Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Casey McQuiston for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

The Pairing is about Theo Flowerday and Kit Fairfield, two ex-lovers that decided to cash in their almost expired vouchers for a food and wine tour through France, Spain and Italy at the same time. We get the first half of the book from Theo's POV, they tell us a wonderful story of their current journey through the tour while weaving in their backstory with Kit. It's really quite amazing to witness these early interactions with Kit through Theo. The emotions they go through are many and heavy, which leaves you wondering what Kit is thinking, but Casey took care of that by writing the second half of the book in his POV. Through the second half of the tour, we learn what Kit has been feeling since seeing Theo again, and one thing is very clear: they're both still wildly in love with each other.

This book was incredible for its imagery. The way Casey writes the descriptions of these gorgeous European destinations makes you feel like you're right there with Theo and Kit, experiencing the atmosphere, the food and drink and the people they encounter along the way. The characters are all rich and plentiful, just like the food and drink they taste on their journey. They all held a special place in my heart, especially Fabrizio! What a darling man.

What's clear from the word go is Theo and Kit's connection. The way they banter is unlike anything I've read in a very long time, and it's wonderful. The game they play with pairing foods and drinks tethered by one similar ingredient was so fun to read, and the spicier scenes were beautifully written. Detailed but not vulgar (vulgar doesn't bother me, btw, just an observance) and I love the fluidity of sexuality that Theo and Kit experience both separately and together. It makes their challenge that much more exciting and limitless.

My only complaint here was the same complaint that I had with past Casey books I've read: the chapters are LONG, and as someone that likes to read chapters in a single sitting, it's not always easy to carve out a solid hour to read one chapter. But that didn't take away from the quality of the book or the writing in any way. It's just a personal preference of mine.

Overall, another incredible book from Casey McQuiston. I am a fan for life.

CMQ does it again! This book made me laugh, cry, scream and believe in love. It also made me want to move to a small coastal European town. Casey does an incredible job personifying these characters and making them larger than life in the first person writing style. It’s such a unique and deeply queer take on Europe and trying to get over someone you’re still in love with. There are so many moments I could highlight that I loved, but I’d basically be rewriting the book if I did.

Casey McQuiston really tossed everything I’ve ever loved or wanted—LOTR references! Devastating Rilke quotes! A European food and wine tour with chaotic bisexual exes!—into a blender, added a bottle of champagne, and wrote THE book of the summer. Beautiful, devastating, hilarious, un-put-down-able. I loved it, and I’ll be dreaming of Kit and Theo until I can get my hands on a physical copy in August.

“Sometimes I think the only way to keep something forever is to lose it and let it haunt you” “If I can give my whole heart to love without fearing the cost, I will regret nothing”
WOWWW i am in love with theo and kit.…. this is easily my favorite cmq book. there are so many little details that make it such a perfect book to me. the love for horror, the gender of it all, finding love through art, and ALLL the tropes, friends to exes to friends to lovers, one bed trope, a bet. you literally can’t get any better than this but id like to see casey try!

The Pairing takes us on a deliciously hedonistic food and wine tour through Europe with Kit and Theo. This book is joyful romantic comedy, with description and tasting notes that made me want a 1am baguette with lavender honey and wine. It manages this while at the same time being so full of heart and small shared moments. It was a delight.

This is one of the horniest books I've read in recent memory and I LOVE it! I really enjoyed the structure of the story from the different points of view. I want to take the same tour as Theo and Kit. I love them almost as much as Alex & Henry. Thank you Casey McQuiston for introducing me to these lovely flawed humans that let their love guide them through life and back to each other. Not afraid of making mistakes and trusting each other.

Wine. Europe. Love.

I always love the second chances trope alongside a European road trip.

I loved Theo and the chapters with their perspective. They're the ultimate I'M FINE EVERYTHING IS FINE character while everything is chaotic in the background. Their love for Kit is pure, and they don't feel worthy of that happiness.

Kit has such a wise poet's soul and I think EVERYONE in this book wanted to sleep with him, lol. I didn't enjoy his perspective as much as Theo's. His POV just felt slower and lacked connection.

Overall, solidly good book. Loved the representation.


Actual rating between 3.5 and 4
🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for this ARC

I loved this book!! It was fabulous and well done. The characters were on point and I thought the plot was well developed. I would recommend this book to others.

I have a new CMQ favorite.

Friends-turned-roommates-turned-lovers-turned-exes accidentally book the same European wine and food tour in this latest queer romance by Casey McQuiston. Theo Flowerday and Kit Fairfield had been friends since the moment they met in elementary school, remaining each other's anchor through parental death, cross-country moves, college, injuries, and first love. Their relationship reaches an inevitable peak one night, and the friends become lovers, a new status lasting two years until a fateful trans-Atlantic flight severed any chance they had at a happily ever after. Or so they both thought. Until four years later, when both have grown and changed and attempted to get over each other, they find themselves side-by-side on the trip they'd planned and abandoned long ago.

