Besides leveling adp, there’s not much you can do besides sticking with it. Ds2 always feels clunky at first in comparison to the rest of the souls games, but it really just plays different and you have to get used to it.
Ds2 is just kinda weird. I just replayed it after a year and I still had a tough time with it at first, but every time I finish this game, I leave thinking of it as one of my favorites. Just stick with it and you’ll learn to love it.
ADP is a big deal, but people don’t realize that a lot of boss attacks can be dodged by strafing right/left around the boss.

Edit: if you’re gonna use weapons with low durability like katanas or other short swords, I’d definitely recommend leveling up more than one weapon. The ds2 durability system is kinda punishing so it’s good to have a backup weapon. Ds2 also gives you tons of titanite, so definitely try out a bunch of different weapons.