What a fantastic book! This was charming, and I loved how real and relatable the characters felt. The main characters' emotions as they navigate the past, present, and future of their relationship. There are also a number of compelling and fun secondary characters. Their travels around Europe will make you feel like you're right there with them experiencing the different sights and especially the food! I was told this was "the spicy one", and it is, but if that's not your thing, it's also easy enough to skip or skim those parts without losing the story. Casey McQuiston has written in multiple different genres and has been successful in all of them, and this is another triumph!

Casey always manages to write fun, inclusive novels without it feeling overly forced. Discussing how those that are LGBTQIA are so similar to those who aren't felt so important.

The Pairing was a fun second-chance romance novel that involved culture, friends, and lots of sex but in a great way. It felt like two young people traveling around the world and just having fun. It is exactly what everyone pictures for traveling through Europe and staying at hostels in my mind. It felt realistic but also not so realistic that it doesn't feel like fiction. I enjoyed the references to places I have been in Europe as well as foods I have always wanted to try. I loved the connection between all the characters and how food/wine brought them together.

Casey does write REALLY long chapters though. For me, that is why the audiobook was perfect. I am not a fan of long chapters and I find long chapters to be a struggle to get through but the audiobook helps. I do wish that it was set up to go back and forth between the two characters POV instead of first half/second half but that is a personal preference.

Casey McQuiston has been an auto-buy author for me ever since RW&RB, so The Pairing was one of my most-anticipated books of the year! I don’t normally love second chance romance, so the idea of exes running into each other on a european tour made me a little nervous. But I should have trusted Casey! Theo and Kit were such interesting, dynamic characters and I really felt for both of them for the entire book. I loved the format of the novel, with one perspective for the first half of the book and the other for the second half.

Theo’s identity, as well as the sexualities and identities of all of the characters, was handled with such care and nuance and was truly a joy to read.

The author promised that this was their horniest novel yet and that was the TRUTH! I’ve literally never read about two hornier characters. Definitely go into this prepared for smut!

I loved having two narrators for the different perspectives and particularly enjoyed Theo’s narrator!

McQuiston writes some of my favorite romcoms - they're hilarious and endearing (and sometimes spicy). I enjoyed Theo and Kit's adventures across Europe, even though they left me craving pastries and wishing for a cocktail or a glass of wine. The first half of the book is first-person from Theo's perspective and I love that we get to know Theo so well but never find out what Theo's pronouns are. We get to know who Theo is and when we find out Theo's pronouns halfway through, it truly adds to our understanding of who Theo is instead of being a core descriptor that sets the tone for everything else. The second half of the book is from Kit's perspective and I enjoyed that part but not as much as Theo's, I think. The characters are nuanced and getting to know them was almost as fun as their second chance love story. I could have done without the miscommunication elements and the contest, but that's generally a me problem and not something I'd consider a negative about the book. This one had me laughing out loud as I listen to Theo and Kit's adventures, and I was sad to say goodbye to them.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Readers who enjoy books with the below vibes will connect with The Pairing!:
-Second Chance Romance (childhood friends)
-Mutual Pining
-Forced Proximity
-Escapist European travel
-Books heavy on food and wine
-Found Family
-Open door spice
-Queer Representation

I listened to my complimentary audiobook of this one, and while I was swept away by the sights, smells, and tastes of a European vacation, I just never fell in love with Theo and Kip as a romantic couple. I also just felt like the book was heavily grounded in miscommunication and them hooking up with everyone but each other which frustrated me. Is it realistic and messy?? Yes. But maybe I wanted a little more heart to help me root for them. It is still a well-written romance that will absolutely delight readers, it just wasn't up to my RWRB standards.

I haven't read a McQuiston book in a minute so it was a joy to jump back into their writing.

This book was so funny! I forgot how good McQuiston is at saying it like it is, but in the driest, funniest possible way. I laughed out loud multiple times. Theo was a great character to lead the charge with dry and grumpy humor.

Also, another big plus was the descriptions of food and drinks. It felt like I was with the characters on this European foodie tour, eating and enjoying myself. I'm not a foodie myself so it amazes me that people can know so much about how to pair food and each little component that can be found in drinks and pastries. The foodie bits of this were so well written and presented that I was genuinely impressed. And I loved the intros before some of the chapters. In audiobook form, it was nice to get a little song dependent on the country and the food being talked about.

