Thank you to @NetGalley for letting me listen to the advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This book only had three things in the plot - food, alcohol and sex. The two main characters only wanted to have sex with every person they meet, and luckily for them everyone they met were the most beautiful people they've ever seen. The book could have been cut in half easily. Both main characters had almost no growth or change throughout the book. Im happy this author introduced many different LGBTQIAP+ characters with different pronouns as well.

I liked this authors other books, but this one was not it.

This was a beautiful, emotional, fun and funny European vacation of a book, you could almost taste and savor the flavors they were enjoying, and I was routing for the characters from the first few pages, the book was full of the magic of possibility, of fate bringing someone back in your life and your problems being just one conversation away from being solved, it was romantic in a way that broke your heart and put it back together again, it was a queer normative book which I loved so much, everyone they encountered being bi/pan probably wasn't realistic, but I loved it anyway
and I'm obsessed with the audiobook - the music and pairing recommendations made it an experience

DNF @35%

I....really should have read the description of this book more closely. McQuiston's books have been hit and miss for me, but a food-related European rom-com sounded fun. What I didn't realize was that it's 1- a second-chance romance and 2- involves a sex-competition to see who can have a higher "body count" on this European tour. Which is gross and relegates attractive tour guides and locals from Italy and Spain to nothing more than bodies being used in this weird, immature sex game between two people who cannot get their shit together enough to communicate properly. There's a line that literally refers to their hot tour guide as the equivalent of a human appetizer. The food descriptions sound amazing, but I was hating reading this book so I'm stopping here. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

CMQ made the wait worth it.

I had hyped this up so much in my mind that I was deeply concerned that it wasn't going to live up to the idea I had in my head.

But Kit and Theo were EVERYTHING. I loved every single moment of this book.

Theo was so relatable. I loved their chaotic queer energy and determination to not be a fuck up.

Kit was such a beautiful soft boy with wonderful feelings and ideas. He was like walking poetry.

The dynamic of these two together. Even when they don't want to be around each other, their chemistry literally jumped off the page.

I loved this book and I cannot wait to reread it.

Ps this book also taught me I am so NOT a foodie hahaha

This book had me lusting for a European excursion. Yes, lusting is the right word. Once you read the book, you'll fully understand why. I love Casey McQuiston and their works. This book is no different. It definitely took me on adventure filled with lots of heart and emotions. Theo and Kit were fun but frustrating characters. I had my issues with the book, but I still enjoyed reading it. It's a little long and there are too many moments of "will they, won't they" that could have been avoided by the two MCs just having a simple conversation. However, it was still a sweet second chances novel about two people who needed time to grow and learn more about themselves before meeting up again in life. I will continue to read anything that McQuiston writes because I think they are a brilliant writer.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I DNF-ed at about the fifty percent mark. The prose is good, but the narration is not working for me. I also find it difficult to buy into two characters having so much rizz that everyone is constantly falling all over them.

The Pairing

OH MY HEART THIS BOOK! Pairs well with literally anything, it was so delightful.

Theo and Kit were childhood best friends, then they were lovers, and now they are living two worlds (and continents) apart. Their voucher for the food and wine tour of Europe they booked before they split up is about to expire and they unknowingly redeem it on the same tour. So many wonderful adventures across different cities of Europe. Among the art, food, wine and friends, they set off on a competition to who can find more lovers on all their adventures. However, these two must accept that the ultimate pairing is really each other.

Such a wonderful story from Casey McQuiston. I absolutely adored Theo and Kit, they way they came together as they are now, acknowledging their past but moving into their future together. The rest of the characters on the tour were also a huge delight and so fun to watch throughout the book.

The narration was absolutely wonderful. I loved how the dual POV worked - switching halfway through the tour instead of alternating chapters as is common with dual POV. Hearing the different languages read to me was also a true delight. I alternated between the eARC and ALC but preferred the audio for the language and accents.

Check this one out if you're looking for:
- Second chance romace
- Non-binary rep
- European adventures
- Food and wine pairings galore

I'll just say - if Casey McQuiston writes it, I'm going to read it. I am amazed and I think this is an important story. I hope everyone reads it.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and Macmillian audio for the ARC/ALC. The Pairing is on shelves August 6th, 2024! My opinions are my own.

I do not even know where to begin with this! I never thought I would love a book by Casey McQuiston more than I loved One Last Stop, but they have done it again. The Pairing is smart, sexy and indulgent.

The Pairing tells us the story of Kit and Theo lifelong best friends and former lovers. While on a transatlantic flight to the food and wine tour of their fantasy the two have a brutal break up and exit each other's lives forever. Time apart has done the two of them very well, Theo has found a calling of bartending and studying to become a sommelier with the occasional lover here and there. While Kit who has never returned to America becomes the God of sexual conquers in his pastry school in Paris and eventually the head pastry chef at one of the finest dining establishments in Paris. Sure, they still think of what they had with the other on occasion, but it's also the furthest thing in either of their minds as they discover themselves.

