Thanks for the review copy. I went into this with an open mind and I am glad I did, I slowly ended up liking Max.

I really enjoyed Dinan's first book Bellies, so I was eagerly anticipating this one and I believe it's somehow even better than her debut. This is a book about how people we love can devastate us with their faults. It's a complex, messy book, where characters the reader grows to love suddenly reveal a flaw that is difficult to accept or overcome. Dinan excels here, as she did in her first book, in tight, witty dialogue that never felt too smart for the feelings of the characters. I think this would make an excellent book club book, given how much rich material there is for discussion.

This is a novel that lingers, not just in its beautifully poetic prose but in the quiet, everyday moments that make us human. It’s the kind of book that makes writers want to write - each sentence crafted with a precision that feels effortless yet deeply intentional.

At its core, this novel is a tender, moving slice of life, capturing the subtleties of relationships, identity, and the complexities of human connection. Dinan infuses the narrative with wit and humor, making even the heaviest themes feel deeply personal rather than didactic. There’s an undeniable sharpness in its observations, particularly in how it explores the intersection of heterosexual and queer spaces. The book holds up a mirror to the ways allyship can sometimes be more performative than genuine - transactional rather than truly empathetic.

It’s difficult to categorize Disappoint Me because it feels like an experience more than a traditional story. Indescribable in the best way, it leaves a lasting impression, full of quiet truths and emotions that settle in slowly, long after the final page. An incredibly moving read that is both thought-provoking and deeply human.

Nicola Dinan is now the reason why I'll have such high standards for queer fiction! What an emotional rollercoaster this reading experience was! The characters, were so authentically crafted that as a reader you felt honored to be able to particiapte in their story. Max's raw and honest inner monologue was extremely refreshing and much needed in regards to advocating trans rights. Disappoint Me made me feel insatiable; I could not get enough of Nicola Dinan's writing.

Interesting in premise, I found the writing to be hard to follow and I was not a fan of the main character. there were one or two supporting characters that stood out to me but all in all, one that I will not revisit.

I really love this book. The characters are developed and layered. It’s important to read books there give glimpses into worlds we don’t know much about.

Once I started reading this book, I just wanted to keep reading it. Max is a lawyer who writes poetry, or a poet who practices law. She is a trans girl who recently broke up with her boyfriend and also recently fell down a flight of stairs. Then she meets Vincent and they really like each other. But dating is complicated especially when you are a deep thinker like Max. As I got near the end of this novel, I found myself wondering what else Nicola Dinan has written because I want to read her other books too. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for my honest opinions.

Absolutely another slam dunk in the genre of sad girl lit fic, i gobbled this up greedily and readily. This is a story of Max, a trans woman navigating the end of her 20s into the odd responsibility after such a hot mess phase of your life, and her new boyfriend Vincent, a man who lived said 20s the hottest mess of them all. Both have had experiences where they have made mistakes, and as you read you learn how said mistakes both shaped them in years prior and affect the other in modern day.

Disappoint Me doesn't just focus on the romantic relationship between Max and Vincent, but also the complicated bonds of family and the waxing./waning nature of friendship. All of the characters, from the main pair to the side characters making frequent appearances, are so well and thoroughly formed. I could believe any of them were real people walking around in every day life, there are no extremes that exist only in the realm of fiction in Dinan's work.

Thank youNetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

While I enjoyed the concept of this book, I felt like it did not do much the entire time. I didn’t hate it but it felt like it was lacking something. Thank you for the arc

4.5/5

Oh, where to start. This was a beautiful, introspective look into the mind of a trans woman, Max, and her new boyfriend, Vincent. Disappoint Me follows their relationship from inside both Max and Vincent’s heads as we learn more about their motivations and the baggage they bring into the relationship.

I really loved the writing in this, especially Max’s POV. I loved the way her mind worked and the way she analyzed her experiences. She’s not perfect, she’s often self-deprecating and focused on other’s perceptions of her, but I felt more connected to her because of it. I liked Vincent’s POVs less than I liked Max’s but his were still intriguing and interesting since you’re trying to figure out why we’re even in his head during a different time period.

The only reason I wouldn’t give this 5/5 is because I, personally, don’t feel as if it re-wrote my neural pathways which is what books that I give 5/5 tend to do. However, this was still extremely good and such a worthwhile read.

