I loved this quirky book! Denny is 30 years old and developmentally delayed from a birth trauma. He has a heart of gold though. It's a murder mystery about who killed the jerk-face guy running for mayor, and Denny is their prime suspect. There's a whole cast of interesting characters in this small town, and it had me laughing out loud and shedding a few tears before the story ended. I highly recommend this one.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a ARC copy to read and review.

A beautiful, compelling story which made me laugh and cry. Denny is a thirty year old developmentally challenged man. He is honest to a fault and has a loving heart. The story centers mostly on Denny’s arrest for murder and the time he spends in jail preparing for a trial. Denny spends a lot of time with his lawyer and his psychiatrist. He delves into his past and various relationships . He learns a lot about his past and the people around him. A beautiful story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wow! I am still recovering! I enjoyed this read so much as this novel made me laugh, sad, angry and all the feels in between! Denny is developmentally delayed and Holly Kennedy captures his inner thoughts so well and there is so much to learn from him! The way he is treated by many people leaves so much to be desired. You will route for him all the way to the end! Run don't walk if you want a read that will keep you coming back!

Thank you Net Galley, Holly Kennedy and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to preview this novel. The opinions shared are my own.
The Sideways Life of Denny Voss is expected to be released April 8, 2025.

Denny Voss is one of the most heartwarming, funny, interesting characters I've read in such a long time. He's 29 and neurodivergent. He is trying to start to take a little responsibility for his own life, and boy does it go off the rails.

I laughed and cried (and I rarely cry at books lately). Every single character has depth, feels realistic, and each catbrings something to the novel that I feel would've been less of a great story without them. This includes a precious blind and deaf St. Bernard.

The author captures the "voice" of Denny Voss perfectly. He's not a caricature, but a real man getting through life in his own unique way.

I also loved the author notes at the end of the book. I felt like I understood the author (and suddenly wanted to be her new friend,) and identified with her anxiety, fears, and the manner in which she approached this story.

Denny Voss, and his family and friends (including a goose named Tom Hanks,) are a group I won't soon forget.

Hands down (and yes, I know it's early in the year) this is my favorite book of the 2025. I'd imagine I'll be able to come back in December and still feel the same.

Kudos to Holly Kennedy. Buy this book. Better: preorder it so you have it the day it is published.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

#TheSidewaysLifeOfDennyVoss #LakeUnionPublishing #HollyKennedy #NetGalley

Yeah, so this was interesting. I was intrigued from the start as I've never read a book told from the point of view of a limited person, and for sure it's not a thing we see often. The story itself was emotional and funny. I loved the author's writing, the descriptions and the dialogues were fenomenal! It's such a emotion-provoking book too. I found myself growing angry and frustrated many times but also often the book made me cry and laugh a lot!
One thing is it can be hard to read as the pov can be a bit confusing, nontheless the writing was great!

Denny Voss is arrested while lugging a wagon full of guns to turn into the police station. Denny doesn’t quite know what’s going on, especially as he’s also charged with the murder of Mr. Tesky. Danny is developmentally challenged and Kennedy brings all of his complexities to life beautifully. She writes with an authentic voice, not only for his character but the others as well. This novel had me laughing (especially with Tom Hanks) and crying but through it all gave me hope that we can all be accepted for who we are and still be loved. I loved Kennedy‘s writing. I loved how she included Denny’s blind St. Bernard and Newfie puppy. This is the novel I can’t wait to share with all of my friends and our Library patrons. It is one of the best books I’ve read this year.

I did not like this book.

Oftentimes, during my reading, I found myself growing more agitated than intrigued. While I understand the author's purpose and intent, I do think it, unfortunately, failed in its execution. This IS the first book I read from this author and I intend to read more of their work in the future and hopefully, enjoy it more than this.

In its attempt to share a different perspective, the writing felt confusing because of its simplicity, this was the main reason I grew frustrated. English is not my first language, I got confused many, MANY times trying to understand what was going on and grew frustrated, exhausted and felt myself tap out constantly but powered through to write this review nonetheless. I feel like so much of it could have been done through a third person point of view focusing on different characters, or presenting notes from different perspectives and allowing the reader to have their own understanding and perspective or figure it out. I can think of so many ways in which this story can be presented off the top of my head and this was not it. Denny almost felt like a caricature by the time I finished this which is genuinely unfortunate because I was really looking forward to reading it because of its summary and premise.

I will not be posting this review on my Goodreads or website, but I wish the author the best, the idea behind the book and story is brilliant, the writing and execution in the end was just not my style.

