Theo and Kit have known each other since they were children. They were each others crushes and then they crushed each others hearts after a bad break up 4 years ago. They both end up on the same European tour, and decide to embark on a bet to see who can hook up with the most people during their tour. But sometimes opening your heart to new things, can let the old things in too. I loved this book, it was an incredible read. Casey McQuiston has written another masterpiece.

Kit and Theo started off as best friends and realised they were in love with each other, went through a messy breakup and now end up on a food tour of Europe together. The book is split into two halves, Theo goes first giving her/their view on what had happened in their relationship and suggesting a sex competition with her ex that they still harbour feelings for-what could go wrong?! So the first half of the book is two bisexuals trying to sleep with every gorgeous young thing they find around France and Spain. For the second half of the book Kit takes over and the random hookups finish (thank god) and the current feelings and miscommunications between the pair are finally aired out. It took me a while to get through this book, I loved One Last Stop and was excited to read this but being at a very different stage of life to the two main characters made their thoughts and decisions sometimes hard to sympathise with and understand. I did finish it glad that I’d read it, but if reading a tour guide to European food featuring lots of random encounters with members of the opposite/same sex sent your idea of a good time you might be better off avoiding.

Red, White and Royal Blue and One Last Stop are among my favourite books so I eagerly awaited Casey McQuiston’s newest adult novel. When I read the synopsis, I was a little unsure whether it would be quite as much to my taste as the previous ones but I found that once I started reading it I couldn’t stop and raced through it.

I really enjoyed that each half of the book was told from a different protagonist’s point of view so we got to see how they viewed the situations and hear from them about their past relationship and how they felt things had gone.

Both of the main characters were written with such depth and complexity they felt very real. Their flaws made them all the more human. The side characters were entertaining and each of them added brought their own flavour to the story.

The locations, food and drink which are central to the book are written with such detail and passion they made me long to visit and experience them for myself. You could tell the author had put much time and effort into researching everything and had a wonderful time doing so.

The book also deals with some serious topics such as gender and identity which I thought were handled perfectly.

Another amazing LGBTQ+ book from this author which I cannot recommend highly enough.

This book is a love letter to food and travel, the narration really puts the reader in the headspace of someone passionate about finding new flavours. I suspect a lot of traditional romance readers will be troubled by how much Kit and Theo have sex with other people and how the book seems pretty fine with that.

The perfect queer romance doesn't exis...

As someone who pretty much only reads queer romance novels (they're the easiest thing for my brain to consume before bed), I can't tell you how much I loved this book.

It had all the possible elements I could have hoped for in a book like this: two bi folks, one of whom is non-binary, and the other is an artsy guy who is a bit femme. Lots of non-monogamous hotness as they get off on seeing (and hearing) each other with lovers. Plus, it's a second-chance love story, which is probably my all-time favourite subgenre.

Plus, add to the mix that the book takes place across a three-week European food and wine tour. So, each chapter is set against one of my favourite cities and focuses on all the delicious treats you can sample in each destination.

It's as if you added a whole bunch of wild queer non-monogamy and sexual tension to Stanley Tucci's Searching for Italy TV series. Deliciousness on every level.

I will definitely re-read this at some point and gift it to a few like-minded friends.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC.

I feel like whenever Casey brings out a new book, their writing gets better and better. I was so enamoured by Theo and Kit’s love story and felt their story to be a realistic one, with fate threading them together in so many ways. I really enjoyed the European tour as the story’s setting along with the cast of colourful characters along the way. It’s a great summer read that I hope everyone else enjoys.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

The Pairing follows Theo and Kit, who went from childhood best friends to roommates to lovers and then to exes while flying to Europe for a food and wine tour. Four years later, both of them reunite while on the same tour.

“If I can give my whole heart to love without fearing the cost, I will regret nothing.”

I have been a fan of everything Casey McQuiston has written so far and reading this synopsis got me so excited to dive into this story! My only tip when diving in, make sure you’ve eaten beforehand!

