Casey McQuiston, the writer who gave us the beautiful, spicy, memorable, gay Red, White & Royal Blue, is back this summer with a queer European vacation. But while the descriptions of food and wine are truly mouthwatering, the two protagonists leave something to be desired.

I nearly DNFed this title three times in the first sixty percent, and there were some moments where I wondered aloud if I hated this book. Theo, our AFAB nonbinary bisexual protagonist, is one of the most dislikable characters I’ve read in recent memory. They’re selfish, self-indulgent, reckless, and martyrish. They have a bit of a complex because they’re a nepo baby who wants to be successful on their own, but, shocker, sometimes you need help, even if your family isn’t rich.

Kit, a bisexual man, is Theo’s childhood best friend, and while he’s much easier to like (I started enjoying the book much more when the perspective switched to his from Theo’s), he’s also spoiled and angsty, and together the two of them indulge in the most childish behavior. From failure to communicate to kissing people to make each other jealous to a sex bet (gross) to general angst, Theo and Kit read much more like nineteen-year-olds than the twenty-eight-year-olds they are when most of this book takes place.

While McQuiston still occasionally delights with descriptions of Europe that made me want to get on the next plane to Italy, the scenery and indulgent array of dishes weren’t enough to redeem this one, though I did round my 2.5-star rating up to a 3 because of it.

Younger readers who can see more of themselves in Kit and Theo despite their immaturity may enjoy the study-abroad feel of this novel, but I won’t be recommending it generally.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Now, we all know that Casey McQuiston is one of my most beloved authors. When I received my advanced copy, I almost shed tears of pure joy, because I have been awaiting this book impatiently and I am lucky enough to have had early access to it. I have loved everything they have written, so it really shouldn't come as a surprise that I adored this book too.

First of all, brilliant descriptions! This book is stunning, not only landscape-wise but regarding taste and smell too -- absolutely exquisite depictions of desserts, wine profiles and food in general. I felt completely transported when I was reading, there is a perfect balance of emotion and description to take you right along with Theo and Kit on their tour of Europe.

Speaking of, I love them both with all my heart. They are complex and multi-layered and imperfect and unique in their own ways but they still complement each other perfectly. It was an absolute treat to read from both of their POVs, especially as McQuiston does not usually do that in their books. It fits well here, though.

Did I cry? Yes, of course, it is a prerequisite that I cry when I read any of their books for the first time. There's just always so much emotion in their books and written in such a way that it easily resonates within me. And, as usual, incredibly satisfying character development.

After Red, White and Royal Blue and One Last Stop, I should not have been surprised by how well written certain scenes are but. I'm just saying, they're great.

Overall, another masterpiece from my favourite author!

Casey McQuiston knows what the people want. Bisexual Sluts in Europe? Yes thank you very much. Horny and fun and pining. McQuiston has never let me down with a book and I will read anything they write. Can't wait to shove this down the throats of anyone who will listen.

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston is a second chance romance between two former best friends and lovers, on a European food & wine tour. After breaking up on a flight to France, Kit and Theo both end up on the same tour that they had cancelled years earlier. The pair make a bet to see who can hook up with the most people during their two week trip, while entirely avoiding actually communication with one another.
The first half of this book is told entirely from Theo’s POV, and it was difficult to get through because Theo was so utterly unlikable. They were pretentious and selfish and also completely obtuse. When the POV switched to Kit at the halfway mark, I did start to enjoy the book more because he was slightly more likable. Still kind of pretentious, but tolerably so. Also, I know the whole plot of the book centers around this food and wine tour, but my eyes started to glaze over with the never ending details of all the food and wine. Nearly every page had some long winded flowery description of a baguette or glass of wine.
Once the pair overcame their own ignorance and actually used words to communicate with one another, I did enjoy the story more, but I do wish this happened earlier in the book. Overall, this was an okay read, I was looking forward to this book and have been left a little bit unsatisfied.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of The Pairing in exchange for my honest review.

I honestly love this story. I love the way world building is like a parallel love story in McQuiston’s writing. Their ability to make em believe in my narrator even as their worldview shifts is… immaculate. Kinda bummed the special edition bit doesn’t actually change the ebook. Guess I’ll have to buy it ♡

As someone who read and loved Red, White, and Royal Blue and One Last Stop, I was so excited to pick up an ARC of The Pairing.
It took me almost one month to get through the book because not only was the pace slow but I also just didn't like one of the main characters.

