Casey McQuiston always delights with their gorgeous, lush vocabulary and their brilliant way with words. I could see, feel, hear, and taste the Pairing. Everything was so devoted to the senses, it was just gorgeous to experience, and the fact that the characters and plot were just as intriguing was a plus. I would've read this happily even if the rest of the book was bland as can be - but it wasn't! The emotional depth and journey for both Kit and Theo was so interesting, I was immediately locked in with Theo and fell in love with Kit right along with them. My absolute favorite part, as a queer, nonbinary reader, was Theo's relationship with their identity and their body. Casey hit it better than any other author I've read, even other trans authors. This experience of being nonbinary/genderqueer is the closest I've seen to my experience, and it was affirming as hell to finally see that on the page. Thank you for sharing this story with us, Casey, it was so beautiful.

oh. my. GOODNESS. this book is SO GOOD. McQuiston has done it again <3 this book is quick, queer, and all around a delicious summer read. i've literally started looking at flights to Europe for this summer because of this. plus the descriptions of wine and cuisine were incredible and honestly mouth watering at times. i just know this will make a sexy movie/limited series when Hollywood gets a taste of this! i will def be buying a copy for my library when it releases.

This was a. LOT of fun and a super fast read. I loved all the food and wine descriptions (almost felt like I went through a wine course based on Theo's comments!) I also loved the exploration of gender, sexuality, and friendship. What didn't work for me was the graphic sex scenes. There were just too many for me but that's definitely a personal reaction. All in all, I really liked the book.

I was so, so stoked to be able to get an e-ARC of The Pairing in exchange for an honest review. What a delight!

As a huge fan of Casey McQuiston's previous books, I had a feeling I'd love The Pairing, but it far, far exceeded my expectations. There were so many small details that felt pitch-perfect and so many character moments that hit exactly right. McQuiston is so good at creating characters that feel lived in and real, from their tattoos to their reading taste to their quips. Theo and Kit felt so real, as did the other folks on the trip with them.

I'd seen some initial reactions to this book that made me think this wouldn't have a happy ending, but it absolutely does. I'm not sure why it's getting that kind of feedback? In any case, I loved this book a ton, and I'll be rereading as soon as I can.

I was so, so excited to be given an ARC of The Pairing that I started on it the moment I was approved, expecting to devour it the same way I did RWRB and One Last Stop. Unfortunately, that was 16 days ago, and I just finished it.

The first 50% took me about 15 of those days, and the last half about a day. In all honesty, I likely would have DNF’d this by 40% if it hadn’t been an ARC read, but I am glad that I didn’t. I enjoyed the second half so much more.

In Theo’s POV, the imagery was beautiful and so, so very descriptive, almost too much so for me. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t need that much details on their surroundings. I felt the same way about the description of the food and wine. I understand that it is part of the plot, part of their character’s personality. I just didn’t enjoy it. Theo’s POV just felt like it lacked the emotional depth I was expecting. It was very horny, and it made me want wine, but it didn’t make me fall in love with either character.

I enjoyed Kit’s POV more. Had more of the emotion I expected and craved, a better balance. Maybe I just related to his character better, but it also made me love Theo, seeing them through his perspective. The way he saw them, the way he loved them, it was hard not to love them, too.

If you love descriptive scenery and a horniness that borderlines on yearning, friends-to-lovers-to-exes-to-lovers-again, then this book is probably something you’ll enjoy. Although it took me a while to get into the book, I did enjoy it, although I don’t know if I’ll end up rereading it, the way I did RWRB.

This book desperately made me want to go on a lavish European vacation! (Especially since I read most of it on a plane).

CMQ books tend to be hit or miss for me and The Pairing, for the most part, hits. I do think I’m a bit too ace for for some of what McQuiston is doing to fully hit the mark for me personally, but I did appreciate how they showed a dynamic and complex modern relationship, and the vivid descriptions of our various European locales were exceptional. Though for some readers it might seem a bit much, I personally really enjoyed the descriptions of food and wine in this book as it really sold how Kit and Theo live and breathe in that world.

Speaking of Kit and Theo, I did love our two millennial disaster MCs and found both their personal journeys and journeys back to each other compelling — I love a good angsty second chance romance and this didn’t disappoint!

