⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 (rounded up)-The Pairing is unlike the other Casey McQuiston books I’ve read before, and the first I’ve listened to on audio book. Overall, I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read it instead of listening, as I found the pronunciations and food descriptions to be distracting and excessive in audio form in a way that would not bother me on the page. Theo and Kit’s story is certainly a departure from the traditional romance, and the food tour is an interesting metaphor for the journey their relationship travels throughout the story. I think readers who are looking for a fresh take on a romance book, especially those who love travel or are foodies will truly enjoy this novel (in audio or written form). I wish the plot advanced a bit faster, but listening to the book on 1.5-1.75 speed helped with the pacing overall and both narrators were easy to enjoy on whatever speed a reader prefers to listen. Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan audio for the ARC!

Estranged childhood friends-turned-lovers-turned-exes, Kit and Theo, unknowingly book the same European food and wine tour four years after they were originally supposed to take it together. They went from being childhood best friends to lovers to never speaking again, and now they’re stuck together on a tour bus for the next three weeks.

They’re full of hurt and pain, longing and tension, and four years’ worth of memories they didn’t make together.

This one has two tropes guaranteed to make my heart hurt—friends to lovers and second chance romance—so going in, I already knew I was going to spend a good chunk of the time with an ache in my chest.

Oh my poor heart.

The writing is beautiful.

The location descriptions made me want to pack my bags.

I loved the focus on seeking wonder and the bits of humor peppered throughout.

And don’t even get me started on how the food and drink descriptions had me salivating.

This one is dual POV, and whereas most books written in that structure have alternating points-of-view throughout the story, this one is written with the first half from Theo’s perspective and the second from Kit’s.

That change in perspective was a game changer for me.

Oh gosh, I sure do adore Kit.

There are definitely moments and decisions made that feel less than mature, but ultimately, I could see where each character is coming from and I was happy with the ending.

Additional highlights: all the Anthony Bourdain references, the other people on the tour, and Fabrizio, the gregarious tour guide

As for the audiobook, I feel like Emma Galvin’s narration captures Theo well, but I especially enjoyed how Max Meyers brings Kit’s sections to life. As a fun bonus, Casey McQuiston reads the interludes between the chapters, detailing the pairings for each location.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own.

4.5 ⭐️

I have had the unique opportunity to not only read an advanced copy of this but also listen to an advanced copy of the audiobook. I am typically a physical copy girlie, BUT LET ME TELL YOU, this audiobook is 10/10 – it is absolutely a MUST. These narrators, Emma Galvin and Max Meyers are absolutely perfect for this book and their voices elevate this reading experience exponentially. Not only do we get two great narrators, but Casey McQuisten themselves spices up the audio with chapter titles and pairings!

This story follows ex-partners Kit and Theo as they unexpectedly find they have separately booked the same food and wine tour. We follow the pair around to several stops throughout France, Spain, and Italy as they eat fine food paired with wines from each region. As they both struggle with coming to terms with how they feel about themselves and well as the other, they place a little bet on who can make the most ‘connections’ throughout the trip. The two find their way back to being friends but eventually are faced with the realization that they will have to address their sudden break up and the ways they have changed during their time apart. Will they be able to maintain their friendship outside of the dream European tour? Is it possible other feelings still linger between them?

Casey McQuiston pours an incredible amount of knowledge and description into the food and wines throughout the book. I was transported to each stop along the tour through the exceptionally vivid words they use. It was truly a travel experience within the pages of this book. Along with the beautifully crafted settings and tastings, McQuiston tackles the subject of gender and sexuality in a wonderfully creative way. They use the dual POV aspect of this book to really help the reader get into the mind of each of the characters’ and see their own understanding of their gender and sexuality. This book will leave you hungry, horny, and hurriedly booking a European food and wine tour.

I always like to be pleasantly surprised by a book. I am not sure what I was expecting when I read "The Pairing", but this was not it.

Theo and Kit are life long friends turned lovers, who have what seems to be a series of miscommunications that lead to them spending 4 years apart, living on opposite sides of the world. They then end up on the same food and wine tour of Europe that they had booked together; because of course they would both wait until the last possible moment to use the tickets. It's almost like Fate wants them to get back together.

I'm not sure how I feel about the way they treat each other when they are at the beginning of the tour. It was pretty obvious to me that they still had feelings for each other, but they were both so scared of putting a name to the relationship. They spent a lot of time deflecting their feelings and ended up hurting themselves as much as each other in the process. I am glad they were brave enough to say their truth and share the feelings they guarded so closely.

