Member Reviews
Unfortunately I didn't finish The Pairing. I've loved so many of McQuinston's books but I struggled with the structure here. I think there's something about a romance with two leads that already have an established relationship that never quite works for me. I felt like the two mains had this history of emotion that as a reader I was never let in on and therefore struggled to relate to them or be invested.
Though I have enjoyed Casey McQuiston’s writing in the past I think my tastes have changed. The Pairing was very repetitive and to me, cringey. If you’re really into descriptions of wine and food, you might love this but sadly I do not. A lot of the side characters and dialogue was written like they’re robots, I don’t know how else to explain it. They felt very much like convenient tools to use to make one of the MC’s jealous etc rather than a well-rounded character whose life they’re dropping into briefly. I just didn’t care for either of the main characters so trying to invest in their love story felt like a chore instead of a joy.
🖇️🥯The Pairing, sadly, didn’t do it for me!
On one hand, the setup is interesting: Kit and Theo, childhood best friends and former lovers, find themselves on a wine tour together after a messy breakup four years ago. The unexpected reunion sets the stage for rekindled feelings and a “who can move on faster” challenge, which adds some initial excitement.
However, despite this promising premise, I struggled with both the plot and characters. Theo, a non-binary character, felt frustratingly self-sabotaging. They refused to use their abundant resources, which seemed more like a forced conflict than a genuine flaw. While their portrayal of non-binary identity was a highlight, their overall character development felt incomplete. Kit, on the other hand, came across as more of a passive figure, spending most of his time pining over Theo without much depth to his personality. The chemistry between them didn’t hold up beyond lust, and I found their relationship lacking emotional complexity.
The pacing was uneven as well. The first half was packed with tension, but the second half felt drawn out, with repetitive interactions and a conflict that wrapped up too early. Even the “sex competition” plotline lost its charm as it became stale over time.
In the end, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒚 𝑪𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒚 𝑴𝒄𝑸𝒖𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒏 had its moments, especially with the portrayal of queerness and the initial tension between Theo and Kit. But overall, it felt flat, repetitive, and lacking the humor and emotional depth I’ve come to expect from McQuiston's books.
First of all thank you for approving my request!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.
I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.
Kit and Theo, childhood best friends whose romance blossomed into something deeper, have been estranged for four years following a bitter airport break-up. Now, as the anniversary of their split approaches, fate throws them back together. They had once planned a food and wine tour, which they cancelled after their breakup. Although they couldn’t get a refund, the vouchers remained valid for another 48 months.
As the deadline looms, it’s no surprise that both Kit and Theo independently decide to use their vouchers and embark on the tour—albeit separately. However, their plans collide when they discover they’ll be on the same tour bus. Neither is willing to forgo their much-anticipated adventure, so they find themselves sharing the experience despite their lingering feelings.
What follows is a playful game of one-upmanship and unresolved tension as they try to prove just how over each other they are. The tour becomes a stage for them to navigate their complex emotions, rekindle old sparks, and confront their past, all while enjoying a journey full of food, wine, and unexpected revelations.
3.5/5.
http://thesecretbookreview.co.uk
I actually ended up listening to the audiobook of this once it came out because the Kindle formatting was a bit funny, and I also listen to books like this a lot faster – I got through the whole audiobook in a couple of days. It's strange because I flew through the story and didn't want to put it down, but I didn't feel the love for it as I did for McQuiston's other books, particularly One Last Stop.
The focus of this is largely on the sex the characters have, either with others or with each other, and that isn't something I particularly vibe with as an ace person so a lot of it was a little much. The characters were great though – not only the two main characters, but all the side characters too.
The descriptions of all the locations and the food were impeccable and I'm so envious of the European tour they went on, and definitely want to do it myself. Mixed feelings – I enjoyed it, but didn't love it!
3.5 stars.
‘“So crazy how two thousand years ago, they were feeling all the same human things we feel,” Theo muses. “They wanted to be loved, and eat good food, and make art, and fuck.”’
And that’s all this book is. (Emphasis on the food and the fucking).
This was not the book for me. Each chapter of The Pairing follows a strict formula of: European place + fancy food and wine + random European bisexual who only exists for one of the protagonists to fuck. This is until, of course, Theo and Kit admit that they still love each other, even after being broken up for many years.
My problem, as it was with the last Casey McQuiston book I read (Shara Wheeler), is that I am not rooting for the characters to be together. At all. This is a second chance romance, however seventy five percent of the way through the book they are still having the same argument that broke them up in the first place. As they spend the majority of the book angry at each other or trying to make the other jealous, any sort of development and falling in love is only alluded to, as it all happened off-page and a decade in the past. Them having all this history just isn’t enough for me to want them to get back together.
