this just didn't grab me, the book was poorly formatted, and i don't think anything manages to continue mquiston's debut success. the characters were unlikeable but not in a fun way, and it all felt like a poorly written version of vile bodies!

I really enjoyed this to start with, but it got rather repetitive rather quickly. It could have benefited from being 100 pages shorter. Lots of funny bits as per CMQ usual

I’m not going to agonise and think about this review. I just want it to be fresh out of my head.

I live in Europe. Smallish island with ideas above its station. You know the one I mean. I adore being European. The food, the languages, the people. This book hit home because I adore the continent I live in. Ignore the fools who decided leaving the EU was a good idea.

The journey this book takes is beautiful. From the north of France to the toe of Italy. From the crisp, dry white wine of Chablis to the dark fruits of a red chianti. I love wine. I tasted this book from lavender, orange blossom, sea salt, dark chocolate. Didn’t taste the leather chaps though; pitty!

It’s not just about a journey through Europe though. It’s about how Theo and Kit rediscover a friendship that was always meant to be grander than that. Their souls were meant to be together.

They became best friends as children. They fought a connection. Loved the living daylights out of each other. Then ended spectacularly. They are thrown together on a bus trip through Europe to experience food and wine and the beautiful scenery of France, Spain and Italy. They compete to see who can hook up the most.

I went to bed last night 50% ish done. I was in bits. Agonising about smacking Theo and Kit about their heads. My dreams were filled with wine glasses filled with rose wine and smashed up cake. I was so anxious. I hate rose.

I loved the rediscovery of a perfect connection. Love is love. My type of love. Your type of love. Any type of love.

Please can I go back to Italy and walk the Uffizi museum again? Husband ran around it like it was a race. I just wanted to stop and look at the naked bodies. I want to eat all of the food. The juicy tomatoes that taste like sunshine. The panino eaten on the streets of Florence washed down with a glass of wine from a wine window. This book brought all of that back, I could almost taste it.

“Out here the sun hangs wonderfully fat in the sky, but it doesn’t scorch. It soaks into the hills like oil into thick well-risen bread, and we spread ourselves across them like happy little figs.”

This is coming close to being my favourite romance novel of all time. It took such precise aim at my heart and soul. I’m a huge McQuiston fan – they have such an effortless knack for characterisation, and I always find their books to have an inherently queer sensibility that makes the stories come absolutely alive.
For me, this is McQuiston’s best yet. It’s a masterpiece of specificity with a genuinely original cast of characters - especially the two leads and the lovely, complex topography of their relationship, which slowly reveals itself throughout the book. There’s a palpable delight in the novel’s setting and detail. It’s a gorgeously hedonistic book – all good food, great wine, sparkling conversation, sun-warm skin, open linen shirts and blue, blue sky. It's cheeky and chaotic and thirsty and so, so delicious.
Mediterranean sunlight flows through these pages and while I can’t imagine a more perfect summer read, I know it’ll also be a warm, sweet harbour for me to return to in winter. It’s good to be reminded that second chances can be wonderful, and that the weather is always nice somewhere! I don’t reread romances very often, but this is one I want to keep with me forever.
If you want a wry, heartfelt, swoony, authentically queer love story to grab you by the hand and take you somewhere beautiful, it’s probably the one for you too.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me a reading copy.

After finishing Red, White & Royal Blue in two days, I jumped at the chance to read this new release by Casey McQuiston. I had hoped to review The Pairing on its own merit, without comparing it to McQuiston's most famous work, but it simply didn't hold my interest. I managed to get about a quarter of the way through before I decided that this book just isn't for me.

The Pairing follows the Kit and Theo on a food and wine tour through Europe, inevitably made awkward by their brutal breakup two years ago. As the trip goes on, they are able to gradually rebuild the bridge between them and enjoy each other's company. Their eyes are frequently drawn to the same people and Theo eventually proposes a competition to sleep with a local in each city on the tour. What could go wrong?

Unfortunately, nothing leading up to this point made me invested enough to care. While McQuiston's writing style is generally enjoyable, the characters failed to capture my attention. The Pairing might still be an enjoyable read for someone wanting a fun and easy read but the execution of a promising premise fell flat for me.

Whenever I read a CMQ book I’m always afraid it isn’t going to live up to RWRB. And honestly, the first half of this book was a slog - but holy heck the second half? The second half really pulled it back and although I don’t think it reaches the lofty heights of RWRB for me, I did love it in the end.