When they both independently decide to use the tour voucher, they received that was good for 48 months after the tour they missed they never thought the other would have the same idea.

So here they are, ex lovers, ex friends, essentially no one to the other trapped on the same tour for 3 weeks. In an effort to hide all emotions the two enter into a friendly competition of who can better sleep their way around Europe, but somethings you crave more than once....

This story blew me away. The sexuality this book oozes from every aspect is done in such a brilliant way! My jaw was on the floor throughout a lot of this book. The sensuality of cooking and art and cocktails mixed with the history of your old best friend, there is something so romantic about the idea. I was so absorbed into this world; it was all I could think about. I wanted to get on a mountain top and scream at everyone to read this book.

While its main themes are heavy into the culinary world, art history and classic literature it also spans the theme of what sexuality and gender are. McQuiston is no stranger to these themes as their YA debut I Kissed Shara Wheeler explored the same themes, The Pairing does so in a more concrete way. These are two characters so aware of who they are physically and emotionally, and they are not afraid to show it or explore it. This book is full of gorgeous prose and passion and I could not get enough of it!

I recommend this read to anyone who especially misses Anthony Bourdain, lovers of White Lotus, foodies, wine lovers, lost and exploring queers, anyone experiencing gender dysphoria and lovers of smut!

The Pairing is out August 6th, preorder your copy now! I sure did!

Thank you Netgalley and McMillian Audio for this digital arc!

Summary: "Two bisexual exes accidentally book the same European food and wine tour and challenge each other to a hookup competition to prove they're over each other—except they're definitely not."

I have read all of Casey McQuiston's novels, so when I got a chance to read the latest, I jumped on it. For me, this one just fell flat. I did not relate to either one of the characters, or get into their stories (I felt they both needed to just grow up honestly...). I loved the idea of a travel romance with a second chance, but it was honestly just travel from city to city, food, booze, and hooking up (and the book book was pretty sexually explicit).

All in all, not terrible, but not a favorite for sure.

The prose was great, the dialogue sparkled, and now I want nothing more than to do a three-week food/wine tour through Western Europe, but........... the conflict was essentially resolved like 40% through the book??

HELLO I LOVED THIS.

Two exes end up on the same European bus tour and must come to terms with being together for a few weeks. This entails finding the truth about the breakup and deciding what’s next for them. WHILE EATING AND DRINKING EVERYTHING AND IT IS DELCIOSO!

I felt like this was one part travel blog, one part study of the service industry, and one part romance. It was a delight to listen to - full of accents and wonderful foreign language moments by excellent narrators. It had incredible queer rep, queer joy, and some “finding themselves” types of moments, concerning queerness, gender fluidity, and also the way brains, experiences, fears, and relationships work. Casey is so careful with Kit and Theo, and I trusted that nothing bad would happen to them, even if the road was rocky.

All in all, highly recommend the audio AND the print/ebook so you can read AND listen to the words, recipes, and pairings. 🩵

My only note that knocked off half a star is the amount of sex - and casual, random hook-up sex at that - that made its way around both the leads. I just…. Couldn’t get behind why it was necessary to the story? But the rest of the book was such a hit for me I’m sure I’ll read it again!

What a fantastic book! This was charming, and I loved how real and relatable the characters felt. The main characters' emotions as they navigate the past, present, and future of their relationship. There are also a number of compelling and fun secondary characters. Their travels around Europe will make you feel like you're right there with them experiencing the different sights and especially the food! I was told this was "the spicy one", and it is, but if that's not your thing, it's also easy enough to skip or skim those parts without losing the story. Casey McQuiston has written in multiple different genres and has been successful in all of them, and this is another triumph!

Casey always manages to write fun, inclusive novels without it feeling overly forced. Discussing how those that are LGBTQIA are so similar to those who aren't felt so important.

The Pairing was a fun second-chance romance novel that involved culture, friends, and lots of sex but in a great way. It felt like two young people traveling around the world and just having fun. It is exactly what everyone pictures for traveling through Europe and staying at hostels in my mind. It felt realistic but also not so realistic that it doesn't feel like fiction. I enjoyed the references to places I have been in Europe as well as foods I have always wanted to try. I loved the connection between all the characters and how food/wine brought them together.

Casey does write REALLY long chapters though. For me, that is why the audiobook was perfect. I am not a fan of long chapters and I find long chapters to be a struggle to get through but the audiobook helps. I do wish that it was set up to go back and forth between the two characters POV instead of first half/second half but that is a personal preference.

