Saturday, December 13, 2014

The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger Review


"Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face. 

But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone."


I found Duff to be much better than expected. And I'm officially a fan of the author. Because she is so good. I'd read one of her books before (which is The Midsummer's Nightmare), and it is really good. I actually recommended it to someone, and Duff is no exception. This one is good. The other book is good. And I enjoy Shut Out (I'll review that book, too) very much. So good! Just awesome! 


Duff somehow manages to win your heart even though it probably shouldn't had a chance from the beginning. Some of the characters are at first a-holes, and many other characters seem quite whiny. But it isn't so bad when I got through the first chapter. Not even a headache. I was absorbed into the book that I lost track of time. The book just sucked me in without any mercy, and I don't regret it. I don't regret reading it once. Or twice. Or the third time. And yes, yes, yes, I did read it again and again and again. So good. So memorable. I loved all of its characters (more on that in the next few paragraphs), its witty dialogue, and its fast plot. Most of all, I love the conflict and the realistic voice of the narrator, Bianca (aka the Designated Ugly Fat Friend). 

And don't get me started on Wesley (the love interest, who in fact is a major jerk until... he opened up). 

Let's start with Bianca. She has a crazy load of problems. She has 99 problems and Wesley is probably 86 of them. Okay, I'm joking. He is probably 11 of them, but I'm not going to get too into that. Her family problems are easy to understand and empathize with, and I can't help but understanding her. She is a good narrator, and sometimes, she is even funny. But she keeps on running (and that is one of the major problems she must overcome). Cough, cough, cough. I need to stop accidentally typing so many spoilers. Bless me. 

And then there is Wesley. He is your typical "man-slut" and "player," but it is hard to see him with feelings. Especially when he starts calling Bianca "Duff" (hence the title of this book). Even though he is a bit of a thick-head in the beginning of the book, he quickly won me over. I mean, that shouldn't be possible, but it is just... Wow. He is so amazing as a character, and I, especially, love his character growth. Because that is freaking fantastic. Who else smiled when they saw this (quote below)? 
"Wesley Rush doesn't chase girls, but I'm chasing you."
I did. I did. It was so freaking beautiful. Amazing. Superb! Just amazing. Nearly brought me to tears (NO! It did not, but it is romantic, don't you admit?). 

Overall, Duff is a great book with an unique cast of characters and its easy and understandable writing. The author tried, and she won. Hard. Did you know that a movie for Duff is coming out next year (2015)? Oh, yes. They brought in Robbie Amell, but they absolutely ruined the plot and the heart of the book. Because the heart of the book is truly what makes this book stand out from the hundreds just like it. That heart. That heart. That moment when Bianca and Wesley began to understand each other more and more... and fall in love is perhaps the heart of the book (and not a freaking makeover for Bianca!). And there are a whole bunch of other things I can rant about, but... Yeah. I'm done. I'm trashed thanks to this glorious book. 

Y'all know the rating for Duff.

Rating: Five out of Five

No comments:

Post a Comment