I know I'm going to be in the extreme minority with this book but I really didn't enjoy how it was written. There were food metaphors in every single sentence, often with multiple in one sentence. That doesn't include the sentences that were actually about food which was at least 50% of the book.

I didn't find Theo all that likeable but I'm sure that was supposed to leave room for growth but I'm not entirely sure they grew enough. I especially didn't like they way they objectified people, seemingly, only interested in their physical characteristics - I would be embarrassed if someone heard me even thinking about people the way they spoke about people. When at the half way point, the point of view changed to Kit's, I was relieved! Finally, I'll get a break from being in Theo's head (and the food metaphors will be over). Nope. I felt like Kit's and Theo's voices were too similar for me and the food metaphors absolutely didn't stop.

Pretty early on, I was hoping the characters didn't end up together (and to die alone preferably) which to me, is a critical failure in a romance book.

***This part didn't have any baring on my rating but it was something I personally disliked. I'm demisexual and these two characters were as far from ace on the scale as it is possible to be. That's fine, most people are different than me and it doesn't bother me. But I found the way they both thought about people as sexual conquests and just really only caring about their physical characteristics really grossed me out. I did however appreciate the way the author used that as a way to add some painful emotions in (I love a lot of MC driven emotional pain in my books) but it certainly wasn't enough for me to make up for the amount of time the book spent on both characters chasing sex with strangers (probably at least 85% of the book).

I was so excited to recieve this ARC and it did not disappoint! I've read all of Casey's adult books and this one might be my new favorite. The way this book made me laugh, swoon, and cry - it was so hard to put down. Side note... the description of food literally made me hunger. Someone, please send me to Europe STAT.

Let me be very clear, I will read whatever Casey McQuiston writes- books, restaurant reviews, grocery lists... I was thrilled to receive this ARC. I'm a huge fan of McQusiton's work, and The Pairing is no exception. The Pairing follows Kit and Theo, former partners who find themselves on the same food and wine tour of Europe. Their travels together are full of food, humor, and sex.

McQuiston made me want to book a trip to Europe immediately, their descriptions of the various sites, food, and drink were rich and detailed. I also enjoyed how McQuiston switched viewpoints halfway through the story, we see the first half through Theo's perspective, and the second half through Kit's perspective. I found the half-point switch to be a unique and very effective story telling device.

Thank you to Casey McQuiston and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of The Pairing in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to @Netgalley @stmartinspress and @casey.mcquiston for the opportunity to review this lush, stunning, deeply romantic, and quirky second-chance love story. McQuiston’s Red, White and Royal Blue is the book that revived my love of reading, so this was a special one to have the opportunity to read in advance. Here is my honest review…

Four years ago, Theo and Kit broke up on a transatlantic flight to London, where they were supposed to start a dream European vacation. They’ve pieced their lives back together on separate continents, not having seen each other since that fateful flight. They each have non-refundable tickets with the tour company that must be used within 48 months. When Theo shows up only to find Kit has booked the same tour, they must face heartbreak and regret. But as their guide and quirky fellow travelers traverse Europe, exploring art, architecture, food, and wine, Kit and Theo find themselves slipping into familiar patterns that only come from a lifetime of love and friendship. As the ice thaws and they talk about what broke them up, they begin to discover the people they’ve become in their time apart and wonder if there are some people that you will always love.

I felt this book in my chest - full of beauty and excess. Kit and Theo both work in the restaurant world, and their passion for food and drink is evident on every page - wine pairings, pasta, bread, pastries, sandwiches, cheese, olives, grapes - this book is a tribute to the romance of a great meal. As they travel city to city, you witness Kit and Theo evolve, and Casey has one of the most effective uses of dual POV I’ve ever encountered. Their love story is unique, and the story makes you feel these people who grew up together, helped each other through dark times, and (despite years apart) still know each other better than they know themselves.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of The Pairing by Casey McQuiston.

If it were possible to consume a book with all five senses, this would be that book. The story is almost secondary to the incredible descriptions of places and people and food and drink. While I’ve never been to France, Spain, Monaco or Italy, I can now imagine myself there vividly, complete with texture and taste, smell and feeling.

In general, I prefer my books to be story and character driven. I’ve been known to skip long descriptive passages entirely. For that reason, this book could have been just a little bit shorter. But let me be clear - I did not skim or skip any of this book. It’s beautifully written and fully immersive.

