GRAPEY BOOK CLUB: Casey McQuiston’s Self-Aware The Pairing Disappoints with an Underwhelming Romance

Repeat Offenders Editor Nic Chang takes a break from their usual Nic’s Flix to review Casey McQuiston’s newest book The Pairing and whether or not this queer romance lives up to the popularity of McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue

As I turned to the Acknowledgements in The Pairing, I read a passage from Casey McQuiston, who stated that their intention was to write a book “that was proud to be a book.” This is a good mindset for authors to have, especially when establishing their authorial voice, and McQuiston has certainly accomplished this by being an unapologetically queer, romantic voice in the current world of new adult fiction.

It’s easy to dismiss the sugary nature and, to an extent, the possibly muddled politics of McQuiston’s debut novel, Red, White & Royal Blue, yet it’s written with such romantic sincerity and empathy towards its characters that the central relationship felt believable, especially thanks to McQuiston’s ability to craft solid narrative engagement. It’s a tough act to follow that with something similarly successful, even with McQuiston’s familiar navigation of queer romance and new adult fiction. The Pairing is, as you’d expect, McQuiston’s attempt to maintain the sugary, romantic nature of Red, White & Royal Blue while emotionally grounding their characters through their low-stakes European holiday, but it unfortunately comes with mixed results.

The Pairing follows Theo and Kit, both of them having… let’s say, a complicated relationship. They were best friends in childhood, then they developed crushes on each other, then they fell in love, and then they broke up. Especially when it came to their conflicting plans with their dream tour to Europe. How awkward is that? Four years later, Theo currently hustles as a bartender and sommelier while the infinitely horny Kit graduates from pastry school, with the special achievement of sleeping with as many classmates as possible, and now works at a fine-dining restaurant in Paris. The only thing they haven’t used is their voucher for a European tour, set to expire soon, and both of them have the same idea: go to Europe by themselves.

Cut to the present, and when both of them discover they had the same idea, they're stuck on the same trip, touring through France, Spain and Italy. They try to acknowledge that things are fine because, after all, what’s in the past stays in the past, right? But it doesn’t help that both of them are still seeking some horny, exciting adventures. To avoid the inevitable moments of boredom in-between, Theo suggests a bet to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide, Fabrizio, first. With Kit’s status as a reigning sex god, he’s bound to agree to it. And yet, their competition takes them in a different path than they expected.

Much like their previous works, McQuiston leans into the rom-com conventions that established their literary voice. Well, the reversal of the “enemies-to-lovers” trope has happened already, or it seems like it’ll actually be put into use. Such tropes aren’t inherently annoying, as long as the creative possibilities provided are taken advantage of, and McQuiston grounds the narrative cheesiness by keeping the stakes low-key and cosy. But where The Pairing falters is not in its generic nature, but how scattered its narrative is and how vapid its characters are.

McQuiston splits each chapter by which country or city the characters visit throughout the tour, focusing on Theo’s perspective for the first half. Conceptually, it’s not a bad idea, especially since the romantic utilisation of exotic cities can symbolise the development of its characters, but as we delve into Theo’s journey, their characterisation borders on frustrating. The most relatable Theo gets is when they delve into their non-binary identity and how they are slowly coming out. Despite the prominence of LGBTQ+ literature, it’s hard to find non-binary representation, and the authenticity is where The Pairing shines. Instead, McQuiston delves more into Theo’s backstory as a nepo-baby and their struggles with that label. Not only is it difficult to relate to, but such a decision feels like a narrative device to advance the relationship between Theo and Kit. It feels inorganic rather than convincing.

Once McQuiston shifts to Kit’s perspective, there’s almost a refreshing change in character voice, but even then, there’s not much of a compelling backstory to latch onto. Rather than changing things up to enhance its inherently corny, sexy romance, the relationship between Theo and Kit feels two-dimensional, especially since it’s not just set up as compellingly. Sure, lots of witty dialogue, sexual innuendos and flirty jokes are exchanged between the two, but there comes a point where McQuiston dwells so much on capturing as many of these interactions as possible that they lack dimension.

Frustratingly, The Pairing struggles to develop its characters beyond the archetypes set up for them. We learn the tourists Theo and Kit befriend are young, dumb, horny, privileged and messy! There’s not much defined purpose or depth given to McQuiston’s supporting cast, making them serve as nothing more than mere distractions to the “narrative.” Even this supposedly charismatic yet thinly sketched Fabrizio that our protagonists revolve the bet around doesn’t get enough development. And when McQuiston follows this arc through to its logical resolution, it reaches a disappointingly anticlimactic conclusion, with little repercussions for its characters.

McQuiston writes with plenty of texture and exotic atmosphere, bringing their many settings to life and crafting an idealistic image of Europe. From the lusciously described scenery to the detailed descriptions of local food, it’s clear McQuiston has done their research, ensuring each setting feels like a lived-in character. Even then, setting receives far more priority than the character arcs. The Pairing tries to cover sex, jealousy, relationships and travel, but its focus is so scattered, with some of its chapters even bordering on repetition, that it doesn’t have much to say. That’s not always a bad thing, but the biggest flaw The Pairing commits is that its central romance feels too dull and familiar.

Even when McQuiston returns to what best defined their voice, The Pairing is an underwhelming read. Its self-awareness ensures it intentionally leans into the cheesiness of its genre tropes to satisfy its target audience. Yet whenever McQuiston finds ways to navigate varying queer identities, The Pairing shines with authenticity. But what lets it down is how its narrative lacks much energy or intriguing conflicts. The Pairing really is its own thing, opting to stick towards its conventions for better or worse.

Rating: ★★★☆☆