This was a spicy book with so many feels! A full review will. be coming soon but happy pub day to Casey and The Pairing

I'm sorry to say that this one just didn't work for me. I tried and tried but I just couldn't connect with it. Everything felt so superficial and the second chance romance didn't work for me at all.
It's so unfortunate because I've loved Casey McQuiston in the past.

It was all made even worse by a narrator that completely grated on my last nerve.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ALC.

I kept hearing about this book way before it became popular and was stoked when I had the opportunity to read it before it came out. Great job to Book of the Month for selecting it as an option because this book is it!!! The plot, the characters,the storyline but the DESCRIPTIONS is what makes this book so special. I absolutely fell hard for these characters to the point where I actually shed tears. I was so envolved with Theo and Kit that I felt they were my own intimate friends. Their steamy storyline looped with their clear connection makes this book absolutely top tier.

I havent read a book in such a long time that actually made me *feel* and not just move from page to page. These are characters Im going to think about forever. How lucky are we to get this book!

Wow I loved this book! Theo and Kit give big chaos bisexual energy in the best way. As a wine seller myself I loved that Theo was going through sommelier training and McQuiston didn’t shy away from the nerdy wine talk throughout the book. This book was a sexy euro tour that had me laughing and kicking my feet the whole way through. Don’t wait to read it!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publishers for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love how the audio brings everything to life. I adore Kit and Theo with all my heart. Casey McQuiston never misses.

What better book to read during the summer than a book that takes you on a wine and food pairing tour through Europe?? Two ex-best-friends-turned-ex-lovers reunite unexpectedly and are trapped on a tour that they initially had planned to take together, four years in the past. They run through a gamut of emotions and eventually find the ability to speak their truths to each other. It doesn't start out spicy, but it definitely ends up extremely spicy. Don't read this book if you can't handle bisexual heat.

This book made me want to travel and taste all the amazing foods and drinks that were described. I was totally invested in both character's emotional journeys, and I enjoyed that the audio version of this book had separate narrators for Kit and Theo. Both narrators were perfect for the parts, and the jaunty music during the chapter headings/pairings was a fun addition.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This is my honest review.

This review is specifically for the audio arc of The Pairing by Casey McQuiston.

I went into reading this book after I had read many negative reviews. I didn't have high hopes for it, but I also tend to like books that other people don't. I might have agreed with some of the reviews if I hadn't finished the book.

The Pairing starts off introducing Theo and Kit with a bit of background, from Theo's pov. We get the understanding that they are both bi, they both have a love for food and wine, they were friends long before they became lovers, and then they had a fight on the plane flight over to their booked European food and wine tour.

If this introduction makes you think Theo is a frustrating nepo-baby, with anger issues, you come to find later that isn't the truth. I won't spoil the revelations and character growth throughout the book, but it is worth sticking to the end. I did enjoy Kit's POV more, but that's not because I liked Kit more. It's because Kit sees Theo as we should all see Theo, with love and compassion. Theo doesn't view themself that way.

I really liked the dynamics between the two mains as well as all the supporting characters. ***Fabrizio is a gem and must be protected at all costs.***

Overall gave this a 4 stars, only because I think occasionally the descriptions of places and foods ran on a little too long into a Love letter to travel rather than between Theo and Kit. In general I get this with McQuiston's writing anyway (So much political descriptions in RWRB 😵‍💫) However, kudos points to how incredibly well researched everything was. I would compare it almost to high fantasy world building but with food and travel, some people love that and some people feel bogged down by it. I'm probably somewhere in the middle with this book.

And yah, there are plenty of intimate scenes, but many of them are fade to black, or skip to the end. When they are needed and meaningful, they go into more description. I thought that was a good balance and didn't overwhelm the reader with meaningless sex.

I have been a Casey McQuiston fan since Red, White, & Royal Blue.

While I didn’t love Theo and Kit as much as Alex and Henry I did enjoy this one.

Immersive reads have basically become my personality at this point but for this one I highly recommend the audio. I really enjoyed Emma Galvin and Max Meyers narration a lot and at times when the story was dragging I turned to the audio and that got me out of the slump.

I am bummed I didn't read this when I was in Europe last month. This would have been fun to read along with while I was also in Italy and France.

