Casey McQuiston first captured my heart with their debut novel, Red, White, and Royal Blue. I was completely enamored by the story of the American President's son falling in love with the British Prince. The cleverly plotted forbidden romance, along with a diverse and brilliantly crafted supporting cast, made the world feel incredibly real. Naturally, I eagerly anticipated more from McQuiston, but their next book, One Last Stop, didn’t quite meet my high expectations. McQuiston returns now with another new novel, The Pairing, a globe-trotting second-chance romance.
Kit and Theo have known each other since childhood. As best friends, their bond eventually blossomed into a romantic relationship. However, their romance fell apart during a trip to Europe, culminating in a nasty breakup on a plane that ended any chance of a future together. Part of the fallout included canceling a planned European food and wine tour. They went their separate ways, left with nothing but a voucher to reschedule the nonrefundable tour.
Four years later, Kit and Theo are living completely separate lives. Theo returned to the US, working as a craft cocktail mixologist while studying to become a sommelier. Kit stayed in Europe, attended pastry school, and became a pastry chef in a world-class Paris restaurant. The wounds of their past relationship have started to heal as they focus on their individual careers and casual relationships. But when they both decide to redeem their food and wine tour voucher at the last possible moment, Kit and Theo are suddenly thrust back into each other’s lives.
There’s a lot happening in The Pairing that should have made me enjoy it. Casey McQuiston forces her protagonists into a second chance at love by placing them on a weeks-long tour, where they have no choice but to interact. Theo knows wine, and Kit knows food. It's a perfect match, leading to the pair coming together naturally during this food and wine expedition. McQuiston's novels have always been inclusive, and this one is no exception. Both characters are pansexual, and one is revealed to be nonbinary. I loved how McQuiston effortlessly switched to using neutral pronouns for this character after the revelation. It truly is that simple, and it baffles me why or how anyone could have an issue with using someone’s preferred pronouns.
Unfortunately, that’s where the positives ended for me. Kit and Theo decide to challenge each other to see who can sleep with the most people during their tour. This premise felt contrived and out of character for them. The competition aspect seemed off and made the plot feel repetitive. Each new section was another city, filled with more descriptions of meals and the sexual conquests of the main characters with the ever-willing locals. This pattern persisted for most of the book, and by three-quarters of the way through, I was just ready for the story to end.
Most disappointing, though, were the main characters themselves. All their troubles stemmed from a simple problem: they didn’t talk to each other. Miscommunication caused their breakup and continued to hamper their supposedly rekindled feelings for each other. Ultimately, The Pairing features a clever setup that never fully comes together into an emotionally satisfying whole. While I appreciate McQuiston's knack for writing diverse characters into romances, I’m starting to think their debut was a lightning-in-a-bottle moment that may not be captured again.
For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2024, 61)
