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 :)

“The Pairing” is the new novel by Casey McQuiston, a queer rom-com that follows the story of Theo and Kit, two bisexual exes who haven’t seen each other for four years and accidentally end up booking the same international food and wine tour. Trying to cope with their bad feelings about their breakup and to prove themselves that they’re over each other, Theo and Kit decide to start a hookup competition. However, it doesn’t end how they’ve planned.

Okay, this book was legitimately so funny? I can’t even explain how much it made me laugh in some of its parts. Just, here me out. I think this is not Casey McQuiston’s best work. Due to personal tastes, I’m still loyal to “I Kissed Shara Wheeler”, and sometimes I found “The Pairing” repetitive and excessive. In this book there were so many scenes about sex and talking about sex, and even though it was all good written, I couldn’t enjoy it at its fullness. Again, I say this because of my preferences, but I sure that for someone who likes some good old spice its quantity won’t be a problem (also due to fact that Casey McQuiston’s writing is exquisite).

“The Pairing” could be read in one sitting. I could have finished it in one day if it weren’t for my job. Maybe the first part of the book is slower (maybe I perceived it slower because Theo wasn’t my favourite character and the first part of the book is focused on their POV). Still, once you start reading you can’t put the book down. It is so entertaining.

Theo and Kit are two well written characters, and I came to this conclusion because, while I was reading their POVs, I could see that their thoughts and behaviours were distinct from one another. Theo’s journey is about affirmation and forgiveness (apparently forgiveness for Kit, but actually for themselves), while Kit’s journey is about learning and loving everything that surrounds him with a passion. I liked Kit more than Theo (sometimes I found Theo annoying. Still funny, tho). I also liked that Theo’s gender reveal wasn’t the very center of the story. I found their (second) coming out to Kit sweet and in-character, and I loved how it was treated so normally. It must be one of my favourite scenes in the whole book.

Side characters, on the other hand, seemed less memorable. I couldn’t get myself to grow attached to any of them (Fabrizio was the closest one to be able to enter my heart, but, I mean, he IS Fabrizio).

If I’m being honest, I don’t know if I liked the book finale. At some point, I was surprised with a spectacular plot twist and I thought that Theo and Kit’s story was going to end in a certain way (AND I WOULD HAVE LOVED EVERY BIT OF IT). I think it would have been a meaningful ending, even if sadder than the actual one. But, alas, if “The Pairing” ended like I wanted it to end, I’m afraid we wouldn’t have got a rom-com.

Overall, “The Pairing” is approved!

I was provided with an ARC of this book from the publishing house via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I have been a Casey McQuiston fan since the release of "Red, White & Royal Blue" in 2019. I read every single novel that they put out in one breath, and still, "The Pairing" was an incredibly surprising read to me.
In all of their previous work, McQuinston introduced us to the beginning of love, the vibrant emotions and excitement that come with meeting someone and slowly uncovering every piece of them. They were a film of which we only get to see the beginning of.
"The Pairing" is drastically different because at its core, we not only have two people who already love(d) each other, but we have two people who already broke each other's hearts and trust.
Initially I was not incredibly eager to read Kit and Theo's story, as I believed nothing could ever make me root for a second change after heartbreak (still don't think it'd apply to me, ever), but McQuinston paints love in such a beautiful and radical way that one cannot help but excitedly turn every page.
This fourth novel reads like the queer summer movie we need, one that serves us a mix of "My big fat Greek wedding", "Letters to Juliet" and the Lizzie MacGuire movie. Every flavour that Kit and Theo taste, every bead of sweat they walk through, every breezy beach town they stop at is clearly felt through the pages to make the reader see it so clearly.
If I have one downside to this novel to present, is that I always loved McQuinston's talent for writing amazingly compelling and funny side characters that every queer reader would die to be friends with, and in "The Pairing", we do not really have that, not in a substantial way. We meet side characters, we like them and then they're left behind as it sometimes happens with new acquaintances during our travels.

OKAY.

