A review by letsbebookfriends
Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

3.0

*3.5 stars*

While there were aspects of the book that I did enjoy, there were some things that I found to be problematic for me personally. All it all it was okay.

The first thing being that the book I read was not the book promised in the synopsis. I thought I was getting a book about a full-figured girl who enters a beauty pageant to get her self-confidence back, but instead I got a book about a girl dealing with grief, insecurities, and mostly boy drama, who enters a beauty pageant for other reasons and really doesn't take it seriously.

The second thing that I felt to be problematic was a relationship in the book that I felt promoted the idea that "girls like jerks and nice guys finish last," which is something I can't stand!!! Maybe I'm biased because I love it when a guy has manners, but I hate it when girls brush off the guy who is absolutely wonderful to them for the jerk that made their heart skip a beat. GRRR!!

The things I did enjoy about the book was all the Dolly Parton love (I say Jolene at least a dozen times while reading this book), The BFF relationship struggles and how they were resolved, and the was the author handled the of grief.