Theo and Kit, after breaking up on their way to a European food and wine tour, wait until the last moment to redeem their refund vouchers and end up on the same trip. They make a bet to see who can sleep with the most people throughout the tour including charismatic tour guide Fabrizio. Needless to say this is not the healthiest of coping mechanisms...

I raced through this book in two sittings. The settings were beautifully described, as was the food and drink. I loved the dual POVs and the exploration of what it truly means to be yourself. While the ending was predictable, this didn't detract from the enjoyment of the journey. Another winner from Casey McQuiston.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC!

Prepare to be swept off your feet and taken on a rollercoaster ride of emotions with "The Pairing" by Casey McQuiston. This book is an absolute gem, filled to the brim with humor, sensuality, and an abundance of pop culture references that will leave you grinning from ear to ear.

From the moment I delved into its pages, I was completely captivated by McQuiston's trademark wit and charm. They have a knack for creating characters that feel incredibly real and relatable, and in "The Pairing," they have truly outdone themselves. Theo and Kit, our lovable protagonists, stole my heart with their quirks, flaws, and undeniable chemistry.

One of the highlights of this book is the dual POVs. Getting to see the world through Theo and Kit's eyes was an absolute treat.

Honestly a perfect summer read!

Thank you Casey McQuiston for bringing more disaster bisexuals into the world.

No, this is not a literary masterpiece, but I had a splendid time. I love the silly and lighthearted tone in which this is written. Not everything is completely realistic, some things work a bit too perfectly, but that's alright in my opinion as it works for the story.
The enjoyable romance, pining, and spice, paired with beautiful depictions of numerous sunny European locations, make this an ideal summer read.

*eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

sometimes i forget just how good books can be, and casey mcquiston's books are always ones that remind me of this. reading this was a totally immersive, unapologetic, and indulgent sensory experience that i couldn't get enough of, from the imagery, to the food and drink descriptions, to the intimacy, to the aching and yearning i felt on behalf of the characters. also i felt so touched by how this book had a nonbinary main character and how this was handled very realistically - it was wonderful to read the perspective of kit and how he completely loved and accepted theo because they were now being completely themself. also the scenes where kit reflected on gendered bodies in renaissance art were so beautiful. i thoroughly recommend!!

Theo and Kit have gone from childhood friends to estranged exes. Four years ago they broke up while on their way to join a European food and wine tour, and they haven't seen or spoken to each other since.
The voucher for the tour was valid for 48 months, and separately both have decided now is the time to use it, and so find themselves on the same tour.
This book has plenty going for it, the descriptions of the various locations and the food, the fact that both lead characters are bisexual and instead of this being seen as something weird nobody bats an eyelid. The problem I have with this book is Theo, as a character I fail to understand why Kit would still be in love with them, Theo comes across as one of those people who is allowed to be mean to other people but doesn't think that anybody should dare to be mean to them.

A joyous slutty bisexual European summer filled with food, wine, culture and sex

This was such a great read! I had the best time reading this book and didn't want to put it down

I love that each new city got its own chapter (it didn't feel rushed or drawn out) and I loved the little illustrations in the chapter header and pairings that went with each city

I really enjoyed that the first half of the book was from Theo's pov and the second half was from Kit's. I liked that you got both povs with all the feelings of hurt/angst/longing/love but it wasn't constantly flip floping between the two

I loved both the main characters and also the side characters, the whole tour group was so fun

- second chance romance
- forced proximity
- road trip
- bisexual and non binary main characters

A fun romp through Europe, with excellent descriptions of food and wine and a lot of sexy time. Definitely Casey McQuiston's horniest book yet!

"The Pairing" by Casey McQuistion is an enchanting tale bathed in the warm glow of summer, where the paths of two former flames, Theo and Kit, converge unexpectedly on a culinary odyssey across Europe. What begins as a playful challenge to tally up conquests soon evolves into a journey of self-discovery and rekindled affection. McQuistion's vivid prose transports readers to the sun-kissed landscapes of France, Spain, and Italy, each locale pulsating with its own unique charm.

From the bustling streets of Paris to the tranquil vineyards of Tuscany, the narrative brims with tantalizing descriptions that awaken the senses. The culinary delights described with such fervor by Theo and Kit left me yearning to savor each dish alongside them, my palate tantalized with every page turn.

