I honestly had high hopes for this book, and I was not disappointed. Such a decadent summer romance novel with some of my favorite tropes revisioned in a way that was both refreshing and fun to read. Theo and Kit were so detailed and nuanced that they they felt alive. It's difficult to find novels that explore gender and queerness. But this book did an excellent job addressing and challenging society’s ideas about gender and gender essentialism.

As The Pairing continued to dive deeper into innermost workings of Theo and Kit and their deeply complex and realistic relationship they have with one another and themselves, I found myself finding bits and pieces of myself within each of them and ultimately falling more in love with them.

McQuiston's storytelling in this book is so vivid. It honestly felt as if I was traveling Europe alongside the group. It is clear so much love and passion was put into the research of this book. Thank you so much St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC. I can't wait to reread it in the summer.

After searching like crazy for an ARC of this book, one finally became available on NetGalley and I cannot believe I got the chance to read this.

Casey, you absolute genius.

I will be sitting with this story for a very long time and probably won’t be able to read anything else.

I was fully immersed in my European summer fantasy. My mind’s eye kept working overtime in the most magnificent way possible. Everything was so exquisitely detailed: from the art to the scenery, from intimate moments to moments of disconnect. I was enthralled by every. single. detail. There was never a line skipped or unappreciated.

I loved getting to know Theo and Kit. We get to know the way they see the world.

This book took my heart, stomped it on the ground, then picked it back up and nurtured it.

I will provide an in depth review once the book releases because I have so many thoughts.

I enjoyed McQuiston's The Pairing, though it wasn’t without its flaws.

The positives: the beginning was wonderful. I've previously had issues with pacing in McQuiston's other books but this book starts fast and the first half really had a nice flow. Some of this fell apart in the second half and I felt some things were dragging on but overall a solid job on the pacing front. Another thing I loved was the ending. While some things about the relationship felt vague and untold (see my negatives), the ending does the best possible job of wrapping up the the whole story.

The negatives: both main characters felt very one dimensional. While the notes of their love were sprinkled through every chapter and every page, their relationship was never explained beyond "they were childhood friends who fell in love." I wish we got to know them on a bit of a deeper level, it would have made it easier to really get invested in their story. The sex also felt a bit subpar — I wouldn’t say bad but for a book where so much of the plot is about sex, I expected better.

One note that I will make, as someone who is from one of the countries they visited on tour in the book, is that McQuiston's descriptions of locations and their approach to writing their European characters felt obnoxiously American. This might not be an issue for American readers and I'm sure many other will be able to get past it but for me, personally, it made things quite distracting at a few points in the book.

Overall, this is a decent book. There were parts I enjoyed immensely and parts that simply didn't work for me. If you are a McQuiston fan, certainly give it a go!

I think this is my favorite of McQuiston's books yet. The only word to describe this book is LUSH. The writing is sumptuous and made me desperately want to be in Europe in the summer. Quite the feat for winter loving, sweat hating me. With descriptions of food that make your mouth water and descriptions of feelings that make your heart clench while you laugh. It's McQuiston at their finest. No one writes heart like them and this book is chock full of it. I loved the way they structured the dual POV, and I would die for Kit. I can't wait to have a physical copy of this in my hands to cherish and read again and again.

I was SO excited to receive an ARC for this book, one of my most anticipated of the year, and I'm pleased to say it mostly-pretty-much-completely held up to my hopes for it!

I really enjoyed it -- I thought the writing was beautiful and Casey's REALLY levelled up their sex scene chops (I really didn't think that at first, but I'm guessing it was intentional that the sex Theo has with other people is really nondescript compared to when they and Kit start hooking up). If there's one thing a CMQ book is gonna bring, it's The Vibes, so Europe + Food + Wine + Sex was, like, the best possible combination for them.

