In Review: The DUFF
This year has been top-notch when it comes to reading. I’m yet to read a book I don’t give 5 stars. One of those honoured is The DUFF by Kody Keplinger. Published over a decade ago, this book was a surprise. I didn’t have many expectations to enjoy the story hence the title: Designated Ugly Fat Friend. We are in 2023, and a book about how every group has a fat and ugly friend probably won’t go down easy. I was expecting an early 2000’s ugly duck story. Although, I was wrong.
Title: The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend Author: Kody Keplinger Series: Hamilton High #1 Publication year: 2010 Length: 7 hours and 30 minutes Genre: Ya, Romance Pace: Fast Story focus: Character
Bianca doesn’t want any boy drama in her life. Cynical by nature, she is not looking for a boyfriend, unlike her friends. She prefers staying home instead of going to the “it” spot to dance and mingle. She just wants her final year of high school to go uneventful. And everything changes the moment Wesley Rush, the playboy of the school, who she hates with a passion, talks to her and calls her the DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend. When everything around her starts to collapse, Bianca enters a downward spiral of self-consciousness, doubt, confusion, and apprehension. And what she really needs is a distraction.
At first, I didn’t find Bianca to be a lovable character. She came off a lot like an obnoxious judgemental teen. But as the story moved along, I realised, she is just cynical of everything. Or I just got used to her personality, and it stopped bothering me. Either way, I quickly became invested in the story.
As far as unlikely romantic scenarios go, this one takes the crown for “I’m worried about your mental health, this is not normal behaviour”. Their meet not-so-cute wasn’t completely unbelievable, it just didn’t make any sense. Bianca is reaching a breaking point. She’s anxious, stressed out, and the worst person that could possibly appear in front of her is talking to her. What does she do? Kiss him out of the blue. That looks reasonable…
For a long time, I was against Bianca and Wesley being a “thing”. Bianca hated him with a passion, and the first impression we get from him is the worst. A playboy that just came to talk to her to make a move on her friends, doing it all while insulting her. I didn’t want a redemption arc for Wesley, but at some point, I was having too much fun to care about how good or bad a person he was. I hoped he was actually “not that bad” and that it was just rumours. Although every time his questionable actions came up, he just confirmed the suspicions he was exactly how Bianca saw him.
This romance book doesn’t come free of questionable romantic visions. The biggest one is the “he changes for her, heart-eyes emoji, heart-eyes emoji, heart-eyes emoji”. It’s too close to the idea of “fixing” someone, and I’m not about that. When it comes to romance, I prefer reading about a well-grounded healthy relationship. Although that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy terrible relationships. The book was extremely fun. The fast pace made the story addictive, and I couldn’t stop reading. I could still see everything wrong being romanticised or simply outdated, but that didn’t diminish my enjoyment. I wasn’t reading it for a great love story that would win my heart. I was here for the fun and light story.
For a book published 13 years ago, it kept itself very present. There’s a body-positive message at its core that mattered for teens a decade ago as well as today. Although there was a detail here and there that made the book feel as old as it is. One of them being Bianca’s body image issues. Beauty standers haven’t changed a lot since the book was first published, although Bianca’s biggest concern was her big thighs. And thanks to the Kardashians, Nicky Minajs, Carbi Bs, and Doja Cats of this world, a big thigh and bottom is nowadays appealing instead of a sign of “being fat”. This wasn’t the only detail that made the book feel old. There were other instances when the language, commentary, and conversations between the characters made it more evident.
As much positive as the story is, what truly captured me was the romance. It was a fun impulsive affair that gave me tremendous pleasure to read. Looking past realism, healthy relationships, playboys, questionable choices, and big thighs, it’s a book I’ll gladly read again. It’s pure entertainment. Something to read just for fun. Bianca can be annoying, and some conversations might give me an itch, but at the end of the day, I had a great time, and the book surpassed my expectations.
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