I loved how the story opened with flashbacks to how Theo and Kit got together and sort of the aftermath of the fight they had on the flight where they broke up. It immediately set the tone and got me interested in who these characters were. I also loved how the first half of the book was from Theo’s POV and around half-way it switched to Kit’s!

The moment they reunite on the bus and the tour starts, you’re taken on a journey throughout Europe which will get you hungry, thirsty and made you wish you’d go on the same tour! The descriptions about the food and wine truly had me mouth-watering! Also, I couldn’t help myself as I too drunk wine while reading about this amazing vacation.

Theo and Kit are both very complicated characters in the best way. They are so well rounded and very clear in their wants, needs and aspirations. I loved seeing them both free and confident and being their true selves. I think it was so freeing that they reunited as exes, having grown and found who they truly are in the years apart.

I loved, loved, loved the forced proximity trope both Theo and Kit experienced! It was super fun to see them navigate the tour with each other, as they had both come alone, as well as the lingering feelings they still have for each other! Honestly, their romance is something out of a fairy tale! The deep connection they have for each other brings such deep levels to their friendship and relationship and is amazing to read! Also, the fact that they admit to themselves rather early on that they still have feelings for each other was so mature.

I loved how this plot played out and how they went on an adventure and found more than they had expected at the beginning! This whole book made me smile all the way through!

Overall, The Pairing is a wholesome, heart-warming and loving story that made you wanna go on the same vacation and have a love like theirs!

this book was one of my most highly anticipated books of the year and, unfortunately, it was rather disappointing. there‘s just something missing.

the concept of the story interesting, with some parts being enjoyable, however, it became rather repetitive and long. i also have to say, i skipped majority of the spice. the story started off strong, but it soon when downhill and just not as enjoyable as i hoped it would be.

with the characters, i liked kit more than theo, however, both of them were one dimensional with them only having one thing that makes them. they needed more personality, more character in order for me to feel more connected to them.

i’m so sad that this book wasn’t the five star read that i hoped it would be.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

DNF at 25%. It both my and the book's fault. My fault because I just finished another book which is very similar in terms of tropes, setting, plot points, etc, and it emotionally wrecked me. The book's fault because Theo was pretty annoying and immature which threw me off and didn't help. I love Casey McQuiston so maybe I'll give it another try but right now it's not doing it for me.

So, unfortunately this book was not how I hoped it would be. I loved Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston, it is a fun book and has become a comfort read for me. I haven't gotten around reading another book by Casey McQuinston and The Pairing sounded like a great read, so I absolutely wanted to read it. Well, it was alright and Casey's writing style was as fun and relaxed as usual, but the book itself was just not really it. First of all, Theo. Theo is a nepo baby, which is really bad for them (?), so they whine a lot. Oh, and they also tend to really hurt Kit's feelings. That's basically what I remember of them. Kit was alright, he was just kind of timid and I sometimes thought to myself: "JUST TALK TO THEM". The Story itself was kind of fun, the idea at least. In reality it was very unbelivable that suddenly everyone was just gay or bi? I mean, it is cool, just not realistic and I think if the author would have toned it down a little bit it would have worked, but it was just over the top. Why did I give 3 stars in the end? I wanted to give 2,5. 2 would be too little, because despite the books length I actually flew through the book fairly quickly. I also wanted to know if Kit and Theo would end up together and how their relationship would develop in the book. The author also wrote some interesting side characters that made the book fun to read. All in all I wouldn't read it again and also wouldn't have thought that this was a book by Casey McQuinstion if I wouldn't have known (except for the writing style). I still had fun though.
Thank you Macmillan and NetGalley for the ARC!

I went into The Pairing ready to love it, especially as I’m obsessed with Red, White and Royal Blue, but I have to admit, my high expectations were not met. I really didn’t enjoy reading it, and I just found it lacking any warmth or interest.

