Reviews

Pumpkin by Julie Murphy

lavenderwarlock's review against another edition

5.0

I really loved this book. I knew I was gonna love this as a fat queer person myself. I love all the characters. Waylon and Clem are so well written and the conflict between them is so realistic. I love that while Lucas doesn't get on with Waylon he's not villainized, we get to understand where he's coming from I like that. I love the way Hannah is written, the relationship between her and Clem is so cute. I love the depictions of drag and queerness. I of course loved the relationship between Tucker and Waylon. Tucker is so sweet and seeing his struggles is very compelling. I loved the Prism club making the wall and the Waylon and Hannah running for prom royalty is so fun. It was tense waiting to see if they won. I loved the way fatphobia was tackled, especially with Kyle. It was well handled. I loved Alex and Kyle too. It's an amazing book, I would recommend it.

luci_08's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

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

2.0

kaylawtzl22's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.75

this book was super cute. again, love the carrying over of characters from the other books. this book actually made me tear up, when i haven’t gotten emotional over the other books in the series. i love julie murphy’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, and the way that she addresses difficult topics with authenticity, ESPECIALLY, for younger readers who may be struggling.

lucycoates13's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.75

redheadorganist's review against another edition

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 against another edition

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 against another edition

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!