One of my favorite things about romance reads is getting dual POV. Theo and Kit are both characters you’re going to love for their own quirky ways. They both struggle with things we all do and it was very refreshing the way McQuiston explored those themes.

Now I want to eat all the european treats I miss so much!

Thank you @stmartinspress for the early reading copy and @macmillan.audio for the early listening copy

3.85 stars

Casey McQuiston is one of my favourite authors and their newest release contains even more joy and adventure than I was expecting. The title is a terrific play on words for this multilayered story about romantic/friendship relationships. And it also contains a food and drink pairing for each chapter's stop on a European tour.

The story is about two friends who have been estranged for almost 4 years and then accidentally reunite when they need to use up a travel voucher for a trip they bailed on. The book includes an adorable map, and while it wasn't in the audio arc I listened to, it is available on Casey's Instagram and hopefully will be included as a PDF in the official audio release because it really adds another dimension to the story.
This was different kind of story than the other books I've read by Casey McQuiston, but just as good - not as swoony or sunshiney but more contemplative and angsty.

The audiobook narration by Emma Galvin and Max Meyers was fantastic, with musical interludes and food and wine pairings provided by the author!

I really enjoyed The Pairing by Casey McQuiston. I had only read one of their backlist (One Last Stop) before starting this one but it definitely made me want to check out their older books as well!

I really liked getting to know both Kit and Theo and found I liked the story from Theo’s perspective more than when it was told by Kit. It was a bit jarring when the book changed perspectives halfway through and I’m not sure it really added much to the story to do this but it was an interesting way to tell the story. I also liked Theo’s narrator a lot more than Kit’s.

This one has really descriptive sex scenes, so if that is something you don’t like, this one might not be for you. As someone who reads a decent amount of romance, even I was like “wow there is A LOT of very descriptive sex.” So be prepared for that.

I did really like the author’s writing style and how she told the story. The food descriptions were amazing and made me want to go to each of the locations and enjoy all the meals. I think the book could have benefited from a bit more editing as it felt kinda long to me.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I loved the dual narration, very good representation. Cute rom com with travel!I really enjoyed this and cannot wait to have it in our store

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a pretty relaxing and quick read. The relationship and issues between the two main characters were believable and relatable. Another good one by this author!

This is a really good example of a book I started, “punished” by ignoring it for awhile, picked it back up still feeling so-so on it, and then ended up iking by the end? One thing is for sure, I will definitely remember the vibes of The Pairing which I believe is McQuiston’s overall intent. File under super slutty travel bisexual book with tons of food and beverage references.

So why the mixed feelings? This one was slow to start for me. As an ALC I knew I would get dual narration, but the first half is single POV from Theo Flowerday, and it wasn’t until I got Kit’s POV that I felt the story took a more romantic turn. I think with travel novels, there’s always a bit of repetition or at least it can be difficult to be inventive with the plot and the food/drink pairing with each locale helped tell more of the story as I read more. Initially I was turned off by the idea of two exes entering an almost competition-like race to see who can hook up more. Maybe that’s my age, but it didn’t seem like the best way to get over someone, and I started out not liking Theo. McQuiston, however, worked their magic and amped up the chemistry between Kit and Theo as they spent more time together, creating a love story slowly simmering under all those messy feelings.

I also now have to thank McQuiston for a scene with a peach that will live rent free in my head, and some of the hottest orgasm-giving without kissing or penetrating—when Theo makes a rule, Kit knows how to follow it to a T. So if you’re looking for lots of open creativity with your MCs, plenty of food and drink, a cast of characters where everyone’s queer and it might not be a surprise that your tour guide would want to sleep with you, you’ll probably enjoy the way this book tries to do something new. McQuiston after all, knows how to write romance that challenges the genre.

I also was really glad I received an early listening copy because both Emma Galvin and Max Meyers did a phenomenal job of narrating. I especially loved Meyers as Kit and felt like he really embodied Kit’s responsiveness to Theo. The ALC also had Casey McQuiston narrating food and drink “pairings” at the start of each chapter which was a nice touch. All opinions are my own.

The Pairing is another beautiful write by Casey McQuiston about learning to accept help and learning how to help those you love, in a story of unexpected reconnection and lost time.

