Helpful Score: 1
I just can't gush enough about how much I enjoyed this book! I was completely shocked when I saw on the back cover that an 18 year old had written it. The writing was so mature, I could hardly believe it! I was completely engrossed from page one. The story was fun and deep all at once. Bianca has a hard time for awhile with her family life and really didn't handle it with as much grace as she could have. She ended up isolating the friends that really could have helped pull her through it. Good thing her mistakes didn't lead to any disasters, and she was able to learn from them and become a better person once she was through it all.
Bianca was a character that I immediately connected with. It felt like the author had took the teenage me and stuck her onto the page. I loved her snarky, take no crap from anyone attitude. She had a great friends that stood by her, even when she was acting like a fool.
Wesley was a great male lead. He appears to be a stuck up womanizer, but that's just the surface that he hides beneath. Under it all he's a caring guy that has problem of his own. I started to have feelings for him right along with Bianca.
Overall, this book was A+ fantastic for me! The writing was fun and light, even when handling deeper issues. I would sit down to read for just a few minutes and before I would know it I'd be 100 pages farthur through the book. I can't wait to see what Kody writes next!
Bianca was a character that I immediately connected with. It felt like the author had took the teenage me and stuck her onto the page. I loved her snarky, take no crap from anyone attitude. She had a great friends that stood by her, even when she was acting like a fool.
Wesley was a great male lead. He appears to be a stuck up womanizer, but that's just the surface that he hides beneath. Under it all he's a caring guy that has problem of his own. I started to have feelings for him right along with Bianca.
Overall, this book was A+ fantastic for me! The writing was fun and light, even when handling deeper issues. I would sit down to read for just a few minutes and before I would know it I'd be 100 pages farthur through the book. I can't wait to see what Kody writes next!
Eva Marie L. (babyjulie) -
Helpful Score: 1
I don't like the cover with the girl with the close-up. That's what my ARC had and I like the cover I've seen with the close-up of the girl who is blowing a bubble with her gum.....
Anyway, the book is good. Real good. I'd read another by Keplinger with no hesitation whatsoever. It's definitely YA but I'm 32 and enjoyed it a lot. I loved, loved, loved Bianca's attitude! Not the robot chick you see so much now but someone who says what she wants, when she wants, someone who is sassy and smart and isn't afraid to wait instead of settle!
I was able to relate a lot thinking back to the high school days and I know kids these days will be able to relate just as much, if not more. I liked, a lot, that it wasn't all wahsed out and toned down with a parental advisory sticker on it. There is cursing, there is sex, there's even a little family violence thrown in. From the small amount of YA that I've read so far, most don't go that route, you know, the reality route - unless that's all their about of course. If it's a regular high school-like story the reality type aspects are usually wiped out and this isn't the case here. The conversations could all real, the feelings could all be real, etc.
I was scared towards the end that the ending wouldn't go the way I wanted it to - but it did. :) I loved the processing of certain things that Bianca does throughout the story and Wesley's character is just awesome and so totally on point.
There are only a very few editing issues which is more refreshing that I can even say. To read a published book and find more mistakes than an ARC really says something.
~~To Kody Keplinger - Please don't jump on the sequel/prequel/series bandwagon! This story is awesome on it's own. As much as I loved Biana, as much as I loved (by the end) Wesley, it just wouldn't do. Authors these days seem to have a tough time letting the characters die and more often than not that's exactly what they should do. Bringing them back, over and over and over is only running them into the ground. I hope we get to remember Bianca and Wesley just like this.
That said, please keep writing! ;)~~
Anyway, the book is good. Real good. I'd read another by Keplinger with no hesitation whatsoever. It's definitely YA but I'm 32 and enjoyed it a lot. I loved, loved, loved Bianca's attitude! Not the robot chick you see so much now but someone who says what she wants, when she wants, someone who is sassy and smart and isn't afraid to wait instead of settle!
I was able to relate a lot thinking back to the high school days and I know kids these days will be able to relate just as much, if not more. I liked, a lot, that it wasn't all wahsed out and toned down with a parental advisory sticker on it. There is cursing, there is sex, there's even a little family violence thrown in. From the small amount of YA that I've read so far, most don't go that route, you know, the reality route - unless that's all their about of course. If it's a regular high school-like story the reality type aspects are usually wiped out and this isn't the case here. The conversations could all real, the feelings could all be real, etc.
I was scared towards the end that the ending wouldn't go the way I wanted it to - but it did. :) I loved the processing of certain things that Bianca does throughout the story and Wesley's character is just awesome and so totally on point.
There are only a very few editing issues which is more refreshing that I can even say. To read a published book and find more mistakes than an ARC really says something.
~~To Kody Keplinger - Please don't jump on the sequel/prequel/series bandwagon! This story is awesome on it's own. As much as I loved Biana, as much as I loved (by the end) Wesley, it just wouldn't do. Authors these days seem to have a tough time letting the characters die and more often than not that's exactly what they should do. Bringing them back, over and over and over is only running them into the ground. I hope we get to remember Bianca and Wesley just like this.
That said, please keep writing! ;)~~
Stephanie S. (skywriter319) -
Enter The Book for the new generation of teens: Kody Keplinger's strikingly smart debut THE DUFF. Conservative and prudish adults will most definitely try to ban this book, but teenagers will snatch this sexy and edgy debut right up for its relatable, modern protagonist and spot-on dialogue.
