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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Maybe more of a 2.5 rating? Not sure. This book just left me feeling meh. I'm hardly a June Cleaver type, but do high school students seriously have this much sex? Is this normal? Anyway, I think I heard too much hype about this book and went in expecting something amazing. It was fine, an easy read, good for a vacation where you don't want to think much, but it just fell flat to me.
To be completely honest, I did not like it at first. Well, it's not that I didn't like it, I just didn't love it. But that changed. It was wonderful, it really was.
The DUFF étant de loin ma teen romcom préférée, j’ai eu du mal au début avec Wesley, la version livre et film étant vraiment différentes. En fait, tout est vraiment différent en dehors des réflexions incroyablement pertinentes et drôles de Bianca, et au final j’ai eu l’impression de quasiment suivre deux histoires séparées que j’ai autant aimées non pour des raisons différentes, mais par des chemins différents, chacune des deux versions ayant de meilleurs points sur l’autre. Par contre, personne ne détrônera jamais le manwhore Wesley du film a mes yeux
I'd be hesitant to recommend this book because of the content, but it totally made me cry a little.
This book was a 3.5 star read for me. The book itself was probably a 3-star, but when I consider that the author was only 17 when she wrote it, I think it deserves an extra half-star. The book is well-written for someone so young. The characters could be straight out of a modern-day John Hughes movie. Their actions predictable, but they are well fleshed out, relatable and ultimately likeable. The story starts with the standard JH formula: girl who thinks she is uglier/fatter/dumber than she really is falls for gorgeous, rich/arrogant/privileged boy who should never like her, but somehow amazingly does. There are the obligatory family issues, fights with friends, superfluous love interests that must be dealt with before the couple admit to their feelings for each other and we reach the inevitable happy ending. Still, Kody Keplinger should be given credit for breaking from the formula in some ways. Her version is more supportive of/positive toward the female, actually of all of the characters than most of those 80's movies were. There's a distinct absence of the male character's pack of friends putting down the "poor ugly" girl. Sure, Wesley introduces and uses the term Duff, but that's a pretty blatant plot device, and other than that Bianca's worst critic is herself. KK delves a little deeper into the girl friendships. While KK could have developed Bianca's best friends a bit more, as written they were more than caricatures. Conversely, she didn't overplay stereotypes in minor characters. Sure, there was a homosexual friend, but that character wasn't a joke, wasn't overplayed - it just was. KK touches on a LOT of social issues, maybe a few too many, and maybe hitting some of them a little to hard - but her ultimate message of female power and friendship shines through. Remember, she was 17 when she wrote this. I feel that this book was a strong first novel from a talented writer who's only got room to grow.
I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately I didn't. The premise of the book was ok, but I absolutely hated the main character. She was incredibly cynical and often rude and just generally unlikeable, which made getting through the book difficult.
RATING: 3.5 stars
It all started when Wesley Rush, the school's playboy told her she was "The DUFF" (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) of her group. Since then everything became so much more complicated. Bianca finds herself having a very satisfactory carnal relationship with Wesley (whom she can't stand by the way) as a way of relieving stress for the problems in her life.
"The DUFF" was a quick, satisfying read. It explores the growth of the relationship between two teenagers who wouldn't usually get along, since the female protagonist, Bianca, despises Wesley for sleeping around. What I liked about this book is the fact that Bianca's attitude starts by matching Wesley's (she sleeps with him wanting a "one-night stand" and then continues on, "using" him to escape her life) which in turn leads to a better understanding of Wesley's own behavior (which, as I said before, she despised at the beggining of the book).
I thought the author could have explored Bianca's and Wesley's problems not to mention the development of their relationship better; everything was resolved too quickly in my humble opinion, it almost seems like some "steps" of the process were missing.
Still, a real page-turner. Oh and I loved Keplinger's portrait of modern teenagers, I think it was spot on. The characters seemed pretty real, not the sanitized version of teens you find in most YA books. Maybe it's because Keplinger isn't that much older than her character, but she did a great job.
