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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Not ground-breaking prose or anything, but a quick, enjoyable read through a teenage girl's internal narrative that is more believable than most fast, first person YA novels.
I feel kind of bad giving this only 2 stars, but it was meh. This is the exception of the movie being BETTER than the book. It just felt so juvenile and had no plot. I hated the narrator too. Maybe that's part of why I didn't really enjoy this book? Idk. It was fine but not great.
Surprisingly, I enjoyed this book. I haven’t been big on high school/YA books for a while now, but this worked for me. But I’ll also confess that I really only pushed to read this book because I wanted to see the movie version of it.
I enjoyed Bianca and Wesley’s story. I loved their interaction and how he ended up being the person she turned to, not only to distract herself but for comfort. Every moment of them in this book made me really excited to see it play out on screen. It didn’t matter if they were fighting, bickering, talking, or kissing, I loved every scene they had together. I especially loved the note he left on her desk and the letter he sent her with the flowers. One of the things I loved most about the relationship between Bianca and Wesley was that they started out as enemies and it turned into an enemy with benefits relationship. They still fought, she still hated him…but she couldn’t stay away. That was different from most other books with a manwhore character. And of course, while they were enemies with benefits, things started changing and a real relationship started developing.
My biggest issue with the book came in Bianca’s relationship with her parents. I actually thought it was interesting that her mom left her dad and her dad fell apart because of it. But Bianca forgave her mom too quickly when she did show up again. Speaking of things happening too quickly…things with her dad were resolved too quickly after they turned ugly. It just wasn’t believable. Maybe the author left the return of the mom and ugly scene with the dad for too late in the book and she was rushed? But any way you looked at it, the resolution happened too fast. And the sad thing is, both parts of that story provided good angst and drama in Bianca’s life, driving her into Wesley’s arms and moving the story forward. There was no need to rush it.
Because of the definition of DUFF, I expected lots of teasing and even bullying in this book. But there wasn’t any. The only person to call Bianca a DUFF (aside from herself) was Wesley. But it totally changed the way she saw herself, her friends and those around her. It also didn’t help that he (somewhat) affectionately started calling her Duffy.
Overall, this book was nothing like I expected it to be. I enjoyed it very much and would definitely read more from the author.
I enjoyed Bianca and Wesley’s story. I loved their interaction and how he ended up being the person she turned to, not only to distract herself but for comfort. Every moment of them in this book made me really excited to see it play out on screen. It didn’t matter if they were fighting, bickering, talking, or kissing, I loved every scene they had together. I especially loved the note he left on her desk and the letter he sent her with the flowers. One of the things I loved most about the relationship between Bianca and Wesley was that they started out as enemies and it turned into an enemy with benefits relationship. They still fought, she still hated him…but she couldn’t stay away. That was different from most other books with a manwhore character. And of course, while they were enemies with benefits, things started changing and a real relationship started developing.
My biggest issue with the book came in Bianca’s relationship with her parents. I actually thought it was interesting that her mom left her dad and her dad fell apart because of it. But Bianca forgave her mom too quickly when she did show up again. Speaking of things happening too quickly…things with her dad were resolved too quickly after they turned ugly. It just wasn’t believable. Maybe the author left the return of the mom and ugly scene with the dad for too late in the book and she was rushed? But any way you looked at it, the resolution happened too fast. And the sad thing is, both parts of that story provided good angst and drama in Bianca’s life, driving her into Wesley’s arms and moving the story forward. There was no need to rush it.
Because of the definition of DUFF, I expected lots of teasing and even bullying in this book. But there wasn’t any. The only person to call Bianca a DUFF (aside from herself) was Wesley. But it totally changed the way she saw herself, her friends and those around her. It also didn’t help that he (somewhat) affectionately started calling her Duffy.
Overall, this book was nothing like I expected it to be. I enjoyed it very much and would definitely read more from the author.
Even though Bianca is like the most self conscious, crazy, bitch I've ever heard of, I liked her. Who I really liked was Wesley, apart from his name, he was amazing. Both characters experience immense growth in this book and I'm so glad I read it finally!
I kinda get why this is an international phenomenon....
and then I kinda don't. I have a friend who was absolutely gushing about this book, so I thought, "why not give it a try?"
Don't get me wrong, the romance and problems that arise in this book are very believable. And I mostly like everything, except, Bianca. First of all, it grinded my gears to see her so ignorant of her dad's drinking problem. I mean, an alcoholic is bad enough, but he was violent. He hit her, and she just let him suffer alone, and pretended the bottles weren't there. Super not cool.
