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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
The DUFF was such a quick read. Great to get you out of a reading slump. I know the movie is getting some backlash because of the term "duff" and all that crap BUT it is stated in the book that the term is not literal it's a comparison so I have no problem with it. I thought that the pace of the boo wasn't to fast and it wasn't to slow. It was perfect enough to hold my attention to the point where I couldn't put it down.
*mild spoilers*
It may seem like the typical cliche high school experience but it's so different from a lot of young adult contemporary's and I really enjoyed that. I loved all the characters and how they all were so different and had their own personalities. I loved that they all had their own voice and even with out it being stated you'd know exactly who was speaking in the book. Bianca's metaphors cracked me up. I laughed so much from her sarcasm and sense of humor it's ridiculous. Wesley irritated the crap out of me but in the end I fell so deeply in love with him. I love how his love story with Bianca also isn't the typical high school love we usually see in young adult. Overall this book was so refreshing and different and I REALLY REALLY enjoyed it.
*mild spoilers*
It may seem like the typical cliche high school experience but it's so different from a lot of young adult contemporary's and I really enjoyed that. I loved all the characters and how they all were so different and had their own personalities. I loved that they all had their own voice and even with out it being stated you'd know exactly who was speaking in the book. Bianca's metaphors cracked me up. I laughed so much from her sarcasm and sense of humor it's ridiculous. Wesley irritated the crap out of me but in the end I fell so deeply in love with him. I love how his love story with Bianca also isn't the typical high school love we usually see in young adult. Overall this book was so refreshing and different and I REALLY REALLY enjoyed it.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It is so deeply 2010 it hurts but it's still cute, if you can ignore the rampant slut-shaming and fat-shaming
Welp, this is the very definition of a guilty pleasure book. It was pretty shallow, but for a novel written by a teenager, it was pretty enjoyable, once you ignore attempts at philosophizing. I kind of liked it in spite of myself.
The only thing the book and the movie have in common is the name of the characters and the concept of the Duff. I just had to separate the two entities in my mind and then I was ok with everything.
This is really 3.5 stars for me. If I was rating it on voice alone, I probably would have given it 4.5 or 5 stars--the book is definitely worth reading for that alone, especially if you are a writer. Bianca's voice was strong, distinct, and--best of all--consistent. And it started with the very first page.
********SPOILER ALERT***********
Because of the strong voice, I really felt like I got to know Bianca. I felt like I really got inside her head and could tell when she was lying to herself and others. And that made me really question some of her actions.
I believed her when she said she hated Wesley and everything he stood for. I believed that she was a strong, principled girl who had enough confidence not to wilt under the gaze of the hottest guy in the school, especially when he announced that he was only paying attention to her because she was the DUFF and he wanted to sleep with her friends.
So when she threw herself at him, multiple times, spontaneously? That felt REALLY out of character to me. She rationalized it away that she was just using him--and that, I could buy. Why wouldn't the DUFF sleep with the hottest guy in school if she could, especially if it helped take her mind off all the other horrible crap going on in her life and if she felt like she was somehow getting revenge on said hot guy? But that's not how the encounters were set up originally and that really detracted from the development of their relationship to me.
Once they settled into their relationship, such as it was, I did really like how it progressed. I thought Bianca's character was well written (aside from the inconsistency I've mentioned above) and I loved the contrast between her and her two friends Jessica and Casey.
Towards the end of the book, I felt like some of the ways Bianca reacted to the more stressful things in her life--her father's alcoholism and Wesley's romantic turnaround--were a little cliche (what I perceived as irrational denial for Bianca's character, and a few instances of Bianca taking a reaaaaaaaaally long time to figure out something that was obvious really early on to me, as a reader).
I know I've pointed out some things I didn't care for here (perhaps because I'd heard *so much* about it, I'd put it on a pedestal?), but I DID ultimately enjoy this book. Let me reiterate, the voice is SPECTACULAR and I recommend reading the book for that alone. Bianca is a funny, cynical character and I did enjoy the way her relationship with Wesley developed, once I got over the way it started.
