The Book Courier: The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend

by Kody Keplinger

Disclaimer: THE MOVIE IS NOT THE BOOK! THE BOOK IS 100x BETTER!

Seriously, they are SO different! The movie failed to represent certain aspects of the book and added unnecessary characters and scenes that make it a cliche high school movie. Read the book!

Cover ~ B

I like the covers. Pretty high school cliche, but that is to be expected. I do wish the covers would stand out more.

Plot ~

DUFF. Designated. Ugly. Fat. Friend. The approachable friend in a group that makes it easier to get in with the cooler/hotter friends of the group. That is what Bianca Piper is called by Wesley Rush: the womanizing, slimy, man-slut. One dumped Cherry Coke on a man-whore later, Bianca can't get the idea of a DUFF out of her head. Her friends are a lot hotter than her, so the DUFF must be a thing, right? Things aren't so great at home, and now she feels as though she can't turn to her best friends. Desperate for a distraction, she does the unexpected: Kisses Wesley. Worse, she liked it. Not only is Wesley the only person she can talk to, he may be the only one who understands her. It seems he is more that mets the eye and his reputation.

Characters ~

Bianca Piper is witty and has got a spot-on BS detector. She tells it how it is, and I can totally related to her because our personalities are so similar! It was refreshing to have a strong female character in a realistic fiction novel.

Wesley Rush. Privileged, hottie, charmer (to get in your pants), man-slut. But this is just the way everyone on the outside sees him. No one knows what his life is really like or who he really is.

Writing ~ B

I went to the movie with by two best friends (neither of whom read the book). During the entire movie, my friends kept saying "That's totally you!" or "That's me!" Anyone can find something to relate to in this book. This book really had me thinking for days after completing it. Leading to the realization that we are all DUFFs! That is what makes all unique! Some parts of the book were a bit odd for high school. Like the hangout/bar that the teens went to. It just felt more mature then for 17 years old (but who am I to judge?). Overall I enjoyed the story, and to watch the characters grow. I read this in less than 12 hours and finished at 4am. Yeah, it was addictive.