Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of publication! The review will be live on my blog on 8/01/24. I will also feature the review on Instagram that same day and post my review to Goodreads, The Storygraph, Fable, and retail sites.

Review:

If you've not read or heard about Casey McQuiston's "Red, White & Royal Blue," then you're either new to reading, from another planet, or have been living under a rock. I was super late to the game with that one, and once I finally read it, I understood why everyone loved it so much. I was excited to get an ARC of this one, and while I enjoyed it, I didn't love it as much as I loved the former. Still, if you're looking for a steamy, hilarious, and heartwarming read to add to your summer TBR pile, look no further. This best friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy will have you laughing, swooning, and rooting for Theo and Kit to find their way back to each other.

In this book, Theo and Kit are former best friends turned romantic partners turned exes who find themselves on a European food and wine tour together a few years after their messy breakup. Forced to spend several weeks in close quarters with each other, they decide to turn their trip into a hookup competition after they each notice that they're both lusting after their sexy tour guide. What starts as a friendly wager soon turns into a chance to rekindle their lost friendship, but when old feelings begin to resurface, they need to decide if they will keep the competition friendly or if they'll allow themselves to cross the friends-with-benefits line - and if that happens, will they be able to avoid falling for each other all over again?

From the picturesque landscapes of France, Spain, and Italy to the mouthwatering descriptions of wine and pastries, McQuiston effortlessly transports us to a world full of beauty and indulgence in a story full of humor, romance, and so much food. It's almost like "Eat, Pray, Love" but with more sex and a lot of longing. As expected, McQuiston's writing is witty and engaging, with a tone that feels like chatting with your best friend. The dialogue crackles with energy, and each chapter is a delicious blend of humor, romance, and food that will leave you hungry for more. (See what I did there?)

What makes the book work is the dynamic between Theo and Kit. Their banter is razor-sharp, and their chemistry is sizzling. They felt real, and I firmly believed that these two had a special bond and history. As they navigate the highs and lows of their relationship, you'll find yourself rooting for them to overcome their past and find a way back to each other.

I was also lucky enough to receive an advance listener's copy of the book, so I could listen and read at the same time, and both of the narrators were great. Emma Galvin voices Theo, while Max Meyers voices Kit. I've experienced Galvin's narration in Kresley Cole's "Arcana Chronicles" and Veronic Roth's "Divergent" series, and I always enjoy their performance. Meyers was new to me, but I enjoyed his performance as well.

Overall, this is a delightful romp through Europe that will leave you laughing, swooning, and maybe even craving a glass of wine and a pastry. If you loved McQuiston's "Red, White & Royal Blue," you'll likely enjoy "The Pairing." While I personally preferred the latter, I still enjoyed this book and have no doubt that McQuiston's fans will eat it up.

Casey McQuiston is, unequivocally, a literary virtuoso. With The Pairing, they have once again transcended expectations, crafting a novel that is not only a testament to their unparalleled research but also an immersive feast for the senses. Every page is a masterclass in historical and cultural authenticity, effortlessly blending the nuances of European heritage with the intricacies of human connection. McQuiston’s storytelling is a symphony of meticulously developed plots and characters, each contributing to a tapestry that is both profound and exhilarating.
Theo and Kit’s love story is a revelation, resonating with an intensity that rivals any romance McQuiston has penned before. Their affection is woven into the fabric of their being, illuminating every page with a brilliance that left me in tears. The depth of their bond and their willingness to go to great lengths for each other is nothing short of extraordinary.
The distinct and vibrant voices of Theo and Kit offer an intimate glimpse into their souls, enhancing the emotional resonance of the narrative. Kit's zest for life, his way of capturing moments and savoring experiences, adds a unique layer of charm to the story. The Pairing is a literary treasure, rich with detail, from the culinary delights to the historical insights, and imbued with a refreshing celebration of queerness. McQuiston has elevated their craft to an otherworldly level, creating a novel that will linger in my thoughts and heart for a long time to come.

a very hot, second chance romance, forced proximity, lgbtq+ rep based book!

loved the setting of the story and the travel aspect of it, i feel it was the perfect backdrop for this second chance story! lots of angst and some hair-pulling moments, but thats to be expected from a second chance romance!

really the whole plot is two people stumbling their way back to each other through drinking and sex, which I'm totally okay with! knowing ahead of time that is what to expect, I think people will have a better time reading this one.

casey's writing is some of my all time favorite, and this book is no different. i love their style, voice and humor, and the way they create lovable, flawed and realistic characters.

this was a fun, horny time!!