It all started when Wesley Rush, the school's playboy told her she was "The DUFF" (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) of her group. Since then everything became so much more complicated. Bianca finds herself having a very satisfactory carnal relationship with Wesley (whom she can't stand by the way) as a way of relieving stress for the problems in her life.
"The DUFF" was a quick, satisfying read. It explores the growth of the relationship between two teenagers who wouldn't usually get along, since the female protagonist, Bianca, despises Wesley for sleeping around. What I liked about this book is the fact that Bianca's attitude starts by matching Wesley's (she sleeps with him wanting a "one-night stand" and then continues on, "using" him to escape her life) which in turn leads to a better understanding of Wesley's own behavior (which, as I said before, she despised at the beggining of the book).
I thought the author could have explored Bianca's and Wesley's problems not to mention the development of their relationship better; everything was resolved too quickly in my humble opinion, it almost seems like some "steps" of the process were missing.
Still, a real page-turner. Oh and I loved Keplinger's portrait of modern teenagers, I think it was spot on. The characters seemed pretty real, not the sanitized version of teens you find in most YA books. Maybe it's because Keplinger isn't that much older than her character, but she did a great job.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3/5 stars ... Although honestly, I'm not totally sure how to rate this book.
It's got realistic issues that some people in high school get to deal with. I just couldn't get over how Bianca would keep running away from every single issue she had going on with her life and keep having sex with someone that she supposedly "hated" to escape reality. That is just NOT healthy behavior. I'd hate for any teenager going through high school (which sucks enough as it is) to think that it's okay to treat yourself like crap, have boys call you a DUFF, and use sex to distract you from whatever issues you have going on in your life.
Yes, that sounds kind of harsh, but why am I still rating it 3 stars? There were some positives: Casey and Jessica stood by their friend (even when she ignored them to hook up with a guy) and tried to help her with her issues. Bianca as a narrator sounded like someone normal and not a main female character that has a perfect, charming life with superficial "first world problems." Bianca and her dad working together through his issues and overcoming their family crisis together.
It's got realistic issues that some people in high school get to deal with. I just couldn't get over how Bianca would keep running away from every single issue she had going on with her life and keep having sex with someone that she supposedly "hated" to escape reality. That is just NOT healthy behavior. I'd hate for any teenager going through high school (which sucks enough as it is) to think that it's okay to treat yourself like crap, have boys call you a DUFF, and use sex to distract you from whatever issues you have going on in your life.
Yes, that sounds kind of harsh, but why am I still rating it 3 stars? There were some positives: Casey and Jessica stood by their friend (even when she ignored them to hook up with a guy) and tried to help her with her issues. Bianca as a narrator sounded like someone normal and not a main female character that has a perfect, charming life with superficial "first world problems." Bianca and her dad working together through his issues and overcoming their family crisis together.
I admit to wanting to read this book because of the new movie that's coming out, and while I was aware the whole time that the plot line was pretty much changed for the movie, I went into this book with low expectations. The movie trailer itself looked like one of the cliche high school dramas that most people get over at the age of thirteen once they've seen all of the classic Molly Ringwald movies...and High School Musical. So going into this book with no specific idea of what it was about was nice, which is why I think I enjoyed this more than other readers.
The concept of the term "DUFF" is incredibly shallow because it's all about raising your self esteem while putting someone else down. Someone who you're supposed to call a friend. However, even though I absolutely cringed at the term, I couldn't not relate to it and truthfully, it didn't even bother me that much. I've personally reached a point in my life where I'm content with where I stand concerning myself and my esteem, so reading The Duff was more humorous and nostalgic than anything else.
With Bianca Piper's character, she's the stereotypical cynical chick who doesn't believe love can be felt until you're out of school. She judges people based on what she knows about them (i.e. how many people they've slept with) and is strong headed and stays true to her belief. At first, she and I had a falling out because of how ridiculously quick-to-assume she was, especially concerning people like Wesley (our main male character). However, she surprisingly developed incredibly well into a more solid character who is happier with her life and learns to respect people on a new level. Bianca's relations with her friends and family reflect well on personal growth and that is something that I just loved, more so because I could relate to her situation on a certain level.
