While I wasn't convinced early on that I would like this book I ended up enjoying it so much!! I'm giving it a solid 4⭐️! The book follows Kip & Ray and how their relationship will stand up to an "earlymoon" vacation! Both Kip & Ray bring baggage to their relationship and it seems that it all comes out as they vacation at a romantic resort in Ray's hometown of Seabrook.

I loved the themes throughout the book and definitely related to both characters in some ways. This is definitely an "opposites attract" trope but it was kind of nice to join their story 6 years into their relationship!!

An introspective on gay marriage told with third person point of view. Despite the plot containing heavy topics (such as discrimination, stigmas surrounding same sex marriage and coming out) and the main characters being very raw with their emotions…the overall feeling of the book was and was quite lighthearted and sometimes comical. Kudos to the author for giving me a pleasantly ambiguous reading experience. I enjoyed learning the journey of Ray and Kip’s relationship, discovering their differences and seeing if their relationship will survive the honeymoon before the their wedding (apparently this is a thing?!)
4.25 stars

It took me quite a while to get into this book. I was interested in the concept, but it was a very stressful book. Over a third in, I still felt like it was causing me stress.

I thought the book was alright overall, but don't feel very strongly either way about it.

This book was not quite for me, but I hope it finds a community of readers who adore it.

Nicola's books are so fun and heartfelt. this was such a great story and I loved it. Looking forward to more from him!

I really, really, REALLY enjoyed this story.

If you’re sensing a tone of surprise, you’d be spot on. Picking a book, about a relationship-on-the-rocks romance, featuring a lot of miscommunications?! Yeah, both things I’m notorious for avoiding at the best of times.

Yet, I’d heard good things about DiDomizio’s earlier works and when the opportunity to read an ARC of this story came my way, I decided to throw caution (and my most disliked tropes) to the wind, in hopes of finding a hidden gem.

And what a gem I found!

When the story kicks off, we meet protagonist Ray Bruno, an outgoing, internet magazine writer—known previously for his click-bait lifestyle articles—now living a quieter life in suburban NY, with his slightly older, privacy-revering, family doctor fiancé, Kip Hayes.

From the outside, these two are very much #couplegoals, shacked up and still desperately in love (even five years into their relationship), with their Hamptons wedding impending. But they’re also polar opposites, born to different generations (Gen Y and Gen X), with wildly different upbringings, communication styles, and diverse past experiences as gay men that have shaped the people they are and the expectations/needs they have within the parameters of their relationship.

As Ray’s youthful romantic fantasies dictate, he and Kip find themselves heading back to Ray’s coastal New England hometown, to an idyllic resort, known to cater to couples seeking an “earlymoon” before their big day. Yet, what is meant to be a relaxing, romantic getaway, soon devolves into anything but, as they encounter old faces from their pasts, which, subsequently, brings to light some long-standing issues they each have, forcing them to face some deep personal revelations and emotional truths, and ultimately putting their relationship to the test in a big make or break way.

What follows are a lot of relationship challenging moments; scenes where you cringe or get mad or get smacked with hard-hitting personal truths that make you want to spontaneously cry while re-assessing your own life and what led you to this point. It’s one of **those** stories. One of those emotionally resonant pieces that challenge a reader’s own feelings and thinking, about everything, not just relationships and their personal ideals of love.

But DiDomizio is damn clever, because, he manages to make you feel all the deeper feels and think all the deeper thoughts, while also sneakily wrapping the heavier, angstier, “thinking” themes of the story within a narrative that is wholly fun, morish and entertaining; voicing it all through a highly likeable and relatable couple, who I couldn’t help adore from the first flashback scene of their meet-cute, through all their current-day arguments and miscommunications, and well beyond the point where my “reads romance for escapism” self would usually be annoyed to be reading about a book couple dealing so realistically with real-life coupley things.

All this is to say, it could have been a total downer but I found it refreshing, charming and, maybe surprisingly, deeply romantic.