As a special education teacher, I loved this story! I thought the author did such a great job taking us inside Denny Voss’s head- a 30 year old developmentally delayed man that does not mince words. Denny is an intelligent man and this story does not stray from tacking the darker topics. Definitely check trigger warnings but you should read this!

It made me laugh and cry, soften in sympathy and harden in anger, and most importantly, believe. Believe in the ability of Denny Voss to work through the situations in his life. Holly Kennedy has wonderfully captured his complexity and yet conveyed it simply and kindly. Didn’t want this precious book to end!

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this sweet ARC.

I was extremely intrigued by the premise of this novel.
We meet Denny Voss, a 29 yr old man from Minnesota. Due to problems with his birth, he has an IQ of just 72, and is neurodiverse.
He tends to keep himself to himself. Generally, he is happy with his life, living with his Mother, Nana and George, his deaf and blind dog.
Through no fault of his own, Denny ends up being caught with a murder weapon and is arrested and charged.

This is well written, the author has spent a lot of effort and time in bringing Denny to life with all of his nuances and complexities.
The book is engaging, but at times can be a little difficult to read. This doesn’t detract in any way from everything as a whole, it makes it more interesting.
I’d definitely recommend this one.

There’s never a dull moment with Denny. I'm intrigued by what might be going through his mind. The question either annoyed Denny or left him unwilling to answer. There’s a lot behind the story, and at times, he simply didn’t want to share it with them. I found his story captivating to read. I felt every emotion he experienced, from heartache to the joy of his adventures and the bonds he formed with his friends. I absolutely love it and highly recommend it. It’s guaranteed to keep you engaged!

Sometimes, a book just doesn’t resonate, and unfortunately, this one missed the mark for me.

Denny, the main character, was difficult to connect with. While I understand the intention to portray his mental health challenges, his inability to get to the point frustrated not only me but also the characters around him. That made the reading experience feel more like a chore than an enjoyable escape. For me, books need to spark some kind of joy or intrigue, and this one simply didn’t.

I struggled to care about Denny’s journey or even how the story concluded. The one saving grace was George, the dog. As a dog lover, I found warmth in the bond between Denny and George, and I appreciated the heartfelt backstory of how George became a part of Denny’s life. That part was genuinely touching.

Sadly, the rest of the book fell flat, and I was left uninvested. It just wasn’t for me. 1 ⭐.

Denny lives a quiet life and tries to keep to himself. When he is accused of murder he must defend himself the best he can. This book has all the feels, a worthwhile read for sure.

The story took me on a adventure of up and downs. And till the end I couldn't figure out who actually killed Mr. Tesky.

I loved the way all the more 'challenging' words were explained. It make me feel like I was in Dennys head and could see everything out of his eyes. That made it a unique experience.

Denny Voss is neurodiverse. That is, he is developmentally challenged, has an IQ of 72 as a result of problems with his premature birth, and has been raised by his Nana-Jo (grandmother). At thirty, he finds himself in the slammer on a murder charge.

I am in absolute awe of Argus, Denny’s cousin, who lives in 8A opposite the 8B side of the duplex where Denny and Nana-Jo live. He always has the perfect comeback for Denny, said with kindness, patience, and love. His grandmother is the same.

Denny, on the whole, is one very lucky man. Because of those strong kind and loving relationships, he is also kind, thoughtful to others. There are well-developed support characters, too.
Tesky, as the antagonist and victim is despicable. Lydia, another character on the antagonist side of the story, sometimes dropped my jaw with her blatant, often rude, reactions to Denny.

There is a frustration of getting inside Denny’s head and the repeats might become annoying but It’s an emotional story that lands a solid punch to the gut. Softening the pathos are short bursts of humor, twists you won’t see coming.

But, if Denny didn’t kill Tesky, who did? And that’s the fun of the book, isn’t it? This is one you shouldn’t miss and I highly recommend it. 4.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC.

Denny Voss, 29, from Woodmont, Minnesota, is neurodiverse, and his IQ is only 72, having been deprived of oxygen at birth. Nevertheless, he is generally cheerful and lives with his elderly mother Nana-Jo and his beloved deaf and blind dog George, his Dad having died early. He has an 18 years older sister Lydia who lives in New York, and a cousin called Angus who wears slogan t-shirts, lives next door and works with him for the council to deal with roadkill.

One day, Denny is caught with several guns on his sled that he was trying to get to a police station. Unfortunately, one of the guns is a murder weapon and so he is arrested for the murder of a local businessman and would-be politician, who generally seems to have been an awful person, more so the more we learn about him. And yes, Denny would have had motive, means and opportunity, like some other people, and this wasn't his first arrest either - he once well-meaningly kidnapped a goose called Tom Hanks and illegally took it to Canada, plus there was the unfortunate incident where he accidentally assisted in a bank robbery. All these scrapes he tells his lawyer and therapist from prison in painfully drawn out sessions.