Wesley's character is of a different sort of cliche. He's that stereotypical hot rich guy who likes to have sex, but is actually using sex to hide the fact that he's a lonely dude. Some of the dialogue he says made me eye roll (but hey, that's okay because it's a turn on for him, right?) because honestly, you could tell he was fictional. Like, it was definitely more prominent than any other book I've read. Or maybe it's because I haven't met a great guy like him yet. But I won't be as much of a hypocrite like Bianca and say that he doesn't make me swoon because he does with how much he cares about Bianca.
One of the favorite things about this was the friendship between Bianca, Jessica, and Casey. I think what sets this book apart is how their friendship is handled because in other contemporary YA stories, BFFs are together constantly and they all have equal flow with one another. With Bianca, Jessica, and Casey, they are all friends on different levels. You have that best friend who you tell things to first, and then the other best friend who you tell second. Sometimes, it's about convenience. Who's there already or who you think can relate better. But just because you tell that person second, doesn't mean they're any lesser of a best friend. It was handled very well and it wasn't a big deal when the second person was told from the other friend. (If that makes any sense...)
Overall, I really enjoyed it and it was a nice quick read. Yeah, it's your typical high school drama, but I think it's one of the better ones. Everything flowed nicely and it doesn't feel like the plot was jerked around too fast or too randomly. I recommend it to any contemporary lover, and especially to anyone who is struggling with thinking you're the Duff, because the last few chapters of this book shows Bianca's realization to it all which made me incredibly happy and proud for her character.
The concept of the term "DUFF" is incredibly shallow because it's all about raising your self esteem while putting someone else down. Someone who you're supposed to call a friend. However, even though I absolutely cringed at the term, I couldn't not relate to it and truthfully, it didn't even bother me that much. I've personally reached a point in my life where I'm content with where I stand concerning myself and my esteem, so reading The Duff was more humorous and nostalgic than anything else.
With Bianca Piper's character, she's the stereotypical cynical chick who doesn't believe love can be felt until you're out of school. She judges people based on what she knows about them (i.e. how many people they've slept with) and is strong headed and stays true to her belief. At first, she and I had a falling out because of how ridiculously quick-to-assume she was, especially concerning people like Wesley (our main male character). However, she surprisingly developed incredibly well into a more solid character who is happier with her life and learns to respect people on a new level. Bianca's relations with her friends and family reflect well on personal growth and that is something that I just loved, more so because I could relate to her situation on a certain level.
Wesley's character is of a different sort of cliche. He's that stereotypical hot rich guy who likes to have sex, but is actually using sex to hide the fact that he's a lonely dude. Some of the dialogue he says made me eye roll (but hey, that's okay because it's a turn on for him, right?) because honestly, you could tell he was fictional. Like, it was definitely more prominent than any other book I've read. Or maybe it's because I haven't met a great guy like him yet. But I won't be as much of a hypocrite like Bianca and say that he doesn't make me swoon because he does with how much he cares about Bianca.
One of the favorite things about this was the friendship between Bianca, Jessica, and Casey. I think what sets this book apart is how their friendship is handled because in other contemporary YA stories, BFFs are together constantly and they all have equal flow with one another. With Bianca, Jessica, and Casey, they are all friends on different levels. You have that best friend who you tell things to first, and then the other best friend who you tell second. Sometimes, it's about convenience. Who's there already or who you think can relate better. But just because you tell that person second, doesn't mean they're any lesser of a best friend. It was handled very well and it wasn't a big deal when the second person was told from the other friend. (If that makes any sense...)
Overall, I really enjoyed it and it was a nice quick read. Yeah, it's your typical high school drama, but I think it's one of the better ones. Everything flowed nicely and it doesn't feel like the plot was jerked around too fast or too randomly. I recommend it to any contemporary lover, and especially to anyone who is struggling with thinking you're the Duff, because the last few chapters of this book shows Bianca's realization to it all which made me incredibly happy and proud for her character.