The storyline of a second chance romance, bi characters, and a food and wine tour through Europe sounded like a book I'd devour in one sitting. Sadly, between Theo's constant whining and all of the miscommunication, I realized it was not for me. I wanted to shake the characters multiple times, instead I ended up just skimming until I finally finished.

I will continue to read anything that Casey McQuiston releases even though this book fell flat for me.

sometimes it feels like a book was written just for you, and this was one of those times for me. this is beautiful, powerful, and different, and i can’t wait to make everyone i love read it. Casey has really done it again - and in my opinion, the best yet, though it is very very different from their previous books. This is a book for adults who are capital-Q Queer, not just gay, to finally finally see themselves represented. Also, long live sluts!!

Casey does it again! I have loved every single book by this author, and this one was no different.

Second chance romance? Give me! But second chance romance by Casey? A NEED!!!

Such a beautiful story between these two and I can’t wait to read more from Casey!

As someone I remember hearing this from said, if Casey McQuiston has millions of fans, I am one of them. If they have only one fan, I am the one. - If they have no fans, I am probably dead. On second thought, they probably didn't say Casey McQuiston, but you know :)
After reading the other reviews of this book and seeing some people disappointed with the promiscuity of the characters, I do agree that it is different from some of the other books Casey has written. However, from my point of view, this isn't meant to be realistic. This is fiction. No person in existence is so attractive that everyone loves them, but for the sake of the plot, most people love Theo and Kit. And honestly, that's perfectly fine with me because the plot is just THAT GOOD. Anyways, like it or don't, but I certainly do. McQuiston does it again :)

Theo and Kit are friends turned lovers who suffer a break up only to reunite on a food tour across Europe they had once planned to do together. When they reunite sparks fly as both realize they are still in love with the other!

I was sold on this book as soon as I read the words “food tour around Europe,” but the food descriptions and the terminology is something that most people won’t get unless they watch baking/cooking shows or are those kinds of foodies (the kind who like multiple courses and expensive wines). I will say all the food and restaurant scenes made me feel like I was on the tour with them (which was nice for someone who would love to go to Europe but hasn’t made it there yet).

The first half of the book is from Theo’s POV. They are a non-bionary bartender trying to become a sommelier with an insecurity complex a mile wide and a “nepotism chip” that leads them to self-sabotage anything and everything that makes them happy. I found Theo to be rather whiney for someone who comes from a rich and famous family but feels they have to tough it out on their own or they didn’t really earn any of their achievements.

The second half of the book is from Kit’s POV, which honestly saved it for me. His longing is visceral and just punches you right in all the feels. I had already guessed from clues in Theo’s POV that he never fell out of love (come on Theo how could you have not known he was still painfully in love with you!!!!) so to read his feelings throught art and poems and food was just lovely.

The miscommunication between them was a trope I could’ve done without. Not only did they both assume what the other wanted out of their fight (aka the break up) but they go on the whole tour assuming they will be satisfied as friends, then friends with benefits, then lovers, only to happily seperate again? Also it led to the bet and all the casual sex, which seems pretty counterproductive when the objective of the plot was to get the mains back together again. The sex for the sake of sex just seemed out of place when there weren’t any emotions behind it and they were both dreaming of/remembering each other. And don’t even get me started on wanting to have a threesome with Fabrizio even after they both admitted they were still in love!

Casey’s McQuiston’s writing is still full of vivid descriptions, well researched settings, and the wonderfully nerdy little references that make us all smile. Second chance romances are not my thing but I found myself mostly enjoying this one. Overall it was a fun time that had me laughing out loud at some parts and cooing at the tomance in others. I would definitely reccomend it to my friends.

This was such a fun and steamy book full of bisexual angst and heart. I really liked Casey's writing and how descriptive and lush the food and art was. I think the main characters had a lot of depth and were horny babies that just wanted to love and be loved. I liked seeing Kit and Theo reconnect, their past friendships, and how they moved away from each other. I wanted a little more development with the characters but overall I loved the banter, romance, and steam. Thank you, SMP for this arc.

I mean… it was sweet and definitely fun (and easy) to read, and I appreciated the art embedded in! The author definitely poured their love into this book. At the same time, I found the ending pretty redundant, and the last 15% seemed to draw out the conclusion unnecessarily. There was definitely a lot of appreciation for food and architecture, which I didn’t mind as much as other reviewers seemed to mind - it was a nice break from some of the more serious stuff! Still, some of it felt a little unnecessary. Overall, fun for me, but definitely not for everybody. I normally like some miscommunication, but this was pretty excessive for my taste. You might love it, you might hate it :)

I really think that this is Casey’s best book yet, and I’m so glad that I have a copy preordered already.

