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.

A very interesting read. I must say that from the title, I was expecting yet another story of a frustrated married woman descending into adultry. I was so wrong! I was not expecting Oliver to be what he turned out to be in the end. And the cliff hanger… I want to know what happens next!

Whew, lots to unpack here.

This is definitely a NSFW book, and if you do not want to read graphic depictions of sex, you will not enjoy DIRTY DIANA.

However, DIANA is more than its various descriptions of sex, which come through flashbacks, fantasies, artistic discussions, and more. This is a heart wrenching book in many ways, an unflinching and emotional look at growing up, marriage, and how hard it all can be.

We see Diana in various phases of her life. She's in Dallas, TX, with her husband Oliver and young daughter, Emmy, but her marriage is falling apart (often graphically) and she's alone and scared. Other parts show a younger, Diana, maybe still scared, but also filled with passion for her art. She's in New Mexico, a struggling artist, and falling in love with a photographer who may or may not feel the same for her.

No matter where we find Diana, she's raw, real, and honest--presenting an open look at her life, including her sexuality. At times her story is hard to read, it's almost too real (and sexual), but the emotion is well-done. It's a lot to take in sometimes, but a different sort of read that pulled me in. The plot ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, but it looks like there will be more books, and I'd be intrigued to see where Diana's journey takes her next.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Diana is a former artist turned housewife living in suburban Dallas and working for her husband’s family’s finance company. After a small successful printing of a book of her art, her career and life come to a halt until she meets and eventually marries Oliver, a handsome, successful man who comes from a wealthy Dallas family. Now several years married and one child later, Diana feels the shine wearing off the life she thought she wanted. When she stumbles upon some old taped conversations with women regarding their love lives that she used as inspiration for her art, she begins to reminisce on her time as “Dirty Diana” in Santa Fe as well as her former lover Jasper. Alternating between present and past, we quickly get to know the different sides to Diana and how it always seems she wants what she can’t have. When she decides to start creating a type of erotic art again to try and find her happiness, her marriage further suffers, causing her to choose between what she has and what she thinks she wants out of life.

As I started reading this spicy book, I couldn’t quite figure out what direction it was going in. I wasn’t familiar with the podcast it’s based on prior to reading it and I couldn’t really tell what the purpose of the book was. As I got deeper into it, though, I was quickly pulled into Diana’s worlds, both past and present. I was intrigued by how she crafted art from womens’ intimate stories in her early years, how she had changed from such a free spirit to a structured suburbanite and how she vacillates in the present between wanting to fight for her marriage and wanting to fight for the former self she left behind. This is a 3-book series that ended on a hell of a cliffhanger and I’m all in. I’m already excited for the next installment of Diana’s story!

Dirty Diana focuses on the breakdown of a marriage. While I flew through this book, I am still not 100% sure of my feelings about it. Diana is a complicated woman - she seems to desperately want to make her marriage work (going to some pretty extreme lengths), but at the same time she spends a lot of time thinking about her past and trying to collect pieces of herself that have fallen away. I think because the story is based upon a podcast it felt very "surface" and did not have enough plot to the story. It did end on a very interesting cliff hanger so I am definitely curious about the next one ....

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read Dirty Diana. This novel offers an honest and layered exploration of identity, relationships, and self-discovery, centered on Diana, a protagonist who is both flawed and deeply human. The story delves into the complexities of life with a mix of vulnerability and humor, creating a narrative that feels authentic and relatable.

The writing is compelling, drawing readers into Diana’s journey with a mix of sharp wit and emotional depth. Her struggles to navigate societal expectations while finding her own sense of purpose make for a thought-provoking read. There are moments of real poignancy balanced with lighter, more humorous scenes that keep the book engaging.

While the rawness of the story might not resonate with every reader, it’s clear the author set out to create a story that feels true to life. Dirty Diana is a reflective and entertaining read that will appeal to those who enjoy character-driven novels with a touch of grit and heart.

I didn’t really care for this one. I found the story to be uninspired and just boring. I didn’t like any of the characters and I was rooting for their divorce by the end.

If the TikTok trend of "we listen, and we don't judge" were to be represented as a book, it would undoubtedly be this one. The experience of reading it is absolutely enchanting, especially when you can set aside any preconceived notions and allow yourself to fully engage with the intimate and raw narrative presented. The book delves deeply into the essence of human experience, revealing the darker secrets we all harbor.

As you read, you are invited to immerse yourself in the complexities of the characters’ lives, particularly that of Diana. The unfolding of her journey is not just a simple plot; it is a captivating exploration of identity, struggle, and revelation. Each moment is richly detailed, drawing you into the emotional landscape and making you feel as though you are living through her experiences right alongside her. The climactic ending took me by surprise—my reaction was a gasp! It's a powerful moment that left me craving more. If we don’t receive a second book, I know I will be haunted by the multitude of possibilities for how the story could continue.

While the book does contain explicit content, it is much more than just smut. There is a significant backstory that enhances the narrative, allowing readers to connect with the characters on a deeper level. Every action they take is rooted in their experiences, and when motives are unclear, you can’t help but be on the edge of your seat, eager to uncover the truth behind their decisions.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who approaches literature with an open mind and a willingness to understand. Remember, we read, but we don't judge. This is a journey worth taking for anyone willing to embrace a rich, thought-provoking narrative.

Dirty Diana is fast-paced, blending suspense with emotional depth. Diana is both fascinating and flawed, drawing me in to follow her story. The book doesn't shy away from difficult subjects, and its candid portrayal of personal struggle and recklessness kept me hooked until the very end.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm going to start this with HOW DID YOU END THIS BOOK ON SUCH A CLIFFHANGER!!!! I seriously need the next book NOW!

If that tells you anything, I really enjoyed this book. It felt like I was a fly on the wall watching Diana's life and marriage. This book took place in two time periods of Diana's life. First when she was a young struggling artist living in Santa Fe and older living in Dallas while she is married, with a child, and working at her father-in-law's company. Pick up this book and read it, but make sure you are ready for the cliffhanger at the end.