The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
Two exes challenge each other to a hookup competition in this steamy fourth novel by acclaimed queer romance writer Casey McQuiston
In the grand tradition of classy Americans in Europe, The Pairing brings a new world freshness to the sometimes stuffy romance novel. While we all love a little Mills & Boon now and then, there is something expansive about The Pairing that feels novel, like Gertrude Stein smoking cigars in a seedy Paris bar, Josephine Baker’s banana skirt, or even a big, juicy Napa Valley red.
It begins, unexpectedly, at the end of a relationship. Kit and Theo are exes. Major exes. Exes that haven’t spoken a word to each other in four years. It is something of a surprise, then, when they find themselves on the same European food and wine tour, and sparks fly as they challenge themselves to a hookup competition to prove that they’re over each other. But between the brioche mousseline, the Ligurian focaccia and the limoncello, Theo and Kit begin to find one another again. The resulting tension is delicious, and the sex scenes are egalitarian and deeply horny. The book begins with a quote from E.M Forster’s beautiful (perfect) A Room with a View. Forster is famous for the care he gives to our tender, wobbly humanity. There are moments when The Pairing meets Forster in this care, showing us that to love well is to respect and love the whole of the person standing before us.