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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
Read this in one sitting and I L-O-V-E-D THIS!
Now I can't wait to see the movie!!
Full review to come :)
Now I can't wait to see the movie!!
Full review to come :)
Well, to start with my most obvious thoughts- I loved the way the book ended. I was so happy that Bianca ended up with the right guy.
As far as my thoughts throughout the entire book- the beginning sucked. I hated how Bianca treated Wesley, and vice versa. I didn't like how they were using each other for the most inconvenient reasons, and both of their actions had little reasoning behind them.
But once you made it through the first half of the book, many questions are answered and everything starts to make sense. And I was rooting for Bianca and Wesley the entire time, even when things didn't go how I would've liked them to.
Overall, this was a great book full of (mostly) fluff that I flew through. I don't see myself reading it again, because it didn't leave a mark on me. But I definitely enjoyed it.
Ps- this book is so different from the movie (I watched it prior reading this), but the book is so much better.
As far as my thoughts throughout the entire book- the beginning sucked. I hated how Bianca treated Wesley, and vice versa. I didn't like how they were using each other for the most inconvenient reasons, and both of their actions had little reasoning behind them.
But once you made it through the first half of the book, many questions are answered and everything starts to make sense. And I was rooting for Bianca and Wesley the entire time, even when things didn't go how I would've liked them to.
Overall, this was a great book full of (mostly) fluff that I flew through. I don't see myself reading it again, because it didn't leave a mark on me. But I definitely enjoyed it.
Ps- this book is so different from the movie (I watched it prior reading this), but the book is so much better.
Firstly, respect to Keplinger for penning a novel at 17! I was lucky if I got through all of my midterms in one piece at that age, there's no way I could have written a novel.
At the start, it read like a 17 year old wrote it. It didn't have the smoothness of more seasoned writers but as the novel went on, her writing grew and blossomed. You usually have to wait for further books to see growth and you can see that in just one novel here. Nicely done.
Won't lie, at first I was exasperated with Bianca. It wasn't the cynicism or the too cool for school attitude. It was her self proclaimed feminism coming at odds with her jealously thinking of other girls as whores and blaming them rather the guy for the flirting. Why is it that girls automatically get angry at other girls. The guy isn't blameless if he flirted back. And that was exactly what happened and part of my issue. However, when you're a hormonal teen, you're lucky if you make it through HS alive how could you possibly have everything figured out? Maybe that was Keplinger's point.
The end was what clinched it for me. After spending most of the novel wanting to strangle Bianca for her questionable behavior, her growth warmed me to her as well as Wesley.
Once again, well done, Keplinger, well done.
Side note, super fun and easy read. Read it in two days only because I also had to work in between. Not the greatest thing I've read but certainly not the worst, either.
At the start, it read like a 17 year old wrote it. It didn't have the smoothness of more seasoned writers but as the novel went on, her writing grew and blossomed. You usually have to wait for further books to see growth and you can see that in just one novel here. Nicely done.
Won't lie, at first I was exasperated with Bianca. It wasn't the cynicism or the too cool for school attitude. It was her self proclaimed feminism coming at odds with her jealously thinking of other girls as whores and blaming them rather the guy for the flirting. Why is it that girls automatically get angry at other girls. The guy isn't blameless if he flirted back. And that was exactly what happened and part of my issue. However, when you're a hormonal teen, you're lucky if you make it through HS alive how could you possibly have everything figured out? Maybe that was Keplinger's point.
The end was what clinched it for me. After spending most of the novel wanting to strangle Bianca for her questionable behavior, her growth warmed me to her as well as Wesley.
Once again, well done, Keplinger, well done.
Side note, super fun and easy read. Read it in two days only because I also had to work in between. Not the greatest thing I've read but certainly not the worst, either.
I started off thinking I wasn't going to make it through this one. The writing is a little...well...juvenile. But then I had to remind myself that it IS YA fiction, so I should probably cut it some slack. Once I relaxed about that, this thing took off. I read the entire book in a single sitting. It was actually quite good. It held my attention really well, I was rooting for characters and hoping things would turn out the way I wanted to, I was hoping other characters would get their crap together. It kept me involved. It won't go up to the top shelf with my favorite of favorites, but The Duff is a good book that's worth the read -- especially since you won't have to invest a ton of time or energy in reading it. It's a good afternoon book -- probably a great beach read as well. This might also be a good one to grab if you're doing a read-a-thon.
2.5 stars. I read this because I saw the trailer for the upcoming movie and it looked kind of Mean Girls. Instead the book is a YA romance novel. The protagonist's problems that AREN'T boy-related are supposed to be these really tough things but they're actually very emotionally simplistic. The whole book wraps up very suddenly and conveniently. Pretty sure if you removed the sex scenes, the book's length would be cut by half.
I'm glad I read this after watching the movie and not before. While both are enjoyable, they're also completely different stories mostly connected by a cast of characters and nothing else. The book is definitely the better story.
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I both hate and like this book. This book made me so upset and then the next page I would feel butterflies. I did not like Wesley. I prefer Wesley from the movie. He would just be so mean to Bianca and it was hard to see the romantic connection that they supposedly have. But don't get it wrong Bianca sucks as well. She would treat the people around her with such disrespect that I was surprised that they forgave her in the end. On the first page she is criticizing her friends who are dancing in a teen club(?) The girl on girl hate was not fun to read to say the least. Bianca had a case of the I am not like other girls trope. That got old fast. The side characters fell flat and that made it hard to get invested in their plot lines. I liked how fast this read, I haven't read anything this quick in a while and it was refreshing. This was a dumpster fire of a book and I couldn't seem to look away. The movie is better than the book and that doesn’t happen often. I don't know if I would recommend this or not. I guess read this at your own risk.
(Read this review and more on Pretty Bookmarks)
I really enjoyed The Duff. I must say I was surprised that I would enjoy this so much. I had some problems with the book at the start, but the more I put it down the more I desperately wanted to know what happened to them.
What I really liked about The Duff was how relatable and real it was. I enjoyed the characters a lot, they were somewhat typical yet also very refreshing. Bianca is a pessimist and in her own way a realist. She doesn’t believe in instant love (rather believing that it takes years for you to truly understand what love is) and is an intelligent young woman.
I really grew to like Bianca and Wesley’s relationship. It was formed in a manner that was questionable and unfathomable to me, but I ended up rooting for them both. I enjoyed that they went into this as “friends with benefits” and later genuinely becoming friends. The manner in which their relationship developed was realistic and that is what I liked about it most.
I have my own dislikes with this book. I didn’t understand why Bianca would choose to use Wesley as a form of escape. In the beginning it made no sense that she would choose to kiss a guy that she really hated. I later understood that this was a play on The Scarlet Letter, where Bianca would be promiscuous as a way to distract herself from her problems.
I don’t necessarily understand why she had to distract herself considering she had two best friends, one of which she’s known her entire life. Her own best friend had family issues. It was portrayed that she had such a great relationship with her friends that she could have easily confided in them. Instead she used Wesley for sexual gains because she couldn’t tell her friends that she was the group’s ‘duff’. I can’t entirely wrap my mind around Bianca’s “issues” (namely her inability to confide in her best friends) over the fact that she might be somewhat self-conscious of being ‘the duff’. I had expected that at least the problems she was having with her family would be shared with her friends before anyone else.
The Duff was an overall great book and the good out-shined the bad. Though I had initial difficulties, I am glad I pushed on and ended up changing my perspective about Bianca and Wesley’s relationship.
I really enjoyed The Duff. I must say I was surprised that I would enjoy this so much. I had some problems with the book at the start, but the more I put it down the more I desperately wanted to know what happened to them.
What I really liked about The Duff was how relatable and real it was. I enjoyed the characters a lot, they were somewhat typical yet also very refreshing. Bianca is a pessimist and in her own way a realist. She doesn’t believe in instant love (rather believing that it takes years for you to truly understand what love is) and is an intelligent young woman.
I really grew to like Bianca and Wesley’s relationship. It was formed in a manner that was questionable and unfathomable to me, but I ended up rooting for them both. I enjoyed that they went into this as “friends with benefits” and later genuinely becoming friends. The manner in which their relationship developed was realistic and that is what I liked about it most.
I have my own dislikes with this book. I didn’t understand why Bianca would choose to use Wesley as a form of escape. In the beginning it made no sense that she would choose to kiss a guy that she really hated. I later understood that this was a play on The Scarlet Letter, where Bianca would be promiscuous as a way to distract herself from her problems.
I don’t necessarily understand why she had to distract herself considering she had two best friends, one of which she’s known her entire life. Her own best friend had family issues. It was portrayed that she had such a great relationship with her friends that she could have easily confided in them. Instead she used Wesley for sexual gains because she couldn’t tell her friends that she was the group’s ‘duff’. I can’t entirely wrap my mind around Bianca’s “issues” (namely her inability to confide in her best friends) over the fact that she might be somewhat self-conscious of being ‘the duff’. I had expected that at least the problems she was having with her family would be shared with her friends before anyone else.
The Duff was an overall great book and the good out-shined the bad. Though I had initial difficulties, I am glad I pushed on and ended up changing my perspective about Bianca and Wesley’s relationship.