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The Pairing by Casey McQuiston is a book with a lot of potential, but it fell short in a few critical areas for me. McQuiston’s signature wit and flair for creating lively, relatable characters are present, and moments of charm and humor reminded me why I enjoy their work. The premise was intriguing, and I appreciated the diverse representation in the characters.

However, the first half of the book was a major struggle for me. I found it almost impossible to connect with Theo, whose mindset seemed overly fixated on the concept of a "body count bet. " This hyperfocus made their character feel vapid and uninteresting, making it challenging to invest in the story's emotional stakes. The pacing also felt uneven, with some sections dragging on while others were rushed.

However, the second half of the story improved significantly when it switched to Kit's point of view. Kit's perspective brought a depth that I found more relatable and engaging. The moment in the kitchen toward the end of the book was a standout, capturing the warmth and emotional resonance that I had been missing earlier. This shift helped me feel more connected to the story, even if it came a bit late.

The dialogue, while witty, occasionally felt over the top and distracted from the story rather than enhancing it. I also noticed that some plot points were left unresolved or didn’t have the expected impact, leaving me with a sense of incompletion by the end.

Overall, The Pairing has its moments of enjoyment, particularly in the latter half, but it didn’t fully meet my expectations. If you’re a fan of McQuiston’s previous work, you might find some redeeming qualities here, but it wasn’t quite the hit I hoped for.

This was one of my favorite books of the year. Absolutely obsessed. All of the descriptions of food and wine and the trip truly made me feel like I was there with the characters.

So, going in, I didn't quite know what to expect from this book. The summary was right on, but I was not fully ready for how much sleeping around Europe there would be in this book. I loved so much of the story and the characters (and cringed through the parts that I maybe didn't like so much). I really enjoyed each point of view for different reasons and was internally screaming at Theo and Kit's lack of communication for the majority of the book. The travel and food details were mostly lovely, but kind of got old (they were a little long winded at times). The side characters were fun (though not super dimensional). And the horniness was VERY apparent. Not that I'm complaining.

This book was both deliciously horny and overwhelmingly heartwarming at the same time. This dual POV contemporary romance takes place on a lush food and wine tour across Europe where exes Kit and Theo accidentally end up on the same tour. Kit and Theo explore themselves as individuals and their experiences as friends and as a couple. I thoroughly enjoyed The Pairing - I got to feel all the feelings with Kit and Theo and learn about wine and pastry on a jaunt through France, Spain, and Italy.

This was a great book! Ex best friends and lovers meet again on a food and wine tour through Europe. Nothing like a glass of Malbec to bring old feelings to the surface.

This book was a really fun time with our two main characters on a food and wine tour of Europe. I enjoyed the story and the side characters a lot. My biggest issue with this book was I felt like I didn’t really know who the characters were and how they saw themselves. It felt like everything we learned about the characters was what the other character was saying about them.

This book starts with a couple breaking up, then four years later they meet again on a trip they planned together. This book takes you on a journey through Europe as two exes try to find common ground again so they can both enjoy this trip.
Anything Casey writes I will devour and this book was no different. I found the beginning of the book to be slow then it did start picking up. I loved that each place they went it said what it paired well with, it was a nice touch. Overall I found this book to be good, the ending was nice and did keep me on the edge there for a minute. At moments in the book it did feel like I was there with them travelling through Europe. I did find this book to be a bit spicy than her others, but I loved it!

Thanks to Net Galley and SMP for this advanced copy.

Unfortunately, I think this is more of a Me Problem, but I couldn’t connect with this one. The language and constant mentions of food aimed for immersive but went over my head most of the time, and I found myself wanting a little bit more of Theo and Kit’s backstory a bit earlier on. I think if I’d had this nearly the beginning of summer instead of the end, I might have enjoyed it more. And because I love Casey’s writing, I can see myself giving this another fair shot one day.

The Pairing is about two exes, Kit and Theo, who end up on the same tour of Europe they were supposed to go on together before they broke up. Part of how they interact as friends again is a competition to see who can have more hookups across Europe, but I was really there for the travel descriptions. Casey McQuiston does an excellent job with the setting and the food and drink descriptions along the way. I wanted to be on the journey along with them. This romance IS a dual-POV - it start's with Theo, then switches to Kit about halfway through (as opposed to the typical switching off every other chapter or so).

Its 4 stars instead of 5 for me, because so much of their travel experience revolved around sex, but in a very shallow way. (see: hookup competition) It just didn't fit for me with the second-chance romance of people who have known each other forever and are meant to be kind of romance plot we have going on here.

I'll read anything Casey McQuiston publishes, and I was very excited about the opportunity to read this book as an ARC through NetGalley.

I have been a fan of Casey McQuiston since Red, White and Royal Blue. They are the crem de la crem of queer writing. Until The Pairing. I’m so sorry 🫣

I absolutely believe that this book will have a massive fan base. There will be readers who eat this book up. I just am not it. I loved the gastronomic exploration through Europe. It made me want to travel the world through food for days after. I’m also not a wine fan but after reading this…I might try again.

