I read this last year but forgot to post this review here. I did post it on IG about a year ago.

The Pairing is a romance (with split POV) about Kit and Theo, who broke up years ago on their way to a European food tour. Unfortunately, they both end up deciding to cash in their vouchers for the last possible tour before they expired, making them accidentally end up on the tour together. They decide they will try being friends but end up making a wager to see who can hook up with the most people during the trip. However, feelings start to resurface.

Honestly, I didn't take a ton of notes while reading this so it's hard to give very specific feedback six months later. I still remember a ton of the story, though, which is really saying something because usually the plot of the books I read is out of brain within a couple weeks. The characters definitely wormed their way into my heart. I loved them even though their inability to communicate with each other drove me a little crazy. Casey McQuiston definitely has a way of making you love the love interests which is important to me. I loved the bisexual/nobinary representation too (though I can't speak to the authenticity).

The biggest thing I kept thinking while reading this one was how much sexy times there was. It was a significant portion of the story. I LOVE a steamy scene but it was almost too much, even for me. If you have more modest sensibilities this might not be the one for you.

I will say, reading two romance books in a month with a main character named Theo was not on my bingo card. Will probably try to avoid in the future (it's my ex's name 🤣).

I’ll start off by saying that Red, White, and Royal Blue by this author is one of my very favorite romances! I was so excited for this one, and there were many things that I absolutely loved but there were also a few too many plot points that just didn’t work for me.

What I did adore about this book was the European adventure that took us on a picturesque journey through southern Europe. There’s so many delectable moments involving food and wine that my mouth was watering. The culture, the art, the descriptions of each city had me in a blissful state of wanderlust. But then the story revolves around Theo and Kit and their second chance romance and sadly it just did not translate for me. The poetic words of yearning and true love towards the end sounded beautiful on paper but the chemistry just wasn’t there for me. I think because so much of the book was them one upping each other in a literal game of who can have sex with the most people while traveling to each city, that it just became repetitive. It honestly stole focus away from the elements that were standing out in this book. Not only did it give the whole romance plot an immature tone but it also took away from the moments of intimacy between them when it was on page because every chapter had some sort of hook up involved. They really did seem like lifelong best friends who liked to challenge each other with silly games versus mature adults longing for a second shot at love. I did appreciate and love that there was pansexual and bisexual representation within these characters. I just wish so much of the focus had been on them and their reconnection in some of the most beautiful and romantic places on earth versus so much sex-focused plot.

As for the audiobook, I’m always excited when a book is dual narrated. I enjoyed that the author told the story broken into two parts-the first half of the book from Theo’s pov and the second half from Kit’s. I tended to enjoy Kit much more as a character and thought the voice actor did a great job with him. I didn’t mind Theo’s voice work, I just didn’t prefer them as much as a character. Overall, I will be looking forward to future work by this author and still recommend trying this one out for yourself.

Thank you so much NetGalley and St Martins Griffin for this #gifted ALC!

(3.5 stars rounded up to 4 )

A DNF for me. A huge fan of Red, White, & Royal Blue, I went into this with high hopes. I think this was a slow burn that I struggled to wait for sparks in.

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

Ok so *checks list* two bi exes, same food and wine festival/tour, must challenge each other to sleep with someone else to totally prove they're not hung up anymore? I mean, must I say literally anything else? Would I challenge any of my exes to a race to the sack with a stranger on this vacation that means I should be absolutely in a food coma and drinking good wine? There is no way on Earth.... unless I really wanted to make sure they knew I was *totally* over them even though I definitely, have not stopped thinking of that thing they do when they're deep in thought. You see the appeal here right?

Second chance romances suck... usually. I'm just one of those cynical people who really believe the past needs to stay there and not every freaking relationship needs to be rekindled because it ended for a reason. Now, Casey McQuiston? Psh, I'd believe in second chances every freaking day, I'm pretty sure I could be convinced to give my ex a shot too if it was pitched on all the right reasons by Casey. Alas, my past definitely is not getting rekindled, I adore my current partner and will never look back, but I will forever root for every rekindled romance that is put out by this author, no second guessing.

The Pairing is Casey McQuiston’s boldest leap yet—a spicy, euro-centric enemies-to-lovers rom-com that lives up to its reputation for steam. Paul Michael’s narration is confident and vibrant, capturing both Theo’s hesitant self-discovery and Kit’s pastry-fueled swagger. The chemistry sizzles through the audio, even if the pacing sometimes feels like it’s drifting through a hazy Mediterranean afternoon.

