Reviews

Pumpkin by Julie Murphy

redheadorganist's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Body horror, Homophobia, Alcoholism, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Car accident

murderpigeonsgobump's review

3.0

It was fun to read but I really disliked all of the characters, Waylon is flawed in ways that are just annoying to read about and his love interest is boring. A lot of the story felt very unrealistic.

mikaelaandherbooks's review against another edition

I love Julie Murphy’s writing and this is just sadly a case of not being the right audience for the book. I know if I had read this as a teenager I would’ve adored it but right now, YA contemporary stories aren’t grabbing my attention.

jlye's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

barnesbookshelf's review against another edition

4.0

It's wonderful to revisit Clover City with a new perspective. I really enjoyed watching Waylon break out of his shell and go full Waylon. I also loved the inclusion of the characters from the other books.

This is a pretty easy read, but it's fun. I found the conversations about how one speaks about being fat can affect other people to be poignant.

Also, if they chose to make this into a movie as well, I would love to see Miss Pumpkin Patch's performances.

bexduck's review

3.0

Nothing will hit quite as hard for me as the first book in the dumplin series, but it's always nice to revisit loved characters!

charlotte_rigby's review

lighthearted medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

chelebrity91's review

2.0

I love the first two books in the series but found this one kind of long and dull. As a long time fan of Drag Race, I was so excited for this addition to the series. However, it just seemed long and cumbersome to read. There was a lot of buildup that made reading feel tiresome. However, I appreciate the representation of LGBTQ+ youth in a small town setting.

raesock's review

4.0

I’m getting too old for these types of books but I know this would have THRILLED me as a teen. Cute and fun, a little predictable but I liked how it was queer and didn’t shy away from actual sexuality like so many of these stories do. And the frank talk about fatness was great too.

lananfried's review

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0