4.5 rounded up. Theo and Kit are exes. It's not that they just used to date, they were very much best friends and first loves that finally confessed in college. On the eve of a European food and wine tour on the plane ride over, Theo breaks things off with Kit. Now, 4 years later they both inadvertently opt to use their tour vouchers on the same tour. Theo wants to project that they have their life together and are over Kit. What can they do, but perhaps compete to see how many locals they can bed along the way.

With two bisexual leads, a lot of spice, copious food, wine, and tourist descriptions, this book is a feast. That said, go in eyes open. Self described as sluts, Kit and Theo are diving in fast and there's a lot of sex. Compared to Casey's other works I've read (Red, White, and Royal Blue and One Last Stop) I would say you could expect double or more in terms of spice. The Pairing is part foodie tourist trip, part millennial coming of age/self discovery, and messy romance. Is the story line realistic? I would say no, but then, is that what you are looking for? There's plenty of joy and adventure to be had in this travel romance.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an ARC on NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

thank you so much to netgalley and st martin’s griffin for the arc of the pairing! genuinely every time i read a casey mcquiston book i am chasing euphoria that red white and royal blue gave me and let me tell you the pairing gave me that!! this one took me a minute to get into but once i was hooked i couldn’t put it down. second chance lovers on a European vacation? that is my bread and butter right there!

this book is equal parts food, wine and romance in the best way possible. i loved the way mcquistion showed us how kit and theo started, how they grew apart and together and most importantly how they loved each other. this was such a raw heartfelt novel, my sappy heart was overflowing. kit and theo truly have this deep raw love for one another and its so devastatingly beautiful. it is messy, it is tragic, it is magical, it is real and i loved it so much! seeing them travel from place to place and what they learn every part of the journey was phenomenal. i love the way mcquiston divided their dual pov’s, it allowed us to dive in to try to fully understand both of our main characters.

also the bisexual representation is amazing, i love love love how normalised and accepted it was in the novel! the non-binary representation we stan! they were portrayed with such care in the novel.

i love kit and theo so much i just want them to be happy forever!! i really loved this book!

This book beat out my expectations by a mile, and after enjoying the world building and wild ride that was “One Last Stop,” they were pretty high. The Pairing combines a delicious vacation setting ripe with a constant sensory overload of food, wine, pastry, scenery, and sexual tension that makes it not just an ideal beach read, but one that you’ll keep on your shelf to let friends borrow in the future. A friends to lovers to enemies to friends to lovers vibe is the best way to encapsulate this trope, though I feel like this rises above being boxed into most of the standard romance tropes. I laughed, I cried, I thought about my purpose on this earth, and as a baker and lover of wine, I soaked up all the knowledge and references sprinkled throughout. Be transported to a gay European vacation with your friends and be so glad you went.

I.... have no words for this book. It was so RAW and LYRICAL and horny-- delicious and filled with sparkly drinks and dripping with delicious food. It gave me a serious case of wanderlust and made me swoon.

Read if you love second chance romance, friends to lovers, spice, BEAUTIFUL writing.

Utter perfection--could not recommend enough.

"The Pairing" by Casey McQuiston is a deliciously indulgent and emotionally charged romantic comedy that serves up a delectable blend of second-chance love, travel, and culinary delights. The novel follows Theo and Kit, estranged exes who find themselves unexpectedly reunited on a European food and wine tour after a tumultuous breakup.

McQuiston expertly navigates the complexities of Theo and Kit's relationship, from their childhood friendship to their passionate romance and eventual breakup. As they embark on their solo journeys to rediscover themselves and heal from the past, fate intervenes, bringing them back together on the same tour bus.

The backdrop of stunning European cities, luscious flavors, and romantic vistas provides the perfect setting for Theo and Kit's journey of self-discovery and reconnection. McQuiston's vivid descriptions bring each destination to life, immersing readers in the sights, sounds, and tastes of France, Spain, and Italy.

The dynamic between Theo and Kit crackles with tension and chemistry, as they navigate their conflicting emotions and unresolved feelings for each other. The author skillfully explores themes of love, forgiveness, and the power of second chances, as Theo and Kit grapple with the realization that their connection is still as strong as ever.

The secondary characters add depth and humor to the story, from the charming Italian tour guide to the quirky fellow travelers they encounter along the way. The banter and camaraderie between the characters provide moments of levity amidst the emotional turmoil of Theo and Kit's journey.

