thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

loved the alternating perspectives and timelines! learning about past & present vincent simultaneously helped me get a better understanding of what exactly it was like for max to be navigating her relationship with vincent.

i felt like the story was pretty slow and not very gripping until around the middle and then i was more invested.

probably a 3.5 for me personally

I was completely captivated by this book! The author's portrayal of the trans experience was profoundly eye-opening. The writing style was both accessible and beautiful. Every time I intended to read 'just a chapter or two,' I found myself utterly absorbed, losing all sense of time. Highly recommend if you would like to explore themes of forgiveness, gender and identity.

i have a feeling this will be my fav fic of 2025

told through dual storylines and dual POVs, disappoint me explores what it means to wholly accept those you love. nicola dinan perfectly captures the complexities of relationships—platonic, romantic, familial—in such vivid, accurate detail and honesty that it feels almost uncomfortable at times (but in the best way?! just wow. disappoint me has a depth and richness to the story that made me feel the emotions of each and every character. and my god, the characters! all of them were spectacular and so well-developed. read this asap!

An exploration of identity and queerness in your 30's while everyone around you is starting to get married and having kids - hit pretty close to home as the weird gay cousin going to a family wedding this month. The characters were well-written and complicated, there were many things going on here that weren't always fully explored but it was realistic. I enjoyed having past Vincent's POV and I loved Max and Simone's friendship. Without spoilers, I really liked the reflections in the end and format of the epilogue.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC!

I really enjoyed reading Disappoint Me because of how heartbreaking real the story felt. Nicola writes about navigating your life in your 30s through relationships, breakups and family conflicts.

I am a cis woman, but I feel it’s important to read books about the trans experience and queer identity. I found Max to be a great character and there were so many lovely quotes throughout this book.

Highly recommend and I can’t wait to read Bellies by Nicola in the near future!

I really liked this book! Great characters, super interesting moral explorations of forgiveness, gender, sexuality, and navigating your 30s as a queer person. I laughed out loud many times, as the writing style was sharp and witty. Max was such an interesting and deep character, I’d love to read another book about her. Will definitely read the author’s other book soon.

Thank you Will from Random House & NetGalley for the eARC!

Max started dating Vincent, and after a lot of bad luck in relationships, things seem to be going alright with him. But is everything as rosy as it seems?

Though the story started a bit slow for me, I really liked the pacing of the second half of the book. I was immersed, despite the writing style not being my cup of tea entirely. I loved the intimate looks into the lives of the main characters and think the book explores some very important themes, especially regarding the trans-experience.

All in all a very enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend! 💛

DNF - This didn't work for me; I couldn't immerse myself in the writing style and pacing, though I'm sure other readers may find their ideal with the plot. Unfortunately, I wasn't the right reader for it.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. Travis falls down the stairs at a New Years Eve party and wakes all alone in a hospital. She decides things have to change. This story was funny and great. I really enjoyed it.

This one was very well written and I enjoyed the storytelling of this one, even though the timelines going back and forth is really not my favourite. I did appreciate this one for what it is, albeit it having a somewhat out there plot. Would read more by this author!

Disappoint Me was such an intimate, poignant story. I was immediately drawn to the characters and the layered story telling was done so well! Multiple timelines were woven together expertly and added depth to the story and characters. I won't soon forget this!

Okay. This book is wild in a great yet heartbreaking way.

Max, a trans woman, is down on her luck in the love department. She's split up with her ex, Arthur, and has been alienated from their shared friends. The loneliness of the break up coupled with the creative existentialism of never feeling like your work is never going to be good enough to make a career from has Max at her breaking point.
She meets Vincent who is a kind and considerate boyfriend and who treats her as she's always wanted to be treated. However, there are small moments within their relationship that Max finds concerning or suspicious but hopes there's nothing more to it than her anxiety from prior relationships and her experiences as a trans woman.
Unfortunately, it turns out that there is something big in Vincent's past that changes everything for their relationship.

