The Pairing

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston (publication date August 6, 2024) is a delightfully sexy romp through Europe on a food and wine tour with two former best friends and former lovers Theo and Kit. I really loved McQuiston’s Red, White, and Royal Blue and there are so many things I loved about this book!

First, I loved that McQuiston picked names for the characters that could be any gender, and that we’re not really sure of the gender of one of the main characters until quite a ways into the book. I loved that both of the main characters were openly, joyfully, bi/ pansexual. And I loved the lavish descriptions of the places the tour group visited in Europe, and the food they tasted. I’m not really a wine person, but if you are, you will enjoy those descriptions, too.

It’s a second-chance romance–I wasn’t sure that I bought into the idea that Theo blocked Kit from their phone and refused all contact after their mid-Atlantic breakup on their initial trip to Europe. That just doesn’t seem likely, nor did the idea that their breakup was really just a misunderstanding that lasted for five years. But I went with it.

When sommelier Theo and pastry chef Kit realize they are on the same tour that they initially planned five years ago, and they hadn’t had contact since the breakup, it’s awkward at first. But they have history back to when they were children together, and being in close proximity as part of a small tour group, it’s hard to let that history go. They work up to being friends, and then, as often happened before they got together, start competing for the same sexual conquests as they eat and drink their way through France, Spain, and Italy. They decide on a friendly sex competition, with specific rules, to see who can sleep with the most locals. So if you don’t like romances that aren’t completely monogamous, this might not be for you.

I have seen some criticism that the characters need to grow up and get over themselves, and there is some of that. I think there was definitely growth on Theo’s part through the course of the book. Even though they may have been a little immature, I still enjoyed the journey! I don’t recall any anti-fat bias, although there are descriptions of characters’ hotness and conventionally-attractive bodies, I would still consider it weight-neutral.