Bel Reviews: The Duff by Kody Keplinger
WARNING: There is a fair bit of adult content to contend with, so not for younger readers
I was reading this book with the express purpose of a book versus movie write up; however, after watching the trailer, I don’t think I’ll be sinking money into seeing the film. If the deviations from the book are that obvious in a minute long clip… nope, not going there.
As for the book, I got it read it in less than 24 hours: virtually one sitting. I even took it to dinner at a restaurant to find out what happened next.
Kody has done a great job of making her characters easy to relate to and flawed. The parental units are visible even from the back seat of the storyline. They have their own demons to slay, and I like that they have their own character arcs and aren’t just tea pots.
The general storyline is about Bianca and Wesley. Their ‘enemies with benefits relationship’ is sordid and twisted, beginning when Wesley asks Bianca what it’s like being the Duff of her friendship group. (Designated Ugly Fat Friend)
Between all the sex, and the secrets, there’s a tale of addiction, personal struggles, and the importance of being true to yourself, at any age. On the surface this seems like it would be a shallow fluff of a book, but it surely runs deeper than expected.
A perfect read for the Easter Holidays.
Oh, and let me know what you thought of the film if you saw it.
Paperback, 320 pages
Published January 13th 2015 by Poppy (first published September 7th 2010)
ISBN 0316381802 (ISBN13: 9780316381802)
