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Dreaded Dinner Party
Aucuria “Curi” Andrews is tired of her parents and their dumb dinner parties. Nothing is set to change this latest party until a nasty couple tries to ruin her parents’ reputation.
It’s up to Curi to put a stop to the slander, meet new faces along the way, such as the mischievous traveler Mister Wolfeman or ambitious Ophelia, and of course, eat some delicious food.
Unfortunately, despite trying her best, Curi learns things can still go up in flames and the downside of idolizing people.
It’s up to Curi to put a stop to the slander, meet new faces along the way, such as the mischievous traveler Mister Wolfeman or ambitious Ophelia, and of course, eat some delicious food.
Unfortunately, despite trying her best, Curi learns things can still go up in flames and the downside of idolizing people.
- GenresMiddle Grade
176 pages, Paperback
Published March 12, 2019
5 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
D.T. Henderson
5 books81 followersD. T. Henderson (or Dest) loves to read about superheroes, ninjas, spies, dragons, samurai, racially diverse characters, and cliche and non-cliche love stories. She also loves smoothies, sweet tea, shoujo, and cheesy telenovelas.
At the age of seven, she wanted to live in a library. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, so she now settles for visiting her local library weekly.
At the age of seven, she wanted to live in a library. Unfortunately, that didn't happen, so she now settles for visiting her local library weekly.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 28, 2021
I believe I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review, with thanks to the author.
In my return to the bookish world, I have decided to go through my emails and finally get to all the books I couldn't during my book hiatus of 2019 to 2020. This book follows the Andrews family, in particularly, Curi. The Andrews love having dinner parties, they're infamous, but for Curi they're a drag, but when the elusive Mr Wolfemann announces his days as a traveller are over and he is finally ready to settle down, Curi can't help but look forward to his presence at her parent's party. But when he shows, he causes nothing but trouble, and Curi has to get to the bottom of it before her parent's reputation is ruined.
I enjoyed this book, I would definitely say it's aimed at younger YA potentially MG readers however. The community in which this book is set is obviously close knit and interesting, with a fairly warm and quirky dynamic. I think I would have enjoyed this book more if it was more descriptive rather than being direct and to the point, but I suppose that does suit the target audience well. Overall, a good read for younger teens.
In my return to the bookish world, I have decided to go through my emails and finally get to all the books I couldn't during my book hiatus of 2019 to 2020. This book follows the Andrews family, in particularly, Curi. The Andrews love having dinner parties, they're infamous, but for Curi they're a drag, but when the elusive Mr Wolfemann announces his days as a traveller are over and he is finally ready to settle down, Curi can't help but look forward to his presence at her parent's party. But when he shows, he causes nothing but trouble, and Curi has to get to the bottom of it before her parent's reputation is ruined.
I enjoyed this book, I would definitely say it's aimed at younger YA potentially MG readers however. The community in which this book is set is obviously close knit and interesting, with a fairly warm and quirky dynamic. I think I would have enjoyed this book more if it was more descriptive rather than being direct and to the point, but I suppose that does suit the target audience well. Overall, a good read for younger teens.
March 16, 2019
Actual Rating 3.5
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from the author in exchange for my review, but in no way affects my opinion.
Dreaded Dinner Party was surprisingly a really good read for me that it literally took me a day to read it instead of you know doing other things (My lovely English homework or my library books). I was like "Why is Curi so relatable and why does this author makes the writing sound so juvenile and fits the middle grade criteria so perfectly", because I was not expecting that.
I just loved the community. Everyone was really together, and seems to be like family or well actually respect each other and no racist things taken place in the book. I was really happy about that, because my community is literally so respectful towards each other, and actually care about each other despite us being different ethical groups.
I loved the characters. They were quite diverse and I'm not talking that literally about everyone was a different ethical groups. Their personalities were quite complex. Curi was very opinionated about things, and was quite loud while her parents is a party animal with a guy who loves traveling. The secondary characters were certainly interesting and each had their own story.
The pacing was really good, it got a little slow a few times which I didn't really mind since it helped build the characters especially Curi and her relations with other people.
There were a few times that I found that there were a few grammar mistakes while reading the book. It was extremely noticeable since it wouldn't make sense when I was reading it and made me go "Wuh?". There was a lot of telling instead of showing which was extremely noticeable, but the writing was overall good. The author could have a little more world-building in it, but it was overall good.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from the author in exchange for my review, but in no way affects my opinion.
Dreaded Dinner Party was surprisingly a really good read for me that it literally took me a day to read it instead of you know doing other things (My lovely English homework or my library books). I was like "Why is Curi so relatable and why does this author makes the writing sound so juvenile and fits the middle grade criteria so perfectly", because I was not expecting that.
