It’s Time to Pick the Nice Boy

He might be the real thrill.

by Anna Boling ★ October 7th, 2025

Photo credits: Anna Boling

I can be the first to admit that the so-called “nice boy” never really appealed to me. I thought nice was just a cover-up for boring, predictable, and honestly just utterly uninteresting. I never let myself dip into that territory. 

I kept to the type I knew, the fun ones – the ones who made me question my sanity. I liked the sparks and the thrill, the late-night texts, the bickering, the way they always seemed just a little out of reach. But after years of being involved with the “exciting” ones, I realized that sparks burn fast, and more often than not, they fizzle into something less like a rollercoaster rush and more like a “oh-my-god-what-have-I-done?” kind of panic.

I get it, it's fun for a while. But when you’re sitting on the floor of your apartment, tears dripping into your Ben & Jerry’s, eyes glued to your phone, waiting for a text that probably will never come – unless, of course, it magically arrives at 1 a.m. – maybe it’s time to reconsider whether “nice” is really all that bad.

If you’re nervous about taking that leap, take a page from Iris Kendall, our beloved Love Island bombshell. She left Fiji hand-in-hand with Pepe Garcia, a man with the stereotypical bad-boy exterior but a “nice boy” facade that had us all fooled. When cheating allegations surfaced, she didn’t hesitate. She didn’t stick around for the drama, and she didn’t say, “I can fix him.” She walked away, and shortly after, found herself with the not-so-boring, genuinely nice TJ Palma – the “nice boy” who knew exactly what Kendall deserved. And look at them now, stunning and genuinely happy. 

It is easy to look over the nice, steady type when there's fire and chaos just to the left. Trust me – I’m also attracted to shiny things. But it is important to realise that fighting isn’t always passion, sparks can sometimes be warning signs, and constant drama often signals more instability than connection. 

So ditch your Pepe Garcia, and go find your TJ Palma. You may come to realize that “nice” doesn’t always mean predictable and boring. It can actually mean thoughtful, steady, and genuinely invested in you. It can mean texts that come before the wee hours of the morning and pints of Ben and Jerry’s with no tear marks in sight. It can be laughter without chaos, love without drama, and someone who chooses you every day and not just when it is convenient for them. 

True connection is not measured by the intensity of your arguments or the thrill of emotional highs and lows. It is measured in moments of understanding, conversation, and mutual respect. Choosing the “nice boy” who treats you with care may not feel like a rush of adrenaline every single day, but sometimes it's the quiet consistency that is exactly the anchor you did not know you needed. 

It may be the calm that shakes up your world in the best way.

Edited by: Anna Altman