I am somehow completely heartbroken and comforted at the same time. This book made me feel it all. The pain of our main characters was realistic but didn’t feel sadistic or unnecessary. I do not claim to even remotely understand the complexities of being trans or navigating dating while being trans, so the opportunity to gain more insight from this book was much appreciated. I loved how Max was so emotionally intelligent not only in regard to herself, but to those around her. It was such a unique experience to see the internal crisis a lot of us face when everyone around us is marrying or procreating from a lense outside of my own.

The cover of this book immediately caught my attention, and then the plot did too! I liked the writing and the way the story unfolded throughout.

it’s hard for me to describe this book in a neat, concise way because Dinan’s writing offers so much complexity and nuance, and this story in particular touches on things both universal and unique to the queer and trans experience. that being said, i’m gonna try like hell to share how deeply this book impacted me
disappoint me follows Max navigating her 30s, relationships, forgiveness, mortality.. just to name a few. long story short, she is going *through it* and trying her best.
i especially loved how the author wrote about forgiveness. i think a lot of writers oversimplify this theme, tying their stories in neat bows, but that’s certainly not the case in this book. forgiveness is written with a vulnerability and honesty, a rawness that hurts but reminds us of our humanity, and I don’t think I’ll ever ever forget the way this book made me feel

thank you so much to net galley, nicola dinan, and the publisher for my copy. pre ordering my book (coming out in may) and purchased bellies to read next!

I loved every single second of this book. I hadn’t read any of Nicola Dinan’s work before (and to be honest I didn’t even know who she was) but I will definitely be reading all her work now. Her voice is so unique and engaging and I’m so honoured that you at Netgalley offered for me to read this.
Disappoint Me is full of a cast of such real characters that I could have read so many more pages of. Max’s dryness never failed to make me laugh, and I want to be friends with her.
Will be picking up a physical copy also to annotate some beautiful lines that I had to read a few times to just sit in the awe <3

Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy of Disappoint Me by Nicola Dinan.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love a book that can make me laugh and cry. Dinan’s storytelling effortlessly layers navigating new relationships, worklife ennui, race, trans panic, families healing from addiction, and the truly lol contrasts between male and female friendships. I finished this book craving a holiday with my girlfriends and a walk with my dad in the Scottish countryside. I haven’t read Bellies yet, but I’m adding it to my list. I definitely want to read more from Nicola Dinan! Disappoint Me comes out at the end of May, so go ahead and add it to your pride month TBR!

I'm a Nicola Dinan superfan. I absolutely love how she writes about queerness, relationships, complicated life stages, and finding meaning. Her books are nearly impossible to describe in a nice, clean, short hook because they touch on so many different topics and follow a variety of characters. So just trust me when I say, read this book!

3.75 stars

This novel is giving you can't fix everything just because you're in your 30s now, and it also features some fascinating (and at times infuriating) characters.

Max and Vincent share dual perspectives, and the novel focuses on them as individuals and as a couple. Max's transness is - for obvious reasons - a focal point, as is the sexuality of both characters. I really enjoyed these elements more than some of the other content (which, at times, came at a slower pace than I'd have preferred and felt even a bit redundant in moments).

I'm here for any and all content featuring trans characters, particularly when the focus is not all trauma all the time, and Dinan brings that here. I'm interested in reading more from this author.

This was not for me. I was really excited about this book but really struggled to get into it. I just found myself having to reread and repeat paragraphs over and over. I was really looking forward to this but maybe I will give it another shot on an airplane or something because the concept was so interesting to me

I really enjoyed this book! Dinan is so good at weaving complex relationships that grapple with serious ethical and moral issues and also just...real life. The characters here were all fully realized and created an intricate tapestry of storytelling! I didn't like this *as* much as Bellies but would still highly recommend!!!

Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for review.

Disappoint Me was my first Nicola Dinan book. If it tells you anything, as soon as I finished it, I immediately went online and ordered Bellies. I’ve also pre-ordered a physical copy of this one, because wow what a fun cover! Dinan gained a fan, for sure.

Disappoint Me follows Max, a witty trans woman navigating love, friendship, young adulthood, and an unfulfilling job. After falling down the stairs at a party and suffering a head injury, she finds unexpected promise in Vincent, a sweet, straight laced man with a corporate job, traditional Chinese parents, and a secret that he’s tried to keep buried in the past. With alternating perspectives and timelines, we go back and forth, spending time with both Vincent during his gap year in Thailand 10 years prior, and Max in present day as she begins to struggle with some scary health issues.

I’m not entirely sure what I expected going into this, but I know that I got so much more than that. I didn’t expect to laugh out loud, and I certainly didn’t expect to be fighting back tears. This is a story of familial trauma, gender / sexuality, forgiveness, and growth. And I loved every second of it. I felt truly connected to these characters- even side characters like Max’s family and Vincent’s past fling. Though they’re all pretty messy, I had a blast with them, and part of me was sad to say goodbye when I finished the book.

This was easily my favorite read of March, and it got me out of a month-long slump. Nicola Diann’s writing is so funny and charming- I truly can’t wait to read Bellies now.

Wow! I loved this. Beautifully written and profound book about friendship, love, shame and forgiveness. The FMC is trans and it was so great to have her perspective. I won’t provide a synopsis but I will say that this is a refreshing and modern work of literary fiction not to be missed!

Color me anything but disappointed. Truly the only piece of this work of art that could disappoint- is that it ended.
That Max, Vincent, Simone, Fred, Aisha, Jamie & families- that they left me on a cliffside wondering. Maybe I am even a little happy with this open ending. I think this may be the first time where I thought the future of much love characters, for beloved Max & Vincent, can play out in my head. I found myself enthralled with all of the dynamics and intricacies of the relationships in this book.

Dinan writes conflict in such a stunning way. Seeing the repair on the page- ooph, beautiful. The stream of consciousness style writing - which i know some struggle with, was just so vivid for me. As someone who's brain runs in a similar fashion to Max- I felt so close to her. Simone was another character I grew to adore. Wow did I find myself enamored with and wishing, hoping, waiting- for an adult friendship like that of Max & Simone. Waiting for my Simone.

How lovely that each of us can imagine the next steps, hurdles, triumphs of these beautiful characters. See them go to whatever heights we would wish for them. I would say to the author though- that i wouldn't complain for even a moment if there were 300 more pages of what comes next.

Infinite thanks to Nicola Dinan & The Dial Press for my Advanced e-galley - and for introducing the world to such a cast of characters that wont be forgotten. Queer fiction is truly here to stay at the top of all the best lists.

this has so beautifully raised the bar for queer fiction.

the writing is brutally honest and takes you on a roller coaster of emotions. i loved getting into Max's and Vincent's mindsets through the dual narration, their shortcomings and growth echoing through one and the other. all of these characters have depth and complexity to them, in a way that feels really refreshing in a queer novel.

i've never read anything close to this concept and i could not have appreciated it more.

what an incredible read.

(extra love this cover btw)

I struggled to get into this book. The style of writing had me lost at times. I felt as though every thought that entered the heads of the characters, and I mean EVERY thought, was put onto the paper. There were many points that I felt didn’t add to the story.

I struggle with hating and at times resonating with the MCs. We all have terrible thoughts from time to time but these characters had them in spades. Max truly had some awful thoughts while parading around like she was the savior or at the very least someone to emulate. Her holier than thou attitude had me rooting for someone to take her down a peg. The contradiction of Max was infuriating. She would act like a doormat at times and then others like an immovable wall on her principles.
Vincent was more relatable in that he was also kind of terrible but at least he was consistent with it. I could understand why he was thinking or doing some of the awful things he thought/did.
I didn’t root for either of these characters.

I did love that this book really did try and bring transgender struggles into the discussion, however, as I am not part of the community was lost especially in the beginning with what was being spoken about. This may be a me problem but I wanted to be honest.
I also enjoyed this quote, “No person is fewer than two things.”.

I pushed myself to finish and can say I don’t think this book was for me. The ending left me wanting as well. I hope I’m in the minority but simply put I will not be suggesting this to anyone.

Sadly I couldn't connect with any of the characters. Even though they tried to portray something deep and complex feelings everything felt just so superficial. I did enjoy the two different timelines, those were executed very well.

Definitely one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I could have stayed with these characters forever. I hated putting this down and was simultaneously dreading the ending (just because it would be over). Dinan’s prose is lyrical, funny, thoughtful, and deeply introspective. Her characters were all so well-articulated and dynamic, and the way her narrative moved between Max and Vincent was perfectly executed and always absorbing. She explores themes regarding guilt, regret, shame, and forgiveness while also exploring family, friendship, love, and hate. I will read anything and everything she writes.

another incredible novel from the incredible nicola dinan! this one is a departure from her original novel, bellies, but takes on the same level of complexity (even more so), immersing you into a complicated relationship and the complicated lives of max and vincint.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. I was so delighted to find out this was written by a trans author about a trans character, as someone who is trans. The story is delightful and I really emphasized with Max, our protagnist. The writing was enjoyable and there were light sprinkles of humor but not enough to detract from her feelings or make it an entirely "comedic" book. Either way, it was fantastically written.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Though it took about a quarter of the book to truly feel invested in the characters and the story that was being set up, once the plot got going, I really had a hard time putting it down. The characters felt well-developed and deliciously messy, and as the reader, it was a joy (and sometimes a tragedy) to see the world through Max and Vincent’s eyes.

If you want a book that is equal parts funny and thought-provoking, this is the book for you.

Thank you, netgalley, for the ARC!

this was a solid read. i loved the humor in it and the character exploration. the unconventional relationship was explored in such a unique way. as someone who is not super familiar with trans relationships, i found it really interesting to read and learn about. this is going to be a lot of reader's top reads of the year.