
Member Reviews

Interestingly, Jen Besser and Shana Feste's Dirty Diana is a book based upon a fictional podcast by the same name. It is an unusual reversal of the creative process, and although I have not listened to the podcast narrated by Demi Moore, I am curious as to how the two differ. Regardless, the Dirty Diana trilogy opens with the eponymous first novel, which showcases a dismal Diana Wood wavering in her feelings for her husband, while reminiscing about a lover from her past.
Diana once felt so full of passion. As a young maker living in Santa Fe, she ingrained herself in the artistic community, and began a creative project of her own - one in which she recorded intimate interviews of women spilling their deepest secrets - often relating to sex - and then creating paintings based upon their stories. Diana's vibrant and rewarding life was further painted in full color by her relationship with a handsome photographer, Jasper - a man she has never been able to forget, despite how their love affair ended.
Now Diana is in a marriage that has lost its spark. There's nothing inherently wrong with her husband Oliver - he is kind, attentive, and attractive - but they seem to have lost their way. When Diana makes a trip back out to Santa Fe to see an old friend, she remembers the woman she used to be - one who was fun and fiery, and who had purpose. Fueled by her trip, Diana returns home and reinvests herself in the creative project she once loved - interviewing women as they share their secrets. As Diana becomes more and more in tune with the woman she used to be, the divide between her and her husband grows until Diana finds herself standing on a steep precipice. Will she choose the woman she longs to be or the one that is comfortable and safe?
Dirty Diana is a revelatory novel of marriage and how romantic feelings grow and change over time. I have never seen the struggles of marriage written so starkly and honestly. This book reads as if written under a bare bulb, exposing everything that is unseemly and disagreeable about supposed wedded bliss. On the flip side, this is also a story about a middle-aged woman reclaiming her identity and purpose, all while standing in her own truth and rediscovering her passion.
This is a book that is a midlife crisis story of sorts that many women will find relatable, especially those prone to letting their minds wander to their youth and the women that they once were.

I admit to not knowing that Dirty Diana the book was based on Dirty Diana the podcast, which I have not listened to. I think maybe it’s the reverse engineering from podcast to novel that didn’t totally work for me. I appreciated that this book was a quick read, but there are a lot of time and location jumps with very little character development. I acknowledge that this might be an unfair critique of a book that certainly isn’t aiming to be a literary masterpiece. If I compare this to a movie like Magic Mike, my critique of that movie would be that it needed less plot and more stripping, so in that regard Dirty Diana delivers on exactly what I believe it’s supposed to be - fast-paced erotica that hooks you enough to read the second book. Onward to Diana in Love! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for my ARC.

Dirty Diana
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Pub date: 11/19/24
Diana and her husband Oliver have a daughter. Their marriage goes through ups and downs and so does the lack of intimacy. They have a comfortable marriage but Diana reflects on intimacy in the past. This book was definitely full of steam 🔥 It definitely had some unlikable characters but was thoroughly entertaining! I didn’t like the back and forth timeline as it was confusing but overall really enjoyed!! And that ending!!! I think I will have to pick up book 2!!!
Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for this eARC in exchange for my honest review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | A Bold, Gritty Exploration of Love and Desire
Dirty Diana is a raw, unfiltered dive into marriage, intimacy, and self-discovery. Jen Bessel doesn’t shy away from the messiness of love, infidelity, and longing, crafting a story that feels deeply personal and painfully real.
Diana is a flawed yet compelling protagonist—one you’ll empathize with even as she makes questionable choices. Her journey is filled with vulnerability, emotional weight, and an honest exploration of female desire that’s rarely depicted so openly. The writing is sharp and evocative, delivering gut-punch moments that make you pause and reflect.
While I loved the book’s brutal honesty and rich character depth, at times, the pacing felt uneven, and I wished for a bit more resolution in certain areas. That said, the emotional impact is undeniable.
If you enjoy stories that don’t hold back—ones that challenge and move you—this is definitely worth picking up. And with that ending, I’ll be eagerly awaiting the next part!

I’m not even sure why I requested this book, but I’m glad that I did. It was sexy as hell while realistically painful in regards to marriage. I honestly didn’t care so much about Diana, I was way more interested in her subjects that she would paint after interviewing them about their sexual past and/or fantasies. I think I’d like to read the next one in the series. It was a super fast read - done jn 1 day - and I’m invested enough to want to know what happens next.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing this arc in exchange for my honest review.

