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kaylawtzl22's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
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
3.5
I relate to willow dean in a way i really did not expect to. she’s always been big but is just going through these big emotions about her body and trying to accept it. i really love that she oscillates between loving who she is and now wanting to change a thing about herself, and then willing and wishing herself to be smaller both in size and personality. i am at my heaviest weight these days and its very hard some days to see myself kindly, as well as see how anyone else can see anything but my size and how my body has changed. i grew up skinny actually, so i didn’t expect to relate to this aspect of willow dean, but it’s a pleasant surprise. i think this is a perfect book for young girls to read. none of the hard topics go too in depth, but they’re addressed and dealt with in very real ways that teenagers would handle them. i think dumplin is a great example of “everyone struggles with something” and a lesson in friendship. overall a good read, and i will probably read the other 2 books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Sexism
body image and self esteem is discussed pretty often, but none of it is super negative or degrading or in depth.domenicar's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Body shaming
Moderate: Bullying and Death
sourcherryyy's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
i wish i had a book like this in high school :) the ending was a bit abrupt but it was a cute story :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Bullying, and Body shaming
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, and Grief
olive_ia's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
corky12's review against another edition
I really hated the main character. She did not make me want to root for her, even though I felt like I was supposed to. I was almost halfway through the book before the beauty pageant plot even began, so the pacing was way too slow to hold my attention. I also knew there was a movie version, and that had the perfect pacing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Minor: Sexual content
librarianeno's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Emotional abuse
rafacolog's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Body shaming, Grief, and Fatphobia
ehamlett's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia
meganeorcx's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There was a lot I liked about this but just as much I didn't. I love fat representation and although it wasn't always positive or empowering here, I still appreciated it. I found Willowdean an interesting and somewhat relatable character but I think the story itself fell flat. It didn't seem to know where it was going and too much was going on at once. The beauty peagant entry felt like a second thought and some parts of the story were completely disregarded for too long at a time. It doesn't help that I despised the romance but that might have been a personal preference. I was going insane having to listen to Bo say Willowdean's name so often, it's fair to say I was rooting for someone else. Still, I had a lot of fun with this, both better and worse than I'd expected.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
kellyloubishop's review against another edition
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, and Fatphobia