The Pairing

Books | Fiction / Romance / Contemporary

3.7

Casey McQuiston

In #1 New York Times bestselling author Casey McQuiston's latest romantic comedy, two bisexual exes accidentally book the same European food and wine tour and challenge each other to a hookup competition to prove they're over each other—except they're definitely not.Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, they exited each other's lives once and for all.Time apart has done them good. Theo has found confidence as a hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day, with a long roster of casual lovers. Kit, who never returned to America, graduated as the reigning sex god of his pastry school class and now bakes at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. Sure, nothing really compares to what they had, and life stretches out long and lonely ahead of them, but—yeah. It's in the past.All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date and about to expire. Four years later, it seems like a great idea to finally take the trip. Solo. Separately.It's not until they board the tour bus that they discover they've both accidentally had the exact same idea, and now they're trapped with each other for three weeks of stunning views, luscious flavors, and the most romantic cities of France, Spain, and Italy. It's fine. There's nothing left between them. So much nothing that, when Theo suggests a friendly wager to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, Kit is totally game. And why stop there? Why not a full-on European hookup competition?But sometimes a taste of everything only makes you crave what you can't have."Move over 'hot girl summer' – 'hot bisexual summer' is ready for its moment and Casey McQuiston’s new novel The Pairing is here to usher it in." - USA Today

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More Details:

Author

Casey McQuiston

Pages

432

Publisher

St. Martin's Publishing Group

Published Date

2024-08-06

ISBN

1250365848 9781250365842

Community ReviewsSee all

"God I loved their relationship and their vulnerability and growth. 🥹🥰💕 Super sweet. And, um, also quite spicy. 😳😅😍 I adored this book!"

Sarah Albertson

"this is casey's best written book, technically speaking. i think they achieve exactly what they set out to do with it. every page of this book is infused with food and drink and art, and i love the way casey uses these concepts to analogize the characters and their relationships. it's maybe a bit too long for me — i found myself growing bored somewhere around the 250-page mark, and i almost took down notes on the timeline so i could keep up with the history of these two and all of the stops on their trip current day. all in all, a quintessential summer book. save it for when you're in need of sunshine (and sex)."

catherine!!

"I’ve heard a lot of people on tiktok saying the didn’t like this book but it has easily become one of my favs. The way a character describes the person they are in love with is so poetic I had to put the book down and sit for a few minutes to just absorb the language. The realizations that characters make about themselves are relatable and also it’s refreshing that they experience healthy character development. And the descriptions of Europe! Someone on tiktok said they thought it was too touristy but I think the author actually accomplished a very authentic description of it. I mean they were on a tour so the places they went were naturally touristy but they found the more nuanced parts of travel. It never felt cliche or overbearing. And the spice is very original. I was truly touched by this book and I hope more people come to love it the way I have!"

Ebba

"lust, longing, heartache, miscommunication, and great spice. what more could a girl ask for?"

olivia green

"McQuiston has done it again. Just like Red, White, and Royal Blue this book has a lot of diversity when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community and McQuiston does it so well. 5/5 stars. I loved how they were touring Europe and I loved reading about all the different places they went to and all the food and drinks they had. But most importantly, I loved the relationship between Theo and Kit. Definitely recommend this book for those 18+ due to the amount of spice."

H G

Hannah Grace Whitmill

"What an absolutely perfect book! Literal art!"