The Pairing follows Theo and Kit, exes who are thrown together on a European food and wine tour. The chemistry between them is undeniable, but unresolved feelings complicate things. While I enjoyed the book for its charm and setting, it didn’t quite capture me the way Red, White & Royal Blue did. The characters’ dynamic felt a little repetitive at times, but it’s still a fun and engaging read for fans of second-chance romance.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

I am so conflicted about this book. Starting with the personal likes and dislikes, this book was way more about sex than I thought it was going to be. That's my bad tbh, who wouldn't have thought about a hookup competition as being heavily about sex? Apparently me.

I also wished that I could have seen more of Theo's point of view instead of just a split from first half being Theo and second half being Kit. I wanted so badly to see Theo's growth and how they developed self-love and confidence, but of course Kit's POV couldn't give the depth of that. I think it would have made the romance stronger for me, because it felt like the book was essentially Theo being upset about feeling like they are a failure and then Kit just randomly being obsessed with them. Kit had more growth than anyone, right at the end, but I wanted more depth from that.

I did love the nonbinary representation and the support that Theo gets on so many levels. There was a depth to that that felt like the most genuine thing in the book, which I really appreciated.

I just wanted *more* from this book than what it had to give.

*MANY SPOILERS AHEAD, BEWARE!*

I did not really enjoy this book. To be honest, it felt like ‘what if CMQ rewrote Call Me By Your Name and Timothée Chalemet was actually in the book’. Kit was basically a bisexual Chalemet and there was even a “sexy” peach scene.

I didn’t particularly like either character, Theo or Kit. The first half of the book is from Theo’s POV and it’s fairly insufferable, I did not enjoy being in their head. Then we switch to Kit’s POV and he’s just so fucking sappy and pretentious.

I don’t like second chance romances usually, I’m not sure that I’ve ever actually read one that I enjoyed, so I guess I should have known that going into this. We have two people who are super horny for each other, but rather than use their words and tell each other how they feel, they have a sex contest, to see who can sleep with the most people during their food and wine tour. So, it had the second chance romance trope, which I dislike, *and* the lack of/miscommunication trope, which I also very much dislike. And I’m certainly not a prude, but I just found the sex contest to be so… dumb? And, mildly harmful? Like, I don’t even know…

Usually when I read a book that heavily features food or wine I end up wanting to try all the things. I am very easily influenced by food and drink in books. And I am currently having zero interest in anything mentioned in this book. I tried Horlicks because it was mentioned in a book (even though the character admits that he doesn’t even really like it). So the fact that I’m not even having a craving for a pain au chocolat or a nice glass of red wine is really weird for me. I think maybe that there was just too much in terms of the wine and drink? Maybe? And nothing was really all that compelling, despite the extravagant descriptions. And, okay, I know that sommeliers have a wildly sensitive sense of taste, but I’m sorry, I don’t want to be consuming anything that has *hints of saddle leather*.

And overall, I just don’t know that I believe in Theo and Kit’s love story. There was so much pining throughout almost the whole book, but then they make really dumb choices, but oh look, we’re together in the end!

And, another thing I just could not with, was Kit’s whole nosebleed situation. Like, he gets emotional nosebleeds? And then Theo is so overcome with how romantic it is, that they kiss him while he’s having a nosebleed? *contains strong notes of fucking nose blood* 🤮

I feel like I was supposed to really love this book, but it just did not at all work for me. It just came across as two obnoxious Americans being obnoxious on a European food and wine tour.

Another deeply compelling romantic tale from Casey McQuiston that takes us all across Europe. I didn't love the main characters at first, but they grew on me a lot and I thoroughly enjoyed the breadth of their adventures across the continent as they fell back in love.

This was really cute.

The audio book was decently done, but I hated the intros to every chapter.

I also had trouble buying into an almost sommelier spending time in Bordeaux at la cité du vin 🍷 as a former resident, #BordeauxMaVille this is implausible.

