4.5 stars!!
This is the first book I’ve read by this author! At first, I wasn’t sure if the writing style was for me, but I kept reading and I’m glad I did! The book was so atmospheric with a sense of foreboding! I couldn’t put it down!

I loved Max and Vincent, and all of the secondary characters, especially Simone!! She was a friend that would be by your side through it all!

This book reminded me that nobody is perfect, we all make mistakes, we grow from them, and we are never exactly the same as we were when we made the mistake, because we evolve! 💖

FAV QUOTE:
“No person is fewer than two things.”

Thank you to Net Galley, the Publisher, and the Author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I’m not sure where to begin. The plot of this story is not so much what happens externally to the characters but internally, and the relationships between them. Max is a protagonist with whom I could deeply empathize, her narration was earnest and vulnerable, and reading her was liberating, in a way. Vincent, on the other hand, I could not stand for a single page. I am aware that most of the chapters we get from him are from more than ten years ago, which means the version of himself that’s telling the story is very different from the one we see in the present. His chapters were the antithesis of Max’s for me— they annoyed me and made me want to stop reading the book altogether. Still, I persisted, and I don’t entirely regret it. Dinan’s writing was what I enjoyed the most, her depiction of the characters was very human and her narration from both POVs was distinct while still maintaining her own style as a writer. However, the story itself did not provoke as many feelings as I expected. The characters were realistic, yes, but they’re all quite forgettable (with the exception of Max). In summary, this is a book that I had a good time reading but there’s nothing that stuck with me to the point I would read it again.

This book sucked me in completely for a few days and it became the book that I thought about most about when I was not reading it. Loved the dual POVs for Max and Vincent, it was a great way to give us a more in-depth look at these 2 very complex characters. Loved, loved the ending!

This is my first time reading the author and I can’t wait to read Bellies now.

I highly recommend this book!

It took me a while to get into (the first few chapters - until we switched to Vincent’s POV for the first time - felt quite slow and surface-level to me), but I found myself more and more engaged as the story continued. Disappoint Me is a slow burn - a nuanced and morally complex take on relationships, identity, harm, forgiveness, and what it means to be a human being. I didn’t love the ending - while I appreciated the confirmation, I almost would have preferred ambiguity! Overall, a thought-provoking and absorbing read. Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for my ARC.

I enjoyed Max's story immensely! The complex interweaving of themes around identity, belonging, and the yearning for connection really resonated with me. The author skillfully crafted a contemporary romance that tackles weighty issues around gender, race, and class while maintaining warmth and authenticity. The voice is fresh and engaging, with moments of sharp wit balanced against tender vulnerability. I found myself deeply invested in Max and Vincent's journey as they navigate their personal baggage and society's expectations. While covering serious topics, the book never feels heavy-handed, instead offering a nuanced exploration of modern love and self-acceptance. I'd highly recommend this to readers who enjoy character-driven contemporary fiction that thoughtfully examines intersectional identities and relationships.

I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but Disappoint Me’s cover is absolutely gorgeous. Disappoint Me started a bit slow for me but quickly I was quickly roped in to the story. Bonus points for the trans Asian main character and the frank discussion of change, character, mistakes, and growth.

This was good! I loved the dual POV! Dinan has a way of really getting you to care about characters. It just fell a bit flat for me, but good nonetheless. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

DNF. I found the narrator’s voice not engaigind and I think the story wasn’t for me. I felt detatched from the narrative and didn’t really care what would happen. I think it’s a personal preference rather thant the book’s fault.

Only deducting one star because I almost didn't continue the book after the first few chapters. Once I got past the superficial party girl facade that was being presented, I was able to dive deep into a complex story. This book was insightful and made me really sit and think. Think on my behavior, verbiage I might accidentally use without realizing it could be harmful. In the end I was very grateful I stuck through after the uninviting opening to enjoy a beautiful, eye opening novel.

I absolutely devoured this book. I am new to this author but immediately enjoyed her writing style and characterization. The overall tone is light but I found many passages surprisingly profound.

This is a coming of age story but the age is 30. The quiet romance unfolding between Vincent and Max propels the book, but they can only get so far before their pasts assert themselves in this new relationship. In some ways Max drove me crazy, but in the exact way I would be driven crazy if I observed my own actions and behaviors from an outside point of view.

Moody, funny, and thought provoking. Max falls down the stairs at a party that her ex is also attending (embarrassing!). The fall continues to haunt her as she contemplates life in London as a 30-year-old. A published poet, she spends her days essentially pretending to be a bot at a law firm (or something like that).

The writing is lovely, witty, and empathetic and the dual POV enriches the story. I enjoyed spending time with Max as she grapples with family drama, friendship drama, and a new relationship.

Thank you very much to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

as a queer person, i don't find this to be a particularly memorable narrative. it felt like a lot of other literary fiction novels i've read.

Max, a trans woman, enters into a heteronormative relationship with a straight man, and we follow their relationship as she struggles with social expectations and what does heteronormative relationship mean for her queer identity.

This was one of those books that I had to space myself with, because I was loving it so much that I didn't want it to end. The characters were very likable and at times borderline pretentious. Exactly how I want my characters! I found this so funny, heartfelt and extremely human.

