Review: THE DUFF by Kody Keplinger
Designated Ugly Fat Friend. The girl whos not as pretty or as skinny as her friends, but might get chatted up by a man-slut who wants to win brownie points in pursuit of getting laid. At least, thats what Wesley (the man-slut) tells Bianca (the Duff). She promptly throws her drink in his face and publicly reams him, but Wesleys words stick in her head like ugly words tend to do. And Bianca, trying to figure out why being called Duff hurts so much, decides that there must be at least a grain of truth to the label.
I hadnt heard of the term Duff before I read this book, but Id be lying if I said I didnt know exactly how Bianca felt, exactly why she believed Wesley even though she should have let his words evaporate, and exactly why all the frustrations in her life threw her into an unexpected enemies-with-benefits relationship withbelieve or notWesley himself. What happens next? The plot goes through twists that made me scrunch up my toes in anxiety, hoping everything would work out. Expect hilarious moments of sarcasm, heaps of tension, and some of the best sex/romantic scenes Ive read in awhile. Seriously, I was completely surprised by how much I liked the romance in this onerather than sappy characters falling on bended knee and proclaiming their star-crossed true love is forever, we have realistic passion and understanding with all its lovely flaws. Finally! This story has provided me with a new favorite fictional couple.
I had a hard time writing this review, partly because I didnt want to spoil the story, and mostly because I really just feel like The DUFF explains itself better than I ever could. Read it if youre a girl. Read it if youre a guy. Read it if youve ever felt like Bianca does, and Im sure all of us have, which is what makes this book brilliant.
(The publisher sent me this ARC for review.)
Originally published at KarenKincy.com.