I had a difficult time getting into Dinan's debut, but pushed through and was ultimately happy that I did. I felt the same way going into this book. It must be Dinan's writing style. I don't fully connect with the characters, almost feel like I'm viewing them from the outside.

Overall I enjoyed this story but didn't get as much enjoyment out of it had I felt more in tune with the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Dial Press for a copy of this ARC.

Book: Disappoint Me
Author: Nicola Dinan
Rating: 2 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, The Dail Press, for sending me an ARC. This is an example of where the book just wasn’t for me. I could not get into the story, which is sad because the writing is beautiful and I can see that it is a well written book. It just wasn’t for me.

In this one, we follow Max and Vincent. Max is thirty, a poet, a highly paid legal counsel at a tech firm, and deeply unsettled. With years of dysphoria and a string of fuccbois behind her, she finds herself unfulfilled at what should be the prime of her life. After a drunken tumble at a New Year’s Eve party, Max decides it’s time for a change, starting with a bold attempt at heteronormativity. She meets Vincent, a charming corporate lawyer and amateur baker with a traditional group of friends and Chinese parents who never expected their son to date a trans woman. Navigating their relationship means confronting unfamiliar expectations, but Vincent offers Max a kind of affection she had long written off as a fantasy. Vincent, however, carries his own complications. A passionate and unresolved episode from his gap year in Thailand still casts a shadow over his life.

I appreciate what the book was trying to do. There were several well-written moments, and the novel offers a deep and unflinching look into the lives of its characters. The emotional rawness and the exploration of identity, relationships, and longing were compelling in concept. Max’s story in particular had the potential to resonate deeply. She is navigating not just love and career but also the complicated and often painful layers of self-understanding and acceptance.

However, I struggled to connect with the characters on an emotional level. It felt like something was missing in the way they were written, some core spark or emotional anchor that would have made their experiences feel more immediate and impactful. I could see what the author was aiming for, but the execution did not always land in a way that made me feel fully invested in their journeys. The characters’ inner lives were explored, but not always in a way that made them feel real or fully formed.

I want to be clear that my disconnect had nothing to do with Max being a trans woman. In fact, I found that perspective both refreshing and important. I have not read many novels from the point of view of a trans woman, and I genuinely valued seeing the world through Max’s lens. Her voice added a unique and necessary dimension to the narrative. I just wish there had been a stronger emotional connection between the characters and the reader, something that would have made their emotions linger long after the final page.

I also didn’t connect with the writing. No, not the writing, but story itself. It was supposed to be moving and it was, but I could not form any kind of emotional bond to it. That is what is missing for me from this story as a how. I did not form a connection with it and that usually makes me not get engulfed in a story.

I am sad that I did not enjoy this one more. I truly thought that this would be a four-star read for me and it wasn’t.

Don’t let my low rating turn you away from reading this book. It seems like most people did enjoy it.

This book comes out on May 27, 2025.

I was expecting a journey but I was not expecting this book to be so depressing. Even if it’s “happy” moments, there is always an undertone of sadness. I think this book will speak volumes to transfolk who have suffered while finding their space in the world. I was hoping in the end, we would see closure and that didn’t happen either. Moving right into an epilogue with even more confusing details. I love lyrical writing but in this, it seemed more so like it was trying too hard to come across witty and poetic. There are lines in here that are right on the nose with what it’s like to exist in this time and the struggles faced. It’s not a bad book, it didn’t work for me. I encourage you to read to see if this will become your new favorite. Much luck to this author!

Sadly, not for me simply because of writing style. I struggled with the authors debut for the same reason. It feels too stiff and distancing from the characters and I never feel like I can really get to know them and therefore invest in them.

Thanks to RandomHouse & NetGalley for this arc, out on May 27th!

Exploring the chasms that exist between people of different races, genders and socioeconomic backgrounds, Disappoint Me follows Maxine as she figures out the complexities of dating as a multi-ethnic Asian(ish) trans woman. It took me places I didn’t expect to go, but enjoyed nonetheless. Full of contradictions, the characters embody what it means to be human. Nicola Dinan has a way of writing about people at the intersection of multiple identities that feels real without seeming too heavy.

Maxine, a begrudging poet comes from a community of diverse queer creatives. The kind of pretentious moneyed MFA grads who write about social ills they do nothing to fix, besides being themselves authentically at all times. Breaking away from this set after a breakup, she starts seeing Victor whose interest in her is also tied to her ability to pass as cisgender woman. A dynamic that has her questioning the concept of authenticity as she feels pressured to perform a version of heteronormativity for his mostly white wealthy friends that starts to feel somewhat normal.