I was able to read this book by obtaining an ARC copy from NetGalley. I am a huge fan of Casey McQuiston but this book was hard for me to read. I feel like it was a niche type of book. I loved the idea of traveling and experiencing certain cuisines, but if you’re not someone who is passionate about food it gets very boring to have every chapter describing the smell, taste, and look of food. I was not a fan of the POV change halfway through the book. Even though the POV change did add context to the story it didn’t happen until halfway through the book leaving you wanting more from the original POV character.

This book made me flip flop back and forth harder than a freshly caught branzino on the deck of an Italian fishing boat. (I was trying to match the food tour through Europe vibe…)

The good: I do love complex characters. I’m not here for a romance novel that gives me two totally perfect people who end up in a totally perfect little couple by the end. These characters were messy. I felt for Theo and their struggle to be an actual grown up by themselves with no handout from rich sisters. I felt for Kit and his struggle to find what he really wants and go after it.
I also liked a lot of McQuiston’s world building - descriptions of flavours and scents and scenes; you could tell the author put a hell of a lot of research into their setting.

The not as good: While I do love a complex character… I don’t love them as much when they’re surrounded by almost 2D caricatures of side characters. Is the whole of Europe populated with sexy single or poly bisexuals? Or was this European tour formulated specifically so the guests only came across sexy single or poly bisexuals?
The messiness of the characters did have me saying, I think out loud, “do adults really behave this way?” While I love the mess and the complexity, I didn’t see any of the supposed growth that Theo or Kit were saying they’d done. At one point Theo bemoans that Kit always had to take care of them - but then when they start to fall back together, Kit is right there still having to take care of them. I will grant that Kit, at least, recognised that he was repeating the same patterns and broke that off.

Overall: I really didn’t know if the ‘not as good’ outweighed the ‘good’ or vice versa throughout this story until I got to the very end. Having Kit and Theo have a HEA makes sense for the genre, but didn’t make sense (to me) for them as characters - they needed so much more growth for that pay off. It would have made more sense (again, to me) to have a time jump epilogue where they reconnect again after doing more work on themselves. 3 out of 5 stars - I might do a re-read and see how I feel after another go.

Theo and Kit were childhood best friends turned lovers. Then it all went very wrong during their worst fight ever on a flight to Paris. Years later, the two ended up on the same European food and wine tour they were supposed to do as a couple. The exes want to prove there are no lingering feelings with a hookup competition. There’s just one problem. They’re definitely not over each other.

There are so many great things to highlight from The Pairing. I loved Theo and Kit's backstory, the epic food and wine tour through Europe (don't read this book hungry!), the identity discussion, Kit's introspection after speaking with tour guide Fabrizio, and when they finally confess their love for each other.

But there was one thing that confused me. The hookup competition seemed odd for two people pining for each other who were serendipitously brought back together. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the competition! However, it didn't quite fit the idea of a couple who had finally grown enough to be in a relationship that celebrates the love they've felt all this time. Perhaps it's me. These flawed and complex characters have a complicated history and don't always make the best decisions, so maybe this competition suits them.

Grab The Pairing for an angsty, sexy, emotional second chance story!

This was my favorite of Casey McQuiston's books. And that says a lot! Two likeable characters finding their way back to each other. These two were soulmates, best friends and lovers, who were separated by a miscommunication 4 years old by the time they reunited on a food and drink tour of Europe. It was great to see their relationship (re)evolve. I didn't want to put this book down. It was a tiny bit too long - we maybe could have cut out a stop, but overall I really enjoyed it!

I will not be reviewing nor promoting any St Martin's Press titles until they address the racism, Islamophobia and all over reprehensible behavior of one of their employees.

I admit that this one was slower on the uptake than I expected, but god I loved it so much. I'm a grandma- bed by 9:30 asleep by 10- but when I got to 80% at 9:45 I had to stay up til nearly midnight to finish this. Kit is the most woman-coded man and I love him for it, and Theo is so relatably insecure about their place in the world. The amount of pegging jokes in this had me kicking my feet and it was SO wittily written I am obsessed. I didn't understand anything about the wine or the pastry references but they made me very hungry, and I'm impressed that either Casey knew all this in their head or else researched this so well? I can't wait for a reread, as I find second chance romances hit harder on the second read through once all my anxiety about what happened is gone.

I read one chapter and it was so long and slow - when I turned to chapter 2 and my kindle said it was 51 minutes long I gave up

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Bisexuals Theo and Kit are exes and former best friends. After breaking up on the plane ride to a three week European food and wine tour, they are given four years to each use their tickets. Nearly four years later, both coincidentally book the same tour. Stuck together for the next three weeks, the pair make a truce and decide to have a friendly competition to see who can hookup with the most people while on the trip. While they’re reconnecting, they learn more about each other and how things went so wrong the first time while fighting the attraction that never really went away.

Who could resist a Casey McQuiston book? I loved Red, White, and Royal Blue so I was excited to read this one. I really enjoyed the journey that these characters went on. I loved the way that the tour guided the story and gave the story a path to go on. I appreciated that the book was sex positive and gave some different representation. Speaking of that representation though, I will say that I was a bit confused about Theo during the book. On my initial read of the first chapter, I assumed (based on McQuiston’s previous books) that Theo was male. I then read the word “daughter” and thought “Oh ok, female. Let me go back and reread this.” This confusion makes sense later when Theo finally reveals that they are non-binary. If Theo was realizing this in real time in the book, the switch would make sense, but in the context of the story, Theo already knew that they were non-binary. I wish that I could have known that as the reader, even if the other characters hadn’t known yet.

This may also be a fault of me reading too many books in the same genre, but I found myself a little annoyed at Kit for recognizing that he does something wrong but then continuing to do it and expecting different results. I think we’re in an era of books where the characters are becoming more self aware but the conventions of storytelling require them to have the same problems as if they weren’t aware. All is well in the end and it wasn’t enough to put me off entirely, but this is becoming a bit of a sticking point with me. It’s okay and even expected for characters to grow over the course of the book, they don’t have to know what they’re doing wrong right away.

Overall, I really did enjoy this book, although not as much as RW&RB. Bring on more NB rep and I look forward to what they write next.

4.5 stars, rounded up

If I were to describe *The Pairing* in one word, it would be "decadent." Everything, from the wine and food pairing epigraphs to the pining of our main characters, is exactly what I need from a swoony romance.

Depending on your mood when you start this book, you will either appreciate or lose patience with the languid pacing. It excels at providing rich relationship development and quirky side characters, but it can feel a bit drawn out for a lighter style romance.

Overall, I am thrilled with this read and cannot recommend it fast enough for your next heartfelt romance. But you absolutely have to be comfortable with spice. I’m not in the habit of rating spice, but I feel like this is at least a four-pepper read.

Huge thank you to Casey McQueston, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for my advanced review digital and audio copies. My opinions are my own.

Plot - 4
Writing and Editing - 5
Character Development - 5
Narration - 5
Personal Bias - 4
Final Score - 4.6

The Pairing is out Aug 6th, 2024!

I appreciated the Jaws references, but not much else. Unfortunately, this book was very much not for me. I didn't like either of the main characters, I felt that the plot was boring/repetitive, and the conflict was frustrating but not in a fun or interesting way.

The most important advice a great author has ever given is that you should write about what you know, and look up what you don't, I add.

I'm not Casey McQuiston’s biggest fan but, if I'm here, that means I somehow believe she and I could meet on common ground - the queerness, but I'm afraid that's it.
This aspect hasn't changed since her first book: being comfortable in your own sexuality and feeling free to explore; it's the thing I love most about her characters.

But it can't be enough.
I could have excused a lot, and I mean A LOT, of wrong details, especially since you can see they come from an American romanticized view of Europe, even if a little research wouldn't have hurt but, essentially, there's no pairing in this story.
From beginning to end this book is only about Theo: their version of how they and Kit broke up, how they felt, how they survived, how they changed, their relationship with their family and being a neo-baby. And then, when we hear from Kit’s POV, it's still about Theo: how much his heart broke because he missed them, how much he loves them now, how gorgeous they are and always were, how they helped him during the darkest time of his life, and so on.