Theo and Kit share a complicated history: exes with residual love, thrown back together on an extravagant food and wine tour. As they compete to see who can seduce more people, the real tension isn’t the hookups—it’s what they’ve left unsaid about identity, privilege, and belonging. Theo’s journey toward nonbinary recognition is handled with sensitivity and care, especially when Kit begins to shift pronouns; that moment lands hard and feels earned.

That said, the narrative doesn’t always hold together. Some side characters exist only to flesh out the tour—quirky, flavorful, but underdeveloped. The plot sometimes stalls in between sex scenes and scenic detours, sacrificing momentum for indulgence. And while McQuiston leans into pleasure as politics, the lack of deeper conflict or tension keeps things emotionally shallow at times.

Then there’s the backdrop of controversy. The novel's marketing—most notably, a PR box that included a sex toy—sparked criticism from some influential reviewers, raising questions about publisher tactics and the oversight of inclusive marketing practices . That controversy adds a layer of meta-stress: is The Pairing riding the wave of queer visibility or being boxed into it?

Despite the bumps, there’s a genuine payoff here. The audiobook delivers on warmth, humor, and messy, heartfelt hookups. It’s not McQuiston’s most emotionally resonant novel, but it’s undeniably fun and essential listening if you’re here for sex-positive queer joy with a side of existential tourism.

In short: there’s more heat than depth, but the ride is worth it—just buckle up and enjoy the scenery.

I am hard to please when it comes to second chance romances. This one didn’t convince me the characters should be back together and I wasn’t very invested in their relationship.

I have loved Casey McQuiston's book, so I was highly anticipating The Pairing. I had to make multiple attempts to finish this book. I had a hard time liking or even caring about the main characters. I will not be posting about this on my social media accounts, as I reserve those spaces for positive reviews only.

Thank you to the publisher for an ALC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

DNF at 60%

This book is about 2 slutty bisexuals realizing they're both terrible at communication, still in love with each other, and really into every single European stereotype you can imagine.

This book is way too long for what it is. At the 58% mark I was just over it. It's not that serious.

Also, if you're a nepo baby with money, stop trying to cosplay being a "normal person not living off Mommy and Daddy's money." It's annoying. Just spread the wealth.

Ughhh I'm so so sad about this, but I'm DNFing. I'm just bored and not really connected to either character. I'm also really struggling with the other characters, all the horniness, and how many times I'm hearing the word "f*ck." Also, I can't with miscommunication. Grateful for the ARC, but this one isn't for me.

"I'm a speakeasy person. I love a brilliant secret."

This book was all about secrets and what they do and do not do. The tension was good and the banter was actually funny and sometimes sweet. I was annoyed with the main character on occasion, but I think overall the book was as good as I'd hoped having read (and loved) other Casey McQuiston stuff.

DNF @15%

I need more yearning. I think where The Pairing shines is in the youthful joy of drinking too much and flirting with everyone around you. And I love that this book exists for people who want to experience that through the pages of this book. It is not, however, for me.

I am normally not a huge fan of MM/MM books but I just adored The Pairing. I was amazed at the reviews because I thought it was cute! I mean they both had their issues but the whole point is to work through them and get to the good stuff.

The Pairing follows Theo and Kit, exes who are thrown together on a European food and wine tour. The chemistry between them is undeniable, but unresolved feelings complicate things. While I enjoyed the book for its charm and setting, it didn’t quite capture me the way Red, White & Royal Blue did. The characters’ dynamic felt a little repetitive at times, but it’s still a fun and engaging read for fans of second-chance romance.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

I am so conflicted about this book. Starting with the personal likes and dislikes, this book was way more about sex than I thought it was going to be. That's my bad tbh, who wouldn't have thought about a hookup competition as being heavily about sex? Apparently me.

I also wished that I could have seen more of Theo's point of view instead of just a split from first half being Theo and second half being Kit. I wanted so badly to see Theo's growth and how they developed self-love and confidence, but of course Kit's POV couldn't give the depth of that. I think it would have made the romance stronger for me, because it felt like the book was essentially Theo being upset about feeling like they are a failure and then Kit just randomly being obsessed with them. Kit had more growth than anyone, right at the end, but I wanted more depth from that.

I did love the nonbinary representation and the support that Theo gets on so many levels. There was a depth to that that felt like the most genuine thing in the book, which I really appreciated.

