I want to begin this review by saying that I am a Casey McQuistion girl. RWRB, One Last Stop and I kissed Shara Wheeler are books I love so I went into the Pairing with very high expectations, and unfortunately those expectations were not met, though I still really enjoyed this book.

Theo and Kit are our leads and they are on a trip through Europe where they get to enjoy the food, the wine, others and each other. Being on a trip with the person who broke your heart would be challenging and Theo and Kit decide to make things more interesting by competing for who can have more romps. So, this book is slutty (complimentary), smutty (complimentary), and chaotic (not complimentary). You have to suspend reality a little bit that every single person's engine is revving and rearing to go, at like, all times, but that's not a problem for me. THe problem is that it all feels too chaotic in the face of the core romance. Things just don't feel like they have the opportunity to get really flushed out.

The representation in this book is, of course, great and they do a great job showing us that relationships can work and not look the way you expect them to - but Theo, in my mind, does not take enough ownership of their mistakes as well as really working to solve their insecurities. I think we are led to believe this happens off page, which is hard because so much of the insecurities are discussed on page.

The chaos also comes in from ALL the side characters. I think that's where I felt like I had the most whiplash.

That being said, the resolution spoke to me. This is a summer romp. The narrators, especially Theo's, made the characters feel more real, even in this somewhat unrealistic romance. The narrator for Kit also did a wonderful job at expressing is exasperation and desperation - really made me feel the emotional turmoil of the character.

I think you can have total fun with this book, but I don't think I will revisit.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an Audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to get this book from NetGalley because One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is one of my absolute favourite books. Unfortunately, this book did not match the energy and my expectations, which was disappointing for me. However, The Mermaid’s favourite book is One Last Stop, and she really enjoyed this book. So, it just goes to show how subjective reading experiences are.
This book may not have been my cup of tea, but I think a lot of people would love it. People who love to see a healthy turn-around in a relationship, people who love the “will-they-wont-they” arc, hopeless romantics who love a story about a sprawling adventure and people overcoming their own problems to come out stronger, queer dreamers and people who can look outside of unhealthy dynamics to see people more clearly than I can. I also think people who can cope better with the frustration of watching two people get in their own way would love this. It’s just not my cup of tea. It’s something I really struggled to overcome in my life and so I think it just put me back in that space of hurt and struggle.
The narrators were incredibly skilled in their portrayal of the characters and getting the emotions and feelings of the scene to come alive. I think the narration saved it. I really struggled with the focus on sex and found the book excessively horny. At one point I wrote in my notes “Am I a prude??” because I just found it excessive. But, you know, I’m probably just a prude.

I don’t feel like I’m the target audience for this novel, which is why there were quite a few elements I struggled with. That being said, I found myself both relating to, and empathizing with, both Theo and Kit. It is even possible that part of the reason I wasn’t a huge fan of the characters is because I related a little TOO hard to some of their feelings and behaviours because I was once-upon-a-time a super toxic individual. So, I imagine some of this just brought me to a difficult place. Both as someone who has been in a toxic place, and as someone who has experienced a lot of toxic relationships and had some awful experiences as a result of those relationships. All of this to say, I am not going to read this again, but I imagine someone who can look at this book more objectively will be able to focus on the better parts.

I loved hearing about the various places that the tour went to, especially the food scenes. I love baking and cooking, so I really enjoyed reading about people appreciating food and local views. I would love to go on a tour like this, I want to take The Mermaid to Europe one day and I hope we can do a trip like this. It sounded amazing. I also really enjoyed watching Kit and Theo get out of their negative patterns and grow as people, so I am happy that I stuck through with the book so that I was able to witness that.

This was a fun and adventurous read that certainly satisfied some of my wanderlust but it was also emotional and sweet and deep. I really found the exploration of the character's feelings and doubts about themselves interesting to read and Casey McQuiston handles so many different character moments with ease and gentleness. I found some of this to be a bit too spicy for me personally but I was able to skim a few of those parts ;)

Casey McQuiston’s ‘The Pairing’ was a queer romance that captured the beauty of travel, good food, and community. As a foodie and avid traveler, I really enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the food and wine that the characters explore throughout Spain, Italy, and France and I definitely bookmarked several locations to visit on my future travels.