The plot wasn't my favorite which is where most of my lower rating comes from. It didn't have a clear direction (and exes on the same wine/food tour can only go so far). It felt like we were ambling around a while. And while, yes, there was a hook-up competition, it didn't feel right. It didn't feel like it was leading the characters back toward each other romantically. I wanted more conversation and activities in Europe and less randos in and out of hostel rooms. It was nice that Theo and Kit spent so much time together, but not always in ways that felt right. I wanted more from the plot. I needed to be engaged more.

Audiobook specific things: As I mentioned, I like the quick little songs in the intro pages that came every so often. Those were the bits that Casey themself would narrator which was also a treat. The main narrator was sooo good! Very funny in their delivery of Theo's lines and so good at doing the accents of all the side characters that we meet along the way. No complaints.

Overall, this had a lot of components that I really loved (humor, food descriptions, European vibes). But it also had one big thing I wasn't a fan of. Maybe it's my fault for not knowing from the synopsis if I would be a fan or not, but can't say for sure. Not Casey's best book, but still a delight in so many ways.

Temporarily DNFing for now; I'm not a huge fan of the narration and I don't want that to hinder my reading experience! Audiobook narrators are make or break for me.

I read this during Pride month and absolutely loved it. While I explicitly focus on Queer and LGBTQIA+ books during Pride month, don't forget to read queer all year.

Childhood sweethearts to exes in a forced proximity vacation? SIGN ME UP.

Casey McQuiston never fails to make me fall in love with her characters - this was such a fun set up, and a truly heartwarming story of love and growth - any fan of hers, and any fan of the romcom genre will love this one!

Even though I knew that this book was going to be a steamy experience (considering it’s about two bisexual exes’s serendipitous food and wine tour of France, Spain, and Italy) I don’t think anything could have prepared me for the level of heat Casey McQuiston concocts for their readers in The Pairing. So spicy!

A variety of readers will enjoy this book, but it feels truly meant for the lovers of fine food, wine/cocktails, art, and deep, intimate connection. It’s hard to decide which was more intoxicating; the description of the French pastries, Italian dinners, Spanish pinxtos, and all the boozy beverages that accompany them or the incredibly descriptive, insanely sexy hookups the two main characters were enjoying throughout their European travels.

Yet even more well written is the unique bond these two characters share and their immense love and yearning they have for one another. I think every reader will be left wanting a Theo or a Kit in their lives once they’ve finished reading The Pairing.

Even beyond their compassion, McQuiston’s characters are also endearing for their sensitivity when it comes to challenges surrounding gender, expression, and how open and accepting they are of every character’s preferences. Their descriptions of Theo, Kit, and the other tourists have left me dreaming about galavanting around the Mediterranean with similar such caring queer people.

The audiobook, narrated by Emma Galvin and Max Meyers, was incredibly well done and very fun, but I did find myself preferring the voices of Kit and Theo better as they were read by Emma Galvin. While Max Myers was a wonderful Theo, I had a hard time getting into his voice for Kit. But this little quirk by no means ruined the enjoyment of the story. It just led to a little bit of cringing here and there.

Overall, I highly recommend The Pairing in its audiobook form, by Casey McQuiston, and think it is THE perfect read for a hot summer’s day.

A big, satisfied thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the pleasurable opportunity they provided in accepting my request to listen to the ARC of The Pairing.

The Pairing is set to be published on August 6, 2024.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC for an honest review
3.5/5
Spoilers!
Although I did enjoy listening to this book, even found myself oohing at some parts and laughing at others. I am not the biggest fan of the miscommunication trope, and that is what brought the score down for me mostly.

The Pairing is such a triumph - a decadent, sexy tour of indulgences and the promise of second chances; I was rapt. McQuiston has always excelled at creating characters who feel like a new best friend in stories full of prose so beautiful you have to stop and highlight and screenshot lines, but nowhere has that been put to better use in their oeuvre than in The Pairing. It's impossible to not be immediately in love with Kit and Theo, to not be deeply invested in what they've left behind and what lies ahead for them. The premise sounds so gauzy and light - two exes who end up on a vacation together after 4 years apart and make a little bet about who can woo the most locals along the way, but it becomes the vehicle for this beautiful exploration of sexuality, identity, the dreams we keep and set free. The book sings - there are these big moments of bacchanal where the food the drink, the scenery are all so much but they put in stark relief moments of quiet introspection, of pining, of being surround by everything but wanting the one thing you can't have. This book is truly brilliant as it brings the journey of this tour and the journey of Kit and Theo's relationship together - you'll want to read past your bedtime and maybe have a cry with the best glass of wine you can possibly find or go sneak away to the French coast to drown yourself in sea foam or pastry - whatever you pick, you'll certainly be moved. And the narration only adds to how delightful the experience is - we spent half the book with Theo and half the book with Kit and it's so delicious and a little dramatic and I loved what this pair of narrators brought to the story. The interstitial music and pairing notes from CMQ themself was a perfect touch!