The themes of identity in this novel are wonderfully introspective and honest to the experience of looking in the mirror and trying to convince oneself that one is a good person who has made mistakes but is trying their best. Both of our main characters have had flawed pasts and are stuck in a cycle of trying to right their mistakes. For Vincent, the stakes feel higher because his past indecency is a complete antithesis of how he's trying to live his life currently. It becomes less a question of morals and more a question of self-repentance.
His relationship with Max will always be teetering on the edge of 'Is this love or is this Vincent trying to make reparations to someone in the same "category" as Max?' Does he see Max as her own person instead of a shadow haunting him from his past? Does he love her as an equal partner and full human or is he subconsciously seeking out a way to right the wrongs he's committed?

What an interesting peek into this small microcosm of guilt, fear, anxiety, and trying to find genuine love and connection with another person. It is a tribute to being seen and being, not only respected but, adored for who you are. The whole person and not just the small compartmentalized pieces that we show to others.

I thought this was a brilliant novel with a lot to say about love, friendship, and self-loathing versus self-love.

The title and the image used on the cover drew me instantly and I had to see if I could get this ARC! I haven’t read anything else by this author, but I am very glad I did. Weaving together two timelines isn’t always my preferred approach, but this was achieved well and kept me engaged.

Wow. I mean Wow.
Dinan takes you on a quiet journey - exploring it all from both Max and Vincent's POV. Family. Friendships, Family crisis. Work. Exes.
Delving into what does it mean to date a (trans) person?
Max is just living her life - with dreams, hiccups, weddings, maternal instincts. But what does that all mean?
Vincent has a history - should it impact his relationship with Max?
Lyrical, beautiful, simply and so vulnerable.

The cover and title are what caught my attention. This was my first Nicola Dinan novel, I enjoyed the past and present writing style. The overall story was good the ending was fine.

*Disappoint Me* by Nicola Dinan is a raw and relatable exploration of love, heartbreak, and personal growth. The characters feel real, with flaws that make them easy to connect with, even when they make some questionable decisions. Dinan’s writing is straightforward and engaging, with just the right amount of emotional depth to keep you invested. While the plot can be a bit predictable at times, the honest portrayal of relationships and self-discovery kept me turning the pages. If you’re into stories that deal with real-life struggles and personal growth, *Disappoint Me* is definitely worth checking out!

2.5 Stars- This book was not for me. I was given this ARC and when I read the description I knew that it wasn't the type of story I typically read but I was hoping for a great story. However I found the story very depressing and often graphic at times. The novel did flow and it did not take me long to finish it. I do feel like it opened my eyes to challenges that trans people face.

This novel was told from the point of view of Max who is a trans woman and her boyfriend Vincent. Most of the story is Max's point of view but we get flashbacks to Vincent's past. The story talks about her friends and family life as well as her love life. It as ok but as the story went on I just felt really bad for her. Vincent's story was about his travels to Bangkok. Again there were some shocking things that happened in his past. I do think there are people who would can relate and will like this book. I also think it helped broaden my perspective but unfortunately I just did not enjoy this story.

Thank you to The Dial Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

i was not the target audience for this book unfortunately. all the reviews i’ve read end in tears and i’m just not really moved. the author had some very profound and thought provoking statements throughout the novel that i enjoyed picking apart. dinan’s writing is really good and i will definitely check out more of her work. but i felt that the characters were a bit too distant for me.

This was not only a beautiful exploration of falling in love & finding yourself in your 30’s but also a question in how far we will go to forgive the ones we love.

Dinan did a beautiful job bringing so many character to life and giving them so many layers & nuance. Everyone felt so absolutely human, shortcomings and all.

Vincent’s chapters gave us such a different perspective on his character and the story line from his gap year was nothing short of tragic.

I loved getting a really deep understanding of the struggles Max faced in bigger life decisions being a trans woman, especially surrounding motherhood. I also enjoyed how there was such a deep relationship with her family showcased throughout.

I think this book is so insanely clever. Dinan tackles the complexity of transness (particularly transfeminity), community, rate, class, friendship... I picked this up and couldn't pick it down, but not because it was a thriller. I thought Max was such a great character, who felt so real to me, like I was reading a memoir rather than a fiction piece. Insanely impressed and loved this book!