the pairing review
4.5/5
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i’m a big casey mcquiston fan, so when i was given an arc of this right when i finished my last book, i took it as a sign from the universe to start this one right away.
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pros:
+fast paced start
+paris<3 (take me back to my study abroad era)
+bi and non-binary rep
+i love thé way things are described in this book. it makes me want to be there and experience everything myself.
+i love a silly little rivalry. and a silly little sex competition (wasn’t as toxic as i thought it would be)
+theo and kit def make a fun pair (pun intended)
+this is inspiring me to enjoy life and be more of a foodie. the writing is so sensory and evokes an excitement for small details and aesthetics.
+THE BANTER
+i’m giggling and kicking my feet i’ll admit it
+classic one bed trope I LIVE
+this book is SO horny but in unexpected ways. in erotic gay ways.
+the pov shift DESTROYED ME
+well done second chance romance.
+i love all the side characters (tho i wish they were explored more)
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cons:
-miscommunication trope (somewhat resolved tho??)
-self sabotaging (haha been there tho)
-a series of bad timing and near misses and angsty longing that hurts me physically
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This book was meant to be savored. I wish i read it over the summer because it feels like the first time you sunbathe. The peaceful warmth of the sun kissing your cheeks. Mcquiston has clearly grown as a writer, while still lovingly filling pages with witty banter and humor. I had so much fun with this one.

I made the mistake of starting this during my lunch break, and it's amazing that I got anything else done today. Casey McQuiston's writing is so easy to get lost in, and this book was no exception. The way the book is broken up into periods of time, cities, and POVs without ever feeling disjointed or rushed is masterful. I might be biased as someone that has lived through the bestfriends-to-lovers trope irl, but the relationship felt so realistic to being head over heels for your best friend that watching them miss and re-learn each other made my heart ache too; I had to take a break to hug my partner. Now I need to go book a European food tour.

This book is my first 5 star read of 2024, and is definitely in the running to be my favorite read of the year already too.

This was so much fun. I loved the dynamic, the setting and banter so much. This one by CMQ did not disappoint me at all. It was the perfect read and I loved this so much. Highly recommend all books by CMQ. You will not be disappointed.

I knew I was going to love The Pairing as soon as I learned Casey McQuiston was writing it as I thoroughly adored all three of their works that came before it but I truly had no idea just how much. This book is McQuiston at their best yet. The Pairing is decadent, lush, and so very delicious, a sensuous tour of succulent experiences, both queer and European, between two of the sluttiest and lovable bisexuals I’ve ever read. The settings are marvelous, the food and drink enviable, and the characters full of blistering heart.

I’ve yet to read another book as celebratory as this when it comes to queer desire and the many shades that a story like this can contain. Both Theo and Kit are real and messy and slutty and sexy, as are their feelings not only for each other but towards themselves, towards the food and wine they devour, toward the art they consume. Every page of this book was indulgent while remaining purposeful to their journey and their characterizations. The sex scenes are skillfully crafted, as important to their growth as characters as any other interaction, providing further depths to Theo and Kit, while displaying moments of queer experiences we need more of in traditional publishing.

I loved the dual POVs, presenting Theo’s feelings of displacement in the first half, leading to Kit’s side to fill in the many, many gaps before they finally melded back together in the end. As a bisexual full of many of my own doubts and yearnings, I saw a lot of myself reflected in both sides, making me love the wholes of Theo and Kit even more. Theo was so funny and Kit so romantic, and both of them so very bisexual. Their banter is lovable, the growth they attain while rediscovering their love delightful. I devoured the story of Theo and Kit so quickly, that as greedy as I am, all I could think at the end was: more, more, more.

Casey McQuiston surely put their entire heart into this one, and it shows in bright, glimmering colors. I adored this book wholeheartedly, and I can’t wait to reread it again (and again and again) come August when I have a hardcopy in my hands. Theo and Kit are the rekindling love everyone needs to read under this year’s late summer sun.

Thank you so much to St Martin’s Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.