Book Review: The DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) by Kody Keplinger

Title: The DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend)
Author: Kody Keplinger
288 pages, Published by Poppy
Kody's Information: Twitter | Website | Blog
Buy The Book: Amazon

From the Publisher:

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "Duffy," she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren't so great at home right now. Desperate for a distraction, Bianca ends up kissing Wesley. And likes it. Eager for escape, she throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with Wesley.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out that Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone. (Summary provided by Poppy.)

My Thoughts:

After hearing how awesome The DUFF by Kody Keplinger is for the most of the past year, I finally decided to read it. I was really impressed by this one. Believe the hype. This book rocks. Keplinger takes the modern high school experience and brings it to life for her readers.

Bianca, the main character, perfectly embodies how most girls feel in high school. After she is referred to as the DUFF ( short for Designated Ugly Fat Friend) by the hot yet super-insensitive Wesley, Bianca's reaction is priceless. But regardless of the satisfaction she gets out of throwing a cherry coke in Wesley's face, his words sting and Bianca buys into them. The way Bianca goes about dealing with her insecurities and with her problems at home with her mom and dad will ring true to readers.

I think older teens and young adults well into their 20s (and in my case 30s) will love this book and have much to relate to as they read about how Bianca handles the many issues she encounters. I hate to even mention that Kody Kepplinger was 17 years old when she wrote the book, because it sounds like I'm saying this book is good for having been written by a 17 year old. However impressive it is that Kody wrote a book at 17 years of age, this book is excellent whether it was written by a 17 year old or a 45 year old. Go buy it!

Note to Parents: I should mention that this book has some cursing and sex scenes. The characters in the sex scenes use protection and there is discussion within the book about the consequences of sex. I feel like this is very realistic with regards to the high school experience and should not deter parents from allowing their teens to read The DUFF. Honestly, I highly recommend parents read it, so they can better understand what high school is like for their teens.