What do readers think of Dandelion Is Dead by Rosie Storey? Write your own review.

Let me begin by saying that romance is one of my least favorite genres. True to my bias, this book leaned heavily on character development and dialogue and very little on action. I found the characters to be interesting and likeable. As a 70 year old widow whose most recent date was in 1981, I am out of touch with dating apps and raves with doctored drinks so I found some of the elements of the story difficult to believe. On the good side, it kept my attention and I was rooting for the characters.

Initially, I didn't care for this novel. I was bothered by Poppy masquerading as her sister and didn't find her very likable. She was already in a relationship and began seeing Jake. Poppy and Dandelion were very close, but in many ways, Dandelion dominated to the detriment of Poppy's development as a mature person. Poppy's grief narrowed her world. Recently separated, Jake was dealing with unresolved issues of his own. Watching their erratic patterns of behavior and evasions was somewhat wearing.

The story unfolds over just a few months from April to August. As it went on, I became both more sympathetic and more involved in the outcome as the characters showed previously unrevealed depths. I sensed the author was writing from her own experience of grief. In fairness, I'd probably rate this a 3.5, not a plain three.

Dandelion Is Dead
A Novel About Life
by Rosie Storey

The premise of this novel was interesting and unique, so I had high hopes, but the characters didn't do it for me. Although Poppy was experiencing deep grief, I ran out of sympathy and patience pretty quickly. There were too many uses of the miscommunication/mixed message/bad choices trope between the two main characters, but which wore pretty thin. And there was a sex scene thrown in that felt so off putting and out of place compared to the rest of the story. I really wish I could've given it a better review.