Withholding my review in solidarity with the readers' strike started by Readers Want Accountability.

casey mcquiston has done it yet again! i can’t wait for it to come out so i get my hands on a physical copy!

thank you netgalley for the eARC

Theo and Kit are best friends turned lovers that were set out for a food and wine tour around the Mediterranean but a comment caused them to postpone their trip and eventually breakup. Four years later, Theo decides to cash in their voucher and take the trip on their own. But when they board the bus, they find Kit is also on the trip. They are trapped together for three weeks as they tour France, Spain, and Italy. When they bet on who can hookup with the most people during their vacation, they slowly open up old wounds and revisit that day when everything changed.

I wanted to love this book but just couldn’t. The first half of the book was narrated by Theo and then the last half was Kit’s perspective. I wish I could have gotten both their perspectives throughout the book. The main characters were great and enjoyed their banter but there were too many characters that it was hard to remember. The author described the wine flavors and tourist spots in too much detail that I easily glazed over. If you’re into wine or visited the spots mentioned in the book, it may be better for you. Despite my reservations with the book, I did enjoy the story. The love story was easy to root for, I just wish it was done with less description of the sites and food and drink.

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

Every time I read a Casey mcquiston book it makes me reevaluate how I think about love. This book was so rich in literally every way. From the descriptions of food and people and sex to the actual characters themselves. I tend to dislike second chance romances because of how we are told of the characters relationship and not shown it. This book does such a spectacular job of evading this flaw. The characters are amazing both as individuals and as a pair. They are relatable and mess and beautiful and they also learn and grow and change which is something I think gets forgotten about especially in the setting of one book and is more often seen over longer series. But they manage to get that out of these characters dispute the short amount of time. It’s also so beautiful written and amazingly queer. This book had me laughing out loud and crying in public places. It made me think about how big and exciting the world is and get me a desire to explore and taste and try so many new things. Overall a full amazing experience from front to back. Loved the different points of view and how it was split almost 50/50 between the two. A great story and an amazingly fun adventure to follow.

I received an arc of this book

This story was cute and held a lot of romance. From Paris to Rome and a lot of place in between, following Theo and Kits story was delightful. Great for finding yourself and figuring out what you want in life!!

The Pairing follows two bisexual exes who, after breaking up four years ago before a food & wine tour around Europe, both decide to use their travel vouchers during the same trip. There they try to be just friends and to help the awkwardness, they decide to challenge each other to bedding the most native Europeans that they can. Of course, when love is involved, it can never be as straightforward especially with the amount of history they have. I enjoyed the European experiences and the people they met along the way. I loved Theo's journey to being open about them being non-binary and how they expressed that to Kit. I have loved Casey McQuiston's books in the past and I really wanted to love this one as much as her other adult books. Unfortunately, it feel flat for me in many ways. While I enjoyed the food and wine talk at first, as I got farther into the book, the constant descriptions weighed down the story. I ended up skipping past a lot of it because I wanted to get back to the story and I did not know what a lot of the food was. The sex scenes with Kit and Theo were cringey as well, which I had never experienced in her books before. Lastly, I feel like a lot of this book was McQuiston telling us how much Kit and Theo loved each other without showing enough of it. I would have loved to see more of their relationship before it ended or even more of their friendship. I wanted more from this and I'm a bit disappointed. I can still see others loving this one but it just didn't work for me as much as RWRB and OLS.

"The Pairing" by Casey McQuiston delivers a delightful romantic comedy filled with witty banter, sizzling chemistry, and heartwarming moments. McQuiston masterfully crafts a story of second chances and unexpected reunions as Theo and Kit, two bisexual exes, find themselves entangled in a hilarious hookup competition during a European food and wine tour. The dynamic between Theo and Kit is electric, and their journey through stunning landscapes and romantic cities keeps readers hooked from start to finish. With vibrant characters, mouthwatering descriptions of food and wine, and a refreshing exploration of love and friendship, "The Pairing" is a must-read for anyone craving a charming and uplifting romance.

A sexy, queer, fun book by the one and only CMQ. This one was exceptionally gay and horny in all the best ways with so much heart and soul.

Yearning. Angst. HEAT.

Gosh, this book has completely destroyed my CMQ ranking and taken hold of my heart.

What a beautiful story about love and food and drink and travel and sex and humor. The utter romance of it all is stunning and might contain some of McQuiston’s best romantic prose yet. I loved getting sucked into Theo’s angry and heartbroken POV, but the sudden shift into Kit’s romantic and longing POV swept me off my feet and squeezed my heart in a firm grip. I’m already excited to reread it, as well as annotate the crap out of a physical copy in August.

Be warned—this book will not only make you extremely hungry but also have you yearning to go on your own European food tour. And fall ridiculously in love along the way.