This book is so ludicrously horny that I'm convinced the writer threw any attempts at plot out of the window just so they could write more fucking and food scenes. And I slogged my way through almost half of this book before calling time of death on the whole thing because this is TERRIBLE. And I say this as a person who loved RWARB, but then...hasn't liked any of their books since.

'The Pairing' has an interesting first couple of chapters, but every time I picked this book up, it felt like I was wading through golden syrup. Everything was so slow, so overwritten, so dull! It's deja vu reading every chapter with no sense of movement in the plot - new location, snip snip snip, bicker, suddenly everyone these two characters ever meet wants to fuck them, emotions about their past, next chapter. FOR HALF OF THE BOOK. And then, I began to feel like things were moving very quickly considering we were barely halfway in and it did THE WORST THING POSSIBLE: it switched POVs. The first half is from Theo's, the second from Kit's and as soon as it turned, I gave up. Because I have sacrificed too many hours reading one horrifyingly boring story to go back and read it all again, this time from another person's bloody perspective.

The characters are entirely one note and irritating and ultimately, too much of the author's energy has been spent on writing endless descriptions of food and drink and talking about the most innane, unimportant things that have zero relation to the plot of the book than have actually been spent on crafting a decent novel that a person might not want to throw into a pond. I'm angry I gave up so much time slogging through this - it was not worth it.

I honestly feel quite sad to be reviewing this so low because I only request books on Netgalley that I genuinely think I'll enjoy so when I don't, it's really disappointing.

But to summarise, my main issue with this book was the way the trip was written. I love the concept of two exes going on a food and wine tour across Europe together... beautiful locations, learning about history and culture and food together... romantic summer vibes a la Call Me By Your Name. But in reality what I got was an Americanised view of Europe, so cringe worthy it had me guessing whether the most Casey Mcquiston has ever seen of Europe was a Pinterest pin board. I felt similarly with the way Mcquiston wrote England in RWARB but this was on a whole new scale. I beg they actually spend some time in the countries they're writing about before they try and write another book like this.

Furthermore, the stereotyping was truly horrendous and the side characters all came off as such bad caricatures I couldn't take any of them seriously. Like, what was up with every local person they met immediately wanting to shag both of them??? It was totally ludicrous and not in a fun way. I also think it leant into the stereotype of bisexual people being promiscuous which... yeah.

And onto the main characters themselves. Whilst I enjoyed having a n/b main character (as this is still reasonably rare) it would have helped if they weren't so deeply unlikeable. Theo was the definition of a whiny nepobaby who seriously needed to grow up. I swiftly realised I actually didn't care whether the main characters got together or not but frankly, they deserve one another if only to keep the rest of the public safe from having to date them.

As I said at the start, this was a really disappointing read for me and lacked any of the warmth of Red White and Royal Blue.

Two stars because I liked the concept and if you've never been to any country in Europe, it might be tolerable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC.

Casey McQuiston's new book, The Pairing, should come with a warning label:

CAUTION - This book could cause you to impulse book a holiday to Italy.

I mean I didn't but, after reading this book, my god did I want to!

Meet Theo and Kit, two twenty-something exes who have, rather awkwardly, found themselves on the same incredible food and drink tour of France, Spain, and Italy four years after they were supposed to take the tour as a couple; the journey to which led to their breakup. Eeek!

I would call myself a Casey McQuiston fan. Red, White & Royal Blue is probably my most re-read book ever (although my re-reads of Ali Hazelwood are quickly catching up); I thoroughly enjoyed One Last Stop and Shara Wheeler but nothing has captured my heart like RWARB. Out of Mcquiston's books so far, The Pairing has definitely come a close second.

It's not often that I read a book and want to be friends with the characters in it, or could actually see myself liking these characters in real life if they were real. I adored Theo and Kit. Even at their most self-destructive or self-sabotaging they were still incredibly likeable. McQuiston writes them in such a way that they both leap of the page and feel so completely real. I particularly loved and found Theo's attitude to art so refreshing - I just like to look at it too!

