{ "item_title" : "The Pairing", "item_author" : [" Casey McQuiston "], "item_description" : "In #1 New York Times bestselling author Casey McQuiston's latest romantic comedy, two bisexual exes accidentally book the same European food and wine tour and challenge each other to a hookup competition to prove they're over each other—except they're definitely not.Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, they exited each other's lives once and for all. Time apart has done them good. Theo has found confidence as a hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day, with a long roster of casual lovers. Kit, who never returned to America, graduated as the reigning sex god of his pastry school class and now bakes at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. Sure, nothing really compares to what they had, and life stretches out long and lonely ahead of them, but—yeah. It's in the past. All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date and about to expire. Four years later, it seems like a great idea to finally take the trip. Solo. Separately. It' s not until they board the tour bus that they discover they've both accidentally had the exact same idea, and now they're trapped with each other for eighteen days of stunning views, luscious flavors, and the most romantic cities of France, Spain, and Italy. It's fine. There's nothing left between them. So much nothing that, when Theo suggests a friendly wager to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, Kit is totally game. And why stop there? Why not a full-on European hookup competition? But sometimes a taste of everything only makes you crave what you can't have. Casey McQuiston is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of romantic comedies, including One Last Stop, I Kissed Shara Wheeler, and Red, White & Royal Blue, whose writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Bon Appetit. Born and raised in southern Louisiana, Casey now lives in New York City with a poodle mix named Pepper.", "item_img_path" : "https://covers4.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/1/25/086/274/1250862744_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "19.00", "online_price" : "19.00", "our_price" : "19.00", "club_price" : "19.00", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "20.00" } }

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In Casey McQuiston’s The Pairing, two former flames, one food-and-wine tour across Europe and an unhinged hookup competition make for a delicious and decadent queer romance. 

In their nearly two decades of friendship, Kit and Theo have been many things to each other: childhood besties, first crushes, romantic partners and now, estranged exes. After a devastating breakup four years ago, mid-flight to the European foodie tour of their dreams, neither has heard a single word from the other. Theo has found their groove as a bartender and aspiring sommelier, Kit graduated from pastry school in France and both have left a wake of lovers in their path. With a month left before the voucher for the trip they never took expires, Kit and Theo both rebook the tour—only to find that great minds think alike. But time heals all wounds and both characters are completely over each other. So much so that when Theo makes a bet with Kit on who can hook up with their hot Italian tour guide first, it feels like a perfectly reasonable thing to accept. And heck, why not go all out with a full-on hookup competition? But as this “friendly” competition heats up, Theo and Kit find it hard to ignore what they’re really craving.

Two exes actively hooking up with other people doesn’t exactly sound like the traditional road to a Happily Ever After. But The Pairing is what happens when an immensely talented and much-beloved author levels up. McQuiston deftly crafts a complex love story, one that not just any writer could pull off, and the result is testament to their talent. The care Kit and Theo have for each other is clearly evident, manifesting in the tender way they handle their day-to-day travels together and discussion of their competition. While they may be actively sleeping with other people, they are never far from the other’s thoughts: In one particularly sexy scene, Theo and Kit find themselves on adjoining patios with their lovers, apart but together, the sounds they know so well fueling them towards their finish. Theo and Kit’s relationship is delightfully queer and nontraditional, playing with gender roles in and out of the bedroom, so it makes sense that their path back to each other would be similarly unconventional.

A Bacchanalian romp from Monaco to Pisa to Paris, The Pairing is best accompanied by a Campari spritz and a cornetto alla marmellata di albicocche, ideally whilst seated in a little Italian cafe. But regardless of the location, you will devour this book with unbridled gusto.