Some things were just stupid - even the Italian guy couldn’t speak Italian, can you believe it?! -, while others just have to know them - for example, in Monaco, the biggest yachts don't leave the harbour because it's too much of a risk and labour.
And even if I could close my eyes in front of how much Call Me By Your Name” must’ve been an inspiration for the author - with peach and everything -, I can't really empathize with a love story with very little romance, focused on an unlikeable character that always got their way.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

The food and travel descriptions in The Pairing are what made it an enjoyable read. It's so immersive and the writing is great! I just couldn't get behind Kit and Theo's romance rekindling. There was so much miscommunication and one conversation could have solved everything. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Pairing pairs exceptionally well with Casey McQuiston fans of any demographic!

Casey McQuiston is BACK! Not only have they triumphantly returned with this book, but it is delicious & invents a brand new trope for the romance world. This book features two bisexual exes as they finally redeem a food tour through Europe. But while Theo & Kit agree to see who can sleep with the most people, they start to realize that the old feelings are still there. If you cannot tell, the angst generated from this particular trope is DELICIOUS. It is steamy and creates some of the most amazing sexual tension that builds between the two characters. I appreciated this sex-positive approach and hope that it is received as well as I think it was intended.

The storyline here is a bit two-fold. There is the first literal half from Theo's point of view (TV) and then there is the second half from Kit's point of view (KV). (Also, I loved the Taylor Swift reference here it's spot-on). The first half of this story had me SALIVATING over the food and wine pairings. Honestly, the food descriptions are truly one-half of this story. The descriptions are going to make you hungry and you'll be grabbing snacks left and right imagining that you are having more of the rich foods/wines that are contained within these pages.

The other half of this story sort of gets revealed as soon as we switch perspectives. I can honestly say I was very surprised by the sudden revelation that takes place when Kit starts describing Theo. It made me sort of overhaul all of the internal mental pictures that I had of Theo and that isn't a problem in the slightest. I loved both of their characters regardless, but I guess it just forced me to completely reevaluate some parts of it. I don't think this is a bad thing and perhaps I missed earlier clues in the story, but I found myself a bit jarred for better or worse.

The ending of this story is truly everything that we as readers have come to love about Casey McQuiston's writing. It feels good to the point of tears. (Truly I teared up reading the last couple of chapters). The ending felt like a celebration of these fictional lives and I am truly going to miss Theo and Kit (pardon me while I continue to mourn that these characters are fictional).

All in all, check out this story. Casey McQuiston is a phenomenal writer and knows how to write a book that will put you through the entire emotional gamut.

Come hungry, leave horny! Casey McQuiston is back with another pair of complex characters caught in a fraught international love affair. But they have undoubtedly stepped up their game: this world is rich not only in culture and history, but also in sexual exploration. Be warned that the sex is spicier than the food! But watching these best friends-ex lovers find their second chance romance makes a rich, satisfying reading experience...in every sense!

A feast of the senses! Glorious food and drink descriptions, a lot of hot people having a lot of sex, believable relationship (if slightly unbelievable problems of the "people in romance novels cannot communicate if it would increase the drama" variety). You root for these two to figure it out. Relatively minor things kept bugging me that maybe wouldn't bother other people (This is a really limited idea of Europe! There is just no way anyone could eat this amount of food every day! Drinking as much as these characters drink every day would make every following day unbearable! Nobody is ever drinking water!!). I feel very nitpicky, but for me these were really constant, distracting thoughts.

I'm not sure what I loved more - the heat between Theo & Kit, the description of the European countryside OR that of the food and wine they consumed. I left this book longing for Italy and also STARVING. I really enjoyed the chaotic and quirky characters, their witty banter, the realistic arguments and miscommunication that can so often happen with couples and even just people who've known each other for a long time. Lastly, the side characters on the bus became a little family, which I always adore. This is my 3rd book by Casey McQuiston, and it's definitely up to par with the others, which I also loved! This also makes for a great beach read this summer.

brb gonna go drown my sorrows in Aperol Spritz.

I'll get the good stuff out of the way - queer rep, delicious sounding food, and a way for me to personally relive my trip to Italy.

Now the bad... the first half of this book is told by Theo who is inherently unlikable, immature, and pretentious. When the narrative flips to Kit, it is MUCH more enjoyable but at that point you have him longing for Theo and you're kinda like "but, why?" There's a lot of stereotypical portrayals of characters, side characters don't add to the story, and the hook-up wager comes off as try hard and strange.

The real big issue is that too much of the romance with Theo and Kit happens off-page, and I think this really hurt the story of their relationship getting back together. I didn't feel that I cared one way or another if they got together in the end. It lacked that "will they, won't they" feeling that second-chance romances thrive on. It was just ... boring?