Can they make it work? Should they try despite these seemingly insurmountable differences? Or is it a question of their similarities? Both lawyers in London, who have roots in Hong Kong can they work from a common understanding of culture and family or is even that too much to presume?

The reader is given no answers only presented with facts of the characters’ past, present and complicated feelings about the future. Dinan captures the tumultuous essence of life transitions that can occur between one’s late 20’s and early 30’s. The best part is having friends that help you through it. Though in Maxine and Vincent’s case, their friends Simone and Fred may end up adding to the chaos.

Overall, this book was a head-scratcher that prompted a lot of self-introspection. Fans of the HBO Max show Sort Of will enjoy this one! Can’t wait to check out more titles from this author and in the New Adult genre.

i will admit that i didn't read the synopsis beforehand and didn't realize this would be told in dual timelines (covering max's present and vincent's past) so that when this clicked, it almost felt like i was preparing myself for something inevitable. it isn't quite as dramatic as i'm putting it right now, but there's something about the past creeping up that i'm sure is relatable. as a consequence, all the fear (and melodrama) of wanting to be judged for the present version of ourselves and not the past come out in such tender ways through dinan's writing. i liked bellies as an asian american and how dinan writes about the 2nd generation immigrant experience in the uk (as well as about how the trans experience intersects with this and other identities), but in disappoint me dinan has clearly grown in her writing and understanding. would absolutely read anything dinan writes in the future!

I reviewed Nicola Dinan's debut novel, Bellies, enthusiastically when it was first released. I feel even more enthusiastic about Disappoint Me. The novel offers an engaging, but clearly flawed cast of characters, representing a great many points along the gender continuum. With perhaps one exception, I genuinely cared about the choices the characters might take and the directions they might take. It has a two timeline plot, and those timelines gradually reveal information, not just about the timeline line being depicted, but also also the alternate timeline, despite their chronological differences each from the other.

If you enjoy reads with diverse casts and nuanced plotting, you're in for a treat with Disappoint Me.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.

Thank you to Random House Publishing - Random House, The Dial Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book based on the cover & title. However, I found myself completely enthralled with the story, and felt completely submerged in the characters lives. I felt a deep sense of wonder for where life’s journey was taking them. How both main characters struggled in different, yet similar ways with topics such as gender, sexuality and grief. This was a wonderful story that reads from dual pov’s and feels almost like a memoir. One of my favorite reads so far in 2025.

[arc review]
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Disappoint Me releases May 27, 2025

2.5

Told in dual perspectives, we see how one man navigates two very similar relationships with trans women — one in his late teens, and the other in his thirties — and ultimately question if, with time, a person can exhibit enough growth to outweigh their past mistakes.

I appreciate how the narrative explored heteronormativity and did not shy away from showcasing the hardships that transgender folk endure, however, the characters were a bit too self-deprecating and despondent to be enjoyable, and I personally needed more closure.

A dual narrative which explores both identity & modern relationships in a sensitive and real feeling way. The complexity o the characters and the interwoven connections they all have was written in a really clever and emotionally raw way. Enjoyed!

“Detransition Baby” meets “Really Good, Actually.”
Rating: 5/5 Stars

“Disappoint Me” by Nicola Dinan was an absolutely FANTASTIC read and one of my favorites of 2025. I found myself crawling into bed earlier and earlier every night to make sure I could get to it at the end of the day. The novel follows the main character of Max as she navigates her life after a New Year’s Eve accident. She meets Vincent and we follow their relationship, as well as Max’s journey to find stability, throughout the novel. The character development in this book was very strong and I truly believed in the decisions they were making. Dinan is an intelligent author and used backstory to illuminate Vincent in a way that readers wouldn’t have been able to see otherwise.

Thank you so much to Nicola Dinan and the publishers for allowing me to read and review this fantastic book.

A novel of millennial angst, this is a sharp, emotionally resonant exploration of love, identity, and the messy contradictions of modern adulthood.

Max, is a 30-year-old mixed-race trans woman and a poet working as a legal counsel in London’s tech industry. After a New Year’s Eve accident, she seeks stability in a relationship with Vincent, a Chinese-British corporate lawyer. Their budding romance is juxtaposed with flashbacks to Vincent’s gap year in Thailand, where he navigated a complex relationship with a trans woman there named Alex. This dual timeline structure allows the author to examine how past experiences and societal attitudes shape present relationships, and how attitudes have changed for the better or worse for trans women.