Theo Flowerday is the daughter of famous Hollywood types and sister of two actors. Kit is a half French/half American son of a writer and a horticulturalist. The first half of the book is from Theo’s POV and the second is from Kit’s - I loved when Theo comes out to Kit as non-binary and the text seamlessly changes from ‘she’ to ‘they’… it’s interesting as in Theo’s POV you get the ‘they’ vibe from them already, but with Kit’s POV you can see the switchover.

I found the first half of this book slow… it’s angsty. Two people who were madly in love who broke up in flames over a misunderstanding. Kit and Theo are clearly still in love with each other, but in the first half it just felt stilted and frustrating (which I guess is the point). They start a competition to see who can sleep with the most strangers on the European wine & food tour they are taking and idk… it all just felt very dehumanising for everyone involved. There were long descriptions of foods and wines and places and eh… not for me and I was worried this book was gonna be a 2 or 3 star read.

But the second half? Omg. When we find out what happened to break Kit and Theo up, when they finally admit they still love each other, when they finally stop trying to sleep with strangers and focus on each other? Ugh, loved it. Still lots of chat about food and wine but with the context of them having a second-chance romance, beauuuuutiful.

Loved the cast of side characters that accompanied the tour as well as the assortment of characters they met along the way. This book still gets 4 stars from me for the rocky start, but I promise that if you push through to the second half, it’s worth it! Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

The Pairing is the perfect summer romance and has got me desperately wanting to explore Europe.

Theo and Kit's culinary adventure was a wild ride and I had so much fun following them on their journey.

The narration is split between the POV of both main characters and I loved how clear each of their personalities were. I particularly liked Kit's poeticism after Theo's sass and humour.

I liked how the change in POV, along with flashbacks throughout, showed the characters growth across their entire relationship and what really stuck with me is how much they grew in their time apart.

I find the miscommunication trope infuriating and yet find myself constantly drawn to books that use it. The miscommunication in this had me wanting to throw my kindle and scream at them to just talk to each other. I must say though that the miscommunication surrounding the initial break up was a new spin on the trope for me and I liked it.


I didn't think McQuiston could top RWRB but the more I think about it, the more I am realising I was mistaken.

Delicious. Decadent. Devastating.

Those were the words that came to mind as I read the final pages of The Pairing, tears rolling down my cheeks. Not that the end itself broke my heart, but more that the journey I had been on with these characters was over. It had been three weeks in their world and only three days in mine, but it felt like a lifetime that I spent with Theo and Kit, and it still wasn't enough.

The story takes us on a journey across Europe with two accidentally reconnected ex-lovers, sampling the art and the food through McQuiston's rich prose. Though their use of language and the characters they created could easily be mistaken for pretentious, somehow the author manages to balance on the knife-edge of relatable and aspirational by sprinkling dirty jokes, humility and humanity into these perfectly imperfect protagonists like sea salt on a rich chocolate dessert.

One side of The Pairing's second-chance slow-burn couple is Theo Flowerday, the eldest daughter of a famous Hollywood power couple, and the only daughter who didn't choose to follow in the family business. Instead, Theo has thrown themselves into almost anything else. They are just as likely to fix a broken-down bus as they are to identify the exact grape used for a 2014 Italian Red. After their break-up with the elven prince Kit Fairfield, they also throw themselves into a range of men and women, tasting them all just to discover that none of them feel familiar.

Kit is the kind of man that searches for beauty in all things. He is an expertly trained Parisian pastry chef who loves classic art, ancient architecture and tortured poetry. Honestly, if I saw someone like Kit on a dating app, I wouldn't be able to swipe left fast enough. But, I would be missing out. As I got to know Kit through his narrative in the second half of the novel, I understood why Theo was so in love with him. I found that beneath the dazzling exterior lay a man who was afraid of making a mistake, so afraid to lose that which he loved that he was willing to lose himself in the process.

It's been a long time since a book has made me feel so much. At times it was maddeningly, achingly, unbearably frustrating watching Theo and Kit dance around their feelings for each other. At other points, I was laughing out loud at double entendres. A lot of the time I was swept away by the emotions intertwined with the erotica.

This book was laden with sex, which isn't something I'd usually go for but there's something about the way that Casey McQuiston writes sex that makes me want more of it. It reads like poetry; intimate and true. What's more, the sex actually drives the plot forward, and draws us deeper into Theo and Kit's world, meaning none of it felt gratuitous or tacky (Even though there was A LOT of it).

I already can't wait to read this book again in the summer when I'm off on my own tour of Italy. I'll use it as a guide to remind me of all the beautiful things I need to pay attention to, all of the tastes I need to savour and all of the wines I need to drink.

Thank you so much to Pan MacMillan for giving me access to this title before its release in August in exchange for an honest review. And thank you to Casey McQuiston for bringing Theo and Kit into this world and sharing their story with us.