As I mentioned earlier, I do not usually enjoy (or even bother with) established couple, relationship-on-the-rocks-type romances, but I was so damn impressed and consumed by this one—so much so that it has me re-evaluating my stance on this entire trope. And miscommunication!? Surely, no one is sitting around eager for their next miscommunication-themed read? Right?! Yet, this book just goes to show how any tropes—even ones we don’t normally like—can be made desirable when in the hands of great writers.

DiDomizio’s writing—in truth, his voice—was ultimately the biggest draw for me. Born of the same generation, I understood and related to everything Ray was about. From his nineties, pop culture entrenched upbringing, to his outward-validation-seeking, social media immersed twenties; to his probably-unrealistic romantic expectations and deeper personal insecurities that made him question his worth as a partner well into his thirties. I got this guy; lord, did I ever. And because of this authentic, me-specific MC relatability, I found myself completely consumed by his very simple, but deeply thought-provoking, personal-stance-questioning, often-hilarious and smile-inducing story.

Needless to say, I loved this story to pieces, and now I find myself so inspired, that I’m off to make a Lilith Fair greatest hits playlist to end all playlists, because as we all know (or should know), that shit is ICONIC! (inside joke for those playing at home).


*A special thanks to the publishers (via Netgalley) for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was marketed as a romance, but read more like gay chick lit. A lot of things going on, but not a lot of focus on the relationship growth until the end. I had similar feelings about the authors last book, The Gay Best Friend. I’m not sure this author is for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and the author for the chance to read this book.

I enjoyed this story about Ray and Kip, who got more than they bargained for on their "earlymoon" vacation. The messages about love and communication in the story are predominant and something that many will resonate with.
The cast of characters were definitely interesting, and the chemistry between them made for a good story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for my copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book is more emotional than a rom-com beach read, but still includes an escapist resort setting and two flawed characters who are working through their own feelings regarding their upcoming nuptials. I found the story to be an important contribution to books about being gay, being seen, and coming out on your own terms. I LOVED the idea of an 'earlymoon' and felt the premise was fresh and unique. While I sometimes found one of the main characters to be overly dramatic or immature, and the other to be overly hesitant, I did enjoy their growth arcs. If you enjoy books heavy on angst, drama, and humor with queer representation, definitely add this one to your summer TBR!

Absolute perfection again from DiDimizio. As advertised, the wit and humor was fantastic. The characters were complex and interesting with a romance that fit them perfectly. I would not change a thing.

This was so much deeper and more complex than I expected. It really looked at how multifaceted and complicated relationships are. I was rooting for them the whole time. I really appreciated how the author took time to develop the the characters and their motivations. It also made me want an earlymoon!

I absolutely loved this book, maybe because I resonate with the idea of loving yourself and I liked the overall message of enjoying what is in that moment of time without the need to have outside approval or the need to share that moment with the world.

I can't wrap my head around how I feel about this one. Both characters were deeply flawed and both acted inappropriate at times, although I think that was the point of the novel. I don't necessarily know if the MC's were great together and at times I found Ray to be obnoxious and I don't appreciate his lack of regard for boundaries. Need to mull this one over more for now.

Such a fun concept and soooo well executed. I love how well Nearlywed captured the prewedding jitters that everyone goes through so authentically.

The concept was really appealing, but for some reason the execution didn't quite hit for me. I appreciate the opportunity to read an advance copy!

When I picked this up for Pride Month, I was looking forward to a fun, cheesy romance, but NEARLYWED is not really a romance. It's more a story of looking inward at relationships, filled with a lot of thinking and talking about love and connections. For a while, it feels like nothing much happens in the book, as our main character, Ray, pontificates about his past and present liaisons, overthinks everything, and tends toward the dramatic.

In his defense, Ray cannot fully help it: he grew up steeped in his parents' love story, dreaming of having an "earlymoon" (pre-wedding honeymoon) at the same beautiful New England resort his mom and dad did, and memorizing every aspect of their wedding album. He's a hopeless romantic used to sharing his entire life online as a reporter in the digital age. His older husband-to-be, Kip, however, came out late in late, and is a reticent doctor. (Also, can I just say, that I constantly thought Ray was Kip because Ray is the older sounding name?)