At its heart, "The Pairing" is a story about the transformative power of love and the importance of embracing the unexpected twists and turns that life throws our way. With its engaging storyline, witty dialogue, and heartwarming romance, it's a book that will leave readers smiling and satisfied. McQuiston has crafted a deliciously addictive novel that will appeal to fans of contemporary romance and travel fiction alike.

*DNF-ed at 60%, skimmed the other 40%*
I was so genuinely disappointed with this book. I went into this reading experience so very excited because I love the author’s other books; however, the main character, Theo, was just very unlikeable. Also, the writing was just very cringey at times and seemed over dramatic. Truly, the only redeeming qualities to me were the descriptions of food and Kit.

Sometimes, you need fate to be the one to bring you back together after 4 years of growing.
I fell in love with Casey McQuiston’s writing when Red, White, and Royal Blue first came out but The Pairing is on a whole other level. Theo and Kit have the most beautiful and tragic story. I laughed, kicked my feet, and cried so much throughout the entire book. Their banter is absolutely golden and the longing is so deep. You can tell just how entwined their lives are from the beginning and how much heartache each of them have endured from their breakup.
The entire story was poetry made into a painting at the same time a painting was made into poetry.
I’m so grateful to have received this book as an ARC! Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this story ahead of time.

Usually such a fan of Casey but this one was just alright. I think the overall concept of the story was so clever and made me want to read it of course, but kinda turned off about how every secondary character was just down to have sex with Theo/Kit. I get that it's fiction it's not supposed to be taking soooo literal, but it was just doing a lot at times.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the arc - thoughts and feelings are all mine. I swooned and giggled over "R,W&RB," but my heart belongs and loves "One Last Stop." The Pairing is wildly different from both of these books, and the changes did not work for me. I loved some of the ideas behind the book, the food tour, and the second chance at love, but I'm certain that 250 pages of this book were simply food/drink and location descriptions. It didn't set the tone or immerse me.. It felt very pretentious and got boring. The conflict was also based on an incredibly terrible miscommunication for the ages. On top of all of this, every person in all of Europe was hot and ready to have any kind of sex with any kind of person which cheapened the look at bisexuality and any form of open relationships the author was trying to show. I also was very annoyed by the amount of name dropping? I get that one of our MCs was a nepo baby, but it didn't work and neither did the name dropping. Unfortunately, this was a big miss for me even though the backbones of it could have been such a hit. 2 stars for the facts I learned about wine which were interesting and a good last 10 pages.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Casey is a queer god genius and this book is a love affair to food and wine and travel and first loves and forever loves and friends
Two ex-lovers find themselves on the same food and wine europe tour and try to challenge each other to see who has the most sex in each stop. jokes on them in the end!

The Pairing is Casey McQuiston, so it's a queer horny romp, this time with a side of food writing. It's Travel Channel fanfic. It's #angst #slowburn #justonebed but everyone (in Europe, seemingly) is fucking, and also bi. I read it in one delighted binge, and now I'm hungry.

Theo and Kit grew up together, came out as bi together, fell in love, then broke up in one dramatic airport misunderstanding on their way to eat their way across Europe. Four years later, they've both decided to cash in their food tour vouchers and find themselves together again, accidentally sitting next to each other on the same bus surrounded by honeymooners and two Australians named Callum. In an attempt to repair their friendship without falling back in love, they decide to engage in a friendly competition to see how many locals they can sleep with; it will surprise no one that this does not work out the way they think it will. I have relatively low tolerance for romantic conflict caused by two people refusing to talk honestly with each other, so I was less into these side quests, no matter how hot Florian-from-the-vineyard is. Theo and Kit are both excellent, sympathetic characters, though, and their clear chemistry and love for one another propels this book forward.

Folks who do not care about the difference between schiacciata and focaccia may find McQuiston's dedication to food descriptions a little mind-numbing. Theo and Kit love food, and they spend a lot of time eating food and thinking about food and talking about what they're eating. As someone who reads menus for fun, this worked for me, but be warned. Overall, I loved The Pairing, which feels like McQuiston's attempt to write in a bi sensibility and honor the diversity that love and sex can take. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

This was absolutely delightful & at this point, McQuiston is an auto-buy author for me. The tension between these two right from the beginning was *chef's kiss* and I felt like I was traveling right along with them. I loved this so much!

I don’t know what to make of this. I was bored with all the food content. I wasn’t super into the “romance” or the miscommunication that led to a four year separation. Admittedly I am not the biggest fan of second chance when it isn’t handled well, and this didn’t do it for me. A lot of the relationship was off the page. The competition felt like it was playing a little too closely into a stereotype I see far too often in stories about bi/pan people. I probably would have enjoyed this more if it hadn’t wrapped up the way it did or if it’d been handled differently all along, because not every story has a happy ending, but I am absolutely here for mainstream queer romance in general.