One of the standout elements of the book was the inclusion of a non-binary character, whose gender identity and pronouns were thoughtfully addressed, and their journey felt incredibly authentic. The romance between Kit and Theo was so loving and tender, and they might be my second favorite Casey McQuiston couple (August and Jane 4ever!!!!) .

Overall, 'The Pairing' was a delightful read and I look forward to Casey McQuiston’s next book.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Mini synopsis: two exes find themselves on a European food tour and explore what happened in their past & could they have a future together?

Okay I kinda loved this? I shouldn’t be surprised but the summer is the time for road trip tropes. The long European excursion was so fun to follow along with. Did I know what they were talking about with the food and wine? No. Did some of the flowerly language and themes go over my head? Sure. But the vibes were good so that’s all that matters! Casey McQuiston’s strengthen to me is always their characters! I loveddddddd Kit & Theo, two flawed people who were literally in love and made for each other no matter what they say! The slow build from this weird heartbreak to falling back into friends to more was so sweet & cute 🥺 not only were our 2 MCs perfect, but all the side characters (again another CMQ classic) blonde calum, calum, Dakota, Montana, etc are the found family I love! There’s also a lot of deeper meanings of grief, acceptance, identity, gender, coming of age etc that I’m just scratching the surface BUT if your a fan (which most of y’all are!) you’ll love this! It’s my favorite CMQ!

My ranking just for funsies:
1. The Pairing
2. One Last Stop
3. Red White and Royal Blue
4. I Kissed Shara Wheeler

This was the third book I have read by Casey McQuinston (but my first one as an audiobook). I really enjoyed "Red, White, & Royal Blue" and "One Last Stop" so I had high hopes for this book.

In all honesty, the beginning of the book was slow. It was not bad! The pacing was slower than that of something I usually read. The story really picks up when we switch halfway to another character's point of view.

Top points of the book:
1) LGBTQ+ representation. I love books where characters are just themselves, and happen to be gay, bi, etc. We see bisexual representation in both Theo and Kit. And once again, this is just them being openly themselves. They each go after both males and females in the books and it's normal. SPOILER ALERT: halfway through the book, we learn that Theo is non-binary. It was literally a seamless transition from the narrator calling Theo "she" to "they". Nothing crazy about it. Just accepted it and moved on which I loved.
2) Food and wine descriptions: Are you kidding me?!? These were so good. Literally, some of the best descriptions of food, drinks, wine, etc I have ever read. I felt like I was actually tasting the things. Made me want to go on a trip to Europe to indulge.
3) Kit and Theo's relationship. Regardless of what it was or had been in the past, friends, lovers, or somewhere in between, it was so honest and real. They had issues, but they accepted each other as they were.
4) No spoilers, but I loved the ending! Endings are big for me and I am glad how this turned out.

Small cons:
1) miscommunication trope: I get that this was a big part of the book, but it frustrated me! Especially after being in both character's heads! I just wanted them to communicate!!!
2) sometimes it was a bit unrealistic: both Kit and Theo being able to go around to anyone they wanted to and could hook up with them.

Middle-ground:
1) I would say the sex scenes edged on erotic. Not good or bad for me personally, just an observation!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it!

This book was so very queer and tasty! This was a Macmillan Audio pick and I honestly have never read a Casey McQuiston book before, so that’s part of why I picked it; they are such a popular author from what I’ve seen on Booksta, I wanted to try them out!

The overarching tone of this book is bittersweet as it’s a story of second chance romance between former best friends to lovers—mind you, these are two of my least favorite tropes, but I like to go out of my comfort zone sometimes! But there is an air of positivity throughout the story, because how can anyone be too down during a European food tour?! Plus, there is also a lot of sex positivity and flirting and sexing, so that was good fun!

My favorite parts of this book were the descriptions of the locales, foods, and wines. I am such a foodie, and I think this book needs to be paired with a cookbook (see what I did there?)! I added so many cities to my “want to visit” list!

In the end, Theo and Kit absolutely stole my heart, so I’m giving this book four stars!

I enjoyed the narration by Emma Galvin and Max Meyers; multiple narrators is always a good time!

