2.5/5
The miscommunication trope takes up over 50% of this entire book, so if that is off-putting for you, steer clear of this one. I was extremely excited to read The Pairing, even though I didn’t care for I Kissed Shara Wheeler. McQuiston making a return to adult fiction gave me hope I would enjoy this more. And the plot?? Two bisexual exes eating their way through Europe? Sounds like exactly the kind of contemporary romance I would like. Unfortunately that really is the entire plot. Every city repeats the same pattern - descriptions of food, wine, and sex. And then there’s the characters…Theo is so unbearably insufferable throughout this entire book and Kit has no character development outside of Theo. This is a second chance romance so I was willing to give a bit of leeway for the lack of romantic development between the characters, however, I never felt any chemistry between them. Their entire relationship was predicated on being childhood friends and then having a lot of sex. The flashbacks to “before” were intended to give a bit of insight into how their relationship developed, however, it felt like the flashbacks were just setups for more miscommunication between the main characters. This was a quick read and it was by no means terrible, however, there was immense potential and the execution was such a disappointment. Still, this is better than I Kissed Shara Wheeler and it made me desperately want to go on a European food & wine tour. I will probably still read something else by McQuiston, but it’s not a priority, despite how much I liked Red, White, and Royal Blue.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

“𝘿𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 […] 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙮, 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚?”

As someone who has fond memories from her own European bus tour, loves food and wine/cocktails, and has some knowledge and appreciation for Renaissance art, I can say that I enjoyed this book. Did I “love” it? No. Do I see some problems and why other people might not enjoy it? Yes.

If you hate miscommunication, this probably isn’t a good book for you. If you hate when MCs hook up with other people, this is definitely not a book for you.

The premise is that Theo and Kit, best friends all their lives, and eventually a couple, had a major fight on their way to a European Food & Wine tour 4 years ago, causing them to break up. Now, 4 years later, they have both cashed in their tour vouchers before they expire, and find themselves on this tour together.

They also take part in a “hookup competition” because…well, because these are very horny people. 😝

I enjoyed the journey. I thought the way the book was laid out with their different POVs was effective. I thought Theo’s journey, in particular, was very good. And the ending was very sweet. Sometimes I felt the two MCs were frustrating, but still, overall, I found myself unable to put it down, and enjoyed myself while I was listening.

Audiobook notes: Both narrators were fine. I felt some of the accents were a little off, but seeing as they had SO MANY to perform, I think that can be forgiven.

Thank you @macmillan.audio for providing me an ALC of this book. All opinions are my own.

What this book is giving:
✅ Contemporary Queer Romance
✅ Second Chance
✅ Chaotic Bisexuals
✅ The Horniest European Food & Wine Tour
✅ Hookup Competition

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
🌶️🌶️🌶️½ / 5

DNF at 25% -- I will acknowledge that I'm incredibly picky when it comes to audiobook narration but this just did not work for me. In the first half of "The Pairing" Theo toes the line of insufferable, being both cocky and whiny, and the narration choices made with this character did not help to relieve my annoyance. I had a much better time with this book once I switched to the e-book version and was able to craft Theo's tone for myself.

I will say that I really loved the musical motifs that accompanied each new chapter!

While I absolutely fell in love with Theo & Kit as characters, The Pairing was originally a bit of a mixed bag for me. I found the first few chapters to be a bit difficult to connect with. Once the food and wine tour (and the hookup competition) got underway, I was able to sink. further and further into the narrative. McQuiston's writing style and the amazing performances from the narrators made the audiobook a truly enjoyable experience.

This was SO different from IKSW, though there was one thing in common. They both stunned me halfway. With this one, I had absolutely no idea that Theo was non-binary, their name actually Theodora. Knowing the author writes LGBTQ+ romances, until I reached Kit's POV, I assumed that both MCs are bisexual males, and realizing I was wrong obviously confused me to the point I had to give the book a break for a couple of days. In my defense, I don't know any non-binary people, so I pictured Theo as a male.

I think this book is pretty good with its sentiment and general outlook it shares with the reader. I loved the take on the miscommunication trope, which is generally so easy to go wrong with. Having seen the repercussions of misunderstandings in my personal life, I think the way McQuiston depicted the impact on a relationship and the people involved, even long term. The dual perspective definitely helps get across both characters' version of events and how they coped with it. The narration was on point too, super enjoyable with the fun pronunciations and unique accents.

**huge thanks to Netgalley for providing me with the audio arc of this book**

Now I’ve never read a Casey McQuinston book (despite owning one or two and hearing a lot about them) so I don’t know how strong those books are but this one was just okay for me.

If you’re looking for smut, you’ll find that here for sure.
I loved the adventure aspect of it but I kind of wish we had more detail around that. They had a hookup competition which wasn’t the most intriguing thing for me, it’s like they both kind of knew they weren’t over eachother but instead they were just throwing themselves at whoever else to avoid that fact when they could’ve been really developing their relationship again.

Maybe I’m just a sucker for a true romance and this didn’t give me that feeling (is just my own opinion. It might not be enough for me, but more than enough for you)

This book was good enough for me in the sense that, I continued to open and listen to it but I didn’t find myself deeply connected to it, I don’t remember a whole lot but the main; important details.