There are no two people more meant to be than Kit and Theo, matched both in their equal stubbornness, and their love of food, wine, culture, and sex. Both confident, clever, sexy and slutty, they quickly move from estranged exes to amicable friends, creating a wager to keep their three-week European tour interesting: see who can sleep with the most people. This is by far McQuiston's sluttiest novel (and this is meant in the most loving and respectful way), having two bisexual main characters who literally shake on, "May the best slut win." That being said, I wouldn't put its spice level as high as some other sexy romance books popular in the queer genre; this would rate a solid M (mature), but wouldn't reach an E (explicit). However, the reader looking for sex, passion and lust will not be disappointed.

Writing queer as only a queer person can, McQuiston brings to life all of the beauty of bisexuality–feeling horny for literally everyone. With absolutely no queerphobia in sight, Kit and Theo (and other tour guests) have a judgment-free romp around wine country, and find themselves in the arms (and sometimes between the legs of) many beautiful locals. There is also dealings of gender, and the way some people fit into theirs, or even fit their gender into themselves. McQuiston is non-binary themselves, and everything written about such is done with the utmost respect and adoration. Everything, really, about this book is written with the utmost respect and adoration.

McQuiston's writing and storytelling, while always impressive and entertaining, has definitely grown with time. This book feels the most mature (despite some hilariously immature quotes such as, "...smooth as Swayze's tits in 1988," or, "You look like you suck dick at Ceasars Palace"), with some of the most beautiful imagery I've read in a long time. I've never been to Spain or Italy, but I feel like I have with McQuiston's words; they leave me feeling like I'm wrapped in a brioche, under the warm Sicilian sky. A "brown sugar sun," as they eloquently say. Every time I read one of their books, I fall a little bit more in love with the world, and am happy to report that McQuiston has yet to let me down. I hope they never do.

Five breathtaking, beautiful, slutty stars.

I finished this book 6 days ago and can’t stop thinking about it. My first book hangover of the year and instantly on my best books of 2024 list. The maturity of the writing and creativity of the story structure is akin to the bonus Henry chapter in the special edition of RWRB. But CMQ is really on fire with this one.

Prepare to be hungry. And really thirsty. And drunk from the words. And a little bit sunkissed. And immediately booking airline tickets to Europe. The romance is wonderful too and by midway in the book you are so invested in Theo & Kit you can't get enough of them. But it’s the lush travel and food and people on the bus tour and scenic descriptions that are incredible. It’s visceral and immersive. It’s a love affair with food and wine and pastry and France and Spain and Italy and I couldn’t get enough.

Theo-and-Kit. Theo-and-Kit. Theo-and-Kit. They are so charming, horny, gorgeous, fun and swoony. The perfect soul pairing. I want to hang out with them. They are a bisexual nonbinary dream love story. I don’t want to say too much because there are so many twists and turns, plenty of angst, some steam and a few surprises which are a delight to experience for yourself without spoilers. All I can say is this is a perfect summer beach or pool read, and I can’t wait to read it again.

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

I read this book in 6 hours. I laughed, I cried, and now I get to tell you how amazing it is.

The bad. Yes, there are things I didn't like about this book but its short and simple and maybe you will like the things I did not.
1. Nosebleeds.
2. With Casey's other books, I have always found a connection to their side characters just as deep as the main characters. Maybe it was because the food tour is a temporary setting, but I did not get that same connection with any of the side characters in this book. (Casey, if you read this, please consider a Novella with updates to all your side characters)
3. If you are not knowledgeable in the world of art, food, or European geography, you may be spending an equal amount of time looking up the places/foods/artwork mentioned. I personally knew some of them and didn't care to look up the rest.

The Good.
1. With each book they write, Casey grows in their ability to write a character without actually saying the words "neurodiversity" (Insert Twilight meme, "say it. out loud"). Theo is by far the most relatable character to me yet. Seriously, I wish that Casey would teach a class to the writers of Hollywood on how to portray/write/have neurodiverse characters.
2. Yes, this is by far the steamiest book that Casey has written. Still they managed to write some of the hottest scenes without ever saying anatomically correct body parts or even slang words while in these scenes. I am in awe and I will be rereading some of them for inspiration in the future.
3. There a million other things that I love about this book, but I will not have the space to detail all of that and why. Rest assured, I now have a long list of foods and wine that I need to search for and even some songs to listen to.

Get the book. You won't regret it.

I loved everything about this book! It was a love letter to adventure and romance, European cuisine and art, to second-chance love, to finding yourself and seizing what makes you happy. This was beautifully written and so different from McQuiston’s previous works. I loved the way both Theo and Kit narrated the story and I adored every single person they met during their tour. I always love an adventure romance and appreciate how the locations and food were equal stars in this story. While nothing can top the sheer genius of Red, White, and Royal Blue, I think The Pairing might actually be my favorite!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I had a really hard time getting into The Pairing and I don’t know if it was all the ritzy french and alcohol references..I am too broke to travel to other countries and don’t drink haha. So many descriptive scenes about food and wine which didn’t really add to the plot. But I gave it a fair shot and didn’t give up!