From the entirely lovable cast of characters, to the incredible descriptions of food, wine, art, and European towns, this is the first book I’ve read in a while where I actually felt like I was living this story. Even when the MMC and MFC were trying to be tall themselves out of their feelings or being dumb twenty-something’s, there was never a point where it made me irritated or annoyed that they were being so dumb, which a lot of romance books tend to do. The story is as perfectly layered as a perfectly laminated pastry.

I really think this is a contender to be my book of the year this year, and I can’t thank the crew at St Martin’s Press for the ARC of this. I can’t wait to have my physical copy in my hand later in the summer.

okay so admittedly this book did improve when it switched to Kit's POV halfway through but I think that might have been less about the POV itself and more that the endless cycle of tour a new place, eat, drink, hook up with a local, avoid having a single conversation that could have resolved the situation between Kit and Theo, rinse, repeat finally came to an end. I thought I would be so here for the whole hookup competition shenanigans between pining exes thing but in practice I found it very repetitive and boring.

I did enjoy some parts of the writing but I felt like there was basically no depth to the side characters and the past conflict between Kit and Theo and their subsequent growth and reconciliation was very told not shown. I like a second chance romance but this one didn't feel super earned to me. idk, overall I suppose I'm glad for more queer romances existing in the world even when I don't vibe with the book and props to Casey McQuiston for getting a food and wine tour of Europe written off as a work expense I guess

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
Wow. This book is so freaking beautiful and queer and sexy and absolutely romantic.

The Pairing follows Theo and Kit on a European food and beverage tour, they just happen to be exes who haven’t seen each other in four years.
McQuiston is such an amazing author and I love their ability to create these amazing authentic characters. I fell in love with and my heart broke for both Theo and Kit. There is so much pining and angst but also sweetness and acceptance; it’s perfectly balanced like some of the pairings in the book.

I feel so lucky to have been able to go on this journey with them. There is so much character growth and I loved how their past and present selves are reconciled. I also came out of this experience very hungry for European pastries, which is only sort of a euphemism. This book is hot. I was afraid the hook up game might take away from a relationship between Kit and Theo but everything is so well crafted and aids in helping them figure out what they want and need.

I love this book. I want everyone to read it. It is gorgeous and shows two beautifully queer characters being beautifully queer.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, all opinions are purely mine and freely given.

What an absolute delight!! I am convinced that nobody writes with more heart or has more fun while doing it than Casey McQuiston. They have truly come into their own with this book while keeping every ounce of magic from their previous novels. It is a joyful excess of earthly pleasures, and WOW is the horn section strong in this orchestra! (I say that as the highest compliment!) A fortunate series of events led to me finishing this book while drinking wine on a terrace in Madrid, so it is the ultimate contextual sandwich for me. However I feel very confident that anyone who loves the humor, compassion, and escapism of Red, White, and Royal Blue will be equally as enthralled with this book. If at all possible read it in the sunshine with your favorite drink and some delicious food, and enjoy every minute!

First a huge thank you to netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read one of my most anticipated reads of 2024, early.
I’ve only read a few books that have transported me into the world of that book. I felt like I was in this book watching Kit and Theo grow and love. I felt like I was on that food and wine European tour. This book made me feel every emotion out there; I cried and laughed and felt everything. Kit was by far my favorite character, he captivated me from the beginning and I loved getting his POV and hearing how he talked and loved so deeply.
Casey you’ve got it again, this book was amazing!

I love Casey McQuiston's books so I really wanted to love this, but I just couldn't. I did not vibe with the characters at all. It was definitely not a favorite from McQuiston.

This is a lot spicier than Casey McQuiston’s other books. Definitely more adult. I really enjoyed it. There were a lot of references to food I have never even heard of. I think I’ll need to take my own food tour. Several scenes that had me chuckling. Scenes that had a lot of heart and feeling in them. I cried a little. Overall I think this is a good read.

I really wasn’t expecting that many pegging references.

The Pairing is my first Casey McQuiston novel & it was so good! I loved the theme of food & wine & the European travel...the details were perfect.

The love story was sweet although the miscommunication was frustrating but overall it worked. I would 100% watch this if/when it's made into a film 🙂