This was a spicy book with so many feels! A full review will. be coming soon but happy pub day to Casey and The Pairing

I'm sorry to say that this one just didn't work for me. I tried and tried but I just couldn't connect with it. Everything felt so superficial and the second chance romance didn't work for me at all.
It's so unfortunate because I've loved Casey McQuiston in the past.

It was all made even worse by a narrator that completely grated on my last nerve.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ALC.

I kept hearing about this book way before it became popular and was stoked when I had the opportunity to read it before it came out. Great job to Book of the Month for selecting it as an option because this book is it!!! The plot, the characters,the storyline but the DESCRIPTIONS is what makes this book so special. I absolutely fell hard for these characters to the point where I actually shed tears. I was so envolved with Theo and Kit that I felt they were my own intimate friends. Their steamy storyline looped with their clear connection makes this book absolutely top tier.

I havent read a book in such a long time that actually made me *feel* and not just move from page to page. These are characters Im going to think about forever. How lucky are we to get this book!

Wow I loved this book! Theo and Kit give big chaos bisexual energy in the best way. As a wine seller myself I loved that Theo was going through sommelier training and McQuiston didn’t shy away from the nerdy wine talk throughout the book. This book was a sexy euro tour that had me laughing and kicking my feet the whole way through. Don’t wait to read it!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publishers for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love how the audio brings everything to life. I adore Kit and Theo with all my heart. Casey McQuiston never misses.

What better book to read during the summer than a book that takes you on a wine and food pairing tour through Europe?? Two ex-best-friends-turned-ex-lovers reunite unexpectedly and are trapped on a tour that they initially had planned to take together, four years in the past. They run through a gamut of emotions and eventually find the ability to speak their truths to each other. It doesn't start out spicy, but it definitely ends up extremely spicy. Don't read this book if you can't handle bisexual heat.

This book made me want to travel and taste all the amazing foods and drinks that were described. I was totally invested in both character's emotional journeys, and I enjoyed that the audio version of this book had separate narrators for Kit and Theo. Both narrators were perfect for the parts, and the jaunty music during the chapter headings/pairings was a fun addition.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This is my honest review.

This review is specifically for the audio arc of The Pairing by Casey McQuiston.

I went into reading this book after I had read many negative reviews. I didn't have high hopes for it, but I also tend to like books that other people don't. I might have agreed with some of the reviews if I hadn't finished the book.

The Pairing starts off introducing Theo and Kit with a bit of background, from Theo's pov. We get the understanding that they are both bi, they both have a love for food and wine, they were friends long before they became lovers, and then they had a fight on the plane flight over to their booked European food and wine tour.

If this introduction makes you think Theo is a frustrating nepo-baby, with anger issues, you come to find later that isn't the truth. I won't spoil the revelations and character growth throughout the book, but it is worth sticking to the end. I did enjoy Kit's POV more, but that's not because I liked Kit more. It's because Kit sees Theo as we should all see Theo, with love and compassion. Theo doesn't view themself that way.

I really liked the dynamics between the two mains as well as all the supporting characters. ***Fabrizio is a gem and must be protected at all costs.***

Overall gave this a 4 stars, only because I think occasionally the descriptions of places and foods ran on a little too long into a Love letter to travel rather than between Theo and Kit. In general I get this with McQuiston's writing anyway (So much political descriptions in RWRB 😵‍💫) However, kudos points to how incredibly well researched everything was. I would compare it almost to high fantasy world building but with food and travel, some people love that and some people feel bogged down by it. I'm probably somewhere in the middle with this book.

And yah, there are plenty of intimate scenes, but many of them are fade to black, or skip to the end. When they are needed and meaningful, they go into more description. I thought that was a good balance and didn't overwhelm the reader with meaningless sex.

I have been a Casey McQuiston fan since Red, White, & Royal Blue.

While I didn’t love Theo and Kit as much as Alex and Henry I did enjoy this one.

Immersive reads have basically become my personality at this point but for this one I highly recommend the audio. I really enjoyed Emma Galvin and Max Meyers narration a lot and at times when the story was dragging I turned to the audio and that got me out of the slump.