If you don’t take romance way too seriously and ruin it for yourself and are someone who actually would enjoy a luxury European food and wine tour, you probably won’t have the same issues I had while reading this book.
(Also, in all honestly, I saw the cover art and the lgbt tag on goodreads and assumed that this was sapphic. It is decidedly not, though that’s my fault for setting myself up for disappointment)
I've really loved other books by Casey McQuiston, however I could not get into this book and found that it lacked a lot of the elements and rom-com vibes that this authors previous book gave me and therefore I guess it just wasn't the book for me.
This is THE PERFECT summer read, especially if you're traveling across Europe! As each chapter is dedicated to a different city and a different country, it would be amazing to recreate the same trip. Loved the queerness, the banter, the yearning, the discussions of gender and sexuality, and can we take a moment to appreciate the peach scene in Monaco?!
Hmmmm...I have really enjoyed the other titles from this author so I am not sure what happened here. But this wasn't the queer love story that this author is capable of writing.
I am obsessed with Casey McQuiston's writing! This book was really atmospheric, and I just loved reading all the descriptions of the food and wine. I adored the main character, and I am always one for a good second-chance romance. I would recommend xx.
"The Pairing" by Casey McQuiston is a vibrant and captivating novel that beautifully blends romance, humor, and heartfelt emotion. McQuiston’s signature wit and engaging writing style shine through, making this story an absolute joy to read. The characters are vividly drawn, each bringing their own quirks and charm to the narrative, and their chemistry is electric. As the story unfolds, McQuiston expertly navigates the complexities of love and relationships, all while delivering moments of genuine warmth and laugh-out-loud humor. "The Pairing" is a delightful and satisfying read, perfect for fans of romantic comedies that offer both depth and a dash of sparkle.
I had such high hopes for this book. McQuiston is one of my favourite authors and their „Red, White and Royal Blue” live rent free in my head for years now. I was hoping for great story, interesting characters and amazing writing. I’ve go mostly that, spiced with a lots of sex and really difficult to like protagonist (I mean Theo here, they are not my favourites. Kit on the other hand is precious and should be protected at all costs).
What I loved about this book:
- the inclusion of really sex-positive people,
- the proper LGBTQIA+ representation,
- the tour of some of the most interesting and beautiful Western European cities,
- the food, drinks and their descriptions,
- the art, architecture and culture of places visited by the characters,
- Kit and his part of the story and an obvious change in the writing style (I loved how immediately we could see that it’s a POV of a different character from the way he expressed himself and how his ways of thinking were),
- the character development and showing it via their choices and actions,
- the actual plot, where friends who became a couple and then split, find their way back together,
- the side characters,
- the ending.
What I could live without in this book:
- so much sex scenes (I actually like smut but The Pairing felt at some point like the sex didn’t add anything to the story),
- Theo being a stubborn little nepo baby (I like their creativity, intelligence and skills but I didn’t understand why couldn’t they just agree to their family support, as well as this whole attitude of “boo, I’m so similar to my beautiful and famous siblings” like there is something wrong with that),
- the way they got on the yacht, the whole scene just being unrealistic.
-just the whole Europe tour thing: I’m European and it’s hard to believe the author has ever seen any of the places described. They also don’t seem to be aware there is anything outside of Spain, Italy and France in Europe which is ridiculous. On top of that, the people there are treated like the accessories to Theo’s sex adventures and I don’t see it happening. Really?
Anyway, it’s a very average book imho, 2,5/5 rounded up as no way to provide half ratings here.
This was fun, I didn't love it as much as Casey's previous books but I still had a great time. It tells the story of exes Theo and Kit who had a painful breakup and find themselves on the same trip around Europe a couple of years on. They're messy - avoiding each other, not able to stay away, helping each other hook up, feeling the pull of desire between them. The good things you want from a second chance romance. It's also a great depiction of shades of bisexuality and gender expression. My main issue is that I just genuinely didn't like Theo, they came off a little spoiled and a little spiteful. Kit is such a sweet people, it was hard not to feel like he deserved better treatment. But still glad I read it and would pick up anything by Casey.
This is the first Casey McQuiston book that I have truly LOVED this book was so much fun to read! Despite having no knowledge about food or wine I didn’t struggle that much with understanding the language the main characters used (however it was incredibly pretentious) the writing style is easy to read and it doesn’t take itself too seriously overall this book was a lot of fun!!
