{"product_id":"disappoint-me-9781804994665","title":"Disappoint Me","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA voice-driven, funny and poignant exploration of millennial angst, race, trans panic, and the allure of bougie domesticity, Disappoint Me will delight and provoke readers in equal measure.  A funny, moving and poignant exploration of modern romance and the allure of domesticity from the Polari-prize-winning author of Bellies  Chosen as a 'Best Book of 2025' by Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Stylist, Elle, Dazed, Vogue, AnOther, and GQ  'One of the UK's most perceptive young novelists with her finger firmly on the pulse of contemporary behaviour' Guardian  'Riveting, funny and devastating' Shon Faye, bestselling author of The Transgender Issue   Max didn't mean to fall for Vincent - a corporate lawyer and hobby baker whose trad friendship group are a world away from her life as a trans woman. But after years of bad dates and dysphoria he's a breath of fresh air. Their connection seems genuine, his care feels real.  But Vincent is carrying his own baggage. On his gap year in Thailand a decade prior, he vies for the attention of a gorgeous traveller, Alex, with secrets of her own. Is Vincent really the new face of the Enlightened Man, or will the ghosts of his past sabotage his and Max's happiness?  Disappoint Me is an incisive reckoning with forgiveness and the complexity of modern relationships, told with Nicola Dinan's trademark wit and heart.\u003ch4\u003eDetails\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eISBN13: 9781804994665\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNumber of Pages: 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdition: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication Date: 21 Apr 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication City, Country: United Kingdom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions (cm): 19.7(H)x12.8(L)x1.9(W)210\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight (gm): 210\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h4\u003eNicola Dinan grew up in Hong Kong and Malaysia and now lives in London. Bellies, her debut, was nominated for six literary prizes and won the Polari First Book Prize. Disappoint Me, her second novel, won the New Adult Book Prize.\u003ch4\u003eReviews\u003c\/h4\u003eA riveting tale of finding lasting companionship. \u003cb\u003eDespite the title, it’s unlikely to disappoint\u003c\/b\u003e. * Observer *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eDisappoint Me \u003c\/i\u003eis a refreshingly unsentimental and moving exploration of millennial ennui, prickly friendships and toxic masculinity. \u003cb\u003eIt eschews essentialism by depicting modern relationships and the flow of power and secrecy with astuteness and compassion, cementing Dinan as one of the UK’s most perceptive young novelists with her finger firmly on the pulse of contemporary behaviour.\u003c\/b\u003e * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNicola Dinan’s observations are so razor-sharp that you’re sure you’ve met her characters\u003c\/b\u003e: the self-important East London poet, the over-friendly girl in the bathroom queue, the gap-year student convinced he’s worldly after two weeks on a silent retreat in India. For this reason, \u003cb\u003eevery description and bit of dialogue is delicious to read, and if she nailed it in her debut novel \u003ci\u003eBellies,\u003c\/i\u003e she’s mastered it in \u003ci\u003eDisappoint Me\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/b\u003eThe\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003ebook follows a blossoming relationship between twentysomethings Max and Vincent in present-day London, peppered with flashbacks to Vincent’s first relationship with a trans woman in his teenage years. \u003cb\u003eIt is pacy, perfectly pitched and emotionally honest: I loved every page.\u003c\/b\u003e * Stylist, ‘Best Books of 2025’ *\u003cbr\u003eA story of millennial fears and forgiveness, reckoning with past mistakes, stylishly interweaving two compelling voices as they unravel their own love story\u003cb\u003e. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eDisappoint Me\u003c\/i\u003e follows Dinan’s debut novel, \u003ci\u003eBellies\u003c\/i\u003e, which is another example of \u003cb\u003edeeply empathetic writing and elastic endings that stay with you long after.\u003c\/b\u003e * Vogue, ‘Best Books of 2025’ *\u003cbr\u003eAs the title indicates, it explores the fundamental point that building a sustainable love for someone involves them disappointing you: eventually, the dreams and expectations that we attach to a person will be somewhat compromised. I think the novel explores that so amazingly. * Shon Faye, Guardian *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eDisappoint Me\u003c\/i\u003e is anything but a disappointing follow-up in its smart exploration of heteronormativity and the weight of expectation. * Dazed, ‘The 12 Most Anticipated Novels of 2025’ *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSharply insightful, warm and heartbreaking.\u003c\/b\u003e * Cosmopolitan, ‘Best Books of 2025’ *\u003cbr\u003eThe author of the award-winning \u003ci\u003eBellies \u003c\/i\u003ereturns with another \u003cb\u003einsightful dissection of millennial life\u003c\/b\u003e ... tackling tricky friendships and toxic masculinity. * Harper's Bazaar *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA riveting, hilarious and totally devastating love story\u003c\/b\u003e… This exploration of millennial angst, race, and trans panic will have you gripped and sets Dinan as \u003cb\u003ea literary voice to watch\u003c\/b\u003e. * Elle, ‘Best Books of 2025’ *\u003cbr\u003eA very modern love story and Dinan is very much the woman to write it. * GQ, ‘Best Books of 2025’ *","brand":"Nicola Dinan","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49041662345433,"sku":"9781804994665","price":24.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0502\/9530\/8441\/files\/9781804994665.jpg?v=1785937186","url":"https:\/\/www.arielbooks.com.au\/products\/disappoint-me-9781804994665","provider":"Ariel","version":"1.0","type":"link"}