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heyheybooks 's review for:
The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend
by Kody Keplinger
I might actually rate this at 4.5 - a full point higher than Love Letters to the Dead, which I also rated at a 4 (but mentally 3.5). But the two do not feel the same to me. The main character of this book and I also have pretty different lives, but I relate to this one so much more. I don't think I've actually been used as a duff, but I often *feel* like a duff. I do have pretty good self esteem, compared to what it was in high school (which was not really that great at all) but as all humans do, I still have my moments of self doubt, and my moments of "why the heck would this person be interested in me" etc. So it was enjoyable to see this character go through that and move past it, and I appreciated the message that the book was written for.
In regards to the movie, it is so very very completely different, in almost all aspects. The main characters, their names, and that Wesley calls Bianca the duff, and they kiss at some point, is about all that's the same. Pretty much every single other thing is different. But, I didn't mind that. They are so separate that they're enjoyable as totally separate things. And honestly, I don't know how well this kind of plot would do as a teen movie. Society at large is probably, unfortunately, not able to rationally handle seeing a girl of this age live this kind of lifestyle. I could only see it working if it was made as a gritty indie flick, not a cheesy pop teen blockbuster. The movie was very funny, and I loved Mae Birdwing (and Robbie Amell, not gonna lie - he IS a year older than me, unsurprisingly).
I also have to mention the Wuthering Heights comparison, because it really is so exactly perfect that I wonder if the author set out to adapt it, or loosely base the characters off of Emily Bronte's. I do love Wuthering Heights fiercely, so I really enjoyed the mentions of it, and the part it plays in the plot.
In regards to the movie, it is so very very completely different, in almost all aspects. The main characters, their names, and that Wesley calls Bianca the duff, and they kiss at some point, is about all that's the same. Pretty much every single other thing is different. But, I didn't mind that. They are so separate that they're enjoyable as totally separate things. And honestly, I don't know how well this kind of plot would do as a teen movie. Society at large is probably, unfortunately, not able to rationally handle seeing a girl of this age live this kind of lifestyle. I could only see it working if it was made as a gritty indie flick, not a cheesy pop teen blockbuster. The movie was very funny, and I loved Mae Birdwing (and Robbie Amell, not gonna lie - he IS a year older than me, unsurprisingly).
I also have to mention the Wuthering Heights comparison, because it really is so exactly perfect that I wonder if the author set out to adapt it, or loosely base the characters off of Emily Bronte's. I do love Wuthering Heights fiercely, so I really enjoyed the mentions of it, and the part it plays in the plot.