This was pretty good! Heavy on the miscommunication trope which is not my preference (and tends to really frustrate me, but not so much in this book), but did provide a nice escape from real life for a bit. Cute love story!

4.5/5 ⭐️ I truly cannot love this book enough. It was a cozy, quick read from the very beginning but I soon found myself loving the main characters and the side characters! I caught myself multiple times laughing out loud or gasping during certain parts. I felt fully immersed as if I was their loyal best friend and was learning the story behind how they came to be. This is the sort of feel good book that just makes you love, love.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for receiving this book in exchange for an honest review.

In Nearlywed, Nicolas DiDomizio crafts a witty and heartfelt exploration of love and commitment through the eyes of Ray and Kip. As they navigate the final weeks before their wedding, both face unexpected challenges that put their relationship to the test. DiDomizio expertly balances humor and depth, with relatable characters and sharp dialogue that keep readers engaged. Overall, Nearlywed is a charming and insightful read that captures the rollercoaster of planning a wedding while staying true to oneself.

"Nearlywed" by Nicolas DiDomizio is a charming tale of love and miscommunication. Its witty prose and engaging characters make for an entertaining, lighthearted read. Highly enjoyable!

If it takes an "earlymoon" for an engaged couple to figure out their problems before the wedding, then so be it lol I knew going in this was going to be one huge miscommunication trope, but I actually didn't mind this one. You follow Ray and Kip along as they tread through their relationship issues. This also had some really good laugh out loud moments.

Overall 3.75

This was one of my first M/M romance and it didn't disappoint. Please keep in mind some tough topics will be addressed, but it's done with the most respect as possible. I wish I could visit this resort in real life. (Someone please work to make a reality). Biggest take away is life on social media isn't what really happens in real life.

Super cute summer read! So many rom-com vibes in a beachy resort. Full of mishaps and misunderstandings.

An intriguing look into marriage, particularly gay marriage, and the heteronormative expectations gay couples face going into marriage

Great summer read! Glad to see more LGBTQ+ love stories out there! Nicolas really takes readers on a journey with a his one. The topic of rocky relationships isn’t always the most fun thing to consume, so for it to work, you’d need to be invested. Nicolas does a great job digging deep and making you feel the feels with Kip and Ray.

This is the first MM romance that I’ve ever read and I stumbled into it quite inadvertently. The plot was super interesting, talking about an “earlymoon”, a honeymoon that engaged couple take before they get married. The story covers the earlymoon vacation of Ray, a journalist for an online magazine and Kip, a doctor. I loved that the setting allowed for deep reflective conversations that only ever occur after the Happily Ever After and are usually glossed over in traditional romances. The book was also structured like a diary with chapters dedicated to each day of the trip, making it all feel very real!

On the other hand, I did feel like the book was maybe just a tad bit too long. I think the story could have been satisfactory at maybe 3/4th length.

If you’re like me and have never read a queer romance, I think this would be a great one to start with. It addresses some of the societal challenges of being gay and being in a relationship so well IMHO.

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!