Both laugh-out-loud funny and very difficult to read at different times; such a smart, specific, interesting voice. I will be recommending this to others.

This was such a beautiful book, and unlike anything I've read. Bouncing between two people in a new relationship, and through time, we follow Max, a trans woman who has just started dating Vincent, a corporate lawyer whose story of his gap year in Thailand 10 years earlier we hear in tandem with the story of their budding relationship in the present.

Since I grew up in Thailand, I especially loved those chapters and Dinan does an amazing job of making you feel like you are there through her rich writing and incredible storytelling. Max, in 2024, is a fantastic character. She is reeling from a breakup and while we think a first online date with Vincent doesn't have any potential at first, watching their relationship bloom and proving us wrong is delightful, but often sad, and ultimately romantic. I really enjoyed this book and took my time with it because of Dinan's great writing and world building.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this ARC of Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan.

This was beautifully written, and easily one of my top reads so far of the year. The story and characters felt so incredibly real. The book is effortlessly funny and heartbreaking at the same time. Dinan is definitely added to my auto-buy author list.

I enjoyed every page of this book. It was hauntingly and beautifully written, with plenty of moments that made me laugh. It's been a while since I've read such realistic, well-crafted characters. I can't wait to explore more of this author's work :)

A trans woman and a cis man enter a relationship that enriches their lives. But can their relationship survive health problems, family drama, and secrets from his past? 

Told from alternating perspectives, this story is rich with emotion and beautiful prose. I loved following Max and Vincent’s stories and their growth together, as well as individually. This is my first reading Dinan’s work, and I absolutely loved it. I will definitely be picking up Dinan’s other novel, Bellies. I appreciated the opportunity to follow a trans protagonist in a story that showed the multiple, complex layers of her outer and inner life. I loved the way Dinan slowly revealed Vincent’s past. The supporting characters felt real and enriched the story. I would highly recommend this to anyone, but particularly fans of Sally Rooney. An easy 5 stars!

I will be posting this review to my Instagram and TikTok on May 27.

Disappoint Me did not *disappoint me*. I went into this book totally blind having not read the author's other work, and I was totally won over by the main character's strong voice. She is observant, witty, and refreshingly self-aware. I did think that Vincent's point-of-view was not wholly necessary or interesting in the same way, which is what knocks this book down from being a perfect five stars for me. Overall, though, I found myself in jaw-dropping appreciation of the way that Nicola Dinan has captured so much about gender, fault, and forgiveness through the relationships in this book, and I would highly recommend it.

3.5 stars

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!

I really enjoy this story about a trans experience less focused on the transition itself and more on life after. I liked how all of the characters felt so developed and real and like the world was lived in. I just often felt like the narrative dragged on too long. I wish there was more dialogue and shared feelings rather than Maxy’s stream of consciousness. I also felt like the ending was a bit of a letdown — I wanted to feel the conflict fully resolve before it was over. But overall, I enjoyed!

My second 5 star read of the year. It's such a simple duo narrative story, that it holds so much power within. Some character driven novels often forget that plot is still meant to be part of the focus, but this did not disappoint whatsoever and does the C.D. model extremely well. Happy to read more novels from the author!

3.5/5

Disappoint me, by Nicola Dinan, was my first time with the author. What surprised me the most was the beautiful writing, which was probably one of the things that stuck with me the most after reading it.

The novel has dual pov, switching between Max (set in the present) and Vincent’s (set in the past) perspectives. I thoroughly enjoyed how distinct their voices felt and the complexity of each and every character in the narrative. They were far from perfect, yes, but you grew to perhaps not love them, but understand them and their motivations.
For me, this is a story about how (all kinds of) relationships have the potential to help us heal and bring out the best in us, but it is unsustainable to expect them to be a solution to everything we’re struggling with in life and within ourselves.

I did sometimes struggle a bit with the pacing, as well as with a feeling of disconnectedness from the characters, as if watching them from a distance. Nonetheless, I had a very positive experience with Dinan and I am curious to read her previous novel, as the author has a fascinating way to portray human relationships and the subject of queering institutions and futures.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Books, for the ARC copy of the book.

i really enjoyed this novel. the duel perspectives was so important to this novel and i loved that the novel incorporated that! i loved the writing style and the way this author brought the story to life! the characters had so much depth! a story that will sick with me long after the last page.