What I didn't love: the sex-as-food descriptions had a tendency to edge toward cheesy (pun intended), I thought it was a bit weird that we're IMMEDIATELY told Theo's full name and assigned gender despite the point of this book being... the opposite of that, and I think this book suffers from The CMQ Problem, which is that all of their books could very easily be 50 pages shorter than they are.

(Also, this is nit-picky and I'm really not in the business of yucking yums here, but the concept of calling somebody "good bottom" is one of the least sexy things I've ever encountered.)

From the moment CMQ started teasing this book, I knew I was gonna enjoy it. And as a long-time fan, I hoped I was going to love it. I've been begging the universe to help me somehow get an ARC of this book and I was fortunate enough to get it from NetGalley.

Now for the review (without any spoilers): The book is divided into two sections, the first half from Theo's POV and the second from Kit's. Both characters' voices were so strong, the characters so tridimensional that it's hard not to connect with them in some form, I found myself constantly wondering throughout the book the centuries-old bisexual question: Do I wanna be them or be with them? Maybe both. I enjoyed reading Theo's chapters, their chaotic energy and himbo vibes were incredibly entertaining, but Kit's chapters... Man, I don't think I've ever highlighted a book more than this one. The second half of this book is a love letter to nb people everywhere, a sexy, slutty, validating love letter that has completely filled my heart with hope and that I cannot stop gushing about.

This book is an immersive experience that will ignite all of your 5 senses and I wish I could experience it for the first time over and over again. Cheers to slutty bisexuals everywhere!

I can’t wait to reread this in the summer because that’s exactly the feeling this book invokes. It’s luxuriating in the sun while lazily sipping a spritz (meanwhile, I was sitting inside, shivering under several layers while reading this time). A book that revels in its appreciation for life’s most decadent, indulgent, yet often simple pleasures. Lush descriptions of food, drinks, and sex. Hedonism: The Novel.

Celebrating sluts while traipsing across France, Spain, and Italy on a food and wine tour? I mean sign me up. A play on the “bisexuals are sluts” stereotype that just says and what if we were? What’s so bad about that? Why not allow yourself to indulge in all of life’s pleasures?

I thought I wasn’t fully invested in the romance, but then I almost started tearing up during the last chapter so…who knows? I did appreciate Theo and Kit’s second-chance romance and that the first time around is portrayed less as a failure and more as an aperitif. Something that primed each of their palates for their later experiences. It may have been bitter at first but it opened them up to discoveries and experiences they only could have had after knowing and loving each other. It opened them up to a deeper, richer, all-consuming love for each other than they realized they could even experience.

Some gorgeous writing, sensuality at every turn, and of course McQuiston’s wonderful humor.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings about Casey McQuiston’s The Pairing. It was an enjoyable read with a fun cast of characters and the banter and dialogue you know and love from a Mcquiston novel. It’s also their horniest outing in a big way - kind of makes you want to go on a big romp through Europe!

I really liked our main characters Theo & Kit. I liked them as individuals and together, but I never felt emotionally invested like I have with their previous books. I wasn’t going to be devastated if for some reason they went their separate ways; this could have been a story of friendship and meeting new people and making new friends while traveling and I would’ve enjoyed it! That being said, their personal journeys I was interested in and I’m glad that we got a large chunk of both perspectives.

Overall, this was a good time but not my favorite. I was never itching to get back to reading whenever I had to put it down. But, despite my lack of emotional investment I did tear up at the end and am glad it ended how it did!

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC

I'm a huge fan of CMQ. The biggest positive is the fun dialogue and great characters. The book is really focused on sex, like really focused. And sex between everyone and anyone. I get it, but in some places it felt like overkill to the growth of the characters and the overall storyline of Kit and Theo. The first half is told by Theo and second half by Kit. Without spoilers, there were things told from Kit's perspective that could have been handled a bit better, maybe with more from Theo in their half. Still the European wine and food tour is so beautiful that I found myself wanting to search out an actual tour like this. Good but not my favorite.

