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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
It was fine. I liked the second half way more than the first but I still had a hard time growing to love any of the characters. I watched the movie on Netflix afterwards and honestly I’d just skip the book and go for the movie.
a fun quick read that was body positive without hitting you over the head
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
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
I love this so much. I saw the Netflix movie version first and was curious how good of an adaptation it was. As always, the two are different but I think the heart is the same.
Willowdean is all of us girls who were overweight, awkward, scared, or anything else. She is relatable. And while I don’t necessarily approve of Bo’s actions, he is dreamy.
I loved it. I needed it. We all do.
Willowdean is all of us girls who were overweight, awkward, scared, or anything else. She is relatable. And while I don’t necessarily approve of Bo’s actions, he is dreamy.
I loved it. I needed it. We all do.
Dumplin' focuses on sixteen year old Willowdean Dixon. Willowdean lives with her mother (a former Miss Teen Blue Bonnet), she has a job at the local fast food joint where she works with her crush, Bo. For whatever reason, Will can't bring herself to tell her best friend, Ellen, about the growing relationship between her and Bo, even as the two begin a sort of summer romance.
Thankfully, the novel isn't completely focused on Will and Bo. The protagonist deals with the loss of her aunt, her mom's repeated involvement (and the town's fixation) on The Miss Blue Bonnet pageant, her changing relationship with her best friend, and body image. A combination of these pushes Will to enter the local pageant, and surprisingly, that's a small percent of the book. Considering how much of the marketing is 'fat girl enters a beauty pageant!', I really assumed Will would be getting into it much earlier in the book and that it would play a bigger part. I'm grateful that this wasn't a book about a social reject showing everyone that she was beautiful on the inside, or winning the love of a conventionally attractive boy. I really think that Julie Murphy made Will a believable teenage girl. Sometimes it frustrated me, but that's a good thing. I think more often than not stories about fat girls make us into people who have the singular fault of not being conventionally attractive. Julie Murphy told it like it is, making this a wonderful and refreshing read.
Thankfully, the novel isn't completely focused on Will and Bo. The protagonist deals with the loss of her aunt, her mom's repeated involvement (and the town's fixation) on The Miss Blue Bonnet pageant, her changing relationship with her best friend, and body image. A combination of these pushes Will to enter the local pageant, and surprisingly, that's a small percent of the book. Considering how much of the marketing is 'fat girl enters a beauty pageant!', I really assumed Will would be getting into it much earlier in the book and that it would play a bigger part. I'm grateful that this wasn't a book about a social reject showing everyone that she was beautiful on the inside, or winning the love of a conventionally attractive boy. I really think that Julie Murphy made Will a believable teenage girl. Sometimes it frustrated me, but that's a good thing. I think more often than not stories about fat girls make us into people who have the singular fault of not being conventionally attractive. Julie Murphy told it like it is, making this a wonderful and refreshing read.
For fans of Dolly Parton, daughters with difficult mothers, and finding love and friendship in unexpected places.
I basically listened to 2/3 of the audiobook in one night while working on a jigsaw puzzle. It was addictive and I absolutely loved the end. Can't wait for my hold on the sequel to come in!
Add this to the pile of I’m too old to read ya contemporary.
What a self-obsessed, selfish, contradicting main character. When I say contradicting, I don't mean a few times, it was literally every few pages. Gah, had high hopes for this book but reading this felt like marathoning Keeping up with the Kardashians.
DNF at page 104 (FORCED MYSELF TO GO OVER 100 PAGES!)
DNF at page 104 (FORCED MYSELF TO GO OVER 100 PAGES!)