DNF @ 17%

I've loved McQuiston's previous books but I just couldn't get into this one which is a shame.

McQuiston can always be trusted to write an authentic LGBTQ+ story. The characters in this book are believable and so is their story. I did like the POV change half way through but think this would have worked better if it would have swapped more frequently. I also found the extensive descriptions of places and food a little tedious after a while but understood their importance to the story.

4.75
I loveddddd this. The tension, the characters, the travelling, the food. I felt like the chemistry was so believable, and I really enjoyed that the POV switched halfway so you got to understand how both characters were feeling, and why they were acting the way that they were. So close to a 5⭐️ but something at the end just slightly ruined some of it for me. But I loved loved loved it.

Mcquiston has written the queer summer movie we desperately deserve and need *cough* Amazon, Netflix, get it made already *cough*

The Pairing follows two ex-lovers who book onto the same European food tasting tour and are then forced to be in each others company as they travel cross Europe.
To cope with their bad breakup feels and to prove they're over each other, they challenge each other to an international hookup competition. May the best Ex win!

The miscommunication trope is like Marmite, you either love it or hate it. So this will probably effect your enjoyment of this book. Miscommunication plays a huge part of this plot, for me it wasn't a deal-breaker even though I may of thrown an eye roll or two and muttered "just talk already!"
I enjoyed the element of seeing how miscommunication can change the course of someone's life, how it can impact multiple facets and relationships.

The first portion of the book is told from Theo's perspective. Again they are the character equivalent of Marmite, you're either going to love them or you're not. Personally I adored Theo, yes they are a Nepo baby, a utterly chaotic, uncertain and a little self absorbed Nepo baby. But even at their most self destructive and sabotaging I adored them and found them genuinely funny.
The second half is told from Kit's perspective, I found them softer and everything was more romanticised. Kit definitely loved a painstakingly decadent description, whether it be about food, art or his love for Theo.
Each perspective was so well written, McQuiston writes them in such a real way that their thoughts and behaviours were distinct from each other.
I thought the perspective split was an intelligent choice as it stopped things being revealed too early in the story and helped create twists.

The flow of this book worked well and I really enjoyed the interspersed flashbacks as it really brought to life the growth these characters have made in the time they've been apart.
A growth that continues to happen during their travels with each other as they learn about each other and how or if they fit together again.

Theo's relationship with gender and how this book portrayed it was brilliant, in fact most of the conversations on gender and bisexuality were handled expertly. The coming out scene was heartwarming, pure and hit me in the feels, it was one of my favourite scenes.

Something I've always loved from a McQuinston novel is the wonderful compelling and funny side characters that you would love to be besties with, but sadly I found this element lacking in The Pairing.

Ultimately if you like the miscommunication and second chance tropes, chaotic and lovable queer characters and something a little spicy this is the summer read for you, the perfect Pairing!

Thank you, NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Casey McQuinston is an author I can reliably trust to write a good time. If you're looking for a fun summer read on a beach somewhere that doesn't require you to think, I think this would be perfect, but compared to their other works, this one just wasn't it for me. I really did love a lot of things: the emphasis on the food and wine, the painstaking descriptions, Kit Fairfield. My heart ached towards the ending and I was really happy for them in the epilogue, but there were quite a few things I had issues with, too.

For one, I think this book could've been a whole lot shorter. I didn't quite have this issue with Casey McQuinston's other works, but it was definitely noticeable here. Since I read this so quickly it wasn't as bad for me, but I still noticed that it was getting repetitive and dragging in some places, so I can't imagine what that must be like for people who read it at a much slower pace. I also think if the POVs had switched back and forth instead of switching halfway through the novel it would've helped it a little with not only the pacing but with Theo's characterisation. It's an interesting structural choice, and I didn't struggle with the switch at all, but I don't think this was the right book for it.

Theo was neither a hit or miss for me, though I assume they will be for a lot of other people. I didn't dislike them or find them intolerable, but compared to Kit they did fall short. This ended up making their relationship feel a bit imbalanced overall, which was such a shame as I was really looking forward to loving them as much as Shara and Chloe or other CMQ characters. But you just can't get me to feel any empathy for a nepo baby, and a lot of the times Theo's actions came across as self-centred. Towards the end, I didn't hate them, all things considered, but I clearly preferred Kit. I think Theo's relationship with gender was what made me connect with them, but that was the only thing in them I could find to root for. I get feeling like a failure, but that character arc didn't hit me as powerfully because their decisions felt illogical.

