5/5

Started on 26/04/24
Finished 06/05/24

ARC provided by Netgalley.

Tobstart my review I really loved the writting, the flashback and everything let us see the growth in the character and I really appreciate it.
I am so thankful for the mid thirties and forties gay modern day representations !!!!!
I really like the fact that it's pretry much a normal love story with someone with high standards in terms of romance. You can identify to side of the spectrum and that's really interesting to see. I relate so much to Kip and at the same time I just the hopeless romantic that Ray is.
I had such a great time and it was a one time read in the end.

This was a different kind of rom com in the sense that the main couple was together from the start. That was refreshing in a way but also frustrating. I always find it annoying when a story focuses on miscommunication and occasionally makes me wonder if the couple should really be together.

That said, this was an enjoyable story. I liked all the characters and felt the happy ending was earned. The Lilith Fair references were a fun quirk. The ending left me smiling, even if the road to get there was rough at times.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

At one point I thought I wasn’t going to finish this book. I found myself irritated with one of the main characters and then with *both* of them. But I’m really glad I did. The ending was well-worth the drama that happened. As in all relationships, there were misunderstandings and miscommunications. But in the end there was enough love to work through them, and all of the twists and turns at the Earlymoon Hotel.

LGBTQ+. Cute read for anyone who loves New England and is known to romanticize relationships. The main character works through better understanding himself and other relationships around him through some harsh truths, silly run ins, and introspection.

At first, I was pleasantly surprised at how thoughtful this book was, as I had judged from the title and cover that it might be a fairly shallow read. It looks deeply into insecurities related to coming out, co-dependency, relationship communication, trust and how we are shaped by our pasts. I found it well written and related to the main character in his insecurities with his relationship.

I thought the book would go in a completely different direction, though. I was looking for Ray to realize he had given up so much of himself to be in the relationship, to notice that Kip was emotionally closed off and struggling heavily with internalized homophobia, and that Kip was actually not very nice to him at all. I kept thinking he was going to notice that his fiance kind of sucked and that this relationship was no different from the first marriage he rushed into. I thought throughout the book he would find more complete happiness with someone else who accepted him for who he was. When BJ showed up I thought each of them would realize their second mistake and maybe forge out together - maybe not romantically but united.

I was truly disappointed when he ended up staying with the fiance - and I really thought the rest of the book was not leading to that ending. I'm curious if the author made that choice, or if it was an editorial choice to have a "happy" ending? To me it wasn't a happy ending because Kip clearly did not accept Ray and was not far enough along in his own coming out journey. Or - was it a bit of a meta decision? In that Ray hadn't come far enough in his own journey away from being codependent and reliant on a romance to give him meaning, so they are moving forward as a way to show that neither character really grew through this? It felt forced and rushed. I am usually not one to be mad there was a happy ending, but this ending fell flat.

Overall, I really enjoyed and will read more by this author.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC via NetGalley of Nearlywed in exchange for an honest review. It was absolutely a delight to read this one.

Nicolas DiDomizio finds the perfect blend of summer entertainment, wit and whimsy, and affecting purpose in his third novel, Nearlywed. Nearlywed centers on engaged couple Ray and Kip, who are more different than they are alike–both are divorcees, but Ray is a messy millennial who frequently overshares in his work as a magazine writer, while Kip is a Gen X doctor who prefers to keep his private life private and is still adjusting to his gay identity. As their impending wedding approaches, Ray convinces Kip to take an “earlymoon” at the Earlymoon Hotel in his hometown of Seabrook, Connecticut. Ray is a hopeless romantic who has thought of little else but his perfect wedding since he was a child; Kip isn’t even sure he wants to do a first dance at their wedding with so many people staring at them. Not only does Nearlywed dive into the way different generations interact with their sexual orientation and the world at large, but it reminds us that coming out is never easy, regardless of the circumstances. Coming out is a trojan horse, built on the notion of acceptance from others, but often hindering on acceptance of self.

The Earlymoon Hotel is as idyllic as Ray hopes, yet at almost every turn, seems to put Ray and Kip in a situation where their conflicting ideologies and preferences land them at a stalemate. When one of Kip’s old school friends and his fiancé show up, also on their earlymoon, Kip falls back into old territory, pretending Ray is a golfing buddy and shirking away from putting his relationship on display. As tension builds, the question of whether Ray and Kip will even make it to the big day looms. The earlymoon is meant to signal what is to come–ideally, wedded bliss–yet Ray seems to be signing up for a lifetime of deception.