I just wanted *more* from this book than what it had to give.

*MANY SPOILERS AHEAD, BEWARE!*

I did not really enjoy this book. To be honest, it felt like ‘what if CMQ rewrote Call Me By Your Name and Timothée Chalemet was actually in the book’. Kit was basically a bisexual Chalemet and there was even a “sexy” peach scene.

I didn’t particularly like either character, Theo or Kit. The first half of the book is from Theo’s POV and it’s fairly insufferable, I did not enjoy being in their head. Then we switch to Kit’s POV and he’s just so fucking sappy and pretentious.

I don’t like second chance romances usually, I’m not sure that I’ve ever actually read one that I enjoyed, so I guess I should have known that going into this. We have two people who are super horny for each other, but rather than use their words and tell each other how they feel, they have a sex contest, to see who can sleep with the most people during their food and wine tour. So, it had the second chance romance trope, which I dislike, *and* the lack of/miscommunication trope, which I also very much dislike. And I’m certainly not a prude, but I just found the sex contest to be so… dumb? And, mildly harmful? Like, I don’t even know…

Usually when I read a book that heavily features food or wine I end up wanting to try all the things. I am very easily influenced by food and drink in books. And I am currently having zero interest in anything mentioned in this book. I tried Horlicks because it was mentioned in a book (even though the character admits that he doesn’t even really like it). So the fact that I’m not even having a craving for a pain au chocolat or a nice glass of red wine is really weird for me. I think maybe that there was just too much in terms of the wine and drink? Maybe? And nothing was really all that compelling, despite the extravagant descriptions. And, okay, I know that sommeliers have a wildly sensitive sense of taste, but I’m sorry, I don’t want to be consuming anything that has *hints of saddle leather*.

And overall, I just don’t know that I believe in Theo and Kit’s love story. There was so much pining throughout almost the whole book, but then they make really dumb choices, but oh look, we’re together in the end!

And, another thing I just could not with, was Kit’s whole nosebleed situation. Like, he gets emotional nosebleeds? And then Theo is so overcome with how romantic it is, that they kiss him while he’s having a nosebleed? *contains strong notes of fucking nose blood* 🤮

I feel like I was supposed to really love this book, but it just did not at all work for me. It just came across as two obnoxious Americans being obnoxious on a European food and wine tour.

Another deeply compelling romantic tale from Casey McQuiston that takes us all across Europe. I didn't love the main characters at first, but they grew on me a lot and I thoroughly enjoyed the breadth of their adventures across the continent as they fell back in love.

This was really cute.

The audio book was decently done, but I hated the intros to every chapter.

I also had trouble buying into an almost sommelier spending time in Bordeaux at la cité du vin 🍷 as a former resident, #BordeauxMaVille this is implausible.

This book is one big miscommunication. It was a second chance romance between two queer characters. I enjoyed the representation and the variety in the characters but I did not love how everything centered around the miscommunication. The characters encounter one another on a trip they were meant to take together 4 years prior before a break up that neither knew they initiated. Theo was a bit of a powerhouse with little care about others feelings. They initiate the hook up competition that they later acknowledge was out of SPITE and Jealousy. I preferred reading from Kitts perspective. He seemed more developed as a character with more solid feelings and opinions. I think that a lot of the issues could have been avoided if they actually spoke to one another. I did not enjoy their transition to hooking up with each other "casually" while neither acknowledged their feelings. It felt very uncomfortable and sad, like they were both using each other without ever admitting to hoe they felt.
What I did like was how both characters came into themselves and loved themselves for who they are now and not who they were.
Kitt was so accepting of Theos identity and I enjoyed getting to read about a non binary person from the perspective of someone who loved them.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC.

This is a story about traveling the world to find your home.

There were parts of this I really enjoyed, and it made me laugh out loud. The travel abroad vibes and second chance romance elements were really fun and as always Casey nails the queer rep. The nepo baby struggles made me roll my eyes a bit, and it felt verrrrry long but it was overall still a cute book.
3.5. 1 rounded to 4.

Thank you so much Netgalley St. Martin's Griffin and Macmillan audio for the copy!

I wanted to love this one so much.. and maybe it’s me hyping it up, after obsessing over how much I loved Red, White & Royal Blue, and One Last Stop… but it was just okay for me.

I paired the book with the audio format, and thought the banter was great, and definitely came to life by narrator Emma Galvin and Max Meyers.

*many thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review