********SPOILER ALERT***********
Because of the strong voice, I really felt like I got to know Bianca. I felt like I really got inside her head and could tell when she was lying to herself and others. And that made me really question some of her actions.
I believed her when she said she hated Wesley and everything he stood for. I believed that she was a strong, principled girl who had enough confidence not to wilt under the gaze of the hottest guy in the school, especially when he announced that he was only paying attention to her because she was the DUFF and he wanted to sleep with her friends.
So when she threw herself at him, multiple times, spontaneously? That felt REALLY out of character to me. She rationalized it away that she was just using him--and that, I could buy. Why wouldn't the DUFF sleep with the hottest guy in school if she could, especially if it helped take her mind off all the other horrible crap going on in her life and if she felt like she was somehow getting revenge on said hot guy? But that's not how the encounters were set up originally and that really detracted from the development of their relationship to me.
Once they settled into their relationship, such as it was, I did really like how it progressed. I thought Bianca's character was well written (aside from the inconsistency I've mentioned above) and I loved the contrast between her and her two friends Jessica and Casey.
Towards the end of the book, I felt like some of the ways Bianca reacted to the more stressful things in her life--her father's alcoholism and Wesley's romantic turnaround--were a little cliche (what I perceived as irrational denial for Bianca's character, and a few instances of Bianca taking a reaaaaaaaaally long time to figure out something that was obvious really early on to me, as a reader).
I know I've pointed out some things I didn't care for here (perhaps because I'd heard *so much* about it, I'd put it on a pedestal?), but I DID ultimately enjoy this book. Let me reiterate, the voice is SPECTACULAR and I recommend reading the book for that alone. Bianca is a funny, cynical character and I did enjoy the way her relationship with Wesley developed, once I got over the way it started.
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
Una historia juvenil muy entretenida la verdad y con ciertos toques de ética muy necesarios para muchos.
3.5/5
OVERALL IMPRESSION: I kept seeing the previews for the Duff movie on tv, so I wanted to read the book before watching the movie. The book is completely different than what I thought it would be. The movie previews make it seem like a light and fluffy comedy kind of movie (I haven't seen the movie yet, so I don't know if that's actually how they made it or not), but the book is actually quite a bit deeper than that. The book deals with some intense issues (body image, divorce, sex). The main theme of this book is body image and how we see ourselves and I feel like that theme was really hit head on in this book.
CHARACTERS: I would have liked a little more character development. I felt like the characters were on the right track, but I wanted a little it more about them. That being said, I really liked Bianca's best friends, Casey and Jessica. They were both really great, genuine friends to Bianca.
COVER: I don't really like the cover. I'm not really sure who the girl on the cover is supposed to be.
OVERALL IMPRESSION: I kept seeing the previews for the Duff movie on tv, so I wanted to read the book before watching the movie. The book is completely different than what I thought it would be. The movie previews make it seem like a light and fluffy comedy kind of movie (I haven't seen the movie yet, so I don't know if that's actually how they made it or not), but the book is actually quite a bit deeper than that. The book deals with some intense issues (body image, divorce, sex). The main theme of this book is body image and how we see ourselves and I feel like that theme was really hit head on in this book.
CHARACTERS: I would have liked a little more character development. I felt like the characters were on the right track, but I wanted a little it more about them. That being said, I really liked Bianca's best friends, Casey and Jessica. They were both really great, genuine friends to Bianca.
COVER: I don't really like the cover. I'm not really sure who the girl on the cover is supposed to be.
I just finished this book in one sitting. It was quick and enjoyable. I really liked Bianca and Wesley's relationship.
One of the main reasons I love to read is that its a healthy distraction. For a short while, am pulled out of my thoughts and am in a different place. Bianca surely has a lot on her plate but I don't agree with how her some of her choices, especially the ones where she needs a distraction from her problems but her final decision to take things slow with Wesley was a good one.
4 Stars for how funny and page turning this book is. All the characters are colorful and were well described.
4 Stars for how funny and page turning this book is. All the characters are colorful and were well described.