As a couple, I think Kit and Theo have a lot of sexual chemistry, but sometimes I was missing a bit more from the emotional side of things; I'm assuming that's because the majority of their relationship's emotional development was off-page. I was happy for them by the end, but maybe second-chance romances just aren't my thing. I do want to say that as a non-binary person, Theo's experience and their coming out was very heartwarming and brilliantly done, and a lot of the conversations this book has on gender and bisexuality (particularly about loving different genders) hit close to home.

My major gripe, though, is definitely with the book's portrayal of Europe. I wasn't expecting much, to be very frank, since Americans have never gotten Europe right, but it still grated on me a lot. I've lived in Europe nearly my entire life, and a lot of the places mentioned in the book are places I've visited multiple times. While their descriptions were fantastic and it was clear this book was a real labour of love, the European characters all fell flat; oftentimes relying heavily on stereotypes. Not all Europeans are attractive, bisexual, and under the age of 35. I get that this book, like the many foods and wines they sample throughout it, is meant to be decadent and indulgent. I can let realism go for 400 pages and enjoy myself, but there is only so much suspension of disbelief I can manage.

The thing about this book is that it's perfect for a very specific target demographic, one that doesn't include me. That's fine. It's a fun book, an ode to indulgence and sex, but I believe it has a few glaring flaws. I'm not entirely sure if I'd reread it, but I'm glad I picked it up. Looking forward to CMQ5!

A month ago, I finished reading this book, and I've been contemplating my rating ever since. Overall, I found it to be an enjoyable read, particularly for its blend of romance and depth. The main characters were compelling, and their dynamic held my interest throughout. However, there were a couple of aspects that detracted from my enjoyment. Firstly, the reliance on the miscommunication trope became frustrating as the story progressed. Additionally, while I appreciated the emphasis on travel, the extensive descriptions of places started to feel tedious after a while. Despite these flaws, I still found the book enjoyable and would recommend it, especially as a summer read. (3,7/5)

Atmospheric is absolutely the right word for this book. Have I ever been to Italy or the south of France? Nope! Did I feel like I was there? Yep!

An absolute delight from McQuiston again, delightful characters fizzing with chemistry, a believable story even when you’re frustrated, and some truly hot and creative spicy scenes!

Not one to miss.

Thank you, NetGalley and Pan Macmillan | Macmillan for providing access to the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*SPOILERS INCOMING*

This is definitely a book that will receive cult-like love from a very specific type of audience. Sadly I was not one of them. But if you love incredibly sexual relationships, a lot of bisexual representation, a nice non-binary coming out scene from a lead character, dream-like European holidays filled with incredible gastronomy and sprinkles of historical controversies, then this will be an amazing journey for you. The humour doesn't hurt either.

I'd say the biggest factor that will dictate your enjoyment of the book is whether you can see yourself in Theo. They are incredibly chaotic, and uncertain of their wants and needs, slightly selfish at times and driven by strong emotions. To say that they are flawed would be an understanding. And as much as I enjoyed flawed characters, they frustrated me throughout the whole book, especially during the first half. This, in turn, affected my immersion in the story, since I disagreed with every single one of their choices and felt offended on Kit's behalf during many of those scenes. Their relationship didn't feel balanced, as Kit had the potential to be a decent character considering his many positive traits, like his massive heart, but his obsession with Theo, his muse, to the point of horny blindness stripped him of some of that potential.

All in all, I'm sure this book will end up being incredibly beloved by its intended audience. But if you decide to go into it expecting the same wholesome atmosphere of some of Casey McQuiston's other books, such as Red White & Royal Blue, as I did, you might leave disappointed.

PS: Some overused keywords or phrases, like 'I've had it up to my nips', would be ideally edited down or removed completely. And, as a graphic designer, I kind of wish the cover was bolder and a bit more eye-grabbing since nothing about it showcases how scandalous the book is at times.

3⭐️

Thank you to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I applied for this arc because I adored RW&RB, the writing style, the story, everything about it. So when I saw that Casey McQuiston had written a new book, and I read the blurb (hello Europe tour, / chaotic exes) I knew I wanted to read it.

*Some mild spoilers may follow.*

Now, I liked the premise. I really liked the premise. And let me start with the positive - I really liked Kit. He was just so soft, and likeable, and endearing and I really did rate his character. There was obvious chemistry between Theo and Kit, so that was well written (though it frustrated me that it felt like we were getting the 'after' of their story). I liked the writing in terms of the actual prose (although there was way too much food description for my liking). However what I didn't like, or rather found to be frustrating, outweighed what I did like for a fair chunk of the book.

