No suelo leer ese tipo de novela, pero la trama me gustó desde el principio.

It means I don’t usually read or I don’t tend to read.

The key word is suelo, from the verb soler, which is used to talk about habits or what someone usually does.

• Suelo leer = I usually read
• No suelo leer = I don’t usually read

So this is not saying I never read that kind of novel, only that it is not your normal habit.

Because soler is followed by an infinitive.

This works a bit like English to usually do something:

• Suelo leer = I usually read
• Sueles estudiar = You usually study
• Solemos salir tarde = We usually go out late

So the pattern is:

soler + infinitive

In this sentence:

• suelo = I usually
• leer = to read

In Spanish, negation normally goes before the conjugated verb.

So:

• No suelo leer = correct
• Suelo no leer = possible only in special cases, but not the normal meaning here

The normal structure is:

no + conjugated verb + infinitive

So No suelo leer is the standard way to say I don’t usually read.

Ese means that, while este means this.

Very roughly:

• este = this, something closer to the speaker
• ese = that, something a bit more removed
• aquel = that over there, more distant

In ese tipo de novela, the speaker is talking about a category of novel as something a bit removed from their usual tastes: that kind of novel.

In many cases, choosing ese instead of este is not about physical distance, but about perspective or attitude.

Both can exist, but they are used slightly differently.

Ese tipo de novela is a very common way to say that kind of novel or that type of novel in a general sense.

Spanish often uses:

tipo de + singular noun

when talking about a category in general.

So:

• ese tipo de novela = that kind of novel
• ese tipo de música = that kind of music
• ese tipo de problema = that kind of problem

You may also hear ese tipo de novelas, especially when thinking of multiple examples within the category. But ese tipo de novela sounds very natural here.

La trama means the plot or the storyline.

In a novel, film, or series:

• la trama = the sequence of events, how the story develops

It is different from:

• el tema = the theme
• el personaje = the character
• el argumento = sometimes also plot, summary, or main storyline, depending on context

In this sentence, la trama me gustó means I liked the plot.

Because gustar works differently from to like in English.

In Spanish, gustar literally works more like to be pleasing to.

So:

• Me gustó la trama literally = The plot pleased me
• Natural English = I liked the plot

Here:

• me = to me
• gustó = pleased
• la trama = the plot

The subject of the verb is la trama, not I.

That is why the verb is gustó, agreeing with la trama:

• la trama is singular, so gustó
• if it were plural, you would use gustaron

Example:

• Me gustó la trama = I liked the plot
• Me gustaron los personajes = I liked the characters

Here, gustó is the preterite, which presents the liking as a completed reaction or whole experience.

Me gustó desde el principio means:

• I liked it from the beginning
• It appealed to me right from the start

Using gustó treats that positive reaction as a complete fact.

If you said me gustaba, it would sound more like:

• I used to like it
• I was liking it
• an ongoing background feeling

In this sentence, gustó is the natural choice because the speaker is summing up their reaction to the plot as a whole.

Desde el principio means from the beginning or from the start.

This is a fixed expression:

• desde = from
• el principio = the beginning

Spanish normally uses the article here, so desde el principio is the standard phrase.

Compare:

• desde el principio = from the beginning
• al principio = at first / in the beginning

Those are not the same:

• Me gustó desde el principio = I liked it from the very start
• Al principio me gustó = At first I liked it

Because Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed.

The verb form suelo already tells you the subject is I.

So:

• No suelo leer... = natural
• Yo no suelo leer... = also correct, but more emphatic

You would add yo only if you want contrast or emphasis, for example:

• Yo no suelo leer ese tipo de novela, pero mi hermana sí.

Yes. In a sentence like this, a comma before pero is very normal and natural.

The sentence has two parts:

• No suelo leer ese tipo de novela
• pero la trama me gustó desde el principio

The comma helps separate the contrast:

• I don’t usually read that kind of novel
• but I liked the plot from the beginning

This is similar to English, where a comma before but is often used to join two full clauses.

Yes, it sounds natural in Spain.

It is a normal, idiomatic sentence. A speaker from Spain might also say slight variations such as:

• No suelo leer ese tipo de novelas, pero la trama me gustó desde el principio.
• Normalmente no leo ese tipo de novela, pero la trama me enganchó desde el principio.

That last version is a bit stronger:

• me enganchó = it hooked me

But the original sentence is completely natural and clear in Spain.

A very natural English version would be:

I don’t usually read that kind of novel, but I liked the plot from the start.

Or:

I don’t usually go for that kind of novel, but I liked the plot right from the beginning.

That helps show the two main ideas:

1. it is not the speaker’s usual kind of book
2. despite that, the plot appealed to them immediately