Contemporary Romance | 432 Pages | Anticipated publication date: August 6, 2024

The Pairing by Casey McQuiston is a beautiful, immersive novel about beginnings and endings and being willing to risk beginning again. I adored Theo and Kit’s story.

I’m usually not a fan of second chance romance tropes but honestly, I didn’t read much past the premise of ‘bisexual exes embarking on a hookup competition during a European food and wine tour’ before deciding that I needed to read this book. I was incredibly fortunate enough to win an ARC through a Goodreads giveaway and it did not disappoint. McQuiston packed so many fun tropes into their latest novel: second chance, friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, one bed, and more. There is also plenty of banter and tension — everything I love in a romance couple.

The book begins with Theo’s perspective and I loved the whirlwind entrance into their life as they embarked on their dream trip. We slowly learn more about Theo and Kit’s break-up, and the time that came before. They were childhood best friends and then lovers, which created a deep bond which is apparent with their unexpected reconnection on the European food and wine tour they once planned together.

What I loved most about The Pairing was the description from McQuiston. This was an incredibly immersive and transportive book. I felt as if I was travelling alongside Theo and Kit in their tour group, curious about the other members and eager to learn more. It helps that I have visited a few of the cities that form the backdrop, but even the cities that I have not came to life from McQuiston’s descriptive writing. There was not a sense missed: Taste, touch, smell, sight, and sound. McQuiston hit on each sensation beautifully.

I particularly love how the description was tailored to the characters. Not only was this an immersive experience for the reader by bringing to life Paris, Barcelona, Pisa, and more, but the lens through which McQuiston described the places they visited felt uniquely tailored to each character. Theo picks up on different elements in a new locale because of their experience as a bartender and sommelier. (The description of the wines tasted on this tour was stunning.) Likewise, Kit sees these cities through his experience as a pastry chef. (The use of French buttercream as a descriptor has stayed with me long after reading.) It was not description for the sake of pretty prose, but rather felt like huddling up to the characters and seeing France, Spain, and Italy through their eyes.

Theo and Kit’s relationship was equally beautiful. Their bond and connection runs so deep. It is a part of them, no matter how long they’ve spent a part. But just as they recognize parts of each other, they see how the other has changed since their break-up, and it only reinforces the love they feel for each other. The way Kit described Theo during a particular intimate moment was so reassuring, so accepting, so lovely.

The Pairing begins with the ember that remains between Theo and Kit and readers follow along as it turns into a blazing inferno. The pair of them coming together again, both changed and yet not, was a beautiful story that makes it the perfect summer read.