Summary:
Dry and slightly tedious, I was disappointed with this as it took a completely different turn to what I expected.
My thoughts:
I certainly feel like the odd one out here but this book did not sit with me. It tries to be so much all in one that it’s funny in some parts, annoying in others and it gives off a confusing mix of messages to boot.
The DUFF is essentially a teenage girl using a teenage boy as a sex toy to distract her from her current problems. These problems are serious and somewhat swallowing her life and instead of talking to her friends about it or even her parents, the first thing that pops into her brain is to get into bed(repeatedly) with the High School Man Whore.
Just. What?
The book begins on a night out where Bianca is doing anything but enjoying herself, sat at the bar with a cherry coke and being pessimistic – it was almost like I was reading about myself. Next thing we know, Wesley Rush the school schwooze walks up to Bianca and insults her by calling her ‘The DUFF’. Bianca responds in kind by thoughtfully throwing her drink over the douchebag’s head. But while the drink washes away the cleanliness of Wesley’s favourite shirt, it does nothing to wash away the insecurities that rise up to torment Bianca in the following weeks.
On top of this, she starts having issues at home, her mother is away on a tour as she is a motivational speaker and her dad is a recovering alcoholic but when a longer than normal stretch of absence leaves her Dad worrying for the future, he starts teetering on the edge. And shortly after, the arrival of the divorce papers sends him tumbling.
With everything seemingly collapsing around her, Bianca wants to escape. She needs something to numb her mind and distract her from the real world if only for a few moments. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Wesley Rush.
Though sleeping with a guy like Wesley definitely wouldn’t be at the top of my ‘how to solve my problems’ list, I understand this girl has some serious family crushing issues, we’ve all been there so I’m not judging.
I thought that other than Bianca and Wesley, the rest of the characters got played a bad hand. Pretty much every girl in this book drools over the hot guys except our narrator Bianca. I feel it’s a bit harsh for the girls to be characterized by their constant shoving of cleavage into the guy’s faces.
And all the guys similarly get painted as stupid jocks with the exception of Toby, who then has to symbolize everything that the jocks aren’t by being into ALL THE THINGS. IT’s a bit much.
As for our narrator, despite her being pessimistic, hilariously bitchy and a feminist, I loved her. Fair enough, I might not have understood some of her decisions fully(like ditching her friends in favor of Wesley sexy time) but she dealt with it how she could. She worked it and improved her confidence, she discovered herself and most importantly, she grabbed her problems by the horns and dealt with them once and for all.
Considering the book was written in Kody’s teens(you go girl! i couldn’t have done that!), it is easy to see why the book will connect with teenagers of all kinds. I was a little disappointed as the book on the whole focuses on Bianca and Wesley’s fling rather than ‘The DUFF’ phrase itself, so I was caught off guard slightly when I started reading it, but the message on the whole is positive and does get through at the end.
Final Thoughts:
An easy and decent enough read with a positive message at it’s heart.
An easy and decent enough read with a positive message at it’s heart.
Star Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Buy: I would say give it a miss in favor of the film.
Borrow: Maybe, if you like high school themed books.
Further Reading Suggestions: Lying Out Loud(The DUFF companion novel) - Kody Keplinger Shut Out - Kody Keplinger A Midsummer's nightmare - Kody keplinger
The DUFF Movie
In my opinion, the movie picks up on what was good about the book and emphasizes them by adding its own perks.
And I think the context in which the movie deals with the term DUFF is both more entertaining and delivers the same message in an even more positive way.
Bianca and Wesley’s relationship is perfection and takes the witty remarks, sarcasm and humor to an entirely different level which by the end of the film makes me well and truly root for them!
The movie Wesley(Robbie Amell) isn’t anywhere near as obnoxious as the book Wesley and has his own manner of family problems to deal with, which I feel is more relatable than his parents being non-existent and leaving him in a mansion on his own.
Of course Bianca’s own family is altered, she lives with her mother(still a motivational speaker) but it’s her dad that initiated the divorce, not the mother. For the benefit of the movie, this is a welcome change as the girly talk would end up awkward if she was talking to her Dad. But apart from that, Bianca is just as sarcastic and pessimistic as the book Bianca and she is brilliantly portrayed by Mae Whitman.
And to add to the drama, a cliche high school bitch and her minions are thrown into play, and trust me, you will want to kill her on the first meeting!
Overall:
I think out of the two, the movie is a lot better, more entertaining and focuses solely on the DUFF theme and the consequences of the initial insult, which I think works out better without the obvious sub-plots of the book.
The film focuses more about being comfortable with who you are and acknowledging that what other people think of you isn’t important.
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