I was really excited to read *The Pairing* by Casey McQuiston, but unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations. The premise had so much potential—exploring love in a futuristic setting with a unique twist—but I found the execution lacking. The characters, while likable, didn’t feel fully developed, and I had a hard time connecting with them on an emotional level. The romance felt forced at times, and the pacing was uneven, especially in the middle where things dragged. I also struggled with some of the plot points, which seemed predictable or underdeveloped. Overall, I wanted to love it, but I just didn’t feel the magic I’ve experienced with McQuiston’s previous works.

This was a fantastic and sexy trip through Europe that left me hungry for more than just a good meal and wine pairing.

This book didn't grab me as quickly as other work by the author but it was a good read. Thank you, #NetGalley, for the arch in exchange for my honest review.

Another Casey McQuiston book — charming, funny, sexy. I had so much fun reading this one. Delightful characters and delicious settings, this book made me want to escape to Europe ASAP. Love me some CMQ always!

I loved the wine and food pairings. The travel content was amazing and I felt like I was visiting this places. Need to go to all of them asap.

Beautiful. Heartbreaking. Incredibly romantic. Casey McQuiston did a marvelous job writing this novel.

The characters had such depth and stark differences that they never came off flat. The complexities explored were impressive, well written and beautiful. She did a marvelous job of writing about the human experience as a whole.

I had a hard time putting this book down and the ending was perfect and wrapped everything up so neatly. This one was definitely a punch to the gut, or an arrow to the heart.

This is my favorite McQuiston book so far. I took forever to finish this one because life was busy, but also because I was savoring every damn word. This book was beautiful, heartbreaking, romantic, sexy as hell, and represented the human experience in a way few books do. Thank you, Casey McQuiston. Your words hit me straight in the heart with this one - and the stomach!

The last chapter was the best part. It didn't quite make up for the fact that I didn't like these characters too much for most of the book - and had a hard time believing others were so obsessed with them, too.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance electronic copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited to get an ARC of a Casey McQuiston book! I have enjoyed all of their books that I have read so far! This was not an exception. Theo and Kit had quite the complex relationship on several levels, mostly having to do with their history. Their unexpected reunion, on a food and wine tour they were supposed to take together before they broke up just brings it all to a head.

It's hard to say much without spoilers, but it is important to say that this is a VERY SEXY book. More so than any of McQuiston's other books, or perhaps it just seemed so because I also acquired the audiobook--but that's a separate review. Suffice it to say, this book definitely made me want to go on food and wine tour throughout Europe!

I liked the second half of this book way way more than the first half. It felt like Kit liked Theo way more than Theo liked kit. Second chance isn’t my favorite trope and I feel like it’s all because of miscommunication.

So sorry I really wanted to love this one cause I am such a huge Casey McQuiston fan -- but I just couldn't do it. I wasn't interested in the characters at all, and the exciting adventure they should be having in Europe was completely overshadowed by their obsessions for each other. I also found parts of the prose confusing since there was about two billion characters at any given time. Really not for me.

This is the fourth Casey McQuiston book I've read (or tried to read) and I still don't know how I feel about them. I loved Red, White, and Royal Blue; I didn't care for One Last Stop; and enjoyed I Kissed Shara Wheeler; but I could not get through this book. I tried 3-4 times and either fell asleep or found the main characters to be incredibly whiny. I might try it again at some point, but my expectations are low.

I wasn't a fan of this book. The characters were awful to each other and whiny - constantly complaining instead of making changes. They showed a complete lack of character growth. The writing included way too much talk about food and wine that it took away from the plot. And the spiciness was way off the charts, which I wouldn't normally care about, but since I despised the characters, it was hard to handle.

I read this while on vacation in August when I REALLY needed a distraction and it was perfect. Casey McQuiston NEVER missed but I love their range of storytelling and it’s evident the amount of research and work they put into this one. More friends to lovers to enemies to lovers please!!

Casey's incredible writing brought me to tears multiple times throughout this book -- they found the words to express a kind of love, understanding, and appreciation of/for another person that I've never seen before. A wonderful transportation.

Ok Casey McQuiston. Go on with your bad self. The Pairing was a top notch read. Bisexual characters, food, wine, travel and the pining!! What's not to love, honestly. Cannot wait to get my hand son a physical copy of this book.

Casey McQuiston does it AGAIN. An auto-read author for me, every book Casey releases is such a comfort.

I feel so blessed to receive an ARC of The Pairing from NetGalley. I have told ANYONE I give book suggestion to read this book. The Pairing has been added to my recurring read of the year for the summertime after I bought myself a copy once it came out in print. The romance is top notch for rekindled flame, the food and scenic descriptions make you think you’re walking through the tour yourself and eating what they are serving, and made me want to go on my own food tour in Europe. A MUST read with incredible representation.

I'm so conflicted on this one. Yes, I enjoyed the read and liked the vibes of the book. The characters were wonderful, the writing was great, and the romance got cute. My biggest thing was that these are two people who love each other, right? They're a second-chance romance, right? Why on earth did they have sex with other people a large portion of this book? I did like the second chance, but I wanted more from Theo and Kit together.

God I love this book so much. It was so incredibly indulgent in every way--from the food and drink descriptions, to the sex scenes. Casey McQuiston does a great job of depicting a rich and luscious through the eyes of Theo and Kit. The romance itself is extremely compelling, and the amount of tension and unfinished business helped me stay engaged.

One thing that really meant a lot to me was Theo's gender journey. As a queer reader, it felt great to see a character experience something so similar to me, and I think these depictions are so important to have. I love the unique use of first person POV as a way to establish Theo's feelings about themself, which then creates the appropriate sense of wrongness when we switch to Kit's POV and his subsequent experience as he learns about Theo as well.

In general, I am not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope, which is the primary reason Theo and Kit broke up in the first place, but I recognize that is personal preference.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and Casey did not disappoint!