The story of Kit and Theo was sweet, if a little predictable (as most book romances are) but their relationship is a good vehicle to travel along on this luscious tour.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this arc. Omg! This was so cute! I loved every second of it.

dnf @ 43%

honestly this is on me for even trying to read this after i hated and dnfed rw&rb so! i don’t think this was bad whatsoever and i would 100% recommend to anyone who finds the blurb interesting. mcquiston’s writing just isn’t for me and i feel like her stories are just too long n drawn out for me.

(not posted on socials)

What a thrill to get an ARC of The Pairing before its August release. Kit & Theo spent much of their lives intertwined before a terrible breakup put an ocean between them. Four years later, they wind up on the same European trip they originally planned to take as a couple.

Smutty? 100%. Makes you want to book a bus tour with Fabrizio, indulge in all the fine wine, art, culture, and cuisine from the countries Kit & Theo visit. Certainly a little over the top, but ultimately with the same heart that always brings me to tears when reading CMQ books. 3.5 stars. Hope to see Kit & Theo on the big screen soon.

Big thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Casey for the early access!

There were parts of this novel that I completely loved and parts I didn’t connect with quite as much. McQuiston’s forte is definitely her ability to make lovable characters and up until halfway through I was in love with Theo. I got lost sometimes in the food and wine talk but being the setting of the story, it was fine. Once it switched to Kit’s perspective, I lost all connection to Theo. I understand that they both were meant to have a completely flawed understanding of one another but it was as if they became different characters completely. I no longer believed what was being said. I do still love the writing style and will continue to read her books as the pockets of perfect characterization are often times just that good but overall, this fell a little flat for me.

Each time I read a novel by Casey McQuiston I am blown away by their ability to create well rounded characters that I both love and cherish and want to throttle sometimes because of their choices.

This novel is more sex forward than the previous novels, and not in a bad way. The discussions on sex and gender were very normalized, there was no shame from purity culture as neither MC came from that, and it was a nice departure to read LGBTQ romance without any need for shame or conflict in their coming out stories. I had an inkling through part of the book that was confirmed later and then when the “a-ha” moment came and the pro-nouns changed (as it was by perspective) it was very satisfying. I did grow up in purity culture so I’ve never had friends and acquaintances who talked or had as much sex as was in this book, but maybe that’s who I hung out with. It works in story though!

I also have to speak to Casey’s prose. One minute they’re eloquently describing the European countryside with lovely floridly and the next sentence is short expletives. I absolutely adore it. Beautiful writing does not have to be in absence of characters who use the f word.

The theme of the novel of pairing was so wonderfully saturated throughout. There were so many details about this “pairing” that were so lovely and ultimately so unique from other romance novels. I don’t often read romances where both main characters are bi and fairly androgynous. It was fresh and enjoyable and speaks back to the sex and gender themes that Casey has so tastefully explored.

The Pairing is a second chance romance about Theo and Kit, a couple of exes who accidentally use the vouchers they bought for a European food tour at the same time, who then go on to try to become friends by betting that they could get a bigger body count on their trip, which is really just an excuse for them to fight their feelings for each other, which never went away after the breakup. WHEW.
The relationship itself was nice but McQuiston gave both main characters interesting backstories. Kit is a pastry chef, forever working at a job he doesn’t love, too afraid to take a leap and become his own boss. Theo loves wine and could be a sommelier but they have a nepo baby complex and self sabotage at every turn. Both of these character flaws lead to unreliable narration (the book is written in first POV with Theo’s in the first half and Kit in the second), misunderstandings, and body count inflation.
The side characters are fun, whether it’s two handsome best friends both named Calum, a flirtatious tour guide, an older sister who is also a movie star, or a beautiful shop girl nicknamed Fruit Wife.
While I did really enjoy the book. I found myself reading the same page over and over again and not realizing it. I found the book a little boring at times and there were several points where I felt the main characters weren’t together out of sheer stubbornness.
The best part of the book were the dialogue and the relationships between all the characters. I’ve also never read a queer relationship like this one with a bisexual cis male and a bisexual nonbinary person (who presented female during the first part of their relationship). There are several good sex scenes, particularly one involving anal fingering.
Overall, The Pairing is worth a read. Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Casey McQuiston is an auto-buy author for me. This book feels a bit different from their other books, multi POV, for one. But it was still utterly enjoyable to read.