I’m sad to say that I found this book extremely disappointing. I loved Casey McQuiton’s other books but this one felt very one dimensional with bland characters, a pretentious plot, and a version of Europe that felt like a caricature. Why was every European in every stop down to bang strangers? I doubt every European is actually bisexual and hot. But this book def paints Europe that way. None of the side characters have personalities other than sex. The two main characters aren’t much better—their personalities are food/alcohol AND sex. With all this overabundance of sex you’d think the actual sex scenes would be good, right? WRONG! The first major one on the yacht made me cringe so hard I skipped the rest of them.


Theo’s non-binary identity felt like an afterthought. Also why was it all processed through Kit’s point of view?


Anthony Bourdain gets mentioned frequently without actually referring to the fact he’s not still with us (and you can def do that without making it too sad). I felt it was pretty disrespectful that Kit mentions wanting to f*ck him.

thanks to netgalley and st. martin's press for the free earc in exchange for a fair and honest review!

i'm a big cmq fan. rw&rb and iksw are my bread and butter. every book is like a warm hug wrapped in insanity and lots of character development - my two favorite things. the pairing is not an exception.
while i struggled for a bit of the book differentiating narrators, i grew to enjoy hearing parts of the story from different perspectives, characters who knew each other inside and out but can't talk about it. it makes me think of that taylor swift new year's day lyric: "please don't ever become a stranger / whose laugh i could recognize anywhere."
theo is objectively the coolest person ever. they exude coolness. i've been trying to devise a new way to phrase that, but there isn't one.
kit reminds me of those characters that are normally the main character's best friend in books and you wonder, "why don't you just kiss him?" well, spoiler alert, theo does.
i also loved the references to european pastries and drinks, as i tend to spend a lot of time tracking down european bakeries and patisseries in my area to try. i might have to find a good focaccia now because of this book.
pick this one up if you are: looking for second-chance romance done right, friends-to-lovers-to-strangers-to-lovers, or a food tour in europe. or all three. all three are good too.

I loved this cute and cozy rom com and I definitely would read more from this author in the future! So excited for all of the stories that they’ll share in the future.

I am in love. This has finally edged out Red White and Royal Blue as my favorite book. If you've ever heard CMQ speak or follow their Instagram, you'll understand when I say that this is the most Casey McQuiston books they e ever written. Kit and Theo are both disaster children with the communication skills of a pair of rocks, but I love them. The supporting characters are fascinating and I feel like I toured Europe. Run don't walk to read this as soon as possible.

CMQ has done it again. Just as I was craving summer escapism (specifically of the European flavour), they absolutely deliver. I was completely enveloped by this book, I read it in 3 days and did little else. A wonderful story about characters you want to root for, even be friends with. The dynamic between Kit and Theo, the change in perspective to keep the suspense… artfully done. As with all CMQ stories, my only complaint is that I wish there were more of it. THANK YOU CMQ

Gahh this book is scorchingly sexy and painfully emotional and I loved it!!
Best of all - the sexiness comes not from wild sex acts, but from the intensity of being known and sharing an intimate moment with the person who knows you best in the world. Gosh I love sex scenes where characters are stripped bare physically and emotionally and revealed to each other on a journey to a relationship and the scenes in this book made me feel so many things. Surprising no-one, Casey McQuiston knocked it out of the park with this one!

The one downside to the book was that something didn't quite gel with the emotional payoff towards the end. The pining is top-tier but because it was so great I wanted a little more of a push when they got together but it felt like they kind of slid together? Which makes sense given their history but it wasn't a swoony as I would have liked. Besides the ending feeling a bit rushed, I loved everything else about this book. If you love second chance romances and books that are gloriously queer this is the book for you!