I’ll be honest. I have endless empathy for someone coming out, especially later in life, and the way they have to relearn and redefine themselves… yet, I found Kip’s behavior inexcusable (and dare I say it triggering) for most of the novel. The central mishap centers on the idea that both Ray and Kip are flawed: that Ray is asking too much of Kip when he shouldn’t need to shout their love from the rooftops to feel secure; that Kip can’t force Ray back into the closet, and ask him to be less himself so he can keep up appearances. While it’s certainly complicated, and laid out in a nuanced, well-handled approach, I was teetering on whether I as the reader wanted Ray and Kip to end up together. Marriage requires sacrifice and compromise, but asking your partner to sacrifice who they are for you isn’t the same ballgame. While it’s important that Ray’s fantasy loses a little of its sheen and that he learns that nothing is perfect, a relationship should make you feel good at the end of the day.

I came around of course. It’s hard not to fall in love with DiDomizio’s writing and characters. What’s perhaps most profound and touching is the reminder that Ray and Kip’s marriage isn’t something to take for granted. While embracing your true, authentic self is at times terrifying and uncertain, many generations before us have fought for what we have now… for the opportunity to love openly, for the right to get married, to celebrate, to even dance in front of other people and be stared at, as if to say us too. We’re here too.

Thank you NetGalley and Nicholas DiDomizio for this ARC!

This is the first book I’ve read by Nicholas, and I really enjoy his writing style. It’s witty and funny, and I find that it’s also done in a very relatable and engaging way.

The entire concept of this book was intriguing to me (and transparently, the idea of an “earlymoon” sounds very enticing), and the fact that Ray is a 30 year old man made me feel very connected to him, and the story being set in the present only increased that connection. When he’d make pop culture references, or even how he’d react to things, I found similarities with myself, my tastes and how I’d react.

Kip was a whole different type of character for me (which is made known right in the description of this book about them being opposites). I found I had a more challenging time connecting with him because I found depending on whether things were at the early stages of their relationship or the present, he was portrayed very differently. Albeit, that is very likely a deliberate writing decision.

There were multiple times I thought the book was going to fall into clichés, but I was surprised (and relieved) when it would take different directions, keeping the story feeling fresh for me.

Two notable mentions I’d like to make: I loved Stef, and would love to hear more about her and Lenny. And I have had “Tougher Than the Rest” by Bruce Springsteen on repeat now.

loved this romance and how the characters were able to figure things out and find their way to love. Loved the friends .

3.75 ⭐️

I requested this arc, because of the cover and the writer. My request got a thumbs up and then I was. Oh dear, do I really want to read a romcom about miscommunication?
I stalled and postponed, but if I make a commitment I’m all in.
I started this book about Ray and Kip with a bit of hesitation, but that flew out of the window in no time. I loved Ray and his outgoing personality, but I loved Kip even more as an introvert myself. Their story is relatable on so many levels. Communication is the key to a successful relationship/marriage which I often forget. Just Like Kip and Ray do.
The story was so funny, the humor on point, but sometimes a bit predictable. That’s why I gave it 3.75 ⭐️.
Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC. This is my honest review.

Ray and Kip, two divorced men who are about to get married, take a pre-wedding honeymoon at a resort that Ray's parents stayed in before their wedding. While there, their insecurities bring out their differences and test their relationship.

I love an opposite-attract story., so this was a great fit for me! The characters are imperfect (frankly messy), but well developed and watching their relationship develop while being tested was really special. Ray was a great narrator and really got me immersed into the relationship in a way that made it feel real. Even though this features some trials and tribulations, it's still a cozy and sweet love story. Can't wait to read more Nicolas DiDomizio

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

NEARLYWED is a story about an engaged couple going on their "earlymoon" — and what happens when their compatibility is put to the test during their vacation. ray bruno, a social media writer, has been obsessed with love for as long as he could remember, and after his first marriage crashed and burned, he was ecstatic to meet kip hayes, a handsome, pragmatic and older doctor who has no social media presence whatsoever. despite all their differences, their relationship seems to work, at least until their week-long stay at a hotel dedicated to earlymoons. one of my favorite tropes is marriage/relationship in trouble, so i absolutely loved this book and seeing ray and kip's story unfold. both of them had a lot of work to do in their relationship, but it pays off in the end with a very satisfying ending that i really enjoyed. thanks to netgalley and sourcebooks casablance for the advanced copy. NEARLYWED comes out may 21st!

Nearlywed is a single-POV age gap, opposites attract romance. On paper, Ray and his fiancé Kip couldn’t be more different, but they’re madly in love and planning their end-of-summer wedding. Ray, a millennial writer, convinces Kip, a gen-X doctor, that an “earlymoon” is just what they need. Once they arrive at their idyllic resort, though, things seem to be heading south.

