I literally cannot imagine what a better romance novel would be like or how it could exist. In the first stretch I was asking myself “is Theo a Mary Sue or do I just relate so deeply it shakes me to my core?” and by the last stretch I knew this was one of my favorite things I’ve ever read. I can’t help but resort to clichés: this is a sumptuous feast for every sense - erotic and emotional and absolutely astounding. I hope CMQ takes over the world.

4⭐ (audio) The narrators for this were fine. I listen to tons of audiobooks, and these narrators did a good job telling the story without pulling me out of it.

3.5⭐ (story) Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, they exited each other's lives once and for all. Time apart has done them good. Theo has found confidence as a hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day, with a long roster of casual lovers. Kit, who never returned to America, graduated as the reigning sex god of his pastry school class and now bakes at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. Sure, nothing really compares to what they had, and life stretches out long and lonely ahead of them, but—yeah. It's in the past.

All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date and about to expire. Four years later, it seems like a great idea to finally take the trip. Solo. Separately. It's not until they board the tour bus that they discover they've both accidentally had the exact same idea, and now they're trapped with each other for three weeks of stunning views, luscious flavors, and the most romantic cities of France, Spain, and Italy. It's fine. There's nothing left between them. So much nothing that, when Theo suggests a friendly wager to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, Kit is totally game.

I really wanted to love this one. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as the other McQuiston books I've loved. I felt like the plot was mostly missing. I liked Kit, but Theo was annoying to me, and the food p*rn was a little over the top for me. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I feel like it could have been so much better!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced audio copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

This is the book to read if you love books about food and wine. Each stop on the tour, the author talks so vividly about all the flavor notes in the wines and what ingredients go into the food. This book is about friendship, about love, about not giving up on someone, and sometimes no matter what happens or how much time goes by, some people are just meant to be.

Thanks Netgalley for the advanced audiobook!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for audio

Although the story itself wasn’t my favorite I did enjoy the narrators and audiobook!

Synopsis: Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, they exited each other's lives once and for all.

Time apart has done them good. Theo has found confidence as a hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day, with a long roster of casual lovers. Kit, who never returned to America, graduated as the reigning sex god of his pastry school class and now bakes at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. Sure, nothing really compares to what they had, and life stretches out long and lonely ahead of them, but—yeah. It's in the past.

All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date and about to expire. Four years later, it seems like a great idea to finally take the trip. Solo. Separately.

It's not until they board the tour bus that they discover they've both accidentally had the exact same idea, and now they're trapped with each other for three weeks of stunning views, luscious flavors, and the most romantic cities of France, Spain, and Italy. It's fine. There's nothing left between them. So much nothing that, when Theo suggests a friendly wager to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, Kit is totally game. And why stop there? Why not a full-on European hookup competition?

But sometimes a taste of everything only makes you crave what you can't have.

Review: This was hands down my favorite read so far this year. Not a single question in my mind. It made me cry 5 minutes and 33 seconds into the audiobook and it basically didn't stop pulling on my heart strings from there. I listened to about 30% and then read the other 70% in a single sitting. Just like RWRB, I could not put this book down. This is, in my opinion, Casey's best book. And yes, I've read them all. Just for an idea of this book, the quote five minutes in that made me cry: "Every person I take to bed from now on will be fighting his ghost for my attention." So, yeah. This book is a masterpiece.

Casey McQuiston is a force to be reckoned with in queer romance, and The Pairing delivers. Exes Kit and Theo run into each other on a tour of Europe two years after their split. Even after they clear up the misunderstanding that broke them up, it's still a journey for them to get back together.. In romance, you know the couple ends up together, and it's HOW that happens that keeps you reading. In McQuston's hands, these two prickly characters come together in unexpected and delightful ways. Truly a treat.

Theo was one of the most insufferable, whiney main characters I have ever encountered. The flip to Kit's perspective somewhat saved the book for me, but he was also incredibly frustrating.

Kit and Theo were supposed to be in their late 20s but this read like they were 18. I wanted to take both of them by the shoulders and shake them into reality. An abroad moment was supposed to make for a really romantic, unexpected reuniting but they turned it into a challenge to see who could sleep with more people while undoubtedly hurting each other further while doing it instead of just talking to each other?

OH AND this all started because they broke up and didn't speak for four years because of a stupid miscommunication that somehow was never addressed among mutual friends the entire time? Gotta go get my eyes checked from all the eye rolling I've done.

The audiobook narrators for both Theo and Kit were not it for me.

I already had a shaky experience with this author's One Stop Love. I wanted to like that one, but I just never fully clicked with it. Still, I was open to giving her a second chance and that's why I requested this book, but I clicked with The Pairing even less than I did with One Stop Love if that's even possible.