Fans of "traditional," brushed-up YA literature beware: you are not going to like Bianca. She is loud, angry, spiteful, cynical...and as a result, she will be welcomed with loving arms by today's teenagers. Bianca is what's missing in literature and probably desperately sought after by teens, a sort of Holden Caulfield for this generation. She has no illusions about "true luv" teen romance; instead, her concerns are grounded in the reality of family tensions, arguments with friends, and wavering self-esteem.
While Bianca's aggression and cynicism may grate on many readers' sensitivities, I was still able to see where she was coming from. We need to dispense with our illusion of teen girls as virginal, hopelessly romantic, and sweet-sixteen-and-never-been-kissed, because the truth is that there are a lot more girls out there like Bianca than we care to admit, and they will jump at this relatable book.
The other characters in THE DUFF are nicely three-dimensional too, despite the fact that their problems occasionally seem a little too inconvenient and piled-on for plot's sake. Bianca's feisty hot-and-cold relationship with Wesley, in particular, is smoldering. Their initial coming together was a bit rough, but once they got going, boy, did they get going. And not just in sexual terms, either. Gone is the age-old idea that teen romance should consist of sweet heroines and reformed bad-boy love interests. In THE DUFF, Bianca and Wesley are constantly at odds with one another, and Bianca is not afraid to yell at him and say what she thinks. Even if this type of romance is not exactly the best model (though neither is the passive female/bad-boy male one), it makes for one heck of an exciting read.
THE DUFF reminds me of why romantic "screwball" comedies can be so great: for the characters chemistry and the sharp dialogue. It's wish fulfillment to an extent, but it's also highly relatable, and I have no doubt that there will be a legion of girls out there who can see parts of themselves in Bianca. I cant wait to see what Kody Keplinger has for us next!
Fans of "traditional," brushed-up YA literature beware: you are not going to like Bianca. She is loud, angry, spiteful, cynical...and as a result, she will be welcomed with loving arms by today's teenagers. Bianca is what's missing in literature and probably desperately sought after by teens, a sort of Holden Caulfield for this generation. She has no illusions about "true luv" teen romance; instead, her concerns are grounded in the reality of family tensions, arguments with friends, and wavering self-esteem.
While Bianca's aggression and cynicism may grate on many readers' sensitivities, I was still able to see where she was coming from. We need to dispense with our illusion of teen girls as virginal, hopelessly romantic, and sweet-sixteen-and-never-been-kissed, because the truth is that there are a lot more girls out there like Bianca than we care to admit, and they will jump at this relatable book.
The other characters in THE DUFF are nicely three-dimensional too, despite the fact that their problems occasionally seem a little too inconvenient and piled-on for plot's sake. Bianca's feisty hot-and-cold relationship with Wesley, in particular, is smoldering. Their initial coming together was a bit rough, but once they got going, boy, did they get going. And not just in sexual terms, either. Gone is the age-old idea that teen romance should consist of sweet heroines and reformed bad-boy love interests. In THE DUFF, Bianca and Wesley are constantly at odds with one another, and Bianca is not afraid to yell at him and say what she thinks. Even if this type of romance is not exactly the best model (though neither is the passive female/bad-boy male one), it makes for one heck of an exciting read.
THE DUFF reminds me of why romantic "screwball" comedies can be so great: for the characters chemistry and the sharp dialogue. It's wish fulfillment to an extent, but it's also highly relatable, and I have no doubt that there will be a legion of girls out there who can see parts of themselves in Bianca. I cant wait to see what Kody Keplinger has for us next!
Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com
Seventeen-year-old Bianca is loyal, cynical, and the uglier one, in her opinion, of her friends.
When a jerk at school named Wesley tries to flirt and get the attention of her, she at first ignores him, due in part to his nickname for her: DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend). Plus, things at home start getting rough with her parents' divorce.
During a particularly low point in her life, she has sex with Wesley and starts an enemies-with-benefits relationship. Until it all goes bad and she starts falling for him!
Will Wesley return her feelings, or will Bianca get horribly burned by love?
Although the characters are slightly one-sided and there's a lot of swearing, sexual references, and mature content, the author creates a main character who is relatable and easy to sympathize with. The friend characters are likable and true to their characters throughout the book. The issues in the book are the same that many have faced and well-dealt with.
Those who can look past the language and sexual content will enjoy how well the author seems to have captured the heart of adolescence and coming of the age of adulthood. Readers who like romance, friendships, and realistic fiction will enjoy reading THE DUFF.
Seventeen-year-old Bianca is loyal, cynical, and the uglier one, in her opinion, of her friends.
When a jerk at school named Wesley tries to flirt and get the attention of her, she at first ignores him, due in part to his nickname for her: DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend). Plus, things at home start getting rough with her parents' divorce.
During a particularly low point in her life, she has sex with Wesley and starts an enemies-with-benefits relationship. Until it all goes bad and she starts falling for him!
Will Wesley return her feelings, or will Bianca get horribly burned by love?
Although the characters are slightly one-sided and there's a lot of swearing, sexual references, and mature content, the author creates a main character who is relatable and easy to sympathize with. The friend characters are likable and true to their characters throughout the book. The issues in the book are the same that many have faced and well-dealt with.
Those who can look past the language and sexual content will enjoy how well the author seems to have captured the heart of adolescence and coming of the age of adulthood. Readers who like romance, friendships, and realistic fiction will enjoy reading THE DUFF.