A highly sensual novel based on the hit podcast, Diry Diana. I listened to the podcast prior to reading the book. The podcast was definitely too short, so I'm glad these books were written to see where life takes these characters! Listening to the podcast isn't necessary to enjoy this book, as this first book in the series mirrors the podcast so you won't miss a thing.
The characters are so well written. Their mature decisions, thoughts, and feelings are very relatable. As a 47 year old woman, it was refreshing to read realistic erotica with well-developed, rational characters who are just good people.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Genre : Contemporary Fiction
Rating : 4.5/5
Just finished Dirty Diana, and WOW—this book is raw, bold, and so beautifully messy. It dives straight into the complexities of marriage, intimacy, and self-discovery in a way that feels so real and unfiltered.
Diana is such a flawed, layered character—you’ll probably want to hug her and shake her at the same time. Her journey is super vulnerable, and the way it tackles female desire and emotional baggage is just chef’s kiss. 💔✨
The writing is gorgeous, too. It’s the kind of book that punches you in the gut with a line and makes you sit there for a second, rethinking your life. That said, it’s not always a light read—this one will get under your skin in the best way.
If you’re into deeply emotional, no-holds-barred stories about love, lust, and figuring your shit out, definitely pick this up. It's a short story I flew by!
After finishing it, I realized it's a two part story. Eager for the next part!

And interesting look at marriage, sexuality through the perspective of a middle aged mother. I went back and forth on whether I liked Oliver or not... but it was binge-worthy enough to keep going. Had no idea it would be left on a cliffhanger- book 2 will be interesting!! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A provocative and thought provoking story that explores the complexities of marr, desire, and self discovery. Well written and compelling.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Diana Wood was an aspiring artist who was spontaneous and adventurous. That was before she married Oliver. Over time they bought a home, became a family and even worked together. Now the excitement has gone out of her life. They rarely have relations and the marriage seems to be dying. A trip to visit one of her friends makes Diana realize that the excitement has gone out of her life and she has to make changes if she is to feel alive again. Using flashbacks to a young Diana, you see her as a struggling artist and her affair with a photographer who left her behind to work in Europe. She was sensual and creative. Now she wants to get that old Diana back, but Oliver is less than cooperative, with his strip club visits and the influence of his divorced best fiend. It is a marriage on a path to destruction. This is the first book in a trilogy that is based on a podcast. Diana is a wonderful character. Her story is told with humor but you can also feel her frustration growing. The authors end with a cliffhanger that brings back someone from her past and will have you looking forward to Diana’s return. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House - Dial Press for providing this book.

This normally isn't my type of book (and I was REALLY convinced of that for the first several pages), but I'm debating whether I'm going to pick up the follow-up because that was quite a cliffhanger. At its core, Diana is married to Oliver, and they like each other just fine. They are both doting parents, have a mutual respect for each other, but their sex life is practically nonexistent. We go back in time to Diana's more adventurous life and then to the present as she navigates her marriage.
While I wasn't enthused for the whole book, I did enjoy the ending and its "realness." I'm curious what Diana will get up to in book #2!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House for this e-ARC.
This was definitely worth reading. The idea and premise of Diana's chats with women truly spoke to me. In the present, the author flashes back to a younger Diana who is experiencing her first love and fulfilling her most intense dreams. This book's vulnerability drew me in from the beginning. We witness Diana struggle to achieve her goals because she frequently wants more out of life. to return to the period of her life when she felt fulfilled and, in numerous ways, open to possibilities. I can't wait to see how this story develops. I can't wait for the next one!

***Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC ebook.
Dirty Diana is a gripping work that tackles a lot of questions--love, self-discovery, desire, etc.. The novel centers on Diana Wood, a woman who seemingly has it all—an established career, a loving husband in Oliver, and a stable family life. Yet, beneath the surface, Diana's happiness has become fragile. She's long abandoned her passion for art, and despite her outward success, there's a profound sense of inner turmoil and emotional disconnect, and well, sexual disconnect too.
Diana's love for her husband, Oliver, is clear, but we keep getting flashbacks of her deep, undeniable connection with Jasper, a charming and romantic figure, that complicates things--and highlights her unhappiness. Jasper embodies everything that Diana feels she is missing—excitement, adventure, and the kind of emotional resonance/connection that she isn't finding in her marriage. This push and pull between her love for Oliver and her past attraction to Jasper creates an emotional tension that makes Diana very relatable in a way: she's flawed, she's lost, there are a lot of happy memories but she also isn't focused on the NOW.
What stands out in Dirty Diana is how effectively the author portrays Diana's internal struggle. Diana comes across, at least to me--as a passenger in her own life, caught between conflicting desires and unable (or unwilling) to take control of her own narrative. She's a needlessly complicated character who will evoke both empathy and frustration in readers. (Diana, my girl, no one asked you to give up your art, your career, etc. And you are the one who hid pieces of yourself away from both you and your partner)
Anyway--while it’s clear that Oliver is a loving and devoted partner, his frustration with Diana’s emotional distance is palpable. His attempts to understand and reach her are often met with resistance, making their relationship feel like it's sinking in quicksand.
One of the most powerful elements of the story is its emotional complexity. Diana’s love for Jasper feels raw and genuine, and it’s easy to sympathize with her moments of clarity when she’s looking back on her love with him. Yet, there’s also a deep sense of sadness, as Diana’s unspoken dissatisfaction also hurts Oliver, who, despite his own flaws, remains faithful and committed. The emotional tug-of-war between these characters can leave you feeling heartbroken, particularly as Diana seems unable to give Oliver the parts of herself that he longs for.
There are moments when you’ll want to grab the characters and shake them, urging them to communicate more openly and avoid some of the painful decisions they’re making. Diana keeps burying her own needs, leaving Oliver to shoulder the consequences. It’s clear that there marriage is in a web of miscommunication and emotional neglect, making their choices feel even more devastating. The ending with Jasper showing up after all this time, the same day that Oliver wants to get dinner---UGH, NO, I CANNOT.
Ultimately, Dirty Diana is a well-crafted exploration of human emotion and the complexities of relationships. The characters are flawed and frustrating, yet undeniably real, making it difficult to look away. I’m eager to read more of the series, despite the emotional rollercoaster it promises.

I just finished this and need the second one immediately!! It was so different than what I usually read but so captivating and fresh! I must know what happens next!! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Diana loves her husband, but she isn’t in love anymore. She doesn’t think Oliver is either. They’re good partners and good parents to their daughter, but there’s just no spark.
After a long, uncomfortable therapy session, Diana is determined to conjure that spark or risk separation. She is desperate to get in touch with the sensual, artistic and free woman she used to be - to embody the version of herself that happily explored her own desires and fantasies rather than feeling so haunted by them.
But this proves easier said than done, and might require more personal sacrifice than she (or Oliver) is willing to make. In the midst of this somewhat forced personal transformation, everyday life gets in. Between the carpools and work schedules, how can Diana make time for her most sacred self? And who is she really doing this for? The deeper she dives into herself, the less Oliver is reflected. This is terrifying for Diana, but also freeing, and a little thrilling.
Provocative, honest, and extra spicy, Dirty Diana examines the ebb and flow of longing - and why our choices don’t always reflect what we long for / desire - especially when it comes to sex and relationships. What happens to the former versions of ourselves? Can we resurrect them at will or are these past selves inaccessible to us? Diana is finding out.
(Btw you definitely don’t have to be familiar with the original podcast format of this story in order to understand and enjoy the novel! I was not aware of the podcast before I started reading.)

I enjoyed this! I look forward to reading more. I need to add the podcast to my to listen list as well. Nothing I love more than a woman encountering her sexuality.

I didn’t love it, but I also didn’t hate it. I think this is teetering on a 2ish star, but the cliffhanger at the end does have me curious about book two, so I bumped it up to a 3 star. I didn’t like Diana or Oliver, so I wasn’t super excited about their story, but like I said, it also wasn’t completely uninteresting 🤷🏻♀️

Provocative and binge-worthy, I couldn't put this book down. It was so refreshing to read an exploration of marriage, sexuality and friendship through the lens of a middle age woman. The cliffhanger left me dying for more!
Thanks to Dial Press for the copy to review.

