I really enjoyed this book! When I read in the synopsis that a hook-up challenge was going to be a main plot point, I was a little worried that it was going to come off as "trashy" or that there would be too many awkwardly written sex scenes with terrible euphemisms for body parts, but none of that was the case. Instead, we were given two (impossibly, in a good way) sexy main characters and wonderfully done fade-to-blacks until the MCs actually got together.

This second chance romance was well done. It was nice to see how the characters both knew each other intimately and were strangers when they reunited after four years apart. Anyone who has ever re-connected with an ex or an old friend knows that feeling, but it is often overlooked in books. Like most in this trope, it relied heavily on miscommunications, both to cause the breakup and to slow down the getting back together, but that allowed for a very compelling story to unfold.

i had to give up on this one which is a shame because i've generally appreciated casey mcquiston's books in the past, but this was a mess.

we're introduced to theo, who is headed out on a dream food and wine tour of europe for the summer. when they get to the train, they run into their ex, kit, years after he left them behind. to be clear, i don't like second-chance romances because i think they're rarely done well enough to make me feel invested in a couple. i don't know why theo was the way they were about kit, but it drove me absolutely crazy. theo constantly obsesses over the break-up, assumes that a woman standing next to kit must be his girlfriend and doesn't ask for clarification, changes their drink order because they don't want kit to have the satisfaction of knowing what they like to drink. so your goal is to... be less of an authentic person out of spite? and i'm supposed to root for you? it felt so childish and strange.

and this is truly on me. i saw casey mcquiston, i clicked request. i didn't see this part of the synopsis: "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?"

i truly should have known this wouldn't be written either well or responsibility. there's an issue with how bisexuals/pansexuals are written as super hypersexual and this book truly struggles from that. that's not to say bisexual and pansexual people can't be hypersexual, but this book orchestrated random hook-ups out of thin air. everyone was attracted to everyone. everyone was sleeping with everyone. i hated that.

the other problem is a sex competition. funny, yes. but it felt pretty disgusting for two adults to make a bet over sleeping with an unaware, non-consenting adult, then after the act is done regaling each other with intimate details of the interaction in a public forum, including making jokes about straps and pegging, like the third party isn't an actual human being. it felt bro-y and gross.

i also felt theo's non-binary identity was an afterthought to sell books, really. i get that mcquiston is non-binary themselves, but i feel like nothing was made clear about theo's gender and there was some really bizarre writing that read like they were wistful to... be a woman? so that kit would be attracted to them?

this is the least of the book's problems, but still a no from me: theo is a nepo baby. a sister that's a major hollywood actor, parents in the business, etc. and theo framing themselves as "poor me, my life is so hard" was so tone deaf and weird to me. i have a long-time hatred of poor little rich kid books, so had i known this was part of the book i probably would have avoided it all together.

food descriptions were dope, though. the drinking was really excessive for me, though.

I really wanted to love this book, but I sadly found it and the characters pretty boring, and the whole food and wine thing pretentious. I also felt the miscommunication trope was overdone and relied on too heavily.

I think dividing the book into two halves, the first with Theo's perspective and the second with Kit's, was a mistake. I definitely liked Kit's POV more but by the time I got to it, I'd stopped caring about these two getting together. It was hard to root for them, and the amount of pages detailing all the people they each slept with to one-up the other didn't make it easier imo. The peach scene was also a Choice.

I tried to trudge through, but if I realized if this had been written by anyone else I would've DNF'ed long ago, so I decided to finally call it quits at 68% since I wasn't enjoying the book.

Thank you NetGalley for this audio ARC. For some reason, I thought this was a YA book. It was not haha The cover threw me off.

I really enjoyed this book, but the characters were a little immature along with an over emphasis on sex. Now, I love a spicy book, but this was not done in a way that worked for me.

100% yes. this one was amazing! it gave me all the warm & fuzzies, and it was exactly what I hoped to get from a Casey McQuiston book.

though nothing can take the place of RW&RB in my heart, this one was a pleasant, happy read that had me in a chokehold from beginning to end! and the steam was perfecttttt

💞friends to lovers
💞second chance
💞hookup challenge
💞bi main characters

I went back and forth between audio and ebook and it made it even better!

This was definitely mcquiston's spiciest book yet. They once again knocked the romance out of the park. I'm not usually one for second chance but I really enjoyed this.