The other thing that pissed me off was Bianca was so goddamn cynical and negative. She just refused to have a god time and humor her friends, and she was one of those girls who make such an effort to be different from the masses, when in reality they're just hipster bitches. Grow up, much? Her friends were such sweethearts, she really didn't deserve them. And she slut-shamed... a lot. Which is really ironic coming from a girl who is going to a guy's house multiple times a day just to knock boots. So what if he sleeps around? It's not like he's making promises, and he's even using a condom. You have no right to judge, Duffy
Which is also funny because she claimed she didn't care what people thought of her, but some dumb acronym made her stop cold.
and then I kinda don't. I have a friend who was absolutely gushing about this book, so I thought, "why not give it a try?"
Don't get me wrong, the romance and problems that arise in this book are very believable. And I mostly like everything, except, Bianca. First of all, it grinded my gears to see her so ignorant of her dad's drinking problem. I mean, an alcoholic is bad enough, but he was violent. He hit her, and she just let him suffer alone, and pretended the bottles weren't there. Super not cool.
The other thing that pissed me off was Bianca was so goddamn cynical and negative. She just refused to have a god time and humor her friends, and she was one of those girls who make such an effort to be different from the masses, when in reality they're just hipster bitches. Grow up, much? Her friends were such sweethearts, she really didn't deserve them. And she slut-shamed... a lot. Which is really ironic coming from a girl who is going to a guy's house multiple times a day just to knock boots. So what if he sleeps around? It's not like he's making promises, and he's even using a condom. You have no right to judge, Duffy
Which is also funny because she claimed she didn't care what people thought of her, but some dumb acronym made her stop cold.
I really enjoyed this book. It was definitely a quick read for me. I would recommend that anyone who is a younger reader not to read it because there is quite a bit of smut in it. I thought that the story line was different and it also made you want to keep reading. I would definitely recommend this to a more mature reader though.
It was just ok. The ending was well... I knew what was going to happen from the beginning. But it really does show how we all thing we are the DUFF sometimes.
First Read: June 7-8th, 2013
Reread: June 14-15th, 2014 - still five stars!
5 stars
I am in love with a book and its title is The DUFF. I love this book to pieces. I want to cry over its perfection. I want to marry this book. I honestly couldn't find a single flaw, so yes, this is going to be a gush fest. You may as well just skip reading this, scroll back up and click those buy links. Because you want to read this. You do.
Can we just start with the flawless awesomeness that is Bianca? I love her. She's down-to-earth, realistic, and relatable. She made me fall in love with her when in the first 20 pages or so, she had an inner monologue about the distinction between love and like in high school, and how so many people claim to be in love, but they don't really know what that is. You, missy, are amazing. She's a breath of fresh air among those irritating YA heroines that fall in naive instalove. She's so self-aware as well. She recognizes how some of the things she does or thinks are stupid and then thinks logically about it and... I just loved being in her mind.
This romance is perfect. You shouldn't be surprised. Yesterday, I made a blog post about how I love love-hate relationships. Coincidentally, this book was next on my list. I should go back and add this example into that post because this relationship is PERFECT. Absorbing, endearing, slowly developing, challenging, but ultimately caring... It's just perfect. Everything I could have asked for. And the chemistry... it dripped off the page. I'm sad I have an e-book copy because I want to hug this book so much right now. Ugh, I'll just hug my e-reader.
I also love Kody Keplinger's writing. The voice she captured in Bianca's narrations was so authentic, beautiful, and absorbing. She is a great storyteller as well, for sure. Because not only did she get this love-hate relationship thing perfectly right, there was also a light love triangle. But I didn't hate it, in fact, I kind of liked both sides. And then she resolved that love triangle perfectly. This all within one book, which is even shorter than the average YA. But in that one book, Kody Keplinger does this better than many YA authors manage to do in a trilogy. She just gets it. Her writing is totally convincing. The love triangle here was necessary. It was proving a point. It just made sense to have it, and it made sense how it all played out and was resolved in the end. It is... the perfect love triangle.
Okay, so maybe Kody Keplinger did have an easier go of it since this is a pure romance novel while most love triangles are in paranormal series where there's much more to develop and stuff. But this book is still perfect. And now realize that I'm saying this about a pure romance book. I do not read pure romance often, and when I do, I'm often still extremely skeptical. Not here, guys. That should count for something.