Dirty Diana was a a well written and thought provoking book about life and finding yourself. As we get older do we lose who we once were or is she always inside of us? Is it wrong to always be looking back and comparing? As time goes on you tend to remember the good and forget about why things didn’t work out the first time.
Diana loves her husband and daughter but she feels like somethings missing, or something just isn’t right. As an artist her younger self lived on the wild side but as a married wife things are very vanilla. Oliver has the same moves and isn’t interested in spicing things up, but Diana can’t help but crave more. At one time Diana interviewed women who would tell her their most intimate sex stories and she would draw the women and eventually make it into a book. She craves the details these women share and desperately wants to get back into creating and feeling….something.
Slowly the cracks in her marriage start to show and Diana is having a hard time deciding if this bothers her or not. Can Oliver learn to love her differently or is it possible the two have outgrown each other? Is Diana’s past ruining her future? In the end the decision may not be hers to make.

My Selling Pitch:
A domestic drama that thinks it’s sexier than it is and really just amounts to woman begs for orgasms from the two most undeserving milquetoast men and thinks it’s her fundamental failure instead of theirs.
Pre-reading:
Don’t know much about this other than that there’s a podcast hosted by Demi Moore about this and I couldn’t figure out if I was supposed to listen to the podcast first or read this book first. From my cursory Google, it seems like they’re both telling the same story, so I decided to read the book first and will listen to the podcast after if I like it. Really wish the publication made it more clear about the intended consumptive order. I feel like that would be an easy page to throw in like how books give trigger warnings these days.
(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
It’s so relatable and so frustrating that women are so worried about scaring the dude off by taking care of their basic needs and asking for what they want. (And honey, if he can be scared off, you don’t want him.)
I know it’s supposed to be charming, but some man using my apartment tour to flirt with me and then immediately inserting himself into my life by saying my career isn’t good enough for me and telling me that he’ll find me a new one? Absolutely not.
So basically, she writes the Gillian Anderson book that just came out, but she actually put a visual to it. (And then we drop the visual component so-)
Why am I getting weirdly anxious that she’s gonna fuck her friend’s 20-something son? (Ask me again in book two.)
I want so much more for women. This makes me so sad. I know it’s so universal, and I’m just like we can’t have been sold this much of a lie. I refuse to believe it.
It would be a nice gesture, if a shit birthday gift. Like it’s literally impossible for him to have known she put her art in there, but I also understand why she's devastated to lose it.
What’s a fraxel? (Laser skin care)
I don't think I like this book. I don’t think I like Diana.
I really don't like how she writes sex scenes. There's something almost clinical about it. It’s more Ikea assembly instructions than one handed reading material.
Girl, anyone a dog doesn’t like is not a man imma fuck.
Dude he sucks. A J name and this shit? Keel over bro. Do us a favor.
Barry is lovely.
This book is hard to judge because I think it’s a complete story, and I think parts of it feel very authentic to depressed and learned helplessness momcore, but I don’t like anyone in it and the sex is way too much.
Arent you not supposed to have sex the same day you wax? (YUP)
Mlm? (Nope.)
What the fuck am I reading.
Is she gonna do a lesbian affair with Raleigh? Or the husband’s gonna start fucking her. (Love how I’m like do a lesbian.)
I ~don’t~ wanna be that woman. (My fantasy will never be doing more labor for a man. Like be so for real.)
Am I crazy or do all these sex fantasies sound like recent pop culture scenes? Like that Watcher movie, you know. (I also think it just used the most common and recycled fantasies.)
This book has so many cheaters in it, and it’s such a turn off. I don’t desire anyone who cheats on their partner.
These fantasies all suck. None of these women are empowered. Everyone’s meek and tiptoeing. You're allowed to want an orgasm ffs.
Dialogue that's just “same” sin. I hate it. So. Much.
I was really worried this book was about to be like that unhealthy sex scene fixed everything! but it also recognized that it was unhealthy, so that’s good.
Is he with Raleigh? They run together? (Nailed it, babes.)
A sam hahaha
This reads like one of those domestic dramas I never get into.
Girl, why do you want him????
This book can't stand on its own. That's so frustrating.
Post-reading:
Wow, super conflicted on this one. Most of the time when I've got a book under three stars, it lacks a purpose. Usually, it can’t answer the question of why did this need to be a book? I don’t have that here. It’s a book. It’s got a solid angle. The organization is just shit.
