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solarchive 's review for:
The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend
by Kody Keplinger
Rereading count: 2
First of all, this book was nothing like the movie (2014).
I read this one in 2014, back in New Zealand. I remembered vividly lying on top of my bed bunk, refusing to sleep even though I had a long day ahead of me. It was like 2 A.M. and I finished the book in one go.
I remembered loving it, unironically and all. But I do not share the same enthusiasm as the first time. I was in high school then, so the book felt so relatable (except the having sex part tbh, I was in a boarding school, we weren't exactly sexually active), but now I have outgrown it. For once, I was not into books that aren't fantasy or set in modern earth era. I get that the world building effort is eliminated but I guess I am more into fantasy for exactly that.
About the book, it is definitely romance-based. The trope is rivals turned friends-with-benefits turned lovers, but I think it was done well. The main female lead Bianca fell into every category: not the prettiest, snappy, sarcastic. And yet she was not exactly annoying. I was afraid I would hate her in my second read, but I did not. She was just going through the same thing people go through in high school. Even Wesley, a typical jerk, was not completely horrible. They just served the trope they were put in, but their development was good.
I remembered having heart-wrenching moments, which was the main reason why I came back to this book. The second time around was as fresh as the first. Keplinger's writing was good in that sense.
I gave it a 4 the first time, this time more like 3.5. I guess something is better left in the past.
First of all, this book was nothing like the movie (2014).
I read this one in 2014, back in New Zealand. I remembered vividly lying on top of my bed bunk, refusing to sleep even though I had a long day ahead of me. It was like 2 A.M. and I finished the book in one go.
I remembered loving it, unironically and all. But I do not share the same enthusiasm as the first time. I was in high school then, so the book felt so relatable (except the having sex part tbh, I was in a boarding school, we weren't exactly sexually active), but now I have outgrown it. For once, I was not into books that aren't fantasy or set in modern earth era. I get that the world building effort is eliminated but I guess I am more into fantasy for exactly that.
About the book, it is definitely romance-based. The trope is rivals turned friends-with-benefits turned lovers, but I think it was done well. The main female lead Bianca fell into every category: not the prettiest, snappy, sarcastic. And yet she was not exactly annoying. I was afraid I would hate her in my second read, but I did not. She was just going through the same thing people go through in high school. Even Wesley, a typical jerk, was not completely horrible. They just served the trope they were put in, but their development was good.
I remembered having heart-wrenching moments, which was the main reason why I came back to this book. The second time around was as fresh as the first. Keplinger's writing was good in that sense.
I gave it a 4 the first time, this time more like 3.5. I guess something is better left in the past.