Now let me preface this with what follows here may be an unpopular opinion, and I am sure some people will like Theo - I think they're probably a marmite character - but I honestly found them almost intolerable. We jump straight into their "version" and it's all bitterness towards Kit and what happened four years ago, without actually telling us what happened, and the tone was just off. It felt whiny rather than heartbroken, it felt trivial rather than important. There was nothing to endear them to the reader. Perhaps if we had had some insight into the 'before' it may have been different, but to start the narrative off in that way, it was like it was setting the reader up to not like Theo. I'm sorry to say this, but there was pretty much nothing for me to like about them. They seemed pretentious, arrogant, made constant assumptions. They were just... annoying. I also really disliked the way they were written as the 'stereotypical bisexual having or wanting to have sex with everyone' - it really grated on me, because a) that is a stereotype that most bi people actively try to negate (I say this as one of those people), and b) there was no depth to any of that. It was all so surface level. I very much understand the blurb states that they talk about a wager over who can sleep with their tour guide and a hookup competition, but I anticipated and expected there to be more depth to the whole thing to be honest. It just felt incredibly jarring when it was Theo's perspective. I think the motivations of the character felt unclear/self-serving a lot of the time and therefore I didn't enjoy reading their perspective. At around 35% I thought 'okay, maybe I'm starting to warm to Theo' and then bam, 45% rolls around and I'm back to being SO irritated. I can't reveal why without spoiling the book but I just got so frustrated that I almost stopped reading.

Which brings me onto the next issue I had with this book. At the halfway mark, just when I sort of thought I could maybe get into it if it was going in the direction I thought it would, we switch to Kit's perspective. Great right? I like Kit. Except, that is not a narrative style I enjoy, because you have to rework your brain to a different perspective in the middle of a book. Yes we get more insight into Kit, and Theo through Kit's eyes, but that didn't make me like Theo more, and in fact just somehow made me more annoyed. If it was back and forth POV it may have been different, I may have grown to like Theo more because of how much Kit loves them, but it was too late by that point. In fact, Theo's almost heartless obliviousness made me dislike them more because it's so obvious how much Kit loves them. So so frustrating. And maybe Kit's yearning for what they used to have and still wanting Theo years after hit a little too close to home 😂

"Well, why the 3 stars then if you disliked Theo so much?" For one, I really liked Kit. I liked his character, I liked that I felt like his character had some growth. And 2 stars felt mean considering I did finish it, and did like the last 20% of the book (I mean like, I cried so it was good). I liked the premise, I liked the general ideas, and I think the structural choices for the narrative are what frustrated me most not necessarily the actual story - as I said, I think a lot of my issues with Theo's character may have been solved with a different structure. But I wish I had the feelings that I had during the last 20% for the whole of the book if that makes sense.

All in all, maybe I'm being harsh because of high expectations, maybe I went into the book with the wrong preconceptions in mind (although I do think it's a bit of a misleading blurb) but it could have been such a beautiful story and instead it just felt frustrating to read for a lot of it, and then it was almost too late when I was enjoying it. Now of course, this is all personal opinion, and I'm sure other people will love this story for the same reasons I didn't 100% love it.

two bisexual exes accidentally book the same European food and wine tour and challenge each other to an international hookup competition to prove they’re over each other.

I adored Red, White and Royal Blue and One Last Stop, but this one unfortunately fell a little flat for me. Although descriptions of food/wine/destinations were plentiful, there wasn't a huge amount in the way of concrete plot and characterisation also felt a bit incomplete. The premise upon which the story revolved wasn't particularly captivating, relying heavily on miscommunication. I look forward to the author's next novel.

Many thanks for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Obviously picking this up, there's mega expectation with the next Casey McQuiston.. especially within the LGBTQIA+ community.

I really enjoyed this book in its own right, and really showcased a new sort of writing for Casey, something really different from RWRB, OLS and IKSW. It ebbed and flowed really well ,and I liked the style in which it was written, with flashbacks, thoughts in conversation etc.

I felt that it went on slightly too long. The first half was really good and captured me in well, but I felt as soon as the obstacle for Kit and Theo was presented it was quite obvious how it was going to go? It could have used some side characters being explored more eg, the other passengers on the coach trip like the two Calums. It just felt a tad one dimensional in the latter stages.

I liked how the book handled Theo, and the pronoun conversation was great. I'm not sure how well the split in character POV worked. I would have liked to have seen Theos POV in the late stages of the book as well, and not just Kit's, although this is a minor point to be honest.

Overall I did enjoy it, but I wouldn't call it spectacular as I would with OLS and RWRB. I felt like I wanted to get to the end to see where all the characters would end up. It is however another good read from Casey that I'm sure I'll be revisiting soon :)