The romance in this book was lacking. It felt more like lust. I felt that the sexual conquest competition between Theo and Kit was a bit immature and had a hard time caring for the characters after that. It was just a bit jarring. I am all for free love and living your best self but that didn’t really lend to the friendship they were trying to build. I want to open my own van bar after reading Theos idea. I’ve seen things like that around instagram and it is such a fun idea. I would totally hire Theo to work my wedding.

In the end I didn’t really care whether Theo and Kit wound up together but, while The Pairing didn’t quite hit the spot for me, I know others are really going to love it. I actually have already recommended it to a couple friends I think it’s great for. So for that I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️. Cause the plot may not be for me but the writing was great.

CASEY DOES IT AGAIN! first off, thank you for this arc! i literally loved every second of this book and can’t wait for my physical copy!! please read this and read queer all year long!

Casey McQuiston is one of the few romance writers that I enjoy reading and as always, her book did not disappoint. This story follows Theo and Kit, childhood best friends and now estranged exes who find themselves on the same European food and wine tour, an experience they'd booked together years prior but didn't think the other would be on at the same time.

The set up? Ridiculous, I love it. It's a very sort-of cute and corny way to introduce the characters and their personalities. I instantly loved both of them and really enjoyed getting their backstories of what they'd done throughout their years apart to bring them to the present in Europe. Also I just have to say, I started reading this book HOME from my trip to Italy (I never read book synopses before I start them) and this whole story made me just want to get on a flight back to Europe immediately.

This book is spicy! I hate spice without plot, but luckily that was never the case here. Theo and Kit were so complicated and had so much depth, I loved watching them grow and learn throughout this book. The side characters were also very fun (albeit a little over-the-top) but I think they really added some light-hearted energy to the story. This was the perfect summer romance read and I really enjoyed it!

Casey McQuiston’s The Pairing was one of my most anticipated books of the summer, so much so that I read it in April (oops). I couldn’t not read a book about a European food and wine tour while on a vacation in Europe though, c'est la vie.

I’ll caveat this review with the fact that I deeply love Red White & Royal Blue, and outdoing it would be nearly impossible. That said, The Pairing is fabulous. In all the ways that RW&RB was tender, explorative, and sentimental, The Pairing was sexy, confident, and pure fun. Theo and Kit are SUCH rich (albeit, messy) characters and I felt like their friend by the end of the book. I was rooting for them to get together, of course, but mostly I was rooting for their individual journeys and cheering from the sidelines while they worked through roadblocks to the identities and relationship they wanted. As expected, the writing, humor, and POV is stellar and you can tell so much research went into the food writing and the scene-setting. A few minor notes that mostly are personal preferences (miscommunications aren’t how I like my drama, and it took me a bit to warm up to the competition plot line), but I overall loved this book. If you’re looking for a queer steamy romance to round out your summer reading list, look no further.

Out tomorrow, 8/6! Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for letting me read this one early while wine tasting!

One of the most beautiful stories about love and connection and how those often shape who you are, even if you didn’t realize it along the way.
This book is lush and inviting, so full of color and depth and evocative language, that you feel like you are there with the characters as they make their way through Europe. A second chance romance that delivers on the angst and longing is such a sharply sweet way. At many points the great swells of emotion will make you have to put the book down in order to catch your breath. But every time you can’t help but pick it back up. Forever chasing the characters as they finally let themselves feel and grow and love. 10/10 for me. A story that I know will stick with me for a long while.

I will not be providing a review of this book until St Martin's Press makes a statement about the Palestinian genocide.

I have loved Casey McQuiston's previous books, but this one was not for me. This was a second chance romance on a whirlwind trip through Europe. I didn't have any attachments to the two main characters, Theo and Kit. In the previous books, the supporting characters played a big part in the story and in this book that wasn't the case. It was really a struggle for me to finish the book. I really didn't care if they got back together or not. I had to switch from the audiobook to the book because I didn't enjoy the narrator for Theo.

My ranking of their previous books are: 1. One Last Stop, 2. Red, White, and Royal Blue, 3. I Kissed Shara Wheeler.

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy of the book and Macmillan Audio for the advanced digital copy of the audiobook.

I’m going to be honest, this is not my favorite of Casey Mcquiston’s books. I think my biggest problem is just how much sex there was. And I know I should have seen that coming based on the summary but I didn’t. I also did not feel invested in Kit & Theo & their relationship. There was nothing about either of them that I really felt connected to.

4.5/5 ⭐️

Four years ago, Theo and Kit were supposed to go on a culinary tour across Europe. However, they ended up breaking up. Now, in present day, they find themselves both unexpectedly (as in without knowing the other would be there) on that tour. After some tension, they decide on a contest to see who can have the most European hookups. However, they soon realize that maybe the romance between them is not dead.

This has been my favorite of McQuiston's books since Red, White, and Royal Blue (which is still number one). It did take a little while for me to really get invested in it - I think once you realize that the love is still there, you're hooked. This one also returns to the spicier scenes like we got in RWRB, which I think the author does a great job of writing. There is also an unexpected POV switch about halfway through, which was a little weird at first, but overall I'm glad we also got to see Kit's point of view. I think it also allowed for the new info about Theo to be processed in a meaningful way. Overall, a really enjoyable romance (although it will make you want a bunch of pastries!)!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I'm just disappointed. I wound up DNFing at 26%. If you are going to write a second chance romance, please give us more from the first chance portion of the relationship.