I am bummed I didn't read this when I was in Europe last month. This would have been fun to read along with while I was also in Italy and France.

One of my favorite things about romance reads is getting dual POV. Theo and Kit are both characters you’re going to love for their own quirky ways. They both struggle with things we all do and it was very refreshing the way McQuiston explored those themes.

Now I want to eat all the european treats I miss so much!

Thank you @stmartinspress for the early reading copy and @macmillan.audio for the early listening copy

3.85 stars

Casey McQuiston is one of my favourite authors and their newest release contains even more joy and adventure than I was expecting. The title is a terrific play on words for this multilayered story about romantic/friendship relationships. And it also contains a food and drink pairing for each chapter's stop on a European tour.

The story is about two friends who have been estranged for almost 4 years and then accidentally reunite when they need to use up a travel voucher for a trip they bailed on. The book includes an adorable map, and while it wasn't in the audio arc I listened to, it is available on Casey's Instagram and hopefully will be included as a PDF in the official audio release because it really adds another dimension to the story.
This was different kind of story than the other books I've read by Casey McQuiston, but just as good - not as swoony or sunshiney but more contemplative and angsty.

The audiobook narration by Emma Galvin and Max Meyers was fantastic, with musical interludes and food and wine pairings provided by the author!

I really enjoyed The Pairing by Casey McQuiston. I had only read one of their backlist (One Last Stop) before starting this one but it definitely made me want to check out their older books as well!

I really liked getting to know both Kit and Theo and found I liked the story from Theo’s perspective more than when it was told by Kit. It was a bit jarring when the book changed perspectives halfway through and I’m not sure it really added much to the story to do this but it was an interesting way to tell the story. I also liked Theo’s narrator a lot more than Kit’s.

This one has really descriptive sex scenes, so if that is something you don’t like, this one might not be for you. As someone who reads a decent amount of romance, even I was like “wow there is A LOT of very descriptive sex.” So be prepared for that.

I did really like the author’s writing style and how she told the story. The food descriptions were amazing and made me want to go to each of the locations and enjoy all the meals. I think the book could have benefited from a bit more editing as it felt kinda long to me.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I loved the dual narration, very good representation. Cute rom com with travel!I really enjoyed this and cannot wait to have it in our store

My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a pretty relaxing and quick read. The relationship and issues between the two main characters were believable and relatable. Another good one by this author!

This is a really good example of a book I started, “punished” by ignoring it for awhile, picked it back up still feeling so-so on it, and then ended up iking by the end? One thing is for sure, I will definitely remember the vibes of The Pairing which I believe is McQuiston’s overall intent. File under super slutty travel bisexual book with tons of food and beverage references.

So why the mixed feelings? This one was slow to start for me. As an ALC I knew I would get dual narration, but the first half is single POV from Theo Flowerday, and it wasn’t until I got Kit’s POV that I felt the story took a more romantic turn. I think with travel novels, there’s always a bit of repetition or at least it can be difficult to be inventive with the plot and the food/drink pairing with each locale helped tell more of the story as I read more. Initially I was turned off by the idea of two exes entering an almost competition-like race to see who can hook up more. Maybe that’s my age, but it didn’t seem like the best way to get over someone, and I started out not liking Theo. McQuiston, however, worked their magic and amped up the chemistry between Kit and Theo as they spent more time together, creating a love story slowly simmering under all those messy feelings.

I also now have to thank McQuiston for a scene with a peach that will live rent free in my head, and some of the hottest orgasm-giving without kissing or penetrating—when Theo makes a rule, Kit knows how to follow it to a T. So if you’re looking for lots of open creativity with your MCs, plenty of food and drink, a cast of characters where everyone’s queer and it might not be a surprise that your tour guide would want to sleep with you, you’ll probably enjoy the way this book tries to do something new. McQuiston after all, knows how to write romance that challenges the genre.

I also was really glad I received an early listening copy because both Emma Galvin and Max Meyers did a phenomenal job of narrating. I especially loved Meyers as Kit and felt like he really embodied Kit’s responsiveness to Theo. The ALC also had Casey McQuiston narrating food and drink “pairings” at the start of each chapter which was a nice touch. All opinions are my own.