The food descriptions and number of adjectives were a bit much for me, but over all this was a great book that I'm so glad I got to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for an advanced listener copy of this book.

Casey McQuiston wrote the "is somebody gonna match my freak" book of the summer. This one was very "ive been a nasty girl" vibes.

The Pairing is the story of Theo and Kitt, two childhood friends and former lovers who reunite for the first time in four years on a three week food and wine tour in Spain, France, and Italy. As the trip progresses, they clear up their massive miscommunication issues and reconcile the resentment and the feelings they still have for one another.

I don't think much of European vacations, unsurprisingly. However, this book did a very good job of walking me through the most gorgeous parts of a European summer. I was super sad about my lactose intolerance which meant I probably couldn't sign on to my own tour.

The characters are surprisingly likeable. There was only one point at around the 85% mark that I got annoyed at Theo, but other than that? I understood the tension and longing and inability to say the important things. This audiobook is very long and the story definitely could have been cut by two stops, but it never dragged. I think there were moments that didn't move the plot forward, and could have been edited down for brevity's sake.
But when I say this book gets FREAKY, I mean it. I was listening to this mouth AGAPE at the sexual content in this book. Casey McQuiston really went there this time around. Some of the language around sex in this book made me cringe, but that could have just been the audiobook narration.

All in all, I enjoyed the audiobook narration. Theo's narrator was excellent and missed them after the narration switch halfway through. Kitt's narrator was good, but the voice they put on for Theo did not fit the feeling I had for the character.

I am 4/4 on Casey McQuiston books (it's a hit!). If you like Red White and Royal Blue, this one is for you.

I'm always grateful to receive an ARC from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.

Well, with this book, I'm officially 50/50 on Casey McQuiston. I know this will probably be a minority opinion, but besides Red, White, & Royal Blue, each successive book has featured AT LEAST one insufferable main character.

I was primed to love this book, but it was all right. We meet Theo and Kitt, 28-year-old Bi disasters exes who end up on a three-week food tour through western Europe. It's Eat, Pray, Love but make it queer! I did enjoy the Eat part of the story, and I'm ready to book my tour tomorrow based on the delicious descriptions of the food and scenery. The Pray portions showcased Theo's struggle as a nepobaby which never landed. She refuses to accept help from her family because...reasons. The focus on their processing of gender and their clear challenges with executive function would have been better. Kit fairs better in this part as we discuss his need to balance dreams and reality along with lingering grief. It all goes completely off the rails at the Love part. I'm a sucker for a second-chance romance, and this was a disappointment. Kit and Theo spend the book acting like sex-obsessed teenagers who refuse to have a direct conversation. This is ironic because they are both desperate to show the other how they've matured and grown since their breakup. I'm used to reading books with a lot of "spice," but this story was more titillating/salacious but missing the emotional component to make the scenes truly sing.

The book devotes the first half to Theo's POV and the second to Kit. To be frank, if this had been only in Theo's perspective, I would have DNF'd the book, which I never do for an ARC.

I adore Casey McQuistons writing so much. There writing is unique and fun to read.

The overall story was entertaining, but a bit repetitive. The main character Theo was a bit annoying with all the lying to try to impress others and lack of communication. The audio book was a lot of fun! The narrators did a great job.

I really wanted to like this one - I've always been a fan of McQuiston's work, and I LOVED the idea of this premise. A perfect summer story that takes us on a European food tour and a second-chance romance. This should have worked PERFECTLY for me.

Instead, I was pretty disappointed. 90% of this book is miscommunication and then having sex with other people to get over each other. It's also each of the two main characters saying how much they love the other person and how smart/strong/sexy that person is, but we never really see anything that is evidence to back that statement up. Ex. Kit tells us over and over how amazing Theo is and how they're the smartest and most impressive person he's ever met... except everything we see of Theo is them not committing to anything, refusing help from others when other people would KILL for an investment, and overall trying to pretend like they don't come from a rich family which will always give them a leg up in the world even if they don't want to be connected to that name.

I think Theo just annoyed me a little too much (and I say that as a 29-year old who doesn't know what her purpose is in life, which means I'm basically neck and neck with Theo), and Kit was portrayed as way too perfect most of the time. I wish we had a little more heart to more of the background characters as well - there is definitely plot there, don't get it twisted. But I just never really felt connected to any of the other characters (whereas in RWRB, June and Nora were my favorite characters).