This book is one big miscommunication. It was a second chance romance between two queer characters. I enjoyed the representation and the variety in the characters but I did not love how everything centered around the miscommunication. The characters encounter one another on a trip they were meant to take together 4 years prior before a break up that neither knew they initiated. Theo was a bit of a powerhouse with little care about others feelings. They initiate the hook up competition that they later acknowledge was out of SPITE and Jealousy. I preferred reading from Kitts perspective. He seemed more developed as a character with more solid feelings and opinions. I think that a lot of the issues could have been avoided if they actually spoke to one another. I did not enjoy their transition to hooking up with each other "casually" while neither acknowledged their feelings. It felt very uncomfortable and sad, like they were both using each other without ever admitting to hoe they felt.
What I did like was how both characters came into themselves and loved themselves for who they are now and not who they were.
Kitt was so accepting of Theos identity and I enjoyed getting to read about a non binary person from the perspective of someone who loved them.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC.

This is a story about traveling the world to find your home.

There were parts of this I really enjoyed, and it made me laugh out loud. The travel abroad vibes and second chance romance elements were really fun and as always Casey nails the queer rep. The nepo baby struggles made me roll my eyes a bit, and it felt verrrrry long but it was overall still a cute book.
3.5. 1 rounded to 4.

Thank you so much Netgalley St. Martin's Griffin and Macmillan audio for the copy!

I wanted to love this one so much.. and maybe it’s me hyping it up, after obsessing over how much I loved Red, White & Royal Blue, and One Last Stop… but it was just okay for me.

I paired the book with the audio format, and thought the banter was great, and definitely came to life by narrator Emma Galvin and Max Meyers.

*many thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

I really wanted to love this book, but something fell flat. I came really close to DNFing about halfway through. I think for me it was mostly in the dialogue, and this could have been something with the audiobook, but I just didn't feel it like I wanted to. I also usually love a book centered around food, but again, something fell flat that I can't quite put my finger on. I didn't feel immersed in the world and story like I wanted to. Maybe part of it is that I tend to gravitate more towards plot driven books, if I’m going to read a character driven book I need to be really invested in the characters and the world, and with this one I just really wasn’t invested.

Thank you NetGalley for the audio version of this book. The story was a sweet second chance romance with delicious food and wine pairings.
I did not really enjoy the narrator’s. They both needed to do accents that neither could pull off at all and it made me cringe.

I have read all of Casey McQuiston's books, and this is definitely a close favorite! (Red, White and Royal Blue will always be my favorite book!) I loved the characters and their journey. I felt like I was right there traveling with them, and now I need a European vacation, stat! :D

Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

I love Casey and this book was no exception! It was such a fun concept and I felt like I was on the tour right along with the characters.

I wasn't the biggest fan of this book. The first half of the book was engaging and kept me wanting more, but by the middle of the book I was bored. It just seemed too long of a story that could've easily been condensed.

Loved the settings and food writing in this book, but I didn’t feel as invested romance as I wanted to! I loved the individual journeys the characters went on, but the central romance didn’t win me over as much as in McQuiston’s prior novels.

The Pairing
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: Casey McQuiston

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, I am providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, they exited each other's lives once and for all. Time apart has done them good. Theo has found confidence as a hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day, with a long roster of casual lovers. Kit, who never returned to America, graduated as the reigning sex god of his pastry school class and now bakes at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. Sure, nothing really compares to what they had, and life stretches out long and lonely ahead of them, but—yeah. It's in the past.

All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date and about to expire. Four years later, it seems like a great idea to finally take the trip. Solo. Separately. It's not until they board the tour bus that they discover they've both accidentally had the exact same idea, and now they're trapped with each other for three weeks of stunning views, luscious flavors, and the most romantic cities of France, Spain, and Italy. It's fine. There's nothing left between them. So much nothing that, when Theo suggests a friendly wager to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, Kit is totally game. And why stop there? Why not a full-on European hookup competition?

My Thoughts: This story is a beautifully written love story of the journey of two best friends that became estranged after a difficult split. They both go their own directions enriching their lives. They both have a European tour voucher that is about to expire, bought 48 months earlier. Separately, and not knowing they both reach the same decision, they decide to take the tour. It is not until they are on the bus that they discover that they have taken the same trip at the same time. Now they are trapped with one another through a tour of France, Spain, and Italy. Will they rediscover each other? Or will they enjoy the competition of meeting other people? This follows the tropes of queer romance, enemies to lovers, childhood friends, international romance, and LGBTQ+ community.