Having read all of Casey McQuiston’s books I can confidently say that this was my favorite yet. The setting, a European food and wine tour, was described so appealingly it made me want to hop on a plane. While reading this book I couldn’t help but mention it to several people in my life. A slow burn in the best way 🔥🔥🔥

Theo and Kit's relationship comes to a dramatic halt when they break up on the plane to their dream romantic European food and wine tour. Childhood friends turned lovers, they cut ties and are left with the option to rebook their vacation at a later date. Four years later, Theo finally decides it's time to take that tour, only to arrive and realize Kit has had the same idea...

For the first few chapters of this book, I was worried. I loved McQuiston's, Red, White & Royal Blue, however some of their other books have fallen a little flat for me. I don't typically love a romance involving exes, and it took a minute for me to get invested. The perspectives felt slightly disjointed to me, with one half of the book in Theo's perspective and the other half in Kit's. First, we see the beginning of their relationship from Theo's POV, then the end, then the first half of the tour. Then halfway through, in the middle of the tour, we switch to hear Kit's POV of the beginning of the relationship, the end, then pick back up in the middle of the tour. I see what McQuiston was going for, but I think alternating chapters would have been a little more effective as it took me out of the story a bit to be halfway through the tour, only to go back to the beginning of their relationship.

I also just enjoyed just Kit's perspective infinitely more than Theo's. The first half was 3 stars to me, but Kit's perspective took my rating up to 4 stars. This is a book that really sneaks up on you! I ended up enjoying it so much more than I originally expected and was honestly touched by the end. Somewhere along the way, I became so invested in the love story. The Pairing is a book full of yearning, decadent descriptions of food, an unmistakable summer feeling, and so much humanity. It is one I will definitely continue to think about as time goes on.

And as always, I adore a book with representation and love to see something new from McQuiston with two bisexual main characters and nonbinary representation!

The Pairing comes out August 6th, 2024. Thank you to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was absolutely hooked from the very beginning.

Casey has this unbelievable talent for character and world building and I was absolutely sucked in to the characters of Theo and Kit immediately. I've never related to a character more than I do to Theo.

Yes, bits are cliche. I wont lie. The whole re-falling in love on a European food tour but sometimes cliche is good and comforting. It was easy to fall in love with the characters and get invested into their will they fall back in love or won't they path through their story.

I knew Casey McQuiston could do no wrong! I really enjoyed this one. It’s a very simple plot: two exes reunite four years later on a food tour across Europe and try to pretend like they’re not still in love with each other. Plotwise, not a lot happens, it’s a relatively quiet story, but I was never bored.
I loved Theo and Kit together, I loved the setting, I loved the absolute mouth watering descriptions of food, I loved the unapologetic queerness present, and I loved the explorations of gender and mental health. The pacing was excellent, the tone was both erotic and tender, and I really felt like I was on the tour with the rest of the characters.
The only real complaints I have about this book are that the ending felt a bit rushed (I would have loved to see more of what happened next), and that the side characters were all far too perfect. Theo and Kit were the only fully developed characters, which is weird for a Casey McQuiston book. Usually I find myself caring more about the background cast, but this time they were all relatively flat and only seemed to want to have sex with the leads and with each other. Other than that, I loved this story and am so grateful I got to read it. I definitely recommend it.

McQuiston does it again. What an AMAZING read.

If there’s anything I love in a book, it’s a good romance. If there’s a second thing I love in a book, it’s an obvious appreciation for food. The Pairing has both in such an astounding amount that it might be my perfect book. If anyone walks away from reading it without immediately wanting to throw a reckless amount of money on a food and wine tour through Europe, I don’t know if we can be friends.

None of this amazing food writing would have worked with out Kit and Theo. They’re both just so relatable and perfect for each other. Even the tension that often comes towards the end of the book felt real in a way that fits them perfectly. So many readers loathe a third act break up. The Pairing managed to keep the stakes high while not betraying Kit and Theo’s true chemistry. I want to be friends with these people. Why aren’t they real?!

Do yourself a favor and read The Pairing when it comes out. Do me a favor and let me know when you do so I can talk with someone about it. ❤️

I had a hard time connecting with the characters enough to invest in the story but overall another fun rom com from a wildly popular author.

I was thrilled to receive this ARC as a huge fan of Casey McQuiston's other work, and this one might be one of my favorites! It was super cute and fast-paced, and I felt that the characters were very likable and well-developed. If you love romance, this one is definitely for you.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!