Casey McQuiston has been an auto-buy author for me ever since RW&RB, so The Pairing was one of my most-anticipated books of the year! I don’t normally love second chance romance, so the idea of exes running into each other on a european tour made me a little nervous. But I should have trusted Casey! Theo and Kit were such interesting, dynamic characters and I really felt for both of them for the entire book. I loved the format of the novel, with one perspective for the first half of the book and the other for the second half.

Theo’s identity, as well as the sexualities and identities of all of the characters, was handled with such care and nuance and was truly a joy to read.

The author promised that this was their horniest novel yet and that was the TRUTH! I’ve literally never read about two hornier characters. Definitely go into this prepared for smut!

I loved having two narrators for the different perspectives and particularly enjoyed Theo’s narrator!

McQuiston writes some of my favorite romcoms - they're hilarious and endearing (and sometimes spicy). I enjoyed Theo and Kit's adventures across Europe, even though they left me craving pastries and wishing for a cocktail or a glass of wine. The first half of the book is first-person from Theo's perspective and I love that we get to know Theo so well but never find out what Theo's pronouns are. We get to know who Theo is and when we find out Theo's pronouns halfway through, it truly adds to our understanding of who Theo is instead of being a core descriptor that sets the tone for everything else. The second half of the book is from Kit's perspective and I enjoyed that part but not as much as Theo's, I think. The characters are nuanced and getting to know them was almost as fun as their second chance love story. I could have done without the miscommunication elements and the contest, but that's generally a me problem and not something I'd consider a negative about the book. This one had me laughing out loud as I listen to Theo and Kit's adventures, and I was sad to say goodbye to them.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Readers who enjoy books with the below vibes will connect with The Pairing!:
-Second Chance Romance (childhood friends)
-Mutual Pining
-Forced Proximity
-Escapist European travel
-Books heavy on food and wine
-Found Family
-Open door spice
-Queer Representation

I listened to my complimentary audiobook of this one, and while I was swept away by the sights, smells, and tastes of a European vacation, I just never fell in love with Theo and Kip as a romantic couple. I also just felt like the book was heavily grounded in miscommunication and them hooking up with everyone but each other which frustrated me. Is it realistic and messy?? Yes. But maybe I wanted a little more heart to help me root for them. It is still a well-written romance that will absolutely delight readers, it just wasn't up to my RWRB standards.

I haven't read a McQuiston book in a minute so it was a joy to jump back into their writing.

This book was so funny! I forgot how good McQuiston is at saying it like it is, but in the driest, funniest possible way. I laughed out loud multiple times. Theo was a great character to lead the charge with dry and grumpy humor.

Also, another big plus was the descriptions of food and drinks. It felt like I was with the characters on this European foodie tour, eating and enjoying myself. I'm not a foodie myself so it amazes me that people can know so much about how to pair food and each little component that can be found in drinks and pastries. The foodie bits of this were so well written and presented that I was genuinely impressed. And I loved the intros before some of the chapters. In audiobook form, it was nice to get a little song dependent on the country and the food being talked about.

The plot wasn't my favorite which is where most of my lower rating comes from. It didn't have a clear direction (and exes on the same wine/food tour can only go so far). It felt like we were ambling around a while. And while, yes, there was a hook-up competition, it didn't feel right. It didn't feel like it was leading the characters back toward each other romantically. I wanted more conversation and activities in Europe and less randos in and out of hostel rooms. It was nice that Theo and Kit spent so much time together, but not always in ways that felt right. I wanted more from the plot. I needed to be engaged more.

Audiobook specific things: As I mentioned, I like the quick little songs in the intro pages that came every so often. Those were the bits that Casey themself would narrator which was also a treat. The main narrator was sooo good! Very funny in their delivery of Theo's lines and so good at doing the accents of all the side characters that we meet along the way. No complaints.

Overall, this had a lot of components that I really loved (humor, food descriptions, European vibes). But it also had one big thing I wasn't a fan of. Maybe it's my fault for not knowing from the synopsis if I would be a fan or not, but can't say for sure. Not Casey's best book, but still a delight in so many ways.

Temporarily DNFing for now; I'm not a huge fan of the narration and I don't want that to hinder my reading experience! Audiobook narrators are make or break for me.

I read this during Pride month and absolutely loved it. While I explicitly focus on Queer and LGBTQIA+ books during Pride month, don't forget to read queer all year.

Childhood sweethearts to exes in a forced proximity vacation? SIGN ME UP.

Casey McQuiston never fails to make me fall in love with her characters - this was such a fun set up, and a truly heartwarming story of love and growth - any fan of hers, and any fan of the romcom genre will love this one!