I really enjoyed this book but it definitely wasn’t what I was expecting. I went in thinking it would be a funny little romcom but it was much more introspective. Ray does a lot of reflecting on relationships, his past dating, his failed first marriage, his parents' example, and his relationship with Kip. Heavy at times but well worth the read as the two navigate a rocky week together to ultimately come out stronger and healthier.


Read dates: 04/26/2024- 04/27/2024
Goodreads review: 04/27/2024
Instagram review: 04/27/2024
Blog review: 05/21/2024

I loved this book. So I've already read and enjoyed the gay best friend by this author but Nicolas really knocked it out of the park with this book (unrelated to TGBF, complete standalone). He writes messy interesting characters so well. Characters who are capable of change but never to complete perfection. They admit things to themselves and to others that feels painfully realistic and sometimes they are in such denial we as the reader can see it and it makes them all the more endearing.

The cover of this is so good because this is an engagement in crisis between a bit of an age gap couple (10 years). Our main character Ray is a journalist who at one point was putting alllll his personal secrets online for entertainment. Fast forward to now he's with a very private and recently out doctor, Kip. I feel that the feedback loop Ray built with his reader audience he at times put into his relationship requiring some codependency between him and Kip. This comes into play when they go on an "earlymoon" which is an experience coined by a resort in Ray's hometown where couples come to vacation prior to their weddings. When they are stuck in this same place instead of premarital bliss they are faced to confront insecurities and incompatibilities between them.

The topic of queer expression and "outness" within and about a relationship is a huge topic of this book. Ray and Kip need to confront heteronormative ideals and create their own preferences together. For Ray, he is the ultimate romantic and wants it all and feels threatened when that is questioned by Kip who has been through a hetero relationship and knows that if true love and attraction isn't at the heart of it is it just going through the motions? Or should he work to meet Ray in the middle?

There's a lot of heart in this and definitely drama with some side characters that pop up. It is all so purposeful and comes full circle. And don't worry this is still solidly a romance. I highly recommend this book! Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablance for this eARC.

This book was such a plesant surprise. I had a feeling that I would like it and I'm so glad that I was right.

The first thing that made me enjoy the book is Ray. I found him relatable in the way he wants everything to be perfect and even movie-like. which can be more of a fantasy than reality, and as a continuation of that the way things are vs. how he thinks they should be. His way of thinking and even naivity if you will felt extremely similar to mine. And it might be because of that, or thanks to Nicholas DiDomizio's writing, that during the third act conflict, I could really feel how much Ray loves Kip.

Another thing that I loved is that nothing's black or white in the book. The characters and relationships are all complex and flawed, and when hard moments hit the book shows that you don't have to throw everything away, that difficulties and problems can be dealt with (and not in a way that forces someone to change).

A part of me did wish we had Kip's point of view in the book, but I'm also glad we don't. When I started reading, there was a voice in my head that was probably fed by Ray's inner monolgue, that wasn't so sure that he and Kip are made for each other. I obviosuly knew that they'd end up staying together, yet what I loved is that by the end of the book you can see that these two people should be together. Also, the conversations about being gay and being in a gay relationship were interesting to read as a non-gay reader.

I don't know if every romance reader would enjoy this book because it's message might be a bit obvious to some people, and it has conversations that people might see as obvious or very young. Personally, as someone who's 26, I enjoyed it a lot, and for me, it was quite comforting as someone with relationship anxiety, and in general it has a bit of a 2000's romance movie vibe. (Also I magined Roy as Jonathan Bailey and Kip as Matt Bomer so maybe that too made me love this).

Nicolas DiDomizio is a new to me author, I've heard of is previous work and never got the chance to check it out before this arc. I loved the book and I be for sure checking their prior books.

Nearlywed is a great book about communication and how it is a key in every relationship. The characters are well written and you can't help but to empathize with them from the start. I loved seeing how a same subject could have opposite reactions, and how it's easier to see the deep rooted problem for why your partner act and react this way, than to face the fact that your actions are fueled by the same problem. (Sorry to be vague here but I don't want to spoil) and how you could overcome it by communicating.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of publication! My review will appear on my blog on (5/13/24). I will also feature the review on Instagram that same day and post my review to Goodreads, The Storygraph, Fable, and retail sites.