The Pairing is a dual POV book, starting with Theo's for the first half of the book and later switching to Kit's. While I've made it clear that I love both Theo and Kit, I have to admit to enjoying Kit's half of the story a little bit more. What can I say? I'm a sucker for a character that's head over heels but doesn't want to say anything for multiple reasons.
Whilst on the subject of Kit, I've read a few reviews where people have criticised the fact that Kit is clearly based on/inspired by Timothée Chalamet. Personally, I love Timothée Chalamalabingbong so I didn't have any problems with it but, if you're not a fan, it might irk you a little bit. I'm also a massive fan of Call Me By Your Name and could definitely feel it's influence in this book.

As well as Theo and Kit being the main characters, so are the locations and the food. I'm not a foodie and I'll confess to being a picky eater; I wanted to eat and drink everything (well...almost everything) described in this book. Sign me up for the tour! The descriptions are decadent and sumptuous and I could picture them vividly in my mind as I was reading. There definitely needs to be some sort of read-along or book club created where you get to try all of the dishes and drinks whilst reading.

If you want to travel to France, Spain, and Italy without leaving the comfort of your home with some messy bisexuals, then this is the book for you!

I really enjoyed this book, I was a little surprised by the characters as having heard little bits previously, they weren't who I expected them to be but that wasn't a bad thing at all. It made everything even more interesting. To see how a miscommunication could change the course of two people's lives and tear them apart, but fate brings them back together in the best possible way. The characters having learned so much about themselves in the time apart, but during the travels of this book continue to learn about each other and more of themselves. Of their enduring love for each other, never quite believing they could be what the other needed or deserved for one reason or another. The two main characters really were perfect together, some feuding, turned to friendly rivalry and competition leading to renewed love and it was truly a beautiful journey to see unfold. The cast of side characters were also brilliant, so many of them I would happily read books about their own escapades. I want to know the whole story of the Callum's! I want to see Fabrizio the tour guide but also the son and husband, how he becomes the character he is. They all had such depth, life and love to them that you cared as much for them as you do for Kit and Theo. I'll be honest, there was a point where I thought the book was going to disappoint me, but thankfully that didn't happen. The stress did have me on the edge of my seat and unable to stop reading though, so the author did something right there! I didn't want to stop reading this book (though sadly sleep meant I had to at times), because I was invested and I wanted to see how long it would take Kit and Theo to realise all the things they had to. Definitely a book worth reading. Solid 4.5 stars

2 stars

I'm sad to say this was not it.
This book lacked heart.
It was in one word: boring.
This is the tale of two bisexual/pansexual messes. One is a whiny nepo baby, by the way, and the other one... everyone wants him apparently, eventho he has no real personality(?) He's just hot and oblivious.
This book was very repetitive. They travel wine and dine and then ... talk and talk and make innuendos and talk a bit more. And that's it. The romance... it was a mess. These two had no chemistry. I got the "we're besties" part but romance? Not really. Also, the fact that the second chance part was fixed off-page? LOVED IT! *sarcasm*
This is sadly my least favorite book from CM, and that's a shame because I was so excited about it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5⭐️

I was so excited to read this book and it’s not that I didn’t enjoy it but I didn’t enjoy it as much as other Casey McQuiston books. Theo and Kit’s story was so sentimental but was beginning to get repetitive. This was due to the references and the wine descriptions and food descriptions. There was so many references to sex and everyone was basically hot and horny. I’m not a fan of wine so maybe I wasn’t the best person to read this.

I want to preface this whole review by saying I went into this with a fully open mind despite my lack of luck with Casey McQuiston's previous releases. (RWRB was okay, I skimmed my entire way through One Last Stop, and I physically couldn't get past page 20 of Shara Wheeler.)

While I have disliked some of their books before none of them have ever disappointed me quite like this one did. But before I get to the parts where the story fell flat on its face I want to talk about the places where it worked. (but rarely excelled)

I like Casey McQuiston's writing, I know people have different opinions on them, but I find that their writing is never the part I enjoy the least, which must account for something. There’s something to be said about it being nothing spectacular but I want to give credit where its due.

I, for the most part, also enjoyed all the wine and pastry talk when it wasn’t horny to an ungodly extent.

Also, Kit was a pretty inoffensive character that I found almost as interesting as a piece of rye bread. Which is the extent of everything that I’ve enjoyed.

Now onto the parts I hated

I DESPISE THEO. The first half of the book is from their perspective, and you can do nothing but just suffer your way through, hoping it would end, which it thankfully does. I am someone who quite enjoys unlikeable characters, especially when they’re the protagonists. So, my problem with Theo wasn’t that they were unlikeable, it was that they were insufferable. Early on into the story you learn that their entire family consists of famous directors, actors, and they’re the Chet Hanks of the family. Which could’ve been so interesting to explore if only they had any real problems. Theo’s family is meant to make you feel sympathetic towards Theo’s struggles with keeping their part-time-back-of-a-Volkswagen bartending gig off the ground by refusing money from their multimillionaire sister when it does the exact opposite. Multiple times throughout the story Theo’s sister offers them an obscene amount of money and each time I found myself wishing Theo would just accept the offer so that we could be done with hearing about the bride with the custom cups and everything else that I can’t remember right now because I was busy willing myself through the end of the paragraph.

Oh, also WHAT happened to books having believable side characters? You mean to tell me that the entirety of Europe wants to fuck these two random nobodies at every stop of the trip? They just get off the tour bus and there are multiple people trying to hump them in every corner like we’re in some “Sexy Locals in your Area just 3km away” ad on a dingy movie pirating site. Don’t even get me started on the tour mates… Calling them side characters would be an exaggeration when they’re side caricatures at best.

I guess in an attempt to gather my thoughts without dwelling on the more on my personal critisms what perplexes me the most about the story is that I can’t decide if this is a labour of love or not. The characters (by that I mean just Kit and Theo) seemed liked they were carefully crafted with enough attention to their backstories and personalities until a certain point where they were just given up on. All of the growing and maturing they do happens just off the page with us only reading about the aftermath. We’re told to believe that they’re still so in love with each other when all we’ve shown is how much they want to jump each others’ bones. The characters don’t come across as 28 year olds with their constant miscommunications and stupid bets. They’re still stuck in the ages they were when they broke up, with non-developed frontal cortexes. (The telling-and-not-showing part might just be a problem with second-chance romances in general but I have no way of confirming or denying that since this is the only one I’ve ever read so this can be taken with a grain of salt.)

SO

In the end I’m not mad that I read this and I want it to be known that my dislike for Casey McQuiston's work is not for a lack of trying.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Theo and Kit used be to best friends, crushes and lovers. Now, they are just estranged exes after a fight on a flight to Paris to start their European food and wine tour. The fight was several years ago and they have finally to make use of the voucher or the money will be forever gone. When Theo boarded the tour bus as one of the last participants, they didn't realise that Kit would be there as well. Three weeks through Europe, visiting three countries that are deeply connected with delicious food and wine, but also with love, passion and romance: France, Spain and Italy. Of course, they are fine with having to do the tour together - they are over each other. They are so over each other that they have a competition to see who can hook up with more locals.


My experience with McQuiston books is a mixed one: 5 ⭐ for Red, White and Royal Blue, 4 ⭐ for I kissed Shara Wheeler (despite unlikeable characters), and 2.5⭐ for One Last Stop. So, on average: 3.8 ⭐ for her books. I did not expect another 5-star read but the book's summary made me think "ah, yes I think I will like it". Fun fact: by ~20%, I realised how much I dislike the book and I wish it would have become better instead of worse. By ~50%, I just resigned to my fate of forcing myself through it to finish the eARC.

The Pairing is an extreme case of "expectations vs. reality". I did expect a second-chance romance where two male lovers realise, while touring through France, Spain and Italy, that they still love each other. The reality is that it is an over-sexualised book with copy-paste parts from food and travel blogs, and with two bisexuals (1 non-binary and 1 cis but both are white) main characters as lovers. The entire book gives me #EuroSummer vibes because it is an over-romanticised view of Europe. As a European who knows some stops from the tour: yes, they can be beautiful but every description of a town/city sounded as if McQuiston was never there and just read three travel blogs (that tend to glamourise their trips to France/Spain/Italy) before copy-pasting those descriptions into the book. Right now, I'm a very tired European. Europe is not a theme park, guys!