I’d recommend it still, but it wasn’t the most amazing read for me

Now for the structure; I do think this was an easy listen and would be an easy read if I was to have the paperback copy. The plot was interesting and different atleast for me personally and I think that’s what kept me interested when other things weren’t grasping; it was just something new to experience

Overall I’d give Casey’s other books a shot and maybe I’ll revisit this one in the future and see more potential in it

“The Pairing” by Casey McQuiston 5/5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book and the audiobook!

“The Pairing” follows exes, Theo and Kit, as they accidentally reunite on a food and wine tour across southern Europe.

If you have been following me, you know how much I adore Casey McQuiston’s books. This book was (unsurprisingly) fantastic.

I LOVE Theo and Kit. I found myself so connected to both of them. All of the characters in this book, even the side characters, felt so human and real. This aspect combined with the stunning descriptions of European scenery and food made the reading/listening experience so immersive.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a beautiful, emotional, summery book! It comes out on August 6th!

Kit and Theo broke up four years ago. With a wine and food tour voucher ending soon, Theo hops on a bus only to find Kit sitting next to the only open spot. This food tour, across France, Spain, and Italy will show these two all that has changed and all that has stayed the same.

McQuiston writes with such panache and such delicacy, it feels like a feast for the eyes to read each of their books and this is no exception. Kit and Theo are fully fleshed out and immediately lovable and frustrating as they go through the ups and downs of break ups, friendship, and finding each other once more. No McQuiston is without its supporting cast and this book is no different. While all of the fellow travelers are strangers at the start, by the end of the three week tour, they are all old friends and family. They complemented Kit and Theo beautifully.

Slower paced, stretched out over three weeks and 400 some odd pages, this story of love and finding oneself is as beautiful crafted as the dessert and drink pairings Theo and Kit bandy about throughout different parts of the book. A stunning beautiful book.

I was super excited about this book because of the European backdrop—I’m now in desperate need of a Euro summer trip 🌍✈️—and because I absolutely loved “Red, White & Royal Blue.” I listened to this on audiobook, so maybe it was just that I didn’t connect with the narrators, but this one struggled to keep my attention. 🫣

In the end, I finished the book more for the European backdrop than the relationship between Kit and Theo. I would recommend “Red, White & Royal Blue” (now a Prime Video movie) over this. ❤️💙

I was excited to read The Pairing by Casey McQuiston since I loved Red White & Royal Blue and really enjoyed One Last Stop but unfortunately this book just wasn’t as good as those two. It’s a second chance romance about two bisexual young adults Kit and Theo. I really enjoyed the representation of bisexual and nonbinary characters but overall I felt this book was too long and the whole plot wasn’t for me. I liked the settings of France, Spain and Italy and the descriptions of the food and wine were decadent but got old fast. There were some cute moments, some sexy moments and some cringy moments. I liked how the narrative was told in two parts first from Theo’s point of view and then Kit’s. I listened to the audiobook and the two narrators Emma Galvin and Max Meyers did a good job. Even though I didn’t love this book I’d still definitely be interested to read I Kissed Shara Wheeler and McQuiston’s next book.

Unfortunately, this book was a big fat DNF for me. I’m so bummed because I loved this author’s other books, but this was just so slow, boring, and the characters were both so unlikeable. I read about 60% and had to give it up.

Thank you to @NetGalley for letting me listen to the advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This book only had three things in the plot - food, alcohol and sex. The two main characters only wanted to have sex with every person they meet, and luckily for them everyone they met were the most beautiful people they've ever seen. The book could have been cut in half easily. Both main characters had almost no growth or change throughout the book. Im happy this author introduced many different LGBTQIAP+ characters with different pronouns as well.

I liked this authors other books, but this one was not it.

This was a beautiful, emotional, fun and funny European vacation of a book, you could almost taste and savor the flavors they were enjoying, and I was routing for the characters from the first few pages, the book was full of the magic of possibility, of fate bringing someone back in your life and your problems being just one conversation away from being solved, it was romantic in a way that broke your heart and put it back together again, it was a queer normative book which I loved so much, everyone they encountered being bi/pan probably wasn't realistic, but I loved it anyway
and I'm obsessed with the audiobook - the music and pairing recommendations made it an experience

DNF @35%

I....really should have read the description of this book more closely. McQuiston's books have been hit and miss for me, but a food-related European rom-com sounded fun. What I didn't realize was that it's 1- a second-chance romance and 2- involves a sex-competition to see who can have a higher "body count" on this European tour. Which is gross and relegates attractive tour guides and locals from Italy and Spain to nothing more than bodies being used in this weird, immature sex game between two people who cannot get their shit together enough to communicate properly. There's a line that literally refers to their hot tour guide as the equivalent of a human appetizer. The food descriptions sound amazing, but I was hating reading this book so I'm stopping here. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

CMQ made the wait worth it.

I had hyped this up so much in my mind that I was deeply concerned that it wasn't going to live up to the idea I had in my head.

But Kit and Theo were EVERYTHING. I loved every single moment of this book.