Yet, beyond the allure of exotic locales and delectable cuisine lies the heart of the story—the complex and endearing characters of Theo and Kit. Their breakup, shrouded in misunderstanding and personal struggles, unfolds into a poignant exploration of ambition, independence, and the enduring bonds of love. Kit's determination to forge their own path amidst the shadows of familial expectation, juxtaposed with Theo's longing to fulfill his culinary dreams, imbues the narrative with depth and resonance.

Their banter crackles with wit and humor, injecting moments of levity into their tumultuous journey. As their shared history unfurls through alternating perspectives, it becomes evident that their connection transcends time and circumstance—they are, undeniably, soulmates intertwined by destiny.

McQuistion deftly navigates themes of identity and acceptance, particularly through Kit's poignant coming-out journey as non-binary—a testament to the author's commitment to inclusivity and representation.

The tender romance that blossoms between Theo and Kit is rendered with sensitivity and authenticity, each intimate moment woven with care and tenderness. Their gradual realization of the depth of their feelings for one another is both heartwarming and profoundly moving, underscoring the timeless adage that true love never truly fades.

Actual rating 4.25⭐️

I loved this book with my entire heart and I honestly can't believe how fast I finished it.

My first ARC and third book I ever read from Casey McQuiston.

There is sooo much of this book that shouldn't make sense, but it totally does.
It started so slow and it just kept that pace even though in the second part there was more happening but it was perfect that way. The writing was beautiful and the characters felt so real so it just went together really well.
I loved how the book was separated in two parts, the first told in Theo's pov and the second from Kit's. It's maybe the first book that I read in a while where I loved both MC's equally!
I loved the trips and the food, their little competition and all the side characters made this book so much better.
I really liked how Casey showcased all of Theo's insecurities and Kit's feelings.
Honestly thought I would be disappointed with the end after that last night in Palermo, but it was literally perfection!!!
One thing I always admire and adore in Casey's books is the found family and this was no exception.
I will have to reread it closer to release day because I can't stop thinking about this book!

Thank you so incredibly much to Casey McQuiston and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I had high hopes for this book as I absolutely loved 'Red, white and royal blue' when I read it several years ago now. I started out positively, enjoying the way the novel started and the premise of two exes being forced back into each other's company after 4 years apart, and for the first 100 pages or so this continued, but not for long.

There is really not a lot of plot here, it's simply two exes each pretending that they're over each other and doing this by sleeping with pretty much every one they meet on their travels (who, all seem to be extremely attractive and ready to sleep with them for no reason!) I don't want to sound too negative, but I couldn't finish this, I got about half way through and simply had enough of food descriptions interspersed (and sometimes mixed) with explicit sex and no plot or engaging characters.

"The Pairing" is Casey McQuiston’s latest book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The premise is that Theo and Kit, exes who had planned a European tour together, end up on that exact tour years later. We get to follow their antics through numerous amazing cities.

The narration style of this book was a delightful surprise! We get snapshots from Theo and Kit's past, and we also get a dual POV in a way I’ve never seen before. I think it nicely broke up the story, which was quite dense with descriptions of food and architecture.

As a foodie who has spent many days chasing the perfect gelato or croissant, I absolutely loved all the delicious food in this book. However, I do think the plot got lost at times, and the side characters were somewhat forgotten amidst all the food and drink. This might bother some people, but for me, it was such a feel-good experience that I didn't mind the focus being on the "vibes".

Lastly, as is no surprise with Casey’s books, "The Pairing" was unapologetically queer and filled with authentic representation. I felt particularly seen by the bisexual representation in this book, which doesn't happen too often.

Overall, I highly recommend "The Pairing" as your summer read, ideally paired with a sweet treat!

Theo and Kit are exes who split in a blaze prior to a food tour of Europe. Now Theo (Theodora) is finally using her rescheduled ticket to get away from things and take a break before her sommelier exam. But who should she meet but Kit, also redeeming his ticket. Things start off tense but friendship regrows out of a hook-up competition and Theo realises she's falling back in love with Kit.

The book is split into two halves, the first half narrated by Theo and the second half by Kit. I loved reading both their perspectives on both current and past events.

The characterisation of our two mains was beautiful and Theo and Kit were so well-rounded but a lot of the side characters felt flat and under-used, the rest of the people on the food tour for example.

Also as someone who is not a foodie and not a drinker the constant food and drink descriptions got a little boring. I preferred reading about the scenery and the local people more. Also excellent queer rep throughout, Theo and Kit are both bi/pan and there were multiple displays of this, plus side characters - those of which I'd have liked to have known more of their story.

I'm kind of at a loss for words, because I tend to love anything that CMQ writes, to the point where I've been desperately doing everything I can to get my hands on an ARC of this novel (thank you Netgalley & Pan Macmillan!).