After 26% of the book was done I was still... just not interested. The prose used to describe the beautiful European country and the food was amazing. I love the representation of a queer character who is more genderfluid. This isn't something we see a lot in literature. However... I didn't get enough details about our two main characters to keep me invested. I'm surprised that I didn't enjoy this book as other books by this author are five star reads for me.

I am a huge fan of Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop and I Kissed Shara Wheeler. Red White and Royal Blue was good too (but not great). The Pairing was one of my most anticipated reads this year, and I checked Netgalley frequently to request it as early as possible. Unfortunately, this one really let me down. I just really did not enjoy it. I hated all the cliche stereotypes, the excessive hooking up and the lack of chemistry. It just made me so sad.

This book did not do it for me. I felt a lot of it was forced and weird and just tried way too hard. I thought I would love the food and wine parts, but some of them were off the mark on the real world that I couldn't bring myself to appreciate the rest. I really wanted to like this book like her others, but it's a no from me.

I've waffled for a couple of days now on my review since finishing The Pairing by Casey McQuiston. I was highly anticipating this one ever since reading the synopsis several months ago! I was (and still am) delighted to have received the opportunity to listen to this one in advance of its August release.

I dove into this one and loved it right off the hop. Two bisexual exes, Kit and Theo, who broke up explosively four years prior find themselves booked on the same European food/wine tour. They haven't seen and/or spoken to each other since the day the broke up, and after navigating the awkwardness of their relationship status, end up starting a competition with each other to see who can hook up with the most people as they travel through Europe. Sounds kind of fun?

The first half of the book WAS fun, but when I felt like the conclusion was on the horizon, I realized that the SECOND HALF of the book was just beginning. And then from that point on, it just felt long, and drawn out. The second half also was quite heavy on the graphic sex, although I can't fault the author for that because I literally signed up for a book based on two characters daring one another to see who could have the most sex, and who have a history of a very open sexual relationship themselves.

I still adore Kit and Theo, and I adore their respect and consideration for one another. It was quite refreshing to read a story where the two characters' feelings for one another are raw, unapologetic and tender.

I just think the entire story could have been 150 pages shorter. And after a while, the abundance of hot bisexual supporting characters waiting at the ready to have sex, well... It felt redundant.

Despite my mixed feelings, I think The Pairing has a lot to offer-- it was refreshing, and McQuiston has done such a fabulous job describing the food and drink on the tour, that I spent the better half of the book jealous that I was not sampling the same food that Kit and Theo were.

Emma Galvin and Max Meyers did a wonderful job bringing Kit and Theo to life. Both narrators were a pleasure to listen to.

3.5⭐

Unfortunately it was not for me. I normally love the author’s books so when I saw this book was by them it was an immediate read. Unfortunately I didn’t like the plot or the characters so I was somewhat disappointed. I liked the descriptions and imagery used when discussing the places and foods they were discovering, but the characters were sadly boring. They both lacked any real character development to the point where I was rooting for them to not be together, because honestly they need to figure out their own stuff by themselves before jumping back into the same relationship with the same communication problems.
Not to mention that their whole reason for breaking up in the beginning was over a miscommunication and not being able to fully talk about something plainly. It also felt incredibly forced how “amazing” they both are at sleeping with people and how easily every single person they met wanted to sleep with them as well. Besides travel, sex, and secret (not so secret) pining, nothing else really happens. As an audiobook though, I do have to say that the narrators did a fantastic job and they sounded perfect, which is why I’m rating it at 1.5 stars rather than 1 star (2 since there’s no option for 1.5).

This book was delightfully messy, but with still so much heart and warmth. The European setting descriptions were excellent, however the exploration of identity, love, and success were what really moved this book forward. Some of the conflict is derived in poor communication which was fairly realistic, but sometimes I was left a little confused about what the characters wanted, especially after the POV shift. My only real negative of the audiobook in particular is the shift between the two voice actors. Whole both did a fantastic job, I feel like there wasn’t a consistent vision on how Theo was going to verbally come across. The tonal shift for Theo was just kind of jarring after falling in love with the first narrator’s characterization of them.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. Very messy, very sweet, I’d generally recommend it to those who enjoy queer romances, European settings, second chance romances, and/or other Casey McQuiston novels.