Theo was so relatable. I loved their chaotic queer energy and determination to not be a fuck up.

Kit was such a beautiful soft boy with wonderful feelings and ideas. He was like walking poetry.

The dynamic of these two together. Even when they don't want to be around each other, their chemistry literally jumped off the page.

I loved this book and I cannot wait to reread it.

Ps this book also taught me I am so NOT a foodie hahaha

This book had me lusting for a European excursion. Yes, lusting is the right word. Once you read the book, you'll fully understand why. I love Casey McQuiston and their works. This book is no different. It definitely took me on adventure filled with lots of heart and emotions. Theo and Kit were fun but frustrating characters. I had my issues with the book, but I still enjoyed reading it. It's a little long and there are too many moments of "will they, won't they" that could have been avoided by the two MCs just having a simple conversation. However, it was still a sweet second chances novel about two people who needed time to grow and learn more about themselves before meeting up again in life. I will continue to read anything that McQuiston writes because I think they are a brilliant writer.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I DNF-ed at about the fifty percent mark. The prose is good, but the narration is not working for me. I also find it difficult to buy into two characters having so much rizz that everyone is constantly falling all over them.

The Pairing

OH MY HEART THIS BOOK! Pairs well with literally anything, it was so delightful.

Theo and Kit were childhood best friends, then they were lovers, and now they are living two worlds (and continents) apart. Their voucher for the food and wine tour of Europe they booked before they split up is about to expire and they unknowingly redeem it on the same tour. So many wonderful adventures across different cities of Europe. Among the art, food, wine and friends, they set off on a competition to who can find more lovers on all their adventures. However, these two must accept that the ultimate pairing is really each other.

Such a wonderful story from Casey McQuiston. I absolutely adored Theo and Kit, they way they came together as they are now, acknowledging their past but moving into their future together. The rest of the characters on the tour were also a huge delight and so fun to watch throughout the book.

The narration was absolutely wonderful. I loved how the dual POV worked - switching halfway through the tour instead of alternating chapters as is common with dual POV. Hearing the different languages read to me was also a true delight. I alternated between the eARC and ALC but preferred the audio for the language and accents.

Check this one out if you're looking for:
- Second chance romace
- Non-binary rep
- European adventures
- Food and wine pairings galore

I'll just say - if Casey McQuiston writes it, I'm going to read it. I am amazed and I think this is an important story. I hope everyone reads it.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and Macmillian audio for the ARC/ALC. The Pairing is on shelves August 6th, 2024! My opinions are my own.

I do not even know where to begin with this! I never thought I would love a book by Casey McQuiston more than I loved One Last Stop, but they have done it again. The Pairing is smart, sexy and indulgent.

The Pairing tells us the story of Kit and Theo lifelong best friends and former lovers. While on a transatlantic flight to the food and wine tour of their fantasy the two have a brutal break up and exit each other's lives forever. Time apart has done the two of them very well, Theo has found a calling of bartending and studying to become a sommelier with the occasional lover here and there. While Kit who has never returned to America becomes the God of sexual conquers in his pastry school in Paris and eventually the head pastry chef at one of the finest dining establishments in Paris. Sure, they still think of what they had with the other on occasion, but it's also the furthest thing in either of their minds as they discover themselves.

When they both independently decide to use the tour voucher, they received that was good for 48 months after the tour they missed they never thought the other would have the same idea.

So here they are, ex lovers, ex friends, essentially no one to the other trapped on the same tour for 3 weeks. In an effort to hide all emotions the two enter into a friendly competition of who can better sleep their way around Europe, but somethings you crave more than once....

This story blew me away. The sexuality this book oozes from every aspect is done in such a brilliant way! My jaw was on the floor throughout a lot of this book. The sensuality of cooking and art and cocktails mixed with the history of your old best friend, there is something so romantic about the idea. I was so absorbed into this world; it was all I could think about. I wanted to get on a mountain top and scream at everyone to read this book.

While its main themes are heavy into the culinary world, art history and classic literature it also spans the theme of what sexuality and gender are. McQuiston is no stranger to these themes as their YA debut I Kissed Shara Wheeler explored the same themes, The Pairing does so in a more concrete way. These are two characters so aware of who they are physically and emotionally, and they are not afraid to show it or explore it. This book is full of gorgeous prose and passion and I could not get enough of it!

I recommend this read to anyone who especially misses Anthony Bourdain, lovers of White Lotus, foodies, wine lovers, lost and exploring queers, anyone experiencing gender dysphoria and lovers of smut!

The Pairing is out August 6th, preorder your copy now! I sure did!

Thank you Netgalley and McMillian Audio for this digital arc!

Summary: "Two bisexual exes accidentally book the same European food and wine tour and challenge each other to a hookup competition to prove they're over each other—except they're definitely not."

I have read all of Casey McQuiston's novels, so when I got a chance to read the latest, I jumped on it. For me, this one just fell flat. I did not relate to either one of the characters, or get into their stories (I felt they both needed to just grow up honestly...). I loved the idea of a travel romance with a second chance, but it was honestly just travel from city to city, food, booze, and hooking up (and the book book was pretty sexually explicit).

All in all, not terrible, but not a favorite for sure.