This book is narrated by both Theo and Kit, but narrated separately, the first half was in Theo’s POV and the second half was in Kit’s POV. Even though we have the separate POV’s, I felt the character distinction was uneven, with most focusing on Theo. It felt like the book was split in half with the structure as it was. I LOVE dual narration, but prefer it in a back in forth type structure. I usually love supporting characters and they almost always elevate the story to another level for me. However, the supporting characters here were hard to connect with and did not add any value to the plot. The beginning was wonderful and the middle had some valuable insight, then the ending was outstanding. Their journey of self-discovery will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions. The author does an amazing job at scene detail, it does make you feel like you are there through the journey of the European countries. The banter and angst was instilled from the beginning and carried through until the reunion of sorts.

TW: language and sex. The narrator did a good job at voice variation and character distinction. The pitch and flow allowed me to listen at 2x speed. This is a long read at over 400+ pages and the audio being 14 hours. Personally, my sweet spot is around 300 pages and less than 12 hours of audio. However, I do love McQuiston and will always give her book a try. It was a bit long for my liking and it could have been slimmed down in some areas, probably at the 75% mark. However, overall, this was an enjoyable book. Love the friends to lovers to enemies and back to lovers theme; I also love a good queer romance. I love how the story spans across the European countries on a trip that includes culture, food, drink, and beautiful scenes. Just because this book was not my favorite cup of tea, I do believe other readers will really enjoy it. I will always be a McQuiston fan. 😍

I’m always here for a queer read! I enjoyed the audiobook. But this one just didn’t top red white and royal blue for me. I enjoyed the story but I didn’t love the format. It was a sweet read and the spice!!! Yesssss.

(I got an early copy of this through Netgalley, but it’s out today.) I love how Casey McQuiston writes queer romances in a way that feel sincere and not forced or too trope-y. Theo and Kit were childhood best friends turned lovers who broke up and haven’t spoken to each other in years. Both were supposed to go on a big European tour together, and both got vouchers when they cancelled their trip when it was originally scheduled… and both end up on the trip together, four years later, right before those vouchers expire. Though they haven’t spoken at all in those four years, they strike up a tentative friendship again, and try to prove to each other that they’ve moved on by competing with each other over who can hook up with the most people while they’re on their tour. Now, this couldn’t possibly make either of them jealous, could it? I liked this story, but it felt a little bit long – it switched POVs about halfway through, and that made it feel like it dragged a bit to me.

I love Casey McQuiston books -- though I don't think anything will ever top Red, White, and Royal Blue in my heart, I enjoy everything that Casey writes. I also appreciated the bisexual representation, an identity that I don't think is nearly represented in contemporary romance books, even within other LGBTQIA books.

Oh my god. I had no expectations going into this book as it is my first read from Casey McQuiston but I knew early on that this was going to be a five star read for me. I enjoyed the dual POV narration, even though I didn’t love how it was split up. I usually prefer alternating chapters, but I understood why it was written this way. I loved both of the narrators. I thought they did a great job. I could really feel the emotions coming through their inflection.
This book made me FEEL so much. My heart hurt for Theo and Kit. I felt like I was in the middle of their relationship. I was able to relate to Theo in a way that I haven’t experienced before. McQuiston did a spectacular job exploring gender and love in all of its forms. For me, this was so different from a lot of the contemporary romance books that are available right now and I think that is part of what makes it very special. I enjoyed dissecting and learning about the layers of Kit and Theo’s friendship and relationship. The flashbacks that were sprinkled in throughout the book were helpful in understanding them even more deeply.
My only caveat going into this book is that it was MUCH steamier than I had anticipated. I’m not complaining. I just had no idea what a large role sex was going to play in the book.
I wish I could read about Kit and Theo forever. I fell in love with them both while listening to this audiobook. It was over too soon. I can’t wait to read more books from Casey McQusiton. Thank you so much to Netgalley and the Macmillan audio influencer program for gifting me with this audiobook.

There's some definite appeal factors here with McQuiston's focus on conveying the sensory experiences of Theo and Kit's Eurotrip but unfortunately that lost out to my lack of investment in their relationship. When you've resolved your argument at the quarter mark and still take a couple hundred more pages to be together you simply lose me!