Out of the gate, the characters are unlikable. Diana’s insecure and passive aggressive and it never lets up. She reads the same in her mid forties as she does in her twenties. And those flashbacks don’t work to endear the characters to us. They just further highlight the book’s pacing problems.
It’s a pretty standard marriage in trouble domestic drama plot that gets interrupted every few paragraphs by what the author thinks are salacious little bits of erotica. But in reality, we’re just sacrificing character development for shitty, underbaked sex scenes. Like the author could just drop in a few thrusting penises and shortcut her way into getting the audience hot and bothered.
I’ll take a character study about problematic relationships any day, but you’ve gotta couple it with some major charisma to get me onboard with their misdeeds. This book- I just wanna shake everyone and say grow up. And they’re like 40. With children. There's such a disconnect between being artsy and free spirited and surviving the vicious shark infested waters of upper middle class Texas suburbia. A person who does that just doesn't translate to vanilla sex. I don’t buy it.
I think it’s interesting how the book even had that conversation where someone had drafted pages and got told a woman wouldn’t say that because that’s how I feel about this book. It comes across so inauthentic at times. And yet on the other hand, I’m sitting over here like I do kind of buy it because I did just read that Gillian Anderson book that has the same depressing, desperate vibes. And I don’t fuck with it. That's not me. That's not my friends. That's not the people I surround myself with. The smut got into me too early I guess. I’ll ask for what I want, but I’m not begging. Give it to me or leave.
I think the main thing keeping me from enjoying this story is that I have no one to root for. I don’t like Diana. I don’t like her two men. I don’t like her friends. I’m deeply worried that she’s gonna fuck her friend’s son. I don’t wanna read that.
It’s also not a book that can stand on its own. One of my biggest pet peeves is when entries into a series aren’t complete books by themselves. I don’t mind when we have a last minute plot addition to close the book on a cliffhanger, but the rest of the story had better be tight and satisfying on its own. It works in fantasy. I don’t think it works for a lit fic character study. This book feels like part one, which it is. This is going to be a trilogy. I don’t think there’s enough content here to drag it out for three books. I think it should’ve been a tighter edit and a standalone.
And I don’t know if I wanna pick up the next book. I’m me, so I want closure, but I also don’t think the series is gonna be capable of giving me a satisfying ending. I don’t think it’s suddenly gonna do a 180 and convince me to like these characters.
I think it’s just really, really weak. It’s another book that asks me to believe that all these sexual fantasies are coming from different voices and experiences, and then they read exactly the same. I had such a similar experience reading this book to my time with Gillian Anderson’s Want. They’re both fucking bummers. They both sort of have this message of women are suffering in silence and they don’t want more for themselves, or, even if they do, they don’t know how to ask for it. And that’s a foreign concept to me. Maybe it’s the Capricorn, the inherent sharky blondeness, but I need more man eating in my sexy books. Pussy footing around doesn't work for me.
Also, this is so unimportant, but the book goes out of its way to point out that its main character is a blonde, and then the woman on the cover is a brunette. And while I think the black hair is more graphic, I think they could’ve gone with a different cover style and made her a blonde if we were gonna mention it so many times.
Who should read this:
Mommy fiction readers
Character study fans
Ideal reading time:
Summer. It’s Texas and women’s mommy fiction and that says summer to me.
Do I want to reread this:
No
Would I buy this:
Nope
Similar books:
* The Freedom Clause by Hannah Sloane-same book, different font. This book but more successful. Character study, coming of age, marriage in trouble
* Want by Gillian Anderson-basically this book’s art project actualized. Nonfiction collection of sexual fantasies written by amateurs and you can tell
* The Lifestyle by Taylor Hahn-character study, marriage in trouble
* Normal Women by Ainslie Hogarth-mommy horror, social commentary, lit fic
* Death Valley by Melissa Broder-surrealist lit fic character study, marriage in trouble
* Margo’s Got Money Troubles-like it’s not, but it is another messy girl lit fic character study, family drama
* Piglet by Lottie Hazell-like it’s not, but it is another messy girl lit fic character study, family drama
* I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness by Claire Vaye Watkins-character study/memoir, marriage in trouble, mommy fiction
* We Are Too Many by Hannah Pittard-character study told only in dialogue snippets, marriage in trouble
* Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood-character study, mommy fiction, marriage in trouble
* Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler-sad girl lit fic character study
* Vladimir by Julia May Jonas-lit fic character study, marriage in trouble, family drama, social commentary
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.