Will definitely be checking out the authors other work in the future as well!

a thoughtful and contemplative story of a queer woman’s journey of self discovery…sign me up HELLO???? i loved being in our two mc’s heads, as their story was truly so REAL. that’s all i can take from this, like these characters could step right off the page and no one would bat an eye. this is a book i’ll be keeping in mind for a while!!

I found Disappoint Me to be compelling, interesting and everything I was hoping for in a literary contemporary fiction book. This was my first 5 star read of 2025, and I immediately recommended it to anyone who would listen to me.

The dialogue sounded very natural, the characters felt very raw and real, and the whole story just felt like a friend was retelling a life event to me. I loved Max and I liked getting in her inner thoughts and the way she grappled with her relationships. Even Vincent, who obviously went through some things in his past, was a likable character and I found myself rooting for the rehabilitation of his image and for him to work things out with Max.

I found the social commentary to be spot-on - it was very Gen-Z but also very self aware, and it handled very current trends and things but in a way that didn't immediately take me out of the story. I found it so witty, so well written, and this is going to be a story that sticks with me for a while.

Bellies was one of my favorite books I read last year, so I was overjoyed to be given an advanced copy of this book. In Disappoint Me, Nicola Dinan explores the complexities of transness and rigid sexual labels through the evolving relationship between Max, a trans woman, and Vincent, a cis man. The novel alternates between Max’s present, after an accident shakes her life, and Vincent’s past, during a transformative trip to Thailand.

Dinan focuses less on romance and more on the tension between queerness and heteronormative expectations. Max faces the limits of what’s possible as a trans woman in a new relationship, while Vincent’s past threatens their dynamic.

Disappoint Me challenges linear relationship timelines and offers a thought-provoking conversation on trans experiences, leaving many questions open for discussion beyond the book.

Unexpectedly funny and very real. I would like a little more depth and development but it was a great read. My first Nicola Dinan book but excited to read more.

The Run-Down: Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan explores the darker nuances of human nature with compassion, humor, and tenderness.

Review:
At first glance, Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan appears to belong to the category of millennial literary fiction categorized by generally unlikable, privileged protagonists and wickedly sharp prose bathed in irony and cynicism. The title and cover certainly fit the mold, as does the description of a protagonist who works for a tech company masquerading as an AI legal model. Disappoint Me, however, would best be described as embodying a sort of “post-cynicism.” Rather than view the shallow, pseudo-dystopia of privileged, first-world millennials as a source for nothing more than satire and self-loathing, Dinan deftly and tenderly uncovers the perennial human nature that lies beneath it all. She accomplishes this without sacrificing any of the humor—Disappoint Me is outrageously funny—or astute observations about the world.

Transgender perspectives in mainstream literary fiction are still somewhat rare; so rare, in fact, that this book pays playful and appreciative lip service to Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters, one of the only literary books about trans characters that is well-known enough to have reached the radar of cisgender readers. The protagonist of Disappoint Me, Maxine, is a thirty-year-old transgender woman whose relationship with her queer and mixed-race identities is somewhat ambivalent. She’s far enough in her transition as a passing straight woman to the point where she feels alienated from queerness, and her upbringing and looks distance her from her Chinese heritage. Her romantic relationship with Vincent, a cis corporate lawyer with Chinese parents, brings up thought-provoking questions about identity and privilege with compassion for the characters and highlights how hard it can be for us to know ourselves and each other.

The plot of the novel is so perfectly paced and crafted that it feels true-to-life, and the genius of how Dinan sets up events becomes clear as the book unfolds. The book alternates from Max’s perspective and that of a younger Vincent during his gap year in Thailand, and we see how past events come to haunt the present. The novel focuses on how easy it is for humans to give into their worst natures and do irreversible harm and then asks whether forgiveness for those actions represents grace or cowardice, self-love or self-betrayal. Through it all, Dinan showcases a gentle sympathy for her complex and messy characters that provides a path forward for when we find ourselves perpetually disappointed with ourselves, each other, and the world.


Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“Disappoint Me” did not disappoint me (sorry, I had to). Every time I picked up this ARC, I found myself fully engaged and didn’t want to put it down. The narrator struck the perfect balance between humor and depth; I highlighted so many of her one-liners.

The story follows Max and Vincent as they navigate their new relationship, introduce friendships, face family and health challenges, and confront the unique struggles Max experiences as a trans woman, along with Vincent’s questionable (and harmful) history involving trans women. It explores big themes like relationships, traditions, women’s rights, and let’s just say it, men’s wrongs.

What really stood out to me was how the characters, all of them, reflect the complexity of life. The book emphasizes that people aren’t binary; they do good and bad things, which raises the ultimate question: how do we respond? Do we accept them as they are, demand retribution, or hold them accountable? It’s a thought-provoking read and I highly recommend! Thanks for the ARC NETGALLEY!

I recently read Bellies for the first time and was left breathless so when I was offered the opportunity to read another book by Nicola Dinan I was overjoyed.

The way this book is written is so tender and delicate, yet there are no punches pulled. The revelations unfurl themselves slowly and you realise they’re signposted. Nothing is tied up neatly and it makes the book feel so real and lived in.

I loved this book and would recommend it wholeheartedly.