The characters in this book are lovable and funny and I honestly wish I could go on a vacation like this! This would be perfect to read if you were on holiday in Italy!
The Pairing—the book I was hoping would sweep me off my feet but instead left me tripping over a yacht full of bisexual, wine-obsessed socialites. As a careful observer of Casey McQuiston's career, I went in with high hopes, although after not liking „I kissed Shara Wheere” and ”One last stop” that much, I was wary (I guess they would never top RWRB). Although I was not expecting a catastrophe of such proportions. It felt like someone tried to write a romance novel while half-drunk on overpriced French champagne, forgetting that readers might actually want, I don’t know, some plot and character development between all the culinary orgies.
Theo, our nepo baby protagonist, is perhaps the most insufferable character I’ve ever had the displeasure of following around Europe. Imagine having access to a fortune and multiple loving family members offering to help, but choosing instead to pretend you’re struggling—because who wouldn’t want to cosplay as a poor person? And then there’s Kit, whose only crime seems to be his blind adoration for Theo. The entire romance felt like a bad second-chance love story where all the emotional baggage is left unpacked, and the only thing that’s thoroughly explored is the inside of everyone’s pants.
The European setting, which should’ve been a lush, romantic backdrop, instead felt like a tired collection of stereotypes—Vespa rides, chic French women with cigarettes, and, of course, the ever-charming Italian who apparently forgot how to speak Italian. The Americanized version of frivolous, exotic Europe is insufferable here. The only thing more relentless than the romantic clichés was the sheer volume of food and booze. By the end, I was just as bored and bloated as the characters seemed to be.
Anyway, this might be my official goodbye to McQuiston's books. Oh how the mighty have fallen.
Casey MacQuiston has done it again. An instant favorite of mine! The romance, the tension, the food and summer vibes… it’s just everything!
I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Casey McQuiston's books always scare me a little. RWRB was really good, I was extremely disappointed by One Last Stop, and I Kissed Shara Wheeler was kinda in between those two. Luckily for me, The Pairing falls into the category of RWRB.
We follow the first part of the story through Theo, and the second part is told through Kit's eyes. Both characters are so interesting, and I loved both of them. Theo has been working at a sommelier in the US, and Kit has been working as a pattisier in France. The tension when they first see each other again in an unexpected place and having to spend 2 ½ weeks straight with each other?!? And they clearly still have feelings for each other but they're both ignoring it?? AAAAH
I also loved the settings of this book. It's such a fun idea to follow these people on their journey through Europe and feel like you're there with them in every city. Now I wish I could go on a trip like that.
However, the chapters were very long, which sometimes made me struggle with picking up the book. Yes, there's white lines in between, but that just doesn't feel the same. I also felt like some of the sex scenes were a bit too close to each other, I would have preferred less.
Overall, a very good book, and I'm excited to see that I loved one of Casey's books again!
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
Finally going on the trip of a lifetime, Theo never expects to find the person who broke her heart - and who she was supposed to go on the original trip with - sat next to the only available seat on the bus. Kit had been her best friend, and partner, and broke her heart. Now trapped for three weeks on a romantic European wine and food tour, they have to make the best of a bad situation, and try and come out the other side with their hearts intact.
I've been putting off writing this review for so long. Like the rest of the world, I loved Red, White and Royal Blue, and found I Kissed Shara Wheeler enjoyable too. So I was expecting that The Paiing would be as good too, but I found I was forcing myself to finish the book, and was just pushing myself to the end so I didn't have to DNF it. I mean, the book wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either, at least in my opinion. I found this book so frustrating. It was the biggest case of miscommunication and dramatic actions that I've read in a long time, and both Theo and Kit were characters I found lacking, and I wasn't engaging with them. I found myself not bothered about their love story, or even if they got together in the end. Not something I would expect from this author, and I'm not wary on reading another of her books in the future.
Casey McQuiston's "The Pairing" is another hit! I knew I would enjoy this book just as much as I loved her earlier ones, which I truly loved. The idea of two bisexual ex-couples unintentionally selecting the same wine and food tour in Europe is brilliant, and their subsequent hookup rivalry is endearing and funny at the same time.
This romantic comedy is exceptional because it features McQuiston's trademark mix of poignant moments and clever repartee. The travel across France, Spain, and Italy gives Theo and Kit's rekindling relationship a further surreal setting. This endearing tale captured my attention, and I'm eager to see what McQuiston creates next! Should you be an admirer of her writing, "The Pairing" is a must read.