Theo and Kit have split up. For good it seems, after being childhood besties, friends, and then in love together, they are over. In a dramatic fight on their way to an opulent European food/wine tour, they go their separate ways.
But the tickets were non-refundable, but... could be rescheduled. And so when the tour vouchers are about to expire, they both decide they better use 'em or lose 'em.
At the same time. On the same tour.
There was a lot I enjoyed about this book- the food/wine descriptions were opulent.. delightful.. made me want to go wander Italy, meeting people and enjoying new meals at different restaurants every day.
Fabio's enthusiasm for showing his tour guests around was fun to read.
Kit and Theo... not as much. They spent a lot of time getting in their own way.. self doubt, self sabotage... instead of just ignoring the emails from a demanding client and then throwing in the town, how about being upfront and saying I will be out of town for these dates.. and perhaps having cancellation fees etc in the contract esp for materials already purchased? They were not ready to run a business, and could have used family advice, even if they refused the money.
Kit was a little better, but still indulged in the bet about having more partners on their tour, but we really didn't get much from him until the second half of the book, and it was all intense longing for Theo.
It wasn't bad, it was a fun read overall, but it was not my favorite of McQuiston's titles.

HANDS DOWN MY FAVORITE @casey.mcquiston EVER!!!

The atmosphere, the tension, the love, the quips…JUST EVERYTHING!!

Also listening to it via audio was seriously the way to go 1.) because it added a whole additional layer to the story and 2.) it ft. the author (which is secretly my favorite thing that happens in the audiobook world. A fun little Easter egg if you will)!!!

5✨

Thank you @macmillan.audio for the complimentary advance listening copy of this book!!! #MacAudio2024

Genre: contemporary romance

Before Kit and Theo split up, they had planned to take a multi-week food tour of western Europe. 4 years later, and at the end of the limit of the travel voucher, Theo takes a risk and hops on a plane, only to find Kit doing the same. Theo, the daughter of famous movie producers and sister of two movie stars, finds their own life a series of failures and is looking to reclaim joy through food. Kit has been working in Paris since he finished pastry school, but is looking for another spark. While it seems as though the only way these exes can get along is in direct competition sleeping with the attractive men and women of France, Spain, and Italy, their trajectory will inevitably bring them back together.

There's a lot going on in this book (in a good way) so there are a lot of components to unpack. I love Casey McQuiston's adult books, and this feels the most mature and most exploratory (both with the food tour plot literally, but also with experimenting with gender and sexuality and expression of self). It's both a comfortable and also a challenging read, because of the topics it tackles. The rich descriptions of food and wine are amazing, and I dare you to read it and not want to grab a fresh baguette with cheese and a glass of French wine.

The relationship between Kit and Theo is messy... it's second chance, and they are still so young, but it's fully believable. The reason for their breakup was a little tough to swallow, but its aftermath is very very realistic. I kind of love how this book breaks the cardinal rule of most romances - Kit and Theo spend a lot of time sleeping with other people -on page- in direct competition with one another to see who can get laid more on this food tour. And yet, it works, because of the type of people they are and the type of romance they have.

The Pairing is a very queer bi4bi M/NB romance with beautiful expressions of love, sex, and romance. And food. Truly, the food is the third character in this relationship, and it works well.

I read the ebook and listened to the audio. They are both excellent! The two narrators do a great job bringing to life Kit and Theo, and I love Casey's parts at the begiining of each chapter. The bits of music are also a nice touch.

The at times heart-breaking love story, descriptions of food and drinks and places, authentic LGBTQ+ representation, spicy bits, and characters that pulled me in created an experience I won't soon forget.

I've already ordered it in print, ebook, and audiobook for my library!

ONE BILLION STARS!!!⭐️

Holy shit I’m going to need to catch my breath real quick. This book was so horny, and yet, so romantic. This book was gluttonous in the best way. Bright colors, big feels, mouth watering food/drinks, stunning sights, so, so, SO GAY, and did I mention big feels? The hate, the lust, the LONGING! THE LOVE!!!
God this book was so beautifully crafted. Not a. Single. Flaw.

The Pairing swept me away on a whirlwind trip through Europe. I could taste the food and wine and picture the amazing views. And I made friends along the way.

We follow Theo and Kit, two exes who end up on a whirlwind trip through France, Spain and Italy together. They don't know whether to ignore each other, or hook up, or be friends. So they settle on the decision to have a hook up competition, like you do.

I ate up this book. If someone was to plan this exact trip to a tee I would be on it so fast. I really loved picturing all the scenery and galivanting through Europe. It brought me back to trips I've taken in the past in the best way.

I also loved getting to know the other folks on the trip, and that Kit and Theo met along the way. This is my favorite part of traveling and this book captured it perfectly.

Theo and Kit's relationship was an interesting one to watch. I liked that both characters felt very fleshed out and really did identify with both of them. I felt like their fellow travelers, cheering for them along the way and hoping these two crazy kids finally see what they feel for each other.

