The Gay Best Friend

April 3, 2023
This breezy but underwhelming gay romance from Didomizio (Burn It All Down) does little to freshen up the stale trope from which it takes its title. Domenic Marino has just broken up with his fiancé, making it a difficult time for him to be roped into the wedding parties of both bride and groom in the end-of-summer wedding between two of his best friends. Being gay, Domenic feels he must code-switch with each of them, a problem exacerbated by an abundance of alcohol at the bachelor and bachelorette weekends, where long-kept secrets and resentments are stirred up—not to mention an affair between Domenic and another groomsman, pro golfer Bucky Graham. There are few surprises along the way—outside of how much golf is involved in the love story—and, despite centering the eponymous gay best friend, there’s no real subversion of the way this archetype typically plays out in straight people’s stories. The romance itself offers some entertainment, but Dominic proves egotistical and whiny, making it difficult to enjoy his company. Readers can skip this one. Agent: Elizabeth Bennett, Transatlantic.

Starred review from May 1, 2023

Chock-full of comedic mishaps, sarcastic banter, and a not-so-pretty but very realistic journey of self-discovery, this second novel from DiDomizio (Burn It All Down) is impossible to put down. Thirty-year-old Domenic Marino has it all: a stable job, a fianc�, and amazing friends who are getting married to each other. But Dom's world is flipped upside down when his fianc� calls off their wedding, and Dom is left single, heartbroken, and responsible for making his friends' wedding the happiest event of their lives. As the groom's best man and the bride's gay best friend, Dom has to navigate his loyalties carefully when the bachelor party gets out of control. The pressure builds as Dom has to keep too many secrets from too many people, especially the relationship he's just started with a closeted pro golfer who is one of the groom's best friends. VERDICT Sure to have readers laughing, crying, and cheering on the protagonist to the very last page. Fans of works by Alexis Hall, Casey McQuiston, Alison Cochrun, and Alice Oseman will enjoy.--Katy Duperry

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May 15, 2023
Domenic Marino is already stressed out planning the bachelor and bachelorette parties for his best friends Patrick and Kate. So when pro golfer Bucky Graham, one of Patrick's groomsmen, shows up unexpectedly at the bachelor party, Dom is inclined to put Patrick's request that he spend some time getting to know Bucky at the bottom of his to-do list. While Dom, who has known Patrick since childhood, and Bucky, who bonded with Patrick when they were frat bros, share friendship with the groom, it isn't like the two have much to talk about. However, once Dom does give in, he discovers that they have something else in common, something that could change both of their futures if Bucky can only allow himself to be the person he truly yearns to be. With a sharp and occasionally salacious sense of wit and an eclectically engaging cast of supporting characters, DiDomizio (Burn It All Down, 2021) relays the realistically messy road many of us travel to reach a happily-ever-after while at the same time underscoring the true value of living life authentically.

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