191 - The DUFF

Finished The DUFF by Kody Keplinger.  I received this from the publisher at BEA.  This book will come out September 7.

Bianca is sarcastic and bitchy, but she's an excellent friend.  So excellent, in fact, that she lets her two best friends drag her to the local under-21 club at least once a week so that she can watch them have a great time and make sure they don't do something stupid.  For the purposes of this discussion, something stupid = sleeping with Wesley, the hottest guy in school.  (He's also kind of a jerk.)

And then one night, he talks to her at the club.  He tells her that he likes her friends and has determined that the best way to hook up with them is to let them see him talking to her, because she's their DUFF.  (DUFF = Designated Ugly Fat Friend.) 

Bianca throws her drink in his face.

Except things in her life are kind of crappy (her mom's been out of town for ages and her dad's depressed about it).  And so she ends up kissing Wesley.  And then she ends up hooking up with Wesley.

I absolutely adored this (all too short, unfortunately) book.  Bianca is the kind of girl I'd want my daughter to be (if I had a daughter).  She's smart and funny and a good friend, plus she's a Democrat and ultimately secure with herself and her body.

There's a lot of sex in this book (well, maybe not a LOT, but it's there), which might cause some people to be a little nervous.  But on the plus side it's all safe sex.  So there's that. :)

And I think what I liked most about the book (besides Bianca and her unexpected love story) is the moral that pretty much every girl is insecure and that even Bianca's hot friends feel like they're unattactive.  I wish that went away as we got older.

Smart, fun book with an incredibly awesome, kickass heroine.  Recommended.

The DUFF: (Designated Ugly Fat Friend)

Kody Keplinger

 

Comments

[ChristiChristi]

[this is good] This sounds like a really cute book.  I am making a list of the interesting books that you review......the list is already getting long! I will definitely have great books to read for a while.  Thanks!

[Kelly]

Thanks. :)  You'll have to let me know how you like them. :)

[ChristiChristi]

I will!

[Dori Grey]

Just wanted to mention that I was recommended to your blog from a friend and I'm happy to have been pointed in your direction. I tend to read a lot of books myself and I'm always looking for a new author. I suspect our taste in books is a bit off (aka see my listed books for my 3 favorites) but I'm open to looking at new topics and your coverage of the novels in question have an appeal.

Thanks for the great read, I look forward to seeing more of your thoughts!

[Kelly]

Thank you. :) 

I read all kinds of different books.  It just so happens that the most recent ones have been paranormal YA.  I read World War Z and didn't like it at first, although the more I think about it, the more I do like it.  (I read it for the book club I'm in and we discussed it Thursday night.)  I like those sorts of books (big catastrophe hits; world is woefully unprepared) and I like zombies in general.  I think I was just expecting it to be scary or funny (because he's Mel Brooks' son).  I haven't read the other two.

If you like historical fiction, The Doctor and the Diva was really, really good.