Themes of queerness, race, and the allure of heteronormativity are explored in detail as Max battles with the desire to be hetero normal or just be herself. She's put herself into a type of cocoon or bubble with Max and is using his protection to stay in denial about her own sexuality. In the meantime, Max’s internal conflict—feeling as though she’s “cheating on queerness” by pursuing a traditional relationship—highlights the tension between personal desires and community expectations. Vincent's past, including his experiences with transphobia and racial microaggressions, only adds depth to his character and underscores the novel’s exploration of identity and forgiveness.

This is not normally the type of book I'd be drawn to but the characters were so well developed, and the writing was so well done, I was drawn into Max and Vincent's relationship and rooting for them to make it work.

This one just didn’t work for me, I’m afraid. I found the writing style kept me at arms length instead of letting me sink into the character emotionally. Which is a shame because I was excited to have a trans female protagonist in her 30s.

"You can fall in love with an outline, you can even make a home with one, but there will come a time when you can't deny the bones their flesh. No person is fewer than those two things."

This book captures the modern-day dating scene and what it means to be in a relationship. The main characters, Maxine and Vincent, are written in such a relatable way from their pov's. Maxine is transwomen going through it in the beginning of the book she is in her 30's and life is just disappointing. So she starts to date again and meets Vincent on this date. I did like Vincent's character, and other times I did not, which I feel is realistic. Maxine's character, though I loved her character she is very relatable in how women and men are treated in the relationship but there's is that complexity of being transwomen. It does show with her conversation with Vincent that some things he says are offensive, but not trying to be offensive. Vincent himself is complicated, and you see this through his pov of why he is like this. I also like how they talked about their culture and expectations, specifically in Chinese culture. Dinan captured what it means to be a human trying to live your life when everything feels disappointing in yourself and others around you.

Thank you, Net Galley and Random House, for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: I think the most important thing I should say before I start this review, is that I am so thankful for this book. I am also trans and this just spoke to all the nuances that are difficult to explain. Nicola was able to show those things so fucking well, and how the feeling of being a burden can show up in everything. I also deeply appreciate that she shows the complexity of being a partner to someone who is trans and how you don't always know what to do or say. Being able to get not only the MC's perspective as a trans person but also her boyfriends was just so validating. This is not an easy read and it confronts a lot of things in society that we are quick to judge or cancel people over. Nicola is able to equally, and masterfully, combine dark humor and satire with deeply moving and influential storytelling. If you ever wonder about the nauances trans people face, this is the book you want to read. If you have a trans person close to you, this is the book you want to read. If you read books...... this is the book you want to read. Thanks and goodnight.

Dinan’s writing is so beautifully tender. It’s what I loved about Bellies and what I also loved about her second novel too.

I did find Max to be a bit annoying but I think she’s written that way.

My thanks to Net Galley and Random House for the ARC.

Ready for your next one, Nicola!I’m

I haven't read many books with a trans mc, and I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I enjoyed Max as a protagonist. I thought the story was a good mix of a reflection on everyday life, dating, family issues, etc. while just happening to be trans. However, I really never warmed to Vincent (and not sure if the reader is even supposed to). I thought he was weak-willed and apathetic. Max deserved better. I was kind of surprised where the story veered towards the end, but think it's important to highlight some lesser-known trans struggles that those not in the community are probably clueless on. Also liked how it stayed open-ended; usually I hate conclusions like that, but for this story, it worked.

Trans people are more than a politicized threat. The voice reads like an episode of Daria, sarcastic and straightforward. The title takes a heavy lifting and makes complete sense for the story. However, I would have liked for the characters to have been more well-rounded and more than their circumstances. Were these people ever happy? These people mostly moved. There was very little expression. The locations added interest into the story.

3.5 rounded up to 4.

This book was a little too lit-fic for me! I think it's a very powerful book and has a lot of meaningful topics, like whether we can forgive people for their past. It didn't suck me in but I think that's okay. It did make me think and reflect which is what I think it was aiming to do!

Not the Hunger Games slander from Alex!!!

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book!

This the THE book to resonate with people of a certain age that feel like they are flailing. I related to so many things and found myself and those I know over and over again in these pages.