Review:

I had been looking forward to this book ever since I finished DiDomizio's "The Gay Best Friend" last June. TGBF was one of my top reads from last year, and I still talk about it with anyone who will listen. It's also one of those books where I felt such a solid connection to the characters that I often wonder how they're doing and if they're still together (and if not if maybe Bucky might call me so we can set a date to meet). And then I remember they aren't real and I return to my ho-hum life. When I finally received an ARC for "Nearlywed," I had to force myself to set it aside to get through some other ARCS set to release before this one (and it was a struggle, let me tell you!). Did it live up to my expectations? Read on and find out!

This novel is told from the first-person POV of millennial Ray Bruno - a 30-something-year-old man obsessed with love. He loves love so much that he blindly jumped into a relationship in his twenties. As soon as the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage, he and his then-boyfriend, Byrd, immediately got married - and then slowly watched their relationship dissolve until they finally admitted they were not a good match and divorced.

Years later, Ray is engaged to Dr. Kip Hayes, a 45-year-old Family Medicine doctor who was also previously married (but to a woman). While Ray has been out and proud since he was young and has blogged and used social media to post about all of his gay escapades online, Kip is new to this scene and lives a more reserved life. The two are madly in love, though, and Ray feels he will finally get the wedding and husband of his dreams. He also gets to finally visit the luxurious Earlymoon Hotel in Ray's hometown of Seabrook, CT. Ray's parents stayed at the hotel before their wedding, and Ray has dreamt of the day he could stay at the resort as well. That day has finally come.

But as Kip and Ray embark on their "earlymoon", their perfect relationship begins to crumble as Ray's demands of a perfect gay wedding clash with Kip's desire to stay out of the limelight and keep things low-key. Will the couple work out their extreme personality differences, or will the revelations that come to light during their trip drive them apart, dashing Ray's hopes of a forever love once again?

From the get-go, Ray and Kip's dynamic is a comedy of errors waiting to happen. Ray has a penchant for oversharing, and his energy can only be described as chaotic, while Kip is more reserved, prefers to think things through, and, above all else, does all he can to stay out of the spotlight. I will admit that Ray drove me absolutely crazy for a good portion of the book. I am definitely more of a Kip, and I could not, for the life of me, understand how this would work. Since we live in Ray's head throughout the entire novel, and he frustrated me so much, I found it really difficult to connect with him mainly because I found him selfish and attention-starved. One thing that really bothered me was how insistent he was that he wanted Kip to hold his hand, kiss him in public, and basically shout his love for Ray from the rooftops. This was really a personal issue, primarily due to something I experienced when I was younger.

I was with someone in my early 20s who felt that I needed to be just as "out" as he was, and when he found out that I hadn't yet told my family, he took it upon himself to do it for me - without even asking me first. This act was one of the biggest betrayals of trust I have ever experienced, and it did not end well for us or my relationship with some of my family members. I still have a little bit of trauma over that.

I'm of the mindset that there's no one way to be gay - some people are more comfortable living a quiet life without the need for everyone to know, while others are out and proud - and I support both. Ray's insistence that Kip's unwillingness to tell people he was his fiance equated to Kip being ashamed of Ray and trying to push him back into the closet REALLY irked me. It was almost as if there was no compromising with Ray, and I got to the point that I hoped Kip would tell him to GTFO and move on. At one point, I got so frustrated with Ray's selfishness and "poor me" attitude that I considered DNFing the book because it got to be too much. However, I stuck around because I loved TGBF so much and hoped for a wake-up call on Ray's part. In the end, there was much character growth for both Kip and Ray, and I really enjoyed how it all ended. I may have even teared up a couple of times.

One thing that really made this book shine is DiDomizio's writing style. He is sharp and witty and has a keen eye for the absurdities of modern relationships. From awkward encounters with other couples at the resort to miscommunications of epic proportions, Ray and Kip find themselves in one outrageous situation after another. As a reader, you can't help but cringe at their mishaps while cheering them on to overcome their obstacles (even if you might want to smack Ray several times along the way).

In the end, I really enjoyed this one. While I hated Ray for the first 2/3 of the book, he ended up growing on me, and I ended up loving how it all played out. DiDomizio's clever writing and quirky characters make for a refreshing take on the traditional romantic comedy genre. This is the perfect read for Pride Month. Get your pre-orders in now!

3.75/5⭐️


This was cute! It was funny, easy to read, felt like a quick read too. I liked the characters best just didn’t connect to them. I liked the story and the thought of communication being important in a relationship but I just didn’t click with it much! I’m sure if I had connected to the characters more this definitely would’ve rated higher. This is a great book for someone looking for a funny romcom, beachy, MM romance!

Thank you netgalley for the eARC!

