The DUFF – Kody Keplinger – A Fangirl's Opinion

Initially I decided to read this book as it was being turned into a film but also that it was an Advanced Readers Copy on NetGallery, so thank you to them for sending it to me! From the trailer the booked looked cheesy and girly which I didn’t mind but I was surprise to find out they are both very different….

The DUFF stands for ‘Designated Ugly Fat Friend’ which for Bianca is what she is labeled as in High School! The story follows Bianca, a young woman as she faces the struggles of high school, family and labels! I thought the message behind the book was important telling its readers not to listen or follow labels as they don’t make us who we are and I 100% support that. Obviously ‘The DUFF’ presents quite a different take on the boy-meets-girl scenario, but it’s as unique and funny as nearly any teen romance I’ve seen.

Character wise, I had mixed feelings about Bianca as I understood the struggles she was going through however at times I found her rude and annoying. There is also the fact that Bianca ditches her friends in favour of getting laid. Yeah, yeah she needs an escape from her problems, but has she heard the saying ‘chicks before dicks!’

Wesley, on the other hand I really liked and I felt like he was a realistic teen guy. His relationship with Bianca was different and the ‘banter’ between them I enjoyed. Even though the ending was cliche, I thought it was cute!

In this story there is a lot of sex and inappropriate language which you might think is endorsing that teenagers be sexually active but this isn’t the case. In fact, her point is that there shouldn’t be labels and that our tendency to connect self-esteem problems with sex in a relationship is sometimes misplaced. However I know she is sending a message but I wasn’t a fan of all the sex!

Overall, this book was a nice light read which left me thinking about a lot at the end so I give it 3/5 stars and recommend it to more mature readers. The film is being released in cinemas in the UK soon so do expect a review!

What did you think of the book? Have you seen the film? Feel free to comment below!