There are many good things to say about it. The humor was there, the side characters were fun and delightful, the MCs were messy and true to life and made honest mistakes in a way that I love. Casey's characters are what I like the most about their writing, and they didn't disappoint this time around (Also, it's Fabrizio's world and we're just living in it).

I think ultimately it's just not my cup of tea, romance-wise. Although I love and respect the concept of slutty MCs, it feels disjointed when you're trying to get your readers to connect with the main pairing, pardon the pun. It doesn't feel like they're enjoying sleeping around with all these other people when they're yearning for someone else. The second half also took tension away from the final resolution, since we were already seeing them sleep together, but not really? The no-kissing rule felt childish and took away from scenes that could have been more interesting otherwise. I don't know! I wish I could properly express why the romance didn't make me feel anything, especially when I LIKED the characters and I liked them together.

I also understand wanting to describe lush and decadent meals and travel destinations and experiences and art. I get it. But it felt... like it was trying too hard? There were so many long paragraphs with historical and cultural anecdotes, and long-winded descriptions that my eyes just glazed over. Once again, I understand it! I see what they were going for! I just think it's a little too much. I was also expecting something with a little more meat, plot-wise, especially since the last book of theirs I read was Shara Wheeler.

I might revisit the book when it actually comes out and change my mind, but right now my thoughts are: it's a CMQ book so of course it's still going to be good, but I've DEVOURED and LOVED every single one of their other novels, and this wasn't the case at all.

Adore Casey’s writing as usual and while the plot was less to my taste than rwrb or ols, this book sucked me in and I had a great time reading it! Proper review incoming

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did – its focus on alcohol and food wasn't for me, but the characters were amazing, and I found myself rooting for Theo and Kit (or Theo-and-Kit) all the way through.

Minor spoilers follow.

As a non-binary person, Theo's authentic representation meant so much. From a first-person perspective, I didn't know what pronouns to use for Theo at first, but I got the – as many queer people will experience – "vibe". It's so important to have romance books that aren't just gay or lesbian, but ultimately queer, and this book got it exactly right.

This book has everything you could want from a queer romance: authenticity, polyamory, threesomes, sex without focusing on binary genitalia, and more.

You'll love the Calums. Fabrizio will win you over. Sloane will support and irritate you.

I think this book especially appeals to people who are into more of an extravagant lifestyle: the idea of travelling across Europe, the descriptions of food and wine, and who might see themselves reflected in the eloquent and classy protagonists.

I loved this. I've read "Red White and Royal Blue" and "One Last Stop" so I had high expectations for this. Often, books don't meet high expectations, but this one exceeded all my hopes. Kit and Theo are now officially my new favourite couple. I loved the imagery and parallels between their relationship and food, the setting of a European holiday was perfect.

Perfect. No notes.

This book was disappointing. It took nearly two weeks to finish because I was reading other books in the meantime, I just wasn't as interested in this one.

The main issue with this book was that large parts of it were boring. It was funny at times, but for the large part I didn't really care about what was happening.
The book relies heavily on food and wine porn, with very detailed descriptions and I think for some people that could work. The descriptions were by no means bad and I think the author did research here. Unfortunately, I don't really care for wine and I'm vegan so the detailed non vegan food description sooner gross me out. This made the descriptions something I had to push through.

The book got a bit more interesting once the book shifted POV, a little more was happening, and I did like Kit's character a bit more, but in the end I wasn't super invested in either main character. None of the side characters feel super developed either, though some were entertaining.

There's a lot of sex in this book, and I don't always mind that but I also need sex to be about the connection between two characters. Here, a significant number of sex scenes were hookups with characters and I mostly skimmed over because I didn't really care about what was happening.

This is a book set in Europe written by an American author. Note: I am from the Netherlands, so not one of the countries depicted, and would recommend seeing if there are any reviews by Spanish/French/Italian readers, but some of the depictions of French and Italian characters felt rather stereotypical to me and the idea that the two MC's could get hookups of any gender anywhere with minimal effort and got invited to all these exclusive parties was a also bit unbelievable.

At times the book was funny and I did enjoy it a bit more in the second half, so 2.25 stars in total. I would not recommend it unless you think the food/wine porn and random hoopups will work for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

The most delicious book you'll read this year: The Pairing is a queer summer rom com that is perfect for foodies. Theo and Kit are exes who reconnect on a food and drink tour across Europe, that they were suppose to take together 4 years earlier. In order to battle the awkward tension between them they start a hook up competition.