I went into this book not knowing anything about it other than it was witty and fun, and that it had great banter. I did NOT expect to sob in the middle there and by the end I had happy tears rolling down my face (swipe for proof of the moments after I read the epilogue).

Ray and Kip are engaged, and about to go on an earlymoon before their wedding so they can relax and enjoy their time together. Ray is a writer who is semi well known online, and Kip is a doctor who is very private. This comes to a head while on vacation, and they start to argue and get frustrated with each other. Can they make it to the aisle?!

*spoilers*

I seriously adored this book. Some of the reasons are listed below:
Ray was just so relatable! As a 35 year old millennial myself, I relate to his online persona and how he views the world around him.
Kip was such a strong and steady presence. I wasn’t super happy with him at first but the more you get to know him, the more his actions made sense. By the end of the book I was sobbing. I mean that scene alone where Ray is stung!? *cries forever*
There is a LOT of vulnerability in this book. It felt like the conversations had were very real.
I loved the line about make up sex being earned.
I highlighted so many passages in this one that I related to on a deep level. Crushing loneliness? Check. Being codependent? Check. Always needing validation? Check.
The side characters were so fantastic and I’m surprised I didn’t catch on to one of them sooner.
It was full of fantastic banter, 90s and 2000s references, and a lot of self reflection.
I loved the quirks of the small town.
Ray’s sister Stef was hilarious and so deadpan, but also incredibly supportive.
The golfing. The sting. The “I’m his fiancé.” The deep conversation. The resort after. The slow dancing. The day after. The lobster fest. The slow dancing.
That epilogue.

This book was amazing and I really really hope you read it!!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the e-ARC to read and review. I don't know why this one is so hard for me to star-rate, but I'm going with my intuition: about 3.5 stars. This is a dynamic and extremely well written book, there's the right amount of conflict and backstory, and it flows/reads easily. I've been thinking about it a lot since finishing my read a few days ago, so it certainly lingers - which is amazing. I think I ultimately did not particularly like any of the characters, and was not rooting for any of the couples to be together, which just doesn't hit right as a romance or fun read. But what I thought this book did brilliantly was illuminate a lot of the issues couples on the verge of marriage may face, especially queer couples. The idea of an "earlymoon" provides the perfect amount of pressure - because you may think that this would be the best part of a couple's life together, right before the vows and just enjoying their lives and travels together, but it can be full of societal pressures, doubts, insecurities, and taxing events.

This story wrestles with the question both directly and implicitly: should queer couples proudly chase the same dreamy fairytales and embrace the big wedding traditions that straight couples have always been represented in (like Ray desperately wants), or is even the simple fact of a queer marriage already bucking tradition and inherently going against the societal stereotype that all the joy is in forging a completely new path (like Kip prefers.) I think readers will get a ton of value out of seeing these questions get dissected and challenged, especially under the context of characters in different age groups/generations.

Back to those characters, though: I have never heard of two people both so concerned with Googling themselves as Kip and Ray- each for opposite reasons. I get it: Ray's trying to make a name for himself in the media, as an online writer, and Kip wants to be anonymous and a bit off-the-grid so his patients don't doubt him as a medical professional. I understand Ray a bit more, because I also started out my career writing for random online publications, some of which were total content cultures looking for my own personal essays in exchange for a few bucks and their cheap clicks. I wish Kip understood that BOTH this was just a predatory feature of a lot of 2010s "blogs" and sites (that still happens, but the media landscape has changed a lot) AND that having a following and readership IS a livelihood and your ticket to the next gig (that may be bigger, better paying, more prestigious, etc.) He continued the narrative that Ray was shallow and concerned with his online appearance which, like, there are surely people like that but he just looked down on it so much and expected to be SO separate from this world that was important to Ray's entire personality and career, that I had trouble rooting for them to be together along the way. I love that this book brought up that debate a lot: about shame, about who you deserves your full personality and who you're responsible to be "out" to, etc. Characters don't owe me likability either, their differences just felt more like they posed great sides to an overall debate than well-rounded folks.

Ray Bruno and Kip Hayes seem like an odd match: Ray is an always online writer, and Kip is a doctor who insists on his privacy. Somehow, the two have overcome these differences and are getting married in a few months. But then Ray convinces Kip to take a pre-honeymoon at a luxury resort in Ray's hometown. When Ray and Kip cross paths with another couple staying at the resort, it causes several miscommunications that put increasing pressure on Ray and Kip's relationship—and causes them to question if they are, in fact, a good match or whether they were deluding themselves that they could overcome their differences.

This was a funny and perceptive novel, with strong characters and an engaging story.

Highly recommended!