I just loved the community. Everyone was really together, and seems to be like family or well actually respect each other and no racist things taken place in the book. I was really happy about that, because my community is literally so respectful towards each other, and actually care about each other despite us being different ethical groups.
I loved the characters. They were quite diverse and I'm not talking that literally about everyone was a different ethical groups. Their personalities were quite complex. Curi was very opinionated about things, and was quite loud while her parents is a party animal with a guy who loves traveling. The secondary characters were certainly interesting and each had their own story.
The pacing was really good, it got a little slow a few times which I didn't really mind since it helped build the characters especially Curi and her relations with other people.
There were a few times that I found that there were a few grammar mistakes while reading the book. It was extremely noticeable since it wouldn't make sense when I was reading it and made me go "Wuh?". There was a lot of telling instead of showing which was extremely noticeable, but the writing was overall good. The author could have a little more world-building in it, but it was overall good.
January 6, 2019
What a fun and playful book! A cleaverly written intro keeps you wondering what happened at the dreaded dinner party. As the story unfolds you'll meet a variety of endearing characters that will keep you hooked. This is a genuinely sweet story that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
January 26, 2019
I don’t think this is my kind of book. Not enough happens! This may be due to the fact that I am considerably older than the target audience for the book. I have read quite a number of books in the MG/YA age range, but usually in the fantasy genre. I often felt like I was drifting along, mildly confused, rather than part of a story. This probably reflects rather well how it feels to be a young teenager who has been homeschooled. I thought the confusion around Cooleo was rather nicely done.
This is a sweet story about a teenager coming out of her shell a little, and standing up for what’s right, in her own world. I admired her for her family loyalty.
I found some of the speech to be a bit clunky, but I think that is more to do with language being used in a way that I’m not used to (I’m from the UK), than bad writing. By the end of the book, I was more used to it, and it didn’t pull me out of the story as much.
SPOILERS:
I didn’t like the fact that Wolfeman got away with burning art and nearly burning down someone’s house. This doesn’t seem like a good message to be going out to children and teenagers. For this reason alone, I would not give this book to a child. Otherwise it is well written.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is a sweet story about a teenager coming out of her shell a little, and standing up for what’s right, in her own world. I admired her for her family loyalty.
I found some of the speech to be a bit clunky, but I think that is more to do with language being used in a way that I’m not used to (I’m from the UK), than bad writing. By the end of the book, I was more used to it, and it didn’t pull me out of the story as much.
SPOILERS:
I didn’t like the fact that Wolfeman got away with burning art and nearly burning down someone’s house. This doesn’t seem like a good message to be going out to children and teenagers. For this reason alone, I would not give this book to a child. Otherwise it is well written.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2019
Enjoyed this read
Henderson pens a grand story in Dreaded Dinner Party. I enjoyed this read, as it was filled with mishaps, light humor, and interesting characters. This is the first book of Henderson's that I've read, and I like her writing style, and how it tells a story that is also age appropriate for the intended target market, but it also works for adults as well. It's fill with humor and I like that Curi was a homeschooled student, as I was a homeschool parent. Curi is a fun character, and even with lightness, there is a balance of conflict that fits within the story. I look forward to reading more by this author. This book is recommended by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews.
Henderson pens a grand story in Dreaded Dinner Party. I enjoyed this read, as it was filled with mishaps, light humor, and interesting characters. This is the first book of Henderson's that I've read, and I like her writing style, and how it tells a story that is also age appropriate for the intended target market, but it also works for adults as well. It's fill with humor and I like that Curi was a homeschooled student, as I was a homeschool parent. Curi is a fun character, and even with lightness, there is a balance of conflict that fits within the story. I look forward to reading more by this author. This book is recommended by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews.
January 31, 2019
3.5
FULL REVIEW COMING SOON
A kooky read with a spunky main character and wild cast. Almost like falling down a rabbit hole, this book is what one could consider a roller-coaster ride. I really appreciate the fact that it stayed true to the intended target and age range. Received as ARC. -Zoe
FULL REVIEW COMING SOON
A kooky read with a spunky main character and wild cast. Almost like falling down a rabbit hole, this book is what one could consider a roller-coaster ride. I really appreciate the fact that it stayed true to the intended target and age range. Received as ARC. -Zoe
March 20, 2025
Well shucks, I thought Curi's parents would learn from that party with the one couple having a competition and lesson on throwing. Curi's parents hardly learned anything from that night though. Lol it did give a good story
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews