Casey McQuiston's best yet. I loved the descriptions of the food and settings. I was more invested in Theo's story than Kit's so the POV switch halfway through felt a little jarring, but overall, this was a beautifully written and wonderfully escapist novel that left me wanting a sequel!

I loved everything about this book. I'm a bit biased cause I absolutely love cmq and would even rate their grocery list 5 stars, but still I cannot recommend this book enough. I felt like I was watching a 2000s rom com, which is something cmq always manages to make me feel.

I usually don't like the exes-to-lovers trope, but this book changed my mind a little, seeing the history Theo and Kit had and the angst of the breakup, that was everything. Kit made me emotional everytime he talked about Theo, there was no reason for this silly rom com to make me want to cry like that.

I’m disappointed I didn’t enjoy this one but to keep it short and sweet, I found the writing and storytelling quite crinegy, I didn’t really like our main character Kit and Theo (they were obnoxious, petty and gratuitous) and there was just too much sex my god. We get it, y’all like to have sex… with other people and each other. And the other people stuff was not my cup of tea— I knew their hookup competition was part of the book but I didn’t think they’d actually sleep with other people :/

Just a no from me, sadly.

I'm always excited to read a new Casey McQuiston so I was delighted to be able to read this ARC.

What an absolutely gorgeous book it was. There was a fun dynamic between Kit and Theo as they travel through Europe and it was easy to root for both characters.

Their tour across Europe... I can't explain how much I enjoyed reading about it. It made me so nostalgic for my own time travelling (and made me deeply regret skipping Saint Jean de Luz) and all the descriptions of the food and drink and the cities and towns and villages they explored were just stunning. It makes it so easy to feel like you're exploring these places too and it's so fun - it'd be perfect as a holiday read.

However, some parts just didn't totally work for me. The hook-up competition as mentioned in the description of the book makes it obvious that the book is McQuiston's ~spiciest~ book yet and honestly I think the book relied on it too much. It started to feel repetitive - new European city, new hot people, not really any actual depth to the plot. A lot of the side characters also felt really one dimensional too which was a shame because they absolutely had unexplored potential.

All in all, a fun book for summer without a doubt. Just not McQuiston's best (which is One Last Stop imo). Couldn't quite decide between 3 and 4 stars but I'll round up.

I loved this! In some ways it felt exactly what you would expect from Casey McQuiston but in other ways it felt like a real development in their writing style.
This book was deep. And I don't say that lightly. The characters were beautifully written, the setting, oh my goodness the setting. Good food, wine, history, travelling across Europe. It was glorious.
If you've enjoyed the other books by this author you'll probably love this and if you didn't love the other books I would suggest giving this one a go anyway.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, Pan MacMillan for a free eARC of this book.

obvious and boring to say but casey mcquiston is writing at the top of this genre in ways other contemporary authors can't even BEGIN to access. they do things that make other romance books seem annoying - miscommunication, dumb decisions, obliviousness - in ways that feel frustratingly delicious. don't even really know how. just know that i'm a series of exclamation marks all the way through the books they write.

loved these guys. loved the expansive way this interacted with queerness and romance. loved the side characters. love how the tone felt malleable and elastic based on POV and place. lush and romantic, silly and funny, sexy and salicious, gorgeous and readable by turns.

CM i will read everything u write. ty x

Leave it to Casey McQuiston to absolutely love a book with my least favourite trope. This book had me screaming and giggling and kicking my feet in the best ways possible. The characters felt so real and I adored their story right from the start. Two times I nearly threw my ipad away because it made me feel SO MUCH (in the middle and near the end iykyk). Thank you for providing me with this great arc! Will definitely recommend the book to every single person who comes into our store looking for romance from auguste on.

Casey McQuiston is back.

Already there are some 1-star reviews cropping up, and all I have to say is: ignore them, and try this novel out for yourself. The Pairing is not RW&RB, but it doesn't need to be; instead, we get to see McQuiston once again work their magic to create two characters who are larger than life - charismatic, enigmatic, and full to the brim with flaws that make them so wonderfully relatable. Theo is a non-binary aspiring sommelier with a curious mixture of confidence and self-doubt; Kit is an up-and-coming pastry chef who walks around with his heart on his sleeve; and both are complete and utter bisexual disasters, which is the only information I really needed to become hooked.

The plot itself is pretty straightforward: best friends turned lovers turned exes are forced into close quarters when they book themselves on the same European food and wine tour, and are desperate to show the other that they have grown up and moved on. There isn't really much else to the story than that - but I felt like it worked really well, because McQuiston focuses their attention on drawing out the complex dynamics between the two protagonists, whilst also vividly describing their interactions with the beautiful setting around them. If you're a reader who needs an intensive plot to enjoy a book, this may not be for you - but if you're like me and could read 400 pages that are full of miscommunication, angst, and will-they-won't-they drama, then I implore you to pre-order this ASAP, as you won't be disappointed.

The bisexual representation is also chef's kiss. Whilst McQuiston may lean a bit too heavily on some stereotypical bisexual tropes (which usually really, really annoy me), I could forgive them due to own voices, and the fact that some of the representation really nicely highlighted the fluidity and beauty of a bisexual relationship - I haven't really seen such a celebratory depiction of bisexual love in a book before, and that really did secure an extra star rating for me. Overall, I am so so so thrilled that I can still consider McQuiston a favouriter author.

Casey McQuiston continues their reign as the undefeated champion of fast-paced, fun romance with a big beating heart. I loved reading about Kit and Theo's second chance at love--this book is a delicious treat.

i adore most of casey mcquiston’s books, but unfortunately this one was a miss for me. i start to skim halfway through and didn't fully give up just because i wanted to know how it would end. the plot was minimal and the pace was so slow that it was infuriating. though the reader can feel how much research the author put in their book, the endless descriptions of food and traveling were too much for me and i’d just skip to the next paragraph. i didn’t connect with any of the characters nor was i rooting for them. it's a pity i didn't enjoy this one, but i'll be keeping an eye on their next releases.
thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book is barely about love and more about horny people and food :D
I mean I liked it but it doesn't really feel like a romance tbh
I'm glad there weren't as many popculture references as in their other book(s) (only read Red, White and Royal Blue) but in return many pretentious talks about wine and food (I didn't understand more than half of it) ;)
But it was fun. You got to learn about beautiful cities, their culture and history in France, Spain and Italy. It felt almost like you were travelling with Kit and Theo and the rest of the group (like our hot tour guide Fabrizio).
I loved the representation in this book. 2 bisexual exes, one of them non-binary and many other queer side characters. Though I didn't feel much chemistry between Theo and Kit :(

Still, I enjoyed it a lot. It's perfect for a summer vacation :)

3.75 ☆ stars