This was such a fun story and I was really glad for the opportunity to read it! I enjoyed the banter and the chemistry between the characters and how they found their way back to each other and how they rediscovered themselves and their relationship throughout the course of their travels. It was such an honor to get to read this lovely story.

Honestly, my new favorite CMQ book. I could not put this story down. Who doesn't love a childhood friends-to-lovers-to-strangers second chance romance? And I really could read more about the side characters we meet in this. My only gripe is that if felt wordy when poetically waxing about food/wine/art. Otherwise this book was definitely worth the 2 nights of sleep deprivation I put myself through.

3.5 Stars

This starts off quite slow and insufferable. It was hard to be in Theo's head, and for the first third of the book, I thought I was going to hate the book completely. Theo is more of a queer quip machine than a person, and with the weird nepo baby chip on their shoulder, it was all a bit much, and I couldn't find it in me to care about the story. I just wasn’t invested in Theo that much as a person, and didn’t care for them.

I found Kit’s inner voice to be more enjoyable, but both Theo & Kit’s problems - outside of their relationship - felt flat and underdeveloped. They were resolved too quickly, and often came from out of nowhere, with no build up or context, and they sometimes didn’t make much sense at all.

Most of the secondary characters have little to no depth or personality, and we see such little development. So many of them were almost compelling but we don’t get the chance to really know for sure.

The story itself is horny and sumptuous, and kind of a vibe, but I didn't start caring much until (Again), like a third of the way into the book. By the time we make it to Kit's section, the book levels out a bit more, and is a bit more bearable. The reflections on gender and art, and the section in Florence were BEAUTIFUl, and really redeemed the book for me.

However, the pacing wasn’t great, and the book felt a bit too long. This was fun and horny and romantic and delectable, but also poorly paced, and over reliant on zingy one-liners, with weak character development. It felt like Casey went on a food tour that maybe changed their life, and I love that for them, and felt transported there, so that was definitely a plus.

Ultimately not the best, nor my fave McQuiston, but it's a fun addition to the queer, bacchanalia cannon.

Sweet, bittersweet, deliciously layered and multifaceted much like a fine wine. 🍷 Made me want to book a month long tour of Europe and just go eat and experience and enjoy life. Reading Theo and Kit experience the trip and all they saw and tasted is a close consolation prize.

I loved that the pov switches half way through the book and we get to experience the story from both Theo and Kit’s point of views. Thought that added a special richness to it.

Taking off half a star because literally everyone was super hot. 😂

This would make a great movie!

The Pairing’s premise intrigued me. Two bisexual exes on a European adventure competing in a hook-up contest? Sign me up. I was expecting big laughs, mutual pining, and travel fomo. I got some of that but I just felt like this was lacking. The food and beverage descriptions at first were great but after a while it felt like filler. Theo got on my nerves and while I loved Kit’s POV I wish we would have gotten that much earlier in the book. I never felt like the two had much chemistry between them. We also didn’t get details of the break-up until way too late. I will still recommend this book but it was a solid 3 stars for me.

I wanted to enjoy the book, but it was extremely spicy. The best part was at 84% in the book. Sold 2-3 star rating.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read the digital ARC of The Pairing in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and St Marten's Press for access of an advanced reader copy of this book.

Kit and Theo are childhood best friends turned partners. As they embark on a three week European food and wine tour, the couple experiences an epic break up. Apparently, they both got vouchers to move the tour to another date, and, inadvertently, book the same tour four years ago. Neither has seen or talked to the other. As they begin to reconnect, Theo proposes they begin to wager who can have the most hookups on their three week adventure. Drama ensues.

What I loved!
I adored the food sounds, smells and sense of place. This book was expertly researched. You could feel the sun and taste the honey and wine.

What was lacking for me.

Ultimately, the two mains were a bit whiny and immature for my taste. Their personalities were pretty surface. More so, the seconary hookup characters were nothing but European caricatures.

I have really enjoyed other Casey McQuiston books. This one, ultimately, just wasn't for me.

The Pairing is truly an exquisitely crafted, unputdownable story. Casey McQuiston delivers beautiful descriptions of the European tour and of Theo and Kit themselves. Perfect read if you love childhood friends to lovers and second chance romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of The Pairing in exchange for my honest review.