The perspective switch half way through was an interesting choice. Part of me feels like I wished there was perspective switches every chapter or two, but this did make for a different story telling technique which I enjoyed.

5 stars!

I had high hopes for this one, but I really struggled to get through it. If you detest miscommunication/lack of communication/lying as tropes then I would definitely skip this one. The second half was a bit better than the first half, but overall I was glad to be finished. I absolutely loved the European setting, and the background of wine and pastries......but the plot and character development just did not wow me. Maybe I will enjoy McQuiston's next one better.

What an incredibly heartfelt and inspiring story of love! I absolutely could not put this down. From the rich characters, the story arc and the journey of the plot it was simply unputdownable. It is sure to be yet another beloved book hit for the author and is equally love to see it also adapted for film as the storyline of travel would be so fun on the big screen. This has representation that is dearly needed and feels impactful in its timeliness. Speaking of time, the dedication to flashbacks were big for me here as I felt like it truly gave us a whole experience in understanding our MCs deeply and thoroughly. It might feel like a lag for others but for me it truly helped me understand these characters and their relationship in a deeper way that truly fed the plot for me. I think with such complex and complicated characters it’s vital! Overall I loved the journey and couldn’t have asked for more. It’s heart warming and full of hope and forced proximity heaven.

The narration was so much fun and truly added a special spice to the already rich storytelling and helped a lot with the POV switches. I think the audiobook will be key for anyone struggling with the pov differentiation.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to ARC read I was given both a physical ARC from St Martins Griffin and the ALC from Macmillan Audio & NetGalley

🎧 + E-book- The Pairing- a standalone

✍️ By Casey McQuiston- read Red,White, and Royal Blue & One Last Stop gave 4/5*

🗣️ Narrators: Emma Galvin & Max Meyers.The narrators' voices fit the characters with standouts from Theo and Fabrizio.The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrators worked together well. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story . The narrators paused and announced new chapters with music and each location of the tour.

📃 Page Count:  432

🏃🏾‍♀️Run Time: 14:14

🗓️ Publication Date: 8-6-24  | Read: 7-31-24  

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Griffin, and Macmillan Audio for this ARC and ALC ❤️! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Adult Fiction, LGBTQIA+

Tropes:
❤️BFFS in love
❤️friends to lovers
❤️forced proximity
❤️1st POV
❤️European tour
❤️found family

⚠️ TW: Both H&h sleep with other people


💭 Summary 💭: Theo and Kit have broken up and went their separate ways while on a plane to start their European tour of France, Spain, and Italy. A terrible misunderstanding kept them apart for four years Kit staying in Paris and Theo back to LA. They both decide to finally go on the tour before their vouchers expire. When reunited old feelings come back, but they agree to a hook-up competition.



Heroine: Theodora"Theo" Flowerday- from a famous family where her parents and sister are actors and writers in entertainment.

Hero: Kit Fairfield- his mother died when he was thirteen. Fell in love with Theo and hasn't gotten over it.

Side cast: Fabrizio- funny tour guide; Sloane- Theo's sister a multimillionaire;


My Thoughts: This was OK for me. I didn't care for Kit's POV which started around 48% because he didn't show as much emotion as Theo. They both slept with other people when they claimed to still be in love. I wasn't into the hook-up competition because I like my main couple crazy over each other. Things were messy with the threesomes and both trying to sleep with the same people.

Range of emotions: 😬🤔🙄

🌶️: Spice 3/5 open door
🎧:Narration  3/5, didn't like Kit
😭: Emotion 3/5
❤️: Couple 3/5
⭐️: Rating 3.5/5 *

I absolutely love Casey McQuiston books, but this one was just okay for me. I don’t mind a messy relationship, but this may have been just too messy for my taste?

I also wish that we had more in the past with the characters or really see their love, it was told more than shown.

Loved the narrators!!

Casey McQuiston is never a disappointment! This book was amazing in every way. Theo and Kit are the main characters. They end up on the same trip and the rest is history. Very intimate and detailed. Loved every second of it.

Feeling very mixed about this story. Second chance romances are always a hit or miss for me. This one takes it to a whole different level with exes hooking up with different people was a bit much for me. I did enjoy the dual POV and the start of each chapter with the pairing and setup for the chapter. The story felt just a little repetitive as well. I did enjoy the ending and how they finally got their HEA.

Emma Galvin and Max Meyers did a great job with the narration. Thank you @smpromance @macmillan.audio for a copy of this.

I had high hopes for this book and unfortunately it didn’t quite hit the mark. 😕

There were things I liked about it: 1. All the food and wine descriptions. 2. All the touristy things. 3. 💕Kit💕
But there were things I didn’t like: 1. The POVs being half and half; I think the story would’ve really benefited from the POVs alternating as that would’ve really helped the pacing and the flow of the story. 2. The hook up competition part of the plot was just kind of immature and a lot of the scenes that went along with that plot point felt really unrealistic. 3. 🙄Theo🙄 - they were absolutely insufferable and I found them exhausting. (However I really appreciated the gender identity rep they brought to the story.)