Reading about all the great places they visited, all the great things they tasted, was a bonus and a big part of what makes this book special. What a clever way to describe the areas, through food and wine. The references to "World Travel" by Anthony Bourdain (a book currently sitting on my nightstand) made me so happy and really added a lot to the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced reader copy.

I loved all the European food and travel. Appreciated the spice and humor. But overall I was annoyed with the miscommunication trope and the two main characters. One Last Stop was better, in my opinion.

This was a fun and sexy story. I loved traveling through Europe with the characers and seeing the hijinks they got into. There was strong character development and I thought the ending was well done.

I want to begin this review by saying that I am a Casey McQuistion girl. RWRB, One Last Stop and I kissed Shara Wheeler are books I love so I went into the Pairing with very high expectations, and unfortunately those expectations were not met, though I still really enjoyed this book.

Theo and Kit are our leads and they are on a trip through Europe where they get to enjoy the food, the wine, others and each other. Being on a trip with the person who broke your heart would be challenging and Theo and Kit decide to make things more interesting by competing for who can have more romps. So, this book is slutty (complimentary), smutty (complimentary), and chaotic (not complimentary). You have to suspend reality a little bit that every single person's engine is revving and rearing to go, at like, all times, but that's not a problem for me. THe problem is that it all feels too chaotic in the face of the core romance. Things just don't feel like they have the opportunity to get really flushed out.

The representation in this book is, of course, great and they do a great job showing us that relationships can work and not look the way you expect them to - but Theo, in my mind, does not take enough ownership of their mistakes as well as really working to solve their insecurities. I think we are led to believe this happens off page, which is hard because so much of the insecurities are discussed on page.

The chaos also comes in from ALL the side characters. I think that's where I felt like I had the most whiplash.

That being said, the resolution spoke to me. This is a summer romp. The narrators, especially Theo's, made the characters feel more real, even in this somewhat unrealistic romance. The narrator for Kit also did a wonderful job at expressing is exasperation and desperation - really made me feel the emotional turmoil of the character.

I think you can have total fun with this book, but I don't think I will revisit.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an Audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to get this book from NetGalley because One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is one of my absolute favourite books. Unfortunately, this book did not match the energy and my expectations, which was disappointing for me. However, The Mermaid’s favourite book is One Last Stop, and she really enjoyed this book. So, it just goes to show how subjective reading experiences are.
This book may not have been my cup of tea, but I think a lot of people would love it. People who love to see a healthy turn-around in a relationship, people who love the “will-they-wont-they” arc, hopeless romantics who love a story about a sprawling adventure and people overcoming their own problems to come out stronger, queer dreamers and people who can look outside of unhealthy dynamics to see people more clearly than I can. I also think people who can cope better with the frustration of watching two people get in their own way would love this. It’s just not my cup of tea. It’s something I really struggled to overcome in my life and so I think it just put me back in that space of hurt and struggle.
The narrators were incredibly skilled in their portrayal of the characters and getting the emotions and feelings of the scene to come alive. I think the narration saved it. I really struggled with the focus on sex and found the book excessively horny. At one point I wrote in my notes “Am I a prude??” because I just found it excessive. But, you know, I’m probably just a prude.

I don’t feel like I’m the target audience for this novel, which is why there were quite a few elements I struggled with. That being said, I found myself both relating to, and empathizing with, both Theo and Kit. It is even possible that part of the reason I wasn’t a huge fan of the characters is because I related a little TOO hard to some of their feelings and behaviours because I was once-upon-a-time a super toxic individual. So, I imagine some of this just brought me to a difficult place. Both as someone who has been in a toxic place, and as someone who has experienced a lot of toxic relationships and had some awful experiences as a result of those relationships. All of this to say, I am not going to read this again, but I imagine someone who can look at this book more objectively will be able to focus on the better parts.

I loved hearing about the various places that the tour went to, especially the food scenes. I love baking and cooking, so I really enjoyed reading about people appreciating food and local views. I would love to go on a tour like this, I want to take The Mermaid to Europe one day and I hope we can do a trip like this. It sounded amazing. I also really enjoyed watching Kit and Theo get out of their negative patterns and grow as people, so I am happy that I stuck through with the book so that I was able to witness that.

