I received a free ebook in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. I like fiction. Good fiction makes you think. This book makes you think.

I finished this book fairly quickly. It's a fairly easy read. The chapters are a little long. The book does change points of view.

The book talks about youth, family, friends, illness, sexuality, marriage, children, complexity, life, and more. It's a fairly complicated book. A book that makes you think. The book talks about right, wrong, and the grays of life.

This was the first time I have a read a book from this author. I would like to read some of her other books.

Thank you to Netgalley and Nicola Dinan for the opportunity to read this good book. I am grateful for you both.

I enjoyed Max’s perspective but Vincent’s not so much. I can see this as an important perspective, but just wasn’t the book for me. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read it.

I am a very critical reader. I rarely give five stars for anything. To be a five-star book, the novel must be a) functionally perfect and b) leave me thinking about it long after completion.

Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan met both of these criteria.

Disappoint Me did anything but. I went into this completely blind, drawn in by the gorgeous cover, and it was positively delightful. This book blends romance, drama, and just general litfic in a flawless fashion. The characters were palpable, tangible. I feel like Max could have walked out of the pages of my Kindle during my time reading and I wouldn't have even been surprised; I'd greet her with a "sup" or something similarly casual because I already know her soul.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this incredible book!

I love the premise and the characters in this novel but I wish that it connected to me more, emotionally.

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.