My main problem with the story is that as kind and lovable as Denny is, his behaviour is also extremely frustrating at times. There is a lot of rambling and going back and forth in the story, and like Lydia, I wanted to frequently say: "Denny, land the plane!" It took me double my usual time to read this book and when I realised that Denny had told his story over the course of several months, I felt that, yes, that's how long it took me too to get through.

Of course we can predict that as surely Denny isn't a murderer he will eventually be released - the story treads too lightly for any other outcome. But there are some twists and turns that I didn't see coming, when Denny discovers some painful truths about his past, and his story is entertaining and told in his own unique voice. However, the constant explaining of words and expressions grated after a while, as did his "he did swimming" way of talking.

But it is clear that Denny has people around him who accept and adore him and who get quite angry when he is mistreated (except maybe Lydia, she is too selfish for that). In my opinion there should be more awareness in general but especially with the police how to deal with someone who doesn't react as you expect and when stressed starts singing the "You've Got a Friend in Me" song from Toy Story!

So I salute this story, not just for being quirky, but also for raising awareness (also for Tourette's that another character suffers from). It didn't grab me as much as it could have, but I appreciate the topics and how they were handled in a touching and simultaneously (at the same time) funny way.

3.5 stars

This is an absolutely exceptional story which really packed a punch, especially as I have children who are neurodiverse so it did hit a nerve.

This story tells us about how Denny Voss got himself arrested and the events leading up to it. It is told through Denny's unique voice so we really get into his head, his thoughts, his views. I felt as though I knew Denny inside and out.

The way the story is told, there are various moments where it makes you doubt Denny or doubt others and wonder 'whodunit??' But not so dramatically that you spend your whole time trying to guess, instead you're swept up in the story.

It's told in a beautiful way. The emotion that builds up is beautiful.

I think this is an exceptional read.

Did I just find a new comfort book??? Why, yes. Yes, I did! And I could not be more thrilled if I tried!!

The story kicks off with Denny Voss, a 29-year-old man sliding down a snow-covered hill with a sled full of guns, wrongfully being chased by the police while trying to do a good deed.

What follows is a heartwarming yet surprisingly hilarious story as Denny, his lawyer, and his therapist slowly unravel the complex web of Denny's past to figure out how he ended up incarcerated (locked up in jail). Again.

I had such a great time reading this book! The plot and characters were top-notch, even though they did tend to annoy me sometimes (looking at you, Angus). They were relatable and realistic in a way that felt like a breath of fresh air, and their development throughout the story had me rooting for them (except you, Lydia—you’re still useless. Maybe not as much, but still useless all the same). But most of all, I adored Denny. His voice was so unique and authentic, his presence so much like a warm hug that I fell in love with this story.

The mystery element of the plot kept me on my toes until the end, and even that was done sooo well. Never once did I feel dumb, and the answer wasn’t super obvious, which is also nice.

Overall, I had a blast reading this book, and I’ll definitely be reading more of Holly’s work in the future.

*A huge thanks to Holly Kennedy and Lake Union Publishing for providing me a digital copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an ARC of The Sideways Life of Denny Voss by Holly Kennedy, in exchange for my honest review.

All the stars!

I absolutely LOVED this book! This story was genuine, heartfelt, and emotional, with just the right amount of humor. Denny was portrayed perfectly, and the secondary characters were very realistic.

I highly recommend this book, and look forward to reading more by Holly Kennedy.

On the surface, Denny Voss’s life in rural Minnesota is a quiet one. At thirty years old, he lives at home with his elderly mother and his beloved blind and deaf Saint Bernard, George. He cleans up roadkill to help pay the bills. Though his prospects are limited by a developmental delay—the result of an accident at birth—Denny has always felt that he has “a good life.”

So how did he wind up being charged with the murder of a mayoral candidate—after crashing a sled full of guns into a tree?

As Denny awaits trial, his court-appointed therapist walks him through the events of the past year. Denny’s had other scuffles with the law, the first for kidnapping a neighbor’s cantankerous goose. And then there was the time he accidentally assisted in a bank robbery. It seems like whenever Denny tries to do the right thing, chaos ensues.

Untangling the events around the murder reveals even more painful truths about his family’s past. He’s always been surrounded by people who love him, but now it’s up to Denny to set his life on a new course.

Loved it. Will recommend to others. Cannot wait to read more from the author.,