Kit and Theo didn’t feel fully developed or rounded as characters and I didn’t really feel like they had much chemistry, besides sexually. Also had a hard time keeping up with the dual pov, which I suppose is on me, not the book. The story was weighed down by lengthy descriptions of food and locations, which became tedious and distracted from the plot. Although the setting was integral to the story as a food and wine tour, these paragraphs became monotonous for me and led to me skimming over them.

I love Casey McQuiston’s books, but this one just fell short for me.

Casey McQuiston has, over the past few years, become my favorite author—the only person whose books I will buy sight unseen, which usually, as a public librarian/someone who's bought mediocre books before, is a big no-no. I love their prose, and all the giant emotions packed into it; I love the queer joy that radiates off of every page. I couldn't believe my luck when I was approved for an advance copy of this, my most anticipated book of 2024 (still can't believe it, if I'm honest).

My first impression is that this is VERY different, in a number of small ways that add up, from anything McQuiston has written before. Fans of their writing style, their funny, quirky, big-hearted characters, and the devastatingly emotional roads to HEA will not be disappointed, but in many ways, it does feel like a departure from their previous works. And I think that's a good thing! It's refreshing to see this author expand the scope of what their work looks like, and in particular, I thought that the setting—a bus trip taking a food and wine tour throughout Spain, France, and Italy—was a ton of fun. I love a good road trip story, and this was as decadently rendered as the many, many delicious things the characters eat and drink on the trip were decadently described (I don't recommend you read this book while hungry; it will make that so, so much worse).

Other things I liked: the dual POVs were woven into the story in a way that was new to me, and that I really appreciated (one character narrates the first half of the book, the other, the second half—the way this shift occurs makes sense, and, personally, I liked it a lot more than the typical chapter switching technique of showing dual POVs). The way McQuiston writes the romantic conflict between the two characters, who are childhood best friends turned lovers reuniting after a nasty breakup and several ensuing years without seeing one another, was SO good—all the unresolved feelings and angst and grief had me all in my feels. Also, McQuiston did not exaggerate when they described this book as their spiciest, or the plot as "being a slut in Europe"; this is definitely the smuttiest of their books by a long shot.

Extra-special shoutout to the inclusion of a reference to The Lizzie McGuire Movie during the Rome leg of the food and wine tour. I can't wait to read this book again when it's released in August.

This book is so full of love, it's overflowing with it. I had so much fun reading this story and following these beautiful characters on the tour. The descriptions are so rich I could almost taste the food and the wine, feel close to places I’ve never been and experience art I’ve never seen personally.

Theo and Kit are such passionate, funny, brilliant, horny IDIOTS I couldn’t help falling in love with them a little. The atmosphere’s cozy and all the side characters are almost as chaotic and charming as the main duo. It’s a heart-warming story about human connection, love, finding oneself and starting over.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I want to go on this food tour and eat everything mentioned in this book but honestly I found Theo kinda annoying.

I feel like this book has rearranged the orientation of my heart. It tugged so perfectly at my gut, and I fell head over heels in love with every character, setting, meal, and drink. I want to read it fifteen more times and travel the world and eat insane pastries. I cannot possibly put into words how pitch-perfect every moment of this book was.

Casey, thank you for Theo! As a cis woman, I've never experienced how you described gender in terms of Theo. I have always known that gender is different for everyone, but you painted a beautiful picture of how flowing and changing it can be for someone, so again, thank you for opening my eyes and helping me become a better ally to others

okay y’all i just finished and i think the pairing may be my new CMQ favorite ??? it’s a slutty bisexual food and wine and art and fucking tour through europe and it’s exactly what i’ve always dreamed of ??? it’s def their smuttiest book yet which WE LOVE *and* the characters are infinitely loveable and kind and interesting 🧚🏼‍♀️ also the nonbinary rep was amazing and so beautifully described 😭🩷 5 fucking stars !!!!!!

The Pairing follows Kit and Theo, two childhood best friends turned lovers turned exes as they find themselves on a European wine-tasting trip purely by coincidence.

As a huge fan of Casey's past works I was more than excited to be able to read this book early and unfortunately, I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would. The characters to me didn’t feel as fleshed out as they had been in past works, and multiple characters were being introduced, making it hard to keep track of all of them. Maybe it’s just me and my lack of fine food and wine knowledge but it took me out of the story having to go and look up what we were talking about.
I enjoyed the dialogue and funny moments between the two main characters, but I found myself skipping multiple paragraphs and was bored in some parts.

Overall, l I don’t think I would read this book again but I would recommend it to friends if it were something I thought they would enjoy as the representation was top-tier.