I just didn't like the romance or the characters, and I didn't care about what was happening at all. I liked some aspects of it but not the execution. For example, the whole traveling through Europe being horny af could've been fun, but it was just soooooo... cliché and every European character is a stereotype of their particular culture, which I think is so shallow. I mean, come on...

I don't know, I just didn't like this and while I appreciate how queer it is and people may find themselves in these characters, it just wasn't for me. I enjoyed nothing about it. 2 stars for effort.

Years after a terrible breakup on what was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime, Theo cashes in on the European excursion before it expires…only to arrive and find their ex Kit *also* booked the same re-do trip. Both have their own lives now - Theo a hustling bartender and aspiring sommelier, Kit a pastry chef in Paris — but somehow this trip brings back old feelings and the two must grapple with either reuniting and letting the past go, or stick to their separate paths.
I enjoyed the setting and could easily picture the settings throughout Europe. However i found the MCs somewhat unlikable. Grown adults lacking basic communication skills and found Theo to be immature and annoying…and the “nepo baby” of it all didn’t click. I would’ve loved more of Kit’s backstory. The audio production was great, however, and loved their portrayals, as well as the musical transitions between chapters.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This one is difficult to rate because I had a hard time getting through it but it had such a satisfying ending! 2nd chance is not my favorite trope so I do feel like I hold higher standards for this type of book. I had a really hard time with the main characters constantly hooking up with other people. Both characters were an interesting mix of being too boujie to function and being immature enough to have revenge hook ups. That being said as I stated earlier I loved the conclusion so I was happy I spent the time listening. I thought both narrators did great and loved the dual pov. I wasn't sure about the music starting out each chapter but maybe that's just because I've never heard that before. I wish I could do half stars bc this was a solid 3.5 for me.

I was lucky enough to get the ebook of this book first and feel in love with the book. Hearing the story in audio form made me love this book that much more. I already enjoyed the character but getting to have it in audio form made me connected more with Theo and Kit. The were such beautifully created characters. I felt I could see so much of myself in Theo. It was refreshing to see gender talked about this way. While yes it is a part of Theo story it wasn't something that was shoved in our face every 10 second as if that was all Theo was. Instead we got to have this amazing character fully thought out and you got to learn all about them. I think too often author try and have these topic talked about and they really want to 'wow' you with the fact they are outside what society would call normal that they forget that part doesn't have to be their entire identity and can still make the point you were after. I think that is what Casey McQuiston does best. They tell you things like their sexuailty and gender and move on. It will always be with the character, but they are more. I appreciate Theo insecurities and doubt didn't have to focus only on their gender or sexuailty like I've seen in so many other queer novels as if it something to be ashamed of. I can not say enough good thing about this book and how seen it made me feel. Though I did leave me really hungry and I wish I could do that food tour because it sounded amazing.

hmm...

honestly, i am still trying to figure out how to rate this because i have very mixed feelings about it haha, in a sense it is like rw&rb because of the situation but the spice level is turned up %1000000 and I'm not a spice person so i didn't really like that and for almost half of the book i was confused about the gender of the mc in the first half, it kept switching in my head because of the language that was used and it makes sense later but i had a hard time with that...

i like how this is more mature than rw&rb and i know it's kind of strange to base my rating on that but it's the only other book I've read by her so i don't really have anything to compare it to. also, the spice is pretty explicit compared (not sure if this is true or if i missed a lot in the other book)

i also could not hate these characters no matter how much i try, they all have such likable personalities and that's something i love about Casey McQuinston's writing, the characters always feel so real because of their flaws and language.

alright, I'm done gushing about the book.

As much as I love Casey McQuiston’s writing, there were SO many times I had to force myself to keep listening to this audiobook because the narrators were so awful. I immediately disliked the narrator for Theo, which I believe negatively impacted my feelings towards the character, then when it switched to Kit’s POV, that narrator was even worse. I can’t believe for an author as well loved as McQuiston that they couldn’t find better narrators. Although the miscommunication trope is my least favorite, I believe I would have enjoyed the print copy of this book far more than the audio.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Casey has written another winner. This was a great book that I thoroughly enjoyed. The narrator was awesome as well! Pick this one up!

TL;DR
I would tell my girlfriends to read this, but not my mom.
Two bisexual exes accidentally book the same three week European food and wine tour and are forced to reconcile the past in this (very) adult romance. Great writing, good pace, diverse and plentiful sex scenes, clever humor, and some of my favorite romantic tropes.