As for the over-sexualisation: every character is portrayed as bisexual/pansexual and is down to fuck after meeting Kit/Theo for a second. Every character is either young and beautiful or older and attractive (e.g., Émile as a salt & pepper billionaire who is a bisexual yacht owner who wants a threesome). Everything is so beautiful that it makes characters horny/makes them think of sex. Likely, I am by far too asexual to understand it but why do allosexuals look at food and think "oh yes, I want to fuck now"? The fact that everyone wants constantly sex (to the point that a foursome/orgy is going on with 4 - 5 side characters) makes the entire book so vapid and pointless. I hated it. My best friend received several voice messages of me ranting about the book and how much I hate it. Please, do not get me started on the fucking peach scene ... it will haunt me forever.

Concerning Theo and Kit: I hate them. Theo (actually Theodora) is a non-binary (playing with the concept of being trans) bisexual who is a nepo baby and the definition of "woe me" who acts like the victim despite being the one who is responsible for the bullshit. Their part is the first part of the book and I hated every second of it. When they are not horny and try to fuck someone/Kit, they describe alcoholic beverages in extensive terms that mean nothing to someone who doesn't drink but they all sound like they come from a pretentious food blog. Their struggle with being a nepo baby (as their parents and siblings are famous) is basically "I act like I am poor because I cannot accept the help of my family to start a business". I can understand it that they don't want to accept money from their parents but their sister offered it multiple times, no strings attached, as a loan or an investment into Theo's business idea but they keep saying no because "I do not want to rely on my connections". If I would be able to meet Theo in real life, I would be like "Theo, fuck you. Your family loves and cares about you. Stop acting as if you have no options and need to be poor/do everything on your own when your family would help you to start your business. Not everyone has such a good support net!" because they are insufferable as fuck. Kit is also a nepo baby and his part of the book, the second part, is slightly more acceptable than the first part but I might think like this because it was easy to skip due to extensive scenes of: sex, sex, sex, architecture/art described in food terms, Kit being whiny about how much he loves Theo, sex. Both of them are vapid and their main characteristic is "being horny". They are so horny for each other and other people, it does not even occur to them that someone wants to spend an evening with them as a friend.

As for the side characters: they are not developed. If they were removed from the book, the book wouldn't be any different. With each chapter, the tour group becomes smaller or there are suddenly side characters that have never been introduced. Fabrizio feels like a caricature of a tour guide/an Italian.

As for the romance: I do like second chance romances when they are well done in terms of emotional development and growing to realise "Ohh, it's always been you". Unfortunately, The Pairing is a horrible case of second chance romance as the emotional development of falling in love again (or realising the "Ohh, it's always been you") happens mostly off-page as McQuiston considered never-ending sex scenes as more important. All I know about their romance is that they function well when it comes to sex but have zero ability to actually communicate with each other. Their fight on the plane that led to the break-up? Happens because of bad communication and a lack of communication afterwards. The only positive scene in the entire novel that concerns their relationship is Theo's coming out as non-binary to Kit and Kit easily accepting it because "you are bigger than one gender", and from there onwards, Kit uses they/them for Theo. (Previously, it is she/her and other characters consider Theo as female as well.)

Spice level: 3 🌶️

TW: alcohol consumption, graphic sex scenes, death of parent, difficult parent-child relationship, toxic relationship (bullying of each other, it is a kink for them)

Tl;dr: A romance book with two vapid, two-dimensional main characters who want to fuck everyone but especially each other, who are extremely entitled nepo babies who do not realise their privileges while they fuck their way through an over-romanticised portrayal of France, Spain and Italy where everyone and everything is down to fuck with them. The research that went into the book feels just as vapid and as if the author read 3 - 5 travel blogs and food blogs. Harmful portrayal of bisexuals who want to fuck everyone (plays into "they see prey, not people" stereotype) to top everything off.