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 three weeks 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.

Lately, it’s been so hot and humid in New York it’s hard to imagine taking a trip anywhere but to my couch, parked right in front of the air conditioning unit. But as we trudge through the dog days of summer, I still crave an escape. This summer, that escape came to me in the form of Casey McQuiston’s latest. With it, I was able to travel across an entire continent—all without leaving my blast of cool AC air.

In The Paring, McQuiston, the beloved author of One Last Stop and Red, White & Royal Blue, takes us on an indulgent and romantic journey across Europe. We follow main characters Theo and Kit, ex-childhood best friends and ex-lovers, after they accidentally book the same European food and wine tour. It’s been years since they have seen each other, and time apart has served them well. They’re over each other—100% moved on—and are ready to indulge in their dream vacation. This is why, when Theo and Kit run into each other on the tour bus, they decide to make things interesting and begin a hookup competition. As the two competitors immerse themselves in food, wine, and local lovers, long-suppressed emotions start to bubble to the surface.

The Pairing manages to take the beloved second-chance romance trope and make it something truly special. Theo and Kit shine on their own and together, and had some of the best character arcs that I’ve read in recent memory. The descriptions of each destination on the tour are so vivid, I felt like I’d boarded the plane myself. And I’d be remiss not to mention the chemistry. It’s so steamy that you’ll need that extra AC time—so make The Pairing your next summer vacation.