The Writing
McQuiston's prose has evolved in The Pairing, and the poetic way she paints emotions into the idyllic European locations with colors and aromas really defines the mood of this book. I found myself pausing the audiobook several times so I could write down some of the deliciously chewy sentences–things that I would underline in a book if I were reading rather than listening. The descriptions of food and wine were so complete I was craving everything mentioned. Well, except for the grilled lamb intestines on a stick…

Humor
Of course it's also filled with McQuiston's amazingly dry and clever sense of humor. Most notably were the other members of the tour group. I thoroughly appreciated that she named two Australians Callum and then referred to them consistently as "Blonde Callum" and "Ginger Callum". The two influencer friends named "Dakota" and "Montana" made me spit out my drink when they were introduced.

Romance
This has a nice slow burn that is full of classic romantic tropes we all know and love: forced proximity, only one bed, second chances. McQuiston filled this book with queerness in the best way possible. So many steamy sex scenes that prove penetration is not the be-all and end-all definition of sex. They also seemed to pay tribute to another queer story, Call Me By Your Name, with another steamy peach moment.

I requested this book because it's Pride month and people love Casey McQuiston so I thought I would give it a try. Romance isn't my usual genre, certainly not romcoms, but on my journey to read 100 books this year I thought I would also try expanding my horizons a little. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book and now I'm thinking about going back to read the other two books by Casey that people have recommended to me.

The characters in this story weren't entirely relatable but that didn't make me enjoy the story any less. I will say that I have been known to enjoy pretentious books and there is some element of that here in the way the characters talk about food and wine, but if you're reading a book about a food and wine tour some of that is expected.

There was no part of this book that I wasn't engaged in and I found the read over all really enjoyable, even if there were times I wanted to shake both of the main characters vigorously to tell them to stop being so frustrating.

If you like romance, especially queer romance, and you can stomach a little pretensiousness, I'd recommend giving this one a try.

Thanks NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

There was so much of this I enjoyed, yet a number of things fell flat. It was a stretch to imagine this trip, it almost seemed like a fever dream? I know writing is subjective, but nothing that happened in the book felt believable, and that’s where Casey lost me. This didn’t give the same umpf as ‘I kissed Sarah Wheeler’ or ‘Red, White & Royal Blue’ … the magic was missing…

Was not my fav of hers but overall it was a good read if you are looking for hookups, food, and second chances. Lots of descriptions to the point where it was almost too much in my opinion. I also was slightly confused when it switched from Theos POV over to Kits due to the use of she/her pronouns at the beginning it made me question Theos POV for a bit. A good read with an interesting concept. 2.5 stars rounded up.

Disaster Bi's who can't communicate to save their lives. The writing was beautiful and poignant adding depth to characters that I sort of liked but was mostly exasperated by. Maybe I'm not the right audience for this book, but my patience ran very thin with Theo and Kit, two very well off 20-somethings on a three week European tour who choose to act like children instead of actually talking to each other. Only the genius of Casey McQuiston's writing saved this story.

“two bisexual exes accidentally book the same european food and wine tour” sign me the f up!!!! where do i even begin with this one. i knew from the first couple chapters that this baby was gonna be a 5 star read. if you want to transport yourself to europe in a summertime heatwave and imagine indulging in endless wine, pastries, art, love, and found friendships then this is gonna be the summer book of your dreams. theo and kit are childhood best friends, turned lovers, turned ex’s & years after their breakup they find themselves traveling all over europe together. what started as an unexpected reunion embarking into the unknown turns into the reacquaintance of their greatest love.

because of their shared history and knowledge of one another, their connection and familiarity of eachother was so palpable from the very start. there was also a huge element of “meeting one another” in such a new and curious way. the reacquainting of themselves with one another was just perfection.
every interaction was so yummy. filled with flirty glances, delicious yearning, steamy palpable heat (in more ways then one 😮‍💨) and discovery of romance in all its forms.

i couldn’t get over casey mcquiston’s writing. you know those super 8 film cameras that almost capture moments in a romantic haze and hone in on the precious details that can often be missed? well that’s what this book felt like to me. there wasn’t a detail left unfocused. everything was so vibrate and brimming with sunshine and attention. it truly played out like a film in my mind.

this needs to be on your summer reading list!!!! pub date: aug 6th 2024

here are just a few of my favourite lines (trust me i could add 100’s more lol):
- “and every person i take to bed from now on will be fighting his ghost for my attention”
- “the problem is, we’ve only ever been everything or nothing to each other. I don’t know how to start being something to him”
- “and every time we hold our glasses together, everytime the lip of his glass almost touches the lip of mine, i try not to think this is the closest we will come to kissing again”
- “ the only thing bigger than kits capacity for wonder is how it feels to be at the centre of it”
- “ it’s not just that I want him. It’s that he taught me what wanting was”
- “ I can’t keep letting you talk to someone. I love like that.”