-Bedsharing/only one room
-Pining for days!!
-Second chance romance
-Best friends to lovers to exes to lovers
-Sex-positive! - bisexuals having lots of casual sex with no slut-shaming
-the sexual tension is palpable
-the emotional angst of old intimacy is so painful I loved it 😍
-Is it Over Now? and Now That We Don't Talk by Taylor Swift in book form (if you're a 1989 TV fan you know what I mean)
-dual pov (1st half in Theo's pov and 2nd half in Kit's)

If you told 2019 me that I would have the honor to read an early-access digital ARC of one of Casey’s new books, I wouldn’t believe you. With that being said, I am so incredibly thankful for the opportunity to get my hands on this work earlier than the release date.

I kid you not, I read this in 24 hours straight. I read it non-stop, catching little snippets while at work, and could NOT for the life of me, put it down. That’s how good it was. It felt like I was catapulted on a summer food and wine tasting excursion right at the tips of my fingers. Not to mention the steamy, yearning and romantic plot within the book, it was astounding and very binge-worthy. I give this book a whopping 5 stars, but wish I could give more than that. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who’s feeling a little indulgent. You’ve done it once again, Casey! You are my icon and hero.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this incredible digital ARC of The Pairing in exchange for an honest review!

As a fan of Casey's writing I knew I'd like this book. But I wasn't prepared for just how much I'd absolutely love it!

This book was beautiful! I loved the characters, the world and everything about it. I started reading and just couldn't put it down, I finished the whole book in one sitting. It's just that good!

If you love romance books with heart, this book is for you! Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this book ahead of release in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book started out so fantastic, I was devouring every sumptuous word. The settings, the food, the wine, the people. Everything was so rich and the writing hilarious, I just knew this was going to be one of my favorite reads of the year. And then…it lost steam. There is a shift at the halfway point that honestly killed the momentum for me completely, and I completely get why the shift was necessary and would normally appreciate this tactic, but in this case the chance was slow, wordy, insufferable a d redundant. By the 75% mark I was skimming just to get to the inevitable end. I’m so bummed that it took such a drastic turn for me, but it was a lovely beautiful written book even if the back half didn’t quite live up to the first for me.

As a big fan of Casey McQuiston’s novels, a hater of change, and someone who let Red, White, and Royal Blue turn their brain into mush for a month straight, it’s hard to pick a new favourite CMQ. But I think I can confidently say that The Pairing is their best work so far. The writing style is beautiful and poetic and shows a maturity in their penmanship that, while not wholly absent from their earlier work, has certainly aged like a fine wine. Even the discussion around Big Topics (eg. Theo’s gender, the Upstairs Lounge, etc) were handled more gracefully than the almost clunky way they were in the past.

The characters of this book are the heart of it, as with any good book, but this is essentially true of The Pairing. While they do have a beautiful relationship, Theo and Kit as individuals are loveable, complex, whole people and they make the book worth picking up. I could feel Theo’s blood, sweat, and tears, Kit’s yearning and heartache. They were palpable beings and I loved them for it. While the book is a little light on actual plot, I found that the depth of the characters (and even the fun of the supporting cast) more than made up for it.

In an effort to devour this book, I didn’t stop to translate certain phrases or look up unfamiliar art pieces or foods - that’s something I’ll definitely be doing on a reread, and recommend other readers of the book do as well, as I can only imagine it would deeply enrich the reading experience. The book is so much about food and art that I almost wish it came with visuals, saving readers the hassle of having to Google something every other page if they’re as unfamiliar with European cuisine and architecture as I am.

All in all, this book will make you want to book a food tour the very moment you finish it. It’s decadent, loving, heartbreaking, and a perfect summer read. I can’t wait to reread it when it comes out so the sun can warm me outside and this book can warm me inside.

I really wanted to like this. I was excited about the travel through Europe, the food and the romance. But instead of decadence, it read to me as pretentious - the characters, the story, the writing. I saw little chemistry between the leads and frankly just found them boring. If this is what Casey’s writing has “evolved” and “grown” into, then I think I might have to stick with RWRB and call it a day.