I will admit up top, I'm a big fan of Casey's work. But this book is definitely their best to date. I've not read a book in a long time that had me laughing out loud, hot under the collar and kicking my feet up in the air with giddiness but The Pairing really got me.

The first person POV really worked and I liked that the book was told in two halves, with Theo taking the first half and Kit taking the second. Theo and Kit are incredibly well rounded characters, I love that their flaws had me frustrated at times. It made them feel real and that's something romances can lack. The queer representation was top tier in general, (view spoiler)

I loved the descriptions, you can tell the research that's gone into it. The details might put off some readers but if you enjoy a sensory experience with a book, this is for you. I'll warn you now, the food descriptions are insane and you will need snacks. So many snacks.

Like most romances, you know where the plot will go and The Pairing does follow a format. But it balances tropes with originality really well. It was also really nice to see queer representation in these more 'cheesy' moments, like yeah I'm bi but I want my adorable love story too. I also loved how it showed different kinds of love and relationships within the tour group, each character is fleshed out enough that you will have a favourite by the end. (Fabrizio FTW!)

Make your summer more scrumptious & pre-order this book. Now I'm off to book flights to Paris ASAP...

I wanted to love this book so much.

The Pairing is a second chance romance focusing on Theo and Kit, who upon them breaking up before their big food and wine European tour, decide to make the most out of a voucher they got as compensation by taking the tour solo before the voucher expires, without realising the other has made the same decision. As they taste and drink their way through Europe, they try to fight and hide their feelings for each other, because they are totally over each other and happier than ever, right?

I really wanted to love this book. I loved Red, White and Royal Blue, and One Last Stop has been on my TBR forever, but I can't remember the last time I struggled to finish a book like this. There were pages and pages and pages of descriptions of food and wine, which I get was the point of the tour, but every time it came up, which was every couple of pages, it felt like the story halte, and it did nothing to further the story. It got to the point I was skimming the descriptions until we got back to the what was happening, and then by that point it just felt like it was so disjointed. Don't get me wrong there was clarly care taken when describing these things, but it just became so repetitive, eat, drink, hookup, and it became a drag to get through.

Kit and Theo as characters were okay. Theo tended to be a bit insufferable at times, I just wanted them to stop being so tortured, and I have to be able to do this on my own and accept the help that was being offered to them by the people they care about. But at the halfway point, we switch from Theo's version to Kit's version, and they come alive in the way that Kit sees them. In Kits version it felt a lot more like the second chance romance it was meant to be, however there was no change in the way that food and drink got in the way of the story which was a shame. However as a testiment to McQusiton's characters, even if I didn't like being in Theo's head as much, I was finding myself wondering what their reaction to things would be as we were seeing them through Kit's eyes. Kit himslef was generally more likeable, and he seemed like such a hopeless romantic that despite not feeling much chemistry between the characters in Theo's version, I found myself rooting for them to get their act together, and just admit their feelings for each other.

I am a big fan of side characters with real personality and unforunatley I felt like this book really lacked in that area. Fabrizio was the only side character that I remembered, and even then he seemed like a very cliche written Italian man. They were in a tour with multiple other people, and it just felt like there was a brief mention of them in most repects, and they were more interested in who was hooking up with who, and it just fell a ittle flat to me.

I just really wanted to like this book, but in all honesty, I was really close to DNFing it, because I wanted it to be over. It was a 2.5 rounded down for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, Casey McQuiston, and Macmillan, for the opportunity to read this early copy. All thoughts are my own.

I adored this book. I had such a fun time reading every page and didn't want to put it down - the characters felt realistic - even the more chaotic parts of their personalities -, I loved their love and care for each other, the tour itself was a lot of fun (especially with all the descriptions of the foods and atmopshere and locations), and I felt that Casey balanced the fun of the tour with the more serious moments between Kit and Theo really well.
I am really glad that it wasn't a then/now narrative, and felt the moments showing their past relationship, and who they were versus who they are now, were woven together in a way that didn't bog down the story but added to it.
There is a bit of miscommunication in their past (which makes sense since they did break up), as they were figuring out who they are in their early twenties, but some of it was tackled really early in the story, and it felt realistic to me that these two people took the time they did during the tour to become friends again and talk through their pasts hurts.
I also loved the side characters we got to know on the tour, and liked the little community that Kit and Theo nuture around them.
Parts of the story were hilarious, parts of it were a little bit heartbreaking, but I loved all of it so much.

Also the fact that there was no third act break up? 10/10