Theo and Kit broke up on a transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, but the time apart has done them both good. Theo has found confidence as a bartender and an aspiring sommelier, while Kit has graduated as a pastry chef and works in one of the finest restaurants in Paris. They each have an unused voucher for the European food and wine tour that is valid for 48 months from the original date and it's about to expire. They each decide that now's a good time to take this trip - separately. But when Theo boards the tour bus and finds Kit on it, realizing they both had the exact same idea and are now trapped together for the next three weeks, it gets a lot more complicated.

THE PAIRING is a pleasantly surprising story that takes course over three weeks in various European cities along a food and wine tour. Each chapter of this book features a new location with new foods and wines to lust over. The settings and imagery of each location is expertly described, leaving a vivid and immersive experience for the reader. The food and wine pairings are well-researched, exquisite, and honestly sound divine. I liked how each pairing evoked memories in some manner for the two MCs and served for some lusty banter between the two as they regressed into old habits of one-upping the other with food or drink creations.

The first half of the book is told in Theo's POV, which while I enjoyed, was overly sexualized and filled with their self-sabotage. The latter half of the novel is told in Kit's POV which I found to be refreshing. Each of the main  characters is flawed, yet realistic and relatable, with excellent chemistry. I liked the varied sexual representations (

bisexual, non-binary

) the characters display which feels to be written authentically and with care. The competition that crops up between the two is a lot of fun and quite spicy. The romance is ripe with pining and lust, but also a deep emotional attachment developed over years of friendship. I do think that I liked Kit's POV more-so than Theo's because Kit's POV offered more context to their shared past and the steps towards their possible future. The character growth and self-discovery of both characters is well-written and genuine. I liked seeing the conclusions they came to over the course of the story and absolutely adored the epilogue.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, St Martin's Griffin, of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions shared are my own.