But apart from the romance, The DUFF also makes some other important points. It is also a self-esteem, coming-of-age book. In a very relatable way, it touched my heart and made me feel enlightened afterwards, just as such a book should do. I also loved the relationship between Bianca and her parents. No absentee parents here (except for Wesley's, I guess) and the relationship with her father was so endearing, it pretty much brought a tear to my eye. As a child of divorce, I suppose this was all extremely dear to my heart. Also, Bianca's friendships with Casey and Jessica? Perfect.
Summing Up:
This is, plain and simple, everything I could ever want in a contemporary romance. The romance was flawless, the main character was a delight, the writing was beautiful, the storytelling was solid... I just loved it (if that hasn't become apparent enough). It's placed the rest of Kody Keplinger's books on my to-read list, because I have the utmost faith in her. And this book will be on my all time favorites shelf for sure. Time to order a hard copy so I can hug it to death.
P.S. This was on my to-read list for a long, long time. Learn from my mistake, people. Pick this book up soon if you haven't already. It will make you smile and it's perfect to get you out of a reading slump (which I have been suffering).
GIF it to me straight!
Recommended To:
Are you kidding me? Everyone!
Reread: June 14-15th, 2014 - still five stars!
5 stars
I am in love with a book and its title is The DUFF. I love this book to pieces. I want to cry over its perfection. I want to marry this book. I honestly couldn't find a single flaw, so yes, this is going to be a gush fest. You may as well just skip reading this, scroll back up and click those buy links. Because you want to read this. You do.
Can we just start with the flawless awesomeness that is Bianca? I love her. She's down-to-earth, realistic, and relatable. She made me fall in love with her when in the first 20 pages or so, she had an inner monologue about the distinction between love and like in high school, and how so many people claim to be in love, but they don't really know what that is. You, missy, are amazing. She's a breath of fresh air among those irritating YA heroines that fall in naive instalove. She's so self-aware as well. She recognizes how some of the things she does or thinks are stupid and then thinks logically about it and... I just loved being in her mind.
This romance is perfect. You shouldn't be surprised. Yesterday, I made a blog post about how I love love-hate relationships. Coincidentally, this book was next on my list. I should go back and add this example into that post because this relationship is PERFECT. Absorbing, endearing, slowly developing, challenging, but ultimately caring... It's just perfect. Everything I could have asked for. And the chemistry... it dripped off the page. I'm sad I have an e-book copy because I want to hug this book so much right now. Ugh, I'll just hug my e-reader.
I also love Kody Keplinger's writing. The voice she captured in Bianca's narrations was so authentic, beautiful, and absorbing. She is a great storyteller as well, for sure. Because not only did she get this love-hate relationship thing perfectly right, there was also a light love triangle. But I didn't hate it, in fact, I kind of liked both sides. And then she resolved that love triangle perfectly. This all within one book, which is even shorter than the average YA. But in that one book, Kody Keplinger does this better than many YA authors manage to do in a trilogy. She just gets it. Her writing is totally convincing. The love triangle here was necessary. It was proving a point. It just made sense to have it, and it made sense how it all played out and was resolved in the end. It is... the perfect love triangle.
Okay, so maybe Kody Keplinger did have an easier go of it since this is a pure romance novel while most love triangles are in paranormal series where there's much more to develop and stuff. But this book is still perfect. And now realize that I'm saying this about a pure romance book. I do not read pure romance often, and when I do, I'm often still extremely skeptical. Not here, guys. That should count for something.
But apart from the romance, The DUFF also makes some other important points. It is also a self-esteem, coming-of-age book. In a very relatable way, it touched my heart and made me feel enlightened afterwards, just as such a book should do. I also loved the relationship between Bianca and her parents. No absentee parents here (except for Wesley's, I guess) and the relationship with her father was so endearing, it pretty much brought a tear to my eye. As a child of divorce, I suppose this was all extremely dear to my heart. Also, Bianca's friendships with Casey and Jessica? Perfect.
Summing Up:
This is, plain and simple, everything I could ever want in a contemporary romance. The romance was flawless, the main character was a delight, the writing was beautiful, the storytelling was solid... I just loved it (if that hasn't become apparent enough). It's placed the rest of Kody Keplinger's books on my to-read list, because I have the utmost faith in her. And this book will be on my all time favorites shelf for sure. Time to order a hard copy so I can hug it to death.
P.S. This was on my to-read list for a long, long time. Learn from my mistake, people. Pick this book up soon if you haven't already. It will make you smile and it's perfect to get you out of a reading slump (which I have been suffering).
GIF it to me straight!
Recommended To:
Are you kidding me? Everyone!
To read or not to read: Don’t read. Whilst a small part of me enjoyed the book as an easy-to-read, high-school romance, it was certainly nothing special.
Full review here
Full review here