This book was delightfully messy, but with still so much heart and warmth. The European setting descriptions were excellent, however the exploration of identity, love, and success were what really moved this book forward. Some of the conflict is derived in poor communication which was fairly realistic, but sometimes I was left a little confused about what the characters wanted, especially after the POV shift. Without giving too much away, this book is about two former flames re-meeting four years after their last encounter in Europe on a food and wine tour. This book is about what relationship they could possible have in the aftermath, who they’ve grown into in between, and how they might change after.

My review is specific to the audiobook which opens each chapter with a bit of music and a narrator that doesn’t appear elsewhere, this was fine to me but could occasionally take me out of the story at certain points. There are two narrators that split the book. The first narrator feels absolutely perfect. Employing an excellent heir if androgyny and confidence with an hint of unsureness. The second narrator gives us a much more masculine perspective with a shocking amount of vulnerability. My only real negative of the audiobook in particular is the shift between the two voice actors. While both did a fantastic job, I feel like there wasn’t a consistent vision on how Theo was going to verbally come across for each narrator. The tonal shift for Theo was just kind of jarring after falling in love with the first narrator’s characterization of them. That said, both actors did pretty well with the numerous accents within the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. Very messy, very sweet, I’d generally recommend it to those who enjoy European settings, second chance romances, and/or other Casey McQuiston novels.

The Pairing was such a fun trip across Europe. I loved the development of the main and side characters throughout this story. I have been eagerly awaiting this book and Casey McQuiston did not disappoint!

This was a fun, inquisitive look into how your own gender identity influences sexuality (instead of our attraction to gender). For the bisexual and non-binary perspective, I think the strangeness of the premise was necessary to create those moments of reflection. This is a falling-back-in-love story between Kit (average bi guy) and Theo (who Kit knew as a woman, but is now bi and non-binary). Based on previous reviews, I think there are three areas of concern for perspective readers. But with more information, I think you'll be interested in reading this:

1: Is this an MM or MF romance? I wish the author had just been upfront about Theo's identity because it shapes the social pressures and experiences that Theo & Kit faced as teens. I ended up rereading the first three chapters because I mistakenly thought this was a MM romance. Hooking up with your best friend/roommate is a different experience as MF instead of two teen boys. And having your looks compared to your sisters (who are famous actresses) is more distressing if you're also a teen girl. Those are the two experiences that Theo dwells on in the early chapters so it was confusing.

The second time around, I used the audiobook instead, which helped since Theo is voiced by Emma Galvin (the narrator from the Divergent series). I'm rating it 4 stars because it was very difficult to find your footing. But from that point on, the rest of the writing involving gender and attraction was really enjoyable and 10/10 worth the read. In fact, I adored Theo's internal voice because it was so gender neutral. After 50% is switches to Kit's POV and he makes the journey from remembering Theo as she/her to interacting with them in their nonbinary identity.

2: How much sex are we talking about? Kit and Theo meet up years after their break up on a three-week wine tour across Europe. They now have very similar fashion style and romantic tastes so they both pull a lot of the same people. They agree to a friendly competition to see who hooks up in the most cities. They are NOT together, but of course feelings get involved. So it tells the very real experience of being a single person these days. Most of the early encounters are fade to black while the detailed scenes are reserved for when Theo & Kit hook up with each other.

I don't think the scenes were too frequent or too detailed. It's pretty standard for a steamy novel except that there are multiple people involved. But allowing that storyline is what opens a fuller discussion about the bi perspective. For Theo especially, it's less about who they're with and more about who they get to be when they're with different people.

3: Was the food talk too much? It is shocking at first BUT if you have ever enjoyed a wine tour or watching the Great British Baking Show then I think you will settle in comfortably. This is where the audiobook really shined because I love a dreamy voice telling me about delicious recipes. It's soothing. Theo and Kit LOVE food so I think that it is incorporated well as a genuine part of the story. There are apricots but this is not a reach for 'Call Me By Your Name'. Both characters are far more secure in their sense of self.

In the end, this is a heartfelt, ultra-contemporary romance that dives deeper than you may expect. There's a HEA and the spice supports the relationship between them. Even though they make a lot of friends, it also teases Americans for their unrealistic fantasies of sleeping across Europe (I was cackling when it reveals who wins the tourguide's attention). The voice is always queer AF and fans of the bold energy in RWRB show will enjoy it.