As a whole this book was fine but I can’t say it’s a new favorite from Casey McQuiston by any means.

2.5 stars. This just wasn’t great and never grabbed my attention. It sounded so good, I love a second chance romance, but this one just wasn’t it. This author has been hit and miss for me in the past, so I was hoping this one was more of a hit.

Basically we follow two exes, they were childhood besties who fell in love and became an item, they split up after a European trip and went there separate ways. Now it’s a few years later and they both end up booking the same wine tour. Instead of splitting between chapters and getting the different character’s POVs, we don’t get the other MC’s POV until halfway through the book. I think it would have helped having it sooner. Lots of European adventures! The bit with them making a bet to see who could hook up with more people while on vacay together, and then having the deets of that playing through, was a choice…

I received an audio ALC from the publisher, all thoughts in this review are my own.

Casey McQuiston can write a steamy book with a lot of foreplay, tension, and a lack of penetration.

While I enjoyed the descriptions, the food, in particular, was divine, I wished the characters were a bit more likable. I was not a fan of Kit or Theo. I wanted them together so no one else would have to deal with them.

The narrator's voice for Theo was grating and made the character more annoying. Once the POV switched to Kit, the story got significantly better and I was more willing to listen.

I have enjoyed other books by the author more in the past and will continue to read this author. I am not sure I am the intended audience for this one.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC! All opinions are my own.

I fear that this book has the potential to become my whole personality.

Everything about Theo and Kit made my heart so happy. Add to their incredible connection the setting of a Hot Girl Euro Summer.? The vibes are immaculate. I loved the wine pairings at the beginning of each location section were not only super cute but also made me feel even more connected to the story.

The way that gender and sexual identity and expression were explored throughout this story made my heart so beyond happy. I felt so incredibly seen and there were times my heart absolutely sank, but like in a good way? I’ve never been able to describe how I feel but while listening to this book I felt like the words were pulled right out of my brain.

Don’t get me started on the spice - I am obsessed. No other word for it. Yeah, it was quite plentiful but personally, I L O V E D it. The one-star reviews based on the spice made me giggle.

This book feels like a great happy medium between RWRB and OLS - and thus I believe it is perfect and I love it. No further questions.

I'm withholding my review for this because of the SMP boycott and apparently a lot of you need reminders that this is an SMP title.

All I will say is that this is very different from CMQ's previous books and I didn't love it. (2-3 star)

I wanted to like "The Pairing" more than I did. And, don't get me wrong, there are a lot of things I really liked about this book. I love the descriptions of the places Kit and Theo visit on their tour. It made me so badly want to do a food and wine tour of France and Italy! The characters were likable enough for the most part and the writing was vivid, fresh, and fun. Unfortunately, I found myself dragging through parts of this book, desperately wanting it to wrap up and be over with. It was a bit too long, perhaps. The use of both Theo and Kit's voices in the books (Theo's in part 1 and Kit's in part 2) were nice, but again, towards the end of both parts, I wanted that part of the story to just wrap itself up.

Overall, it was a fun read but paled in comparison to the author's previous book "Red, White, and Royal Blue," which I found to be much quicker paced and enjoyable throughout!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Griffin for the arc of this book.

The pairing is a delightful romp full of sex, yearning, and the most deeply bisexual characters that have ever been written. I had so much fun following our two MCs romp around Europe and watching them resolve past grievances. I would recommend this book to lovers of romance and unrealistic plotlines.

Thank you in advance to the publisher for an early copy for review.

Audio Review: The audio is a good way to give this book a try. There are added sounds and voices throughout that help the story come alive and feel more immersive.

Story Review: this is going to be a difficult review to write. This book just simply was not for me. I have thought hard about who may enjoy this book, and I think I've been able to seperate that. For my own enjoyment, I just didn't. The two main characters were written in a way that felt very immature and unrealistic for me. However, I do believe that there are people who may share similar thoughts and actions out there, my own lived experience was just a little irritated by these characters. I feel like this book, let out a different part of Casey McQuiston's heart and desires and it should be consumed by people who could appreciate that. This story is very carefree, do what you want, be who you want, no consequences considered. There is nothing wrong with that, we all need a little of that in our life. It just didn't hit well for me right now.

One issue I had was with believability. This is a second chance love story, however, in the first 10 percent when they are meeting again, one main character start talking about how good at relationship-ing the other is and how perfect they are. Now, how could that make sense when it's your ex. I understand break ups are confusing and multifaceted, but we aren't even going to acknowledge that? I don't typically get hung up on these small details but they really bothered me in this story.

If you are at a point in your life where you want to experience a character who lives without thinking, has a ton of sex (including a competition about how much sex one can have), etc... then give this a try.

I don't actually think I should rate this book but because netgalley and goodreads makes me, I think a 3 star is a fair representation.