This was a fun and adventurous read that certainly satisfied some of my wanderlust but it was also emotional and sweet and deep. I really found the exploration of the character's feelings and doubts about themselves interesting to read and Casey McQuiston handles so many different character moments with ease and gentleness. I found some of this to be a bit too spicy for me personally but I was able to skim a few of those parts ;)

Casey McQuiston’s ‘The Pairing’ was a queer romance that captured the beauty of travel, good food, and community. As a foodie and avid traveler, I really enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the food and wine that the characters explore throughout Spain, Italy, and France and I definitely bookmarked several locations to visit on my future travels.

One of the standout elements of the book was the inclusion of a non-binary character, whose gender identity and pronouns were thoughtfully addressed, and their journey felt incredibly authentic. The romance between Kit and Theo was so loving and tender, and they might be my second favorite Casey McQuiston couple (August and Jane 4ever!!!!) .

Overall, 'The Pairing' was a delightful read and I look forward to Casey McQuiston’s next book.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mini synopsis: two exes find themselves on a European food tour and explore what happened in their past & could they have a future together?

Okay I kinda loved this? I shouldn’t be surprised but the summer is the time for road trip tropes. The long European excursion was so fun to follow along with. Did I know what they were talking about with the food and wine? No. Did some of the flowerly language and themes go over my head? Sure. But the vibes were good so that’s all that matters! Casey McQuiston’s strengthen to me is always their characters! I loveddddddd Kit & Theo, two flawed people who were literally in love and made for each other no matter what they say! The slow build from this weird heartbreak to falling back into friends to more was so sweet & cute 🥺 not only were our 2 MCs perfect, but all the side characters (again another CMQ classic) blonde calum, calum, Dakota, Montana, etc are the found family I love! There’s also a lot of deeper meanings of grief, acceptance, identity, gender, coming of age etc that I’m just scratching the surface BUT if your a fan (which most of y’all are!) you’ll love this! It’s my favorite CMQ!

My ranking just for funsies:
1. The Pairing
2. One Last Stop
3. Red White and Royal Blue
4. I Kissed Shara Wheeler

This was the third book I have read by Casey McQuinston (but my first one as an audiobook). I really enjoyed "Red, White, & Royal Blue" and "One Last Stop" so I had high hopes for this book.

In all honesty, the beginning of the book was slow. It was not bad! The pacing was slower than that of something I usually read. The story really picks up when we switch halfway to another character's point of view.

Top points of the book:
1) LGBTQ+ representation. I love books where characters are just themselves, and happen to be gay, bi, etc. We see bisexual representation in both Theo and Kit. And once again, this is just them being openly themselves. They each go after both males and females in the books and it's normal. SPOILER ALERT: halfway through the book, we learn that Theo is non-binary. It was literally a seamless transition from the narrator calling Theo "she" to "they". Nothing crazy about it. Just accepted it and moved on which I loved.
2) Food and wine descriptions: Are you kidding me?!? These were so good. Literally, some of the best descriptions of food, drinks, wine, etc I have ever read. I felt like I was actually tasting the things. Made me want to go on a trip to Europe to indulge.
3) Kit and Theo's relationship. Regardless of what it was or had been in the past, friends, lovers, or somewhere in between, it was so honest and real. They had issues, but they accepted each other as they were.
4) No spoilers, but I loved the ending! Endings are big for me and I am glad how this turned out.

Small cons:
1) miscommunication trope: I get that this was a big part of the book, but it frustrated me! Especially after being in both character's heads! I just wanted them to communicate!!!
2) sometimes it was a bit unrealistic: both Kit and Theo being able to go around to anyone they wanted to and could hook up with them.

Middle-ground:
1) I would say the sex scenes edged on erotic. Not good or bad for me personally, just an observation!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it!

This book was so very queer and tasty! This was a Macmillan Audio pick and I honestly have never read a Casey McQuiston book before, so that’s part of why I picked it; they are such a popular author from what I’ve seen on Booksta, I wanted to try them out!

The overarching tone of this book is bittersweet as it’s a story of second chance romance between former best friends to lovers—mind you, these are two of my least favorite tropes, but I like to go out of my comfort zone sometimes! But there is an air of positivity throughout the story, because how can anyone be too down during a European food tour?! Plus, there is also a lot of sex positivity and flirting and sexing, so that was good fun!

My favorite parts of this book were the descriptions of the locales, foods, and wines. I am such a foodie, and I think this book needs to be paired with a cookbook (see what I did there?)! I added so many cities to my “want to visit” list!

In the end, Theo and Kit absolutely stole my heart, so I’m giving this book four stars!

I enjoyed the narration by Emma Galvin and Max Meyers; multiple narrators is always a good time!

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.