I think some McQuiston fans will still enjoy this book, but it just wasn't up to my personal taste (and that's okay!). Here's hoping that their next novel will blow me away spectacularly.

It's Pride Month! Read ALL the Casey McQuiston books you can get your hands on! The Pairing was an amazing story of love, food, sex, and adventure! Also, the narrators were fantastic!

This book was absolutely fantastic. It was filled with so much longing and love and culture and I devoured it in two days! I happened to read it while also traveling in Italy and it totally added to the experience. I adored the main characters, they were chaotic and angsty and their love for each other was so gorgeous. McQuinston really knocked it out of the park with this one! I just finished it and I already want to read it again!!

Also it was so steamy and written so well I was literally fanning myself at times😂

🌈Queer rep: NB/M main relationship, nonbinary bi/pan protagonist, bi/pan male protagonist, NB/F and M/M relationships. Secondary FF and MM relationships.

Theo and Kit broke up right before going on a European bus tour, but now with their vouchers for a free bus tour about to expire, they both unexpectedly end up on the same bus tour. It's told first from Theo's perspective then Kit's as they travel through France, Spain, and Italy discovering both food and all the ways they've changed over the past four years.

I really enjoyed this. I thought it was a really lovely contemporary romance between two people who are so clearly meant for each other figuring out if and how they can really be together. And I thought the perspective shift halfway through the book was a great way to get insights into both characters.

I thought both narrators did a wonderful job giving the characters a distinctive voice.

I completely devoured this book. Each book by Casey McQuiston pulls me in and has me believing in love, even through the lens of imperfect people. I was rooting for Kit and Theo the entire story,

Theo and Kit were best friends growing up, next came the crushes and then the relationship. They break up after a disastrous trip to Europe. Years later they accidentally reconnect on another tour. This was a bit of a bummer for me. I really have loved Casey's other books. There is a lot here to like in the conversations about gender and sexual identify. I liked both of the characters on their own but never really connected with the romance between the two. The miscommunication was so heavy handed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was the perfect summer read! It is beautiful, both in it's writing and it's backdrop of Europe. This story is filled with longing, desire, and love. Watching the characters fall back in love with each other was beautiful. The spice in this book was top tier as well! I am such a fan of Casey McQuiston and loved seeing her writing in the adult genre. I look forward to what she writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for an Advanced Listeners Copy of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the European travel aspect of this book and especially reminiscing about my own trip to Italy while Kit and Theo were there. However, I wish I would have read the synopsis before requesting this book. The premise of the “hookup competition” did not appeal to me. I ended up stopping the book at 60% because the spicy scenes just seemed gratuitous at that point and weren’t adding to the story, in my opinion.

I don’t know if this was a case of too high expectations and being so excited for this book or if I still wouldn’t have loved it if my expectations were none existent.

It’s second chance romance: Theo and Kit end up on this incredible all over Europe tour for the summer and they are childhood besties turned lovers turned exes but still have been pining over each other for the last 4 years.

What did work for me was the quick quippy fun conversations they would have when they would talk, the descriptions of the food and drinks, the side characters and how sex positive everyone was.

What didn’t work for me was first and foremost second chance isn’t my favorite but I like it when the reason for breaking up makes sense and the character growth and communication shows that a hea is achievable… I didn’t see the character growth that I was hoping for. And probably should have dnfed around halfway when I got bored.

I did the audiobook and I liked the narrator for Theo just fine but the narrator for Kit wasn’t a new favorite-quite whiney.

Thanks to netgalley and Macmillan audio for an alc

What I loved:
Binary representation
Bi rep
All the travel
Cocktails and wine in detail (however went into extreme detail ad nauseam

What didn’t work:
The length of this book. Cut it down
It was a little too spicy for me

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy of the ebook and audiobook.

This wasn't exactly what I thought it was going to be. Exes who go on a sexual conquest bender across Europe to prove how over the other they are when they find themselves on the same trip sounded like catnip to me. This ended up not being quite right. I don't know if this was an audiobook problem for me but Theo's narration started feeling very manic in the first half.

I'm wildly annoyed that the initial breakup and years lost amounted to a miscommunication from two people who talk constantly and are relatively decent at having the hard conversations. The time apart was good for them but come on.

I loved that the minute Theo had a conversation with Kit about pronouns and their identity, that was it. All the 'she's' used in the story to that point are retconned and that's all they wrote on the matter.