Disappoint Me: A funny and clever new novel from the author of Polari-Prize-winning, BELLIES - Softcover

Dinan, Nicola

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1804994669 ISBN 13: 9781804994665

Publisher: Penguin, 2026

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author

Nicola 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.

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1804994669
• ISBN 13: 9781804994665
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288