I think my favorite part of this book might be the copious references to Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings. Could not get enough. 10/10.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Pairing immediately drew me in and I wasn’t sure what to expect. Each of the two main characters narrates half of the book- Theo the first half, and Kit the second. This has a big effect on how the story unfolds and created a lot of emotion and tension. The characters felt so real and their hurt and insecurity about what happened between the two of them felt heart-wrenching.

The setting in various amazing places throughout Europe was almost a character in itself and evoked so much nostalgia for me. The meals and the drinks paired with each location, and Kit and Theo’s experiences with them, made me want to live vicariously through them. The side characters added extra richness to the story and were, like the food and drinks, perfect for each location. I felt so much anxiety about how things were going to work out between Kit and Theo, and the way they kept avoiding their true feelings was at times painful- you could feel their yearning.

This was compulsively readable, with complex, imperfect, and interesting characters, and some fun steamy situations. McQuiston writes characters that affect readers deeply (just look at all the RW&RB fanfiction!) and this is no exception. I think it’s their best book so far and I’m looking forward to its release and reading everyone else’s reactions

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review the digital ARC!

CMQ knocked it out of the park. Wow, I love this and am working on describing how much.

For the first third or so of the book, I was telling friends it's a fun romp of a Eurotrip. After that, it's not that it becomes any less of a romp, but things get deeper and we really get to know Kit and Theo (and their baggage). And I love Kit and Theo and their baggage and Fabrizio and the Callums, etc. etc. I feel very mushy and privileged about getting the opportunity to meet these characters ahead of publication - it feels like I've had a private moment to get to know them before the (warranted) buzz surrounding this novel picks up.

I would challenge anyone who says there's any other book quite like this out there. Somehow it rolls some pretty advanced gender and sexuality discourse into a wild ride of a rom-com, but also there's an element of self-discovery, and AND there's a lot of hot smut. Also, discussions of medieval architecture. Like, well done. Round of applause.

When I remember to document my favourite passages, I like to share some. My Storygraph review contains a few of these.

It was a quick read for me which usually means that I'm enjoying it, so another fun, easy read by Casey McQuiston! Usually, their books are hit or miss with me, and this one was a mixture of both hit and miss.

I loved the general plot- very People We Meet on Vacation, but way smuttier and more queer (both fun!). The very first chapter has childhood friends, Theo and Kit, becoming more than just friends, then the very next chapter (so, slight but barely spoiler) we skip ahead to the end of their relationship.

The relationship ends on a plane journey to London to start a food/wine tour of Europe, so both characters postpone their tour. They have three years to take the tour, so, of course, they both reschedule for the last available timeslot before losing their money.

Each chapter is a new city as Kit and Theo travel around Europe, which was so fun to read! I loved when they visited places I've been as much as places that I have never seen- lots of spots have been added to my bucket list! I loved the travel aspect, as well as all the colorful characters joining them on the tour! And, of course, the romance was very will-they-won't-they, miscommunication trope, and steamy sweet. Very enjoyable.

Without giving too many spoilers, my main issue with this book was the way that one of the character's gender was handled. I really get what McQuiston was trying to do, but it felt jarring to have one of the narrators reveal their gender identity three quarters into the book. Again, I get the point and enjoyed the attempt... but it felt more like the reveal came later for shock value. It felt unauthentic to me that the narrator wouldn't have used their preferred pronouns in their narration, especially as this book had a lot of internal dialogue. Additionally, the book starts without identifying this character's gender which, again, I get, but it was hard for me to better visualize and understand the dynamics of the characters without this information. Perhaps I'm being unfair because I'm not sure how I would alter what I'm disliking,

All that to say, I did enjoy this book and found it to be a fun read which I've already recommended to a number of people! And, a great cover!

I love Casey McQuiston, and this book lived up to everything she has written before. I fell in love with the story and the characters. These two were soulmates and I couldn't get enough of them. I loved this second chance, friends to lovers to strangers to lovers again. I love the forced proximity and the comedy throughout. I would highly recommend this book! I am so excited for everyone to get their hands on it!

my most anticipated release of the year and i am so so thrilled i took the chance and requested an arc for this book bc i absolutely devoured this in a day and a half. cmq does it again. i laughed, i cried, i indulged, i yearned, i fell in love. theo’s strength and kit’s tenderness kept me coming back for more. the way they capture the human condition in words is so unique and has brought so much joy and flavor to my life. i truly hope they never stop writing.