seeing them grow, both together and apart. This book made me laugh out loud and shed devastated tears. An absolutely beautiful reading experience. I can’t wait for the rest of the world to read this incredible book.

Update: I read the first 30% and while the characters are sweet, and I do find myself rooting for them, there isn’t anything yanking me personally into the book. It feels somewhat muted and lacking in the Casey charm.

——

Easy to read, solid hook, and good pacing through the 2% mark. Looking forward to coming back to this one. Easy three to four stars for Casey’s fans and five for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

This book had me mentally planning a food and wine tour around Europe for myself. I loved Theo, Kit, and every single side character in this beautiful story. The dialogue felt cringe at times, but it improved as the characters matured which felt appropriate. I don’t normally like a dual POV book, but having it split in the middle was perfect and it brought Kit and Theo’s thoughts and feelings full circle. Overall, I adored this book and I’m so happy I got this ARC!

This book immersed me in the world of Kit and Theo immediately and I found myself unable to stop thinking about it!

I love a second-chance romance and all the descriptions around Europe. I also thought the queer representation and discussion about love were well done. I did feel the book could have been shortened a bit- some of the spicy scenes went on for pages.

Thank you St Martins Press and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. Adored! Theo and Kit were long time friends who had been in love since the beginning. Then they became a couple and everything was great. That is until they decide to go on a food and wine tour in Europe. They fight on the plane from America and Kit walks away from Theo. Theo assumes that they broken up when Kit doesn’t return. Kit makes his own assumptions about that day as well. Now it’s 4 years later and they haven’t seen or spoken to each other since. Theo decides to do the tour before the tickets expire but they’re not the only one who has that decision. Now faced with Kit for 3 weeks how will they survive? Especially if they’re still in love with him? To make things easier and get them back into a friendship mode Theo suggests that they have a sex competition, see who had have sex in each stop on the tour? Both do well in the sex department so it should be an interesting competition. But the more time they spend together eating delicious food and drinking great wine and other concoctions the more they remember the familiarity of each other. Who will win the competition? Can they heal from their past hurts? And what happens if the memory of what was and the growth of both of them develops into more? I love the way Casey McQuiston tells this story! A dual pov but half the book is told from one perspective and the other have is told from another! Readers become familiar with one voice but yearn to know what’s going through the head of the other voice! It’ll have you consuming it quickly! I also love the slow burn aspect! It’s interesting because you have two characters that are so familiar with each other but have also changed and they slowly relearn one another! A slow burn with a warm and familiar feel! Also if you love food and wine you’ll love the details in this book! Plus the beautiful details of French, Spanish, and Italian places! The imagery is fantastic! And if you like spicy romance you’ll love the depictions in this one! All the charm and warmth of two people whose love is engrained into their souls mixed with the fear and anxiety of being hurt and hurting one another! If you’re like me Kit and Theo will leave you swooning! Highly recommend for those who love slow burn & second chance romances!

Theo and Kit are bisexual disasters and I would die for them. I’d really love to know how Casey creates and develops their main and side characters. Found myself relating to both Theo and Kit in many different ways.

This book not only explores the exes-to-lovers trying foods and wines all over Europe but also touches on gender and being in your twenties and feeling so much behind everyone else in life. The yearning, the miscommunication, the smut — it is all just so *chefs kiss*.

(also, Casey had mentioned before that this would be ACD’s favorite book of theirs and I couldn’t help but think of how he would be texting Henry screenshots of the part in Chapter 4 mentioning ITMFL and be like “okay. fine. let’s watch it.”)

First, I’m so happy that I was able to read an ARC copy of The Pairing (ebook version). I’ve read three (Red, White and Royal Blue, One Last Stop, and obviously The Pairing) of Casey McQuinston’s books so far and ended up falling in love with each unique story.

I’m not going to lie, initially, I was iffy when I started the book, but after a chapter or so ended up loving it. I love the queer rep. and the interesting plot line. Near the end of the book I was starting to get anxious that the ending that I was hoping for wasn’t going to happen… let’s just say I was pleasantly surprised at the last minute.

However, I did notice about 2 possible grammar issues.

The first one occurs on page 249 (about 69% through the book)
”Part of wants to move their….”

I think within the context that I won’t spoil the author meant to include the word “me” between “of” and “wants.”

The second issue was on page 300 (83% of the book) where it says “Valentine” instead of “Valentina.” I suspect that this is an error because the mention of her name before and after “Valentine” was “Valentina.”

“….Valentina, love, where did you say the opener was? “Valentine floats off to show her…[Name omitted for spoilers] and Valentina’s table in the adorable kitchen….”

above is all on the same page (at least on my phone).

Anyways, outside of that, I rated this book 4 stars instead of 5 because I wasn’t immediately invested & obsessed with it like I was with RWRB.
But I will for sure be preordering a physical copy of this book... in fact I already did!