Now they're finally on their earlymoon, but things go awry quickly when they both run into people they know (wow, what a coincidence!!) and Ray wonders if Kip is truly ready to be an out, married man and Kip feels as if Ray is pushing him to share too much, too fast, with the world.

The story covers some truly important messages about being gay, being seen, coming out on your own terms--all of which are great. I found myself incredibly frustrated by Kip dragging his feet at fully acknowledging his relationship with Ray, even though I could understand his reasoning. DiDomizio does a good job of showing both sides of the relationship. Still, I found so much of the thinking and and wondering and talking about their relationship too much: I wanted something to happen. The last 10% or so of the story redeemed this to a 3-star read, but I could have done without so much of the earlier bitterness and angst.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca in return for an unbiased review.

This book was frustrating and captivating and silly and real all at once. In many ways, it is a romcom, with the inherent high jinks that come along with that. But because the story is focused on an established relationship, the conflicts and challenges in the relationship felt very high stakes.

What was most remarkable (and impressive) to me was the viscerally realistic portrayal of the arguments between these two main characters with different conflict styles. It was almost too real and familiar. Even though I found the story compelling and didn't really want to put it down, I had to take a break from the book a couple of times because I related a little too much with the main POV character and his conflict style. While on the surface, some of the arguments might seem petty, I thought it was so very true to life, the way we often end up arguing about something when the problem is something else, or how conflict styles impact (and escalate) the argument.

I found both the main characters sympathetic as flawed humans who so clearly love each other and accidentally hurt each other while they work through their stuff. Their love story was really beautiful and had me tearing up at times.

The sense of place was well done and the side characters were distinct with some depth, even though most of them were fleeting. In particular, I liked the portrayal of Ray's relationship with his sister.

There were moments where I was disagreeing with positions asserted by the story (for example, it seemed misinformed and needlessly judgey about polyamory) but for the most part, it felt like things were mostly challenged by the end - enough for me to let it go at least.

Some content notes for homophobia, homophobic slurs, internalized homophobia, excessive alcohol consumption, cheating (not between the main characters), and a somewhat offensive description of polyamory.

Nearlywed
Genre: contemporary fiction
Rating: 4.25⭐ great/loved

Thanks to @sourcebookscasa for the advanced digital copy of this book!

I adore books from this author - it didn’t quite top his previous work of Gay Best Friend, but it was so close! They’ve all been a lovely mix of funny and sweet - fans of Steven Rowley’s and Byron Lane’s books should especially give this author a read, for a great combo of humor and heart.

Readers follow Ray, an Internet writer for millennials, and Kip, a doctor sworn against social media, as they prepare for their upcoming wedding with an early honeymoon (an “earlymoon”). The resort local to Ray’s hometown has always been on a pedestal in his eyes, as well as the fairytale of marriage.

Nearlywed is a great summer read, with a main character full of humor, sass, and personality, but still so full of substance. The issues of relationships and social media are tackled - how much of what we put online is real versus an online personality, as well as how much of what we post is a performance.

Who’s an author that needs more love on booksta? How much do you share online? I don’t post much and I don’t have the energy to have a different social media personality - what you see is what you get😅

#nearlywed

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC of Nearlywed by Nicolas DiDomizio.

This book had a cute cover that caught my eye, and the description was something that piqued my interest. However, the story line was a little flat for me. I enjoyed it enough to finish, mostly to be able to complete the review. You have Ray and Kip who are as opposite as can be, but are engaged and on their early honeymoon in Ray’s hometown. A series of events tests their limits, comfort levels and whether they will really be compatible. So will love keep them together or not. At the end of the day, it’s a cute, light read. I felt it was a little lacking in depth compared to other books I’ve read.

Having enjoyed a prior book from Nicolas DiDomizio, I was looking forward to Nearlywed, and it did not disappoint. I thought it was a fresh concept and thoroughly enjoyed the unlikely pairing of Ray Bruno and Kip Hayes. The writing of this book transcends the average rom-com and adds depth to the narrative.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

For something marketed as a romantic comedy this wasn't really funny or romantic.

Ray and Kip seemed ill-matched with major communication issues and the book never managed to sell me on their relationship.

The book had the pace going for it which made it mostly a quick read.