This book was an excellent fresh story. Lots of love between characters of different sexualities without any fanfare. The narration was good I liked the different pov voices and the narrator’s did a great job. In saying all of that, this was not my favorite Casey book. She has wrote a few books that I could not put down. This one did not have that feeling for me. I didn’t hate it, I just don’t think it will leave a lasting memory in my brain.

I have enjoyed all of the Casey McQuiston books that I’ve read, except for this one. The two main characters just felt very un-relatable and pretentious. They sort of talked about themselves as if they knew they were super attractive and important and could get anyone they wanted and they just felt extremely off-putting. Felt like two characters that just had a lot of growing up to do.

The story itself was also extremely slow and boring. I didn’t care about what was happening. Lots of fancy food and drink talk that I wasn’t interested in. I can definitely see this being some people’s cup of tea but it just wasn’t mine.

As for the narration, I loved the first half but the second half wasn’t as good. However, I didn’t enjoy Kit’s POV nearly as much.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this audiobook.

Absolutely delightful. It was a perfect blend of sexy melodrama, agonizing pining, and bisexual rizz. It was just so fun to read. I’m in awe of the author’s use of sensual and anatomical language that was beautiful and descriptive while upholding each of the love interests’ gender identities.

Spice: 4/5 - repeated acts with explicit language and a variety of acts
Audiobook narration: 5/5

I already pre-purchased a copy of “The Pairing” for my personal collection and the main reason being… Theo and Kit are masters at what they do. The way Casey McQuiston described all the pairings was scrumptious. The flavor profiles of all the European foods, pastries, drinks and wine will be sitting on my shelf to revisit at any time. But also, the pairing of Kit and Theo added so much satisfaction to the book. I appreciated the first part of the audiobook being read by the author, I was able to really connect with Theo. Although I understand why the second part (from Kit’s perspective) was read by someone else, I was sad to hear Casey go.
This is by far my favorite book by this author. Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing a copy ahead of the release date.

This book made me hungry . . . I’m starving Casey, feed me!

I love the symbolism/allegory/metaphor of pairs, be it food-and-wine or people pairings. and how the theme of wine and food is not only carried throughout the novel, but also steeps into character development and the dynamics. Take the various pairings and flavors of food and wine, for example, sweet, bitter, savory—and between Theo and Kit there is a similar variety of flavors to their memories. Some are sweet, some are bitter, savory and spicy—which creates a really cute and smart theme overall.

I enjoyed all the details there were to discover in learning about Kit and Thwo's personalities. It felt like there were all these little details and everything really fit into building these backstories for the characters. For example, how Theo is a swimmer, and how she feels about her family, and how she worked her way up for her job, and all her trauma. And Kit with his tattoos, the recipes he likes, and what he’s dreaming about, and what sort of food they bought, and how they try all these different foods. All of these intricate details paint a really cool multi-dimensional full-portrait of a person that has all these layers, details, interests . . . just like real people. So these characters felt very, very real. And when Kit was talking about Theo's layers and it was around the cathedral like an epiphany . . . it's just beautiful! I loved these characters, and I loved getting to know them.

I also really, really loved the romanticism of a food and wine tour in Europe! Second chance romance on an epic once-in-a-lifetime vacation . . . it's perfection!

And can we talk about the cover art? It’s so cute. I am obsessed! It’s so bold! It’s so fun! I can’t get over the hidden symbols… the cities, the croissant, and the wine, the obscuring of the faces… it’s just really adorable and a perfect portrayal for the light, bubbly fun that lays within the pages of this book.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author, which added so much nuance to the story. Everything was told in the voice that it was meant to be told in, the way that it was written, with all the right inflections and emotions as it was meant to be. It was very cool to hear the story in the author's voice, I loved that aspect of this audiobook. It was a pleasure listening to her story it was funny and engaging and kept me entertained. I also really like this author's writing style. She’s funny, quick, witty, and a little sarcastic.

I tried to get into this book and I gave it a fair chance of a few hours but I could not get into it. I kept not understanding the point of the book. I found the female narrator unenjoyable. I simply couldn't get through it and did not enjoy it. I've loved McQuiston's other books so this was a big letdown for me. I'm sure this story is for some people -- those that like food, travel, and bisexual stories (which I often do) might really enjoy it--but it wasn't me.