Kit and Theo were childhood best friends turned lovers before breaking up at the airport on their way to a European Food and Wine tour. Theo returns to America and spends the next four years working on themself, becoming more confident and figuring out who they are. Kit moves to Paris and is successfully working in one of Paris’ finest restaurants. The voucher for the abandoned Food and Wine tour is about to run out, so unsurprisingly, they both end up on it together. Will it bring them back together or have they both moved on?

The book is hugely predictable; that being said, no one goes into a romance read not knowing the ending, we’re there for the good time of seeing how the characters get their ‘happily ever after’, only with this one, I wasn’t really that bothered, I just wish they got there sooner so it would actually end.

Firstly, I really didn’t warm to Theo, so found their half of the book an actual slow drag; it was difficult to have any sympathy for someone whose financial ‘struggle’ could have been solved in multiple ways as they were a nepo baby. It hardly endeared them sympathy wise and honestly, they were just rather irritating. Kit was more likeable; however, this was simply in comparison so I’m not sure of how much of a compliment it is. Yet, it did mean his half of the tale was slightly more palpable, but in honesty, both characters needed to grow up and stop being so whiny and self-indulgent.

The book is very well researched, and I have to applaud the work gone into developing ideas about location/food/wine content. However, this was all the book was… and it made it stilted and dare I say it, verging on the boring. I wanted well developed side-characters and romance and all I got was fancy cheese and froufrou wine that in no way advanced the plot. The book was stuffed with clichés and stereotypes, which surprised me with this author, but maybe some Americans just have an unrealistic and romantic ideas of what European tours are actually like, because let me tell you, they’re not like The Pairing. Also their reason for breaking up? Ridiculous, and not worth the overly long wait.

I also found it hard to believe the following:

1. Everyone is sex obsessed and ready to instantly sleep with so many random strangers.

2. Everyone is completely fluid and willing to sleep with anyone regardless of gender (lovely idea but hardly realistic).

3. Everyone fancies one or both of the lead characters and want to immediately leap into bed with them.

4. Everyone you meet in Europe is young, gorgeous and bullet one through 3.

It just all became a bit tedious and dull and anything that could have been poignant or have real meaning, was lost in boring description. I also just didn’t buy their relationship. I was repeatedly told that they have this amazing love story, but I didn’t see it, so I didn’t feel anything… it left me cold. It seriously lacked chemistry, romance and water. (Seriously, how did people not have hangovers as all they drank was alcohol?)

What I loved about Red, White and Royal Blue, is that the two main protagonists were incredibly privileged and so specifically famous that they boarded on being unattainable and unrealistic in terms of relating to their worlds. But what McQuiston managed to do was write them as really deep and layered human beings that were grounded in realism… they were believable as characters, they were believable as people. Not only did I fall deeply for their romance, I also fell deeply in love with Alex and Henry as people; I cared about what they were feeling and I cared about what happened to them.

However, this is completely missing from The Pairing. I had no connections to Theo and Kit; I didn’t think they were developed and grounded characters and I couldn’t have cared less about their over privileged unappreciated selves. I imagine if I met them as real people, I’d find them as unlikeable in person as I did in the book; arrogant, egotistical and shallow.

I wanted plot and structure, and humour and romance. I wanted to feel something, but it was sadly just monotonous bore.

I am a huge fan of 'Red, White and Royal Blue', but every Casey McQuiston novel since has failed to live up to that standard for me. Disappointingly, once again I was left wanting by her newest offering 'The Pairing'. This is a second chance romance between Theo and Kit who bump into each other after years of separation on a food and wine tour of Europe. The perfect setting to fall in love again!

The main flaw of this novel is that it is 100 pages too long and absolutely feels it. Theo and Kit put together a wager about who can sleep with the most people on tour (not including each other of course who are off limits). Cue, hundreds of pages of descriptions of food, an absurd amount of wine and sex with hundreds of people in each city (because of course everyone is immediately attracted to Theo and/ or Kit). I was impatient for the couple to inevitably get back together and I was tired of them by the time they did.

In short, stick to Henry and Alex. 2.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this e-arc!

I wanted to love this so much but I think it was the set up of it. I felt like it took a very long time for them to get back together because you could just tell it was going to happen but for so long it just seem physical and kissing the past and not getting to know each other again.

I felt like it could’ve been shorter than it was by 50-100 pages.

It was okay and I did enjoy some parts but I feel it was definitely dragged out

A heartfelt and romantic second chance romance following Theo and Kit as they take a journey through the cities of Europe on a food and wine tour and try to convince themselves that they’re definitely over each other.

I loved how this story was told from both povs, however unlike most books the povs didn’t alternate and instead each of the two protagonists got a chunk of the book with Theo starting the story and Kit taking the second half.

If you love a romantic, swoony book with a cast of great supporting characters then I highly recommend McQuiston’s latest!

🍷 second chance
🍷 non binary and bisexual main characters
🍷 road trip
🍷 there was only one bed
🍷 dual pov
🍷 so much pining

This book was filled with everything that I wanted and expected. It did not disappoint. Great relationships, well developed characters, good food, good wine and amazing locations. I wanted to book a tour of Europe straight after reading this. I laughed, I cried and kicked my feet with happiness.

"The Pairing" is a deliciously stunning read that will leave you craving more. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone in search of a heartwarming romance filled with laughter, love, and plenty of delicious treats. Trust me, you won't be able to resist falling head over heels for Theo and Kit's enchanting journey.

Thank you #netgalley for the eARC in return for an honest review.

Four years after Theo and Kit broke up on a flight to the UK for a European food tour, they find themselves on that tour together and have to endure being in each others company.

Sexy food, sexy scenery, sexy people.
Every mention of food made me hungry for tasty European goods. Closest I'm going to get at the moment is a pain au chocolat from Lidl, but that will do.
I was routing for Theo and Kit the whole way through. Their cheeky friendship and competition was something I can imagine some people thinking up. The perspective flip halfway through made it heartwarming and the ending rather predictable and cheesy, but sometimes you need that in a book!
I read a 1 star review the other day which said it was unrealistic. I'm pretty sure this isn't meant to be a realistic portrayal of a food tour? It's escapism, pure hedonistic, beautiful, glorious escapism and I am totally here for it.

I very much love everything Casey McQuiston touches and this is no different. What a delight to find an author who continuously writes such great books!

**2.5 Stars**

I have SUCH mixed feelings about this one, I think I did like it a little more than I kissed Shara Wheeler, but I do think it's time I admit that Casey McQuinston has fallen off for me. I enjoyed RWRB and I LOVED One Last Stop but these last two releases have just been meh to me.

The first half of this book was harder to get through than the second, I just didn't vibe with being in Theo's head, they were just a little bit insufferable and idk I do understand being a nepo baby has it's difficulties but the woe is me thing got a bit much. However, once the book shifted to Kit's Pov it vastly improved, it was kinda crazy how different Kit was to how Theo perceived him and I liked being in his head much more. So perhaps alternating chapters would have worked better?

The whole miscommunication was silly and the plot ended up being pretty predictable.

However, I think my biggest issue is probably 'travel writing'. There were times when I enjoyed it because it did conjure a vivid picture of France, Spain and Italy but it ended up feeling like 60% of every chapter was just flowery descriptions of the locations, foods etc and It honestly gave me the vibe of when you're friend comes back from overseas gives these over the top recollections of their trip for the next decade. It just felt like it took up wayy too much space in the book.

All in all, I think a lot of people will love this book, it's definitely not objectively bad - it just really wasn't for me.

Thank you to Netgally and Pan Macmillan for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, I can't decide if the travel tour in this sounds amazing because you go so many places or like hell because you're in a different bed every night 😅

This is...OK. I think an alternating pov throughout would have made the characters more likeable, I couldn't stand either of them.

The tour seemed to drag but the cast of background characters was great and I liked the calm and realistic way Theo's gender journey was written.