There is no way I could have loved Denny more. He stole my heart right off the bat and he will stay with me for a long time. He is pure goodness and I think the author must have an amazing heart to have been able to create such a special character. (On that note, I loved her author's note.) I laughed out loud countless times even though the book dealt with some heavy topics. Denny’s love and care for his grandmother and his beloved dog George touched me deeply. The narrator was absolutely perfect for Denny. I have never listened to an audiobook more than once but I think that will change with this one. It was too good to only listen once.

This was a heartfelt yet funny novel about a wonderful young man, the challenges he faces daily as well as his adventures, missteps, friends, family and his dog, George.
Holly Kennedy does an incredibly accurate job portraying his neurodivergent, developmentally delayed character as well as touching on Tourette and Asperger syndromes too.
Denny’s personality and outlook on life made laugh throughout the entire story. My wish is that everyone with a disability could have a Nana Jo and Argus in their lives. That being said, my hope is that someday the general public will have a better understanding of neurodiversity to promote empathy and proper inclusion in society of these amazing individuals so that they, like Denny and Theo no longer have so many negative stereotypes.
I feel similarly about special needs pets and have three rescues that were all born deaf - such amazing dogs.
Please listen to the author’s note at the end, it’s very personal and heartfelt. I was bawling by the end knowing how much it took for her to share her life story. I can relate to her on so many levels and completely understand where she’s coming from. She’s an amazing human.
This is my top read for 2025 and I highly recommend to everyone to enjoy this book and maybe even learn from it.
Thank you to the publisher/author for the opportunity to read this complimentary advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A sweet story with a lovable neurodivergent main character. I enjoyed Denny and couldn’t help but laugh at many of the situations he found himself in and the things he would say. I liked the author’s writing style and the whodunnit element was well done. The performance by @andreweiden on the audiobook production is excellent. He did such a wonderful job of putting a voice to Denny. The author’s note at the end is read by the author herself and is lovely. Don’t miss this one!

Thank you to @brilliancepublishing and @hollykennedy_author for an ALC of The Sideways Life of Denny Voss.