Tag: Poppy

Book Review | The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger

Published by Poppy on September 7, 2010

Genres: Young Adult, New Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads: ★★


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 “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face. 

But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him. 

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out 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.
REVIEW

I went into The DUFF not knowing what to expect. Reviews from my Goodreads friends are all over the map, but when I got the opportunity to review the book in celebration of the movie being released, I was excited to dive right in. Unfortunately, while The DUFF was a quick and easy read for me, it is not one that I enjoyed much at all. I have a lot to discuss, so let’s begin with my thoughts on Bianca, the book’s first-person narrator.

Bianca is one of the most unlikeable characters I’ve ever encountered. While I can understand that she is going through a lot in her teenage life, with her parents’ relationship failing and with her being labeled the DUFF by one of the most popular guys in school, her negative attitude really got to me. It was horrible for Wesley to call Bianca the DUFF, but Bianca bullies him just as much, if not more. She’s constantly telling him how despicable he is and saying how much she hates him. This negativity was annoying to me as a reader, and didn’t make me want to root for Bianca. Instead, I wished she would just grow up and stop being so horrible to everyone around her. The fact that Bianca constantly lied to everyone around her, including her best friends and family, only made me despise her even more.

Moreover, even getting past the protagonist’s many faults, the writing of The DUFF was lackluster as well. I found the dialogue to be quite awkward, with characters speaking long passages to each other. It was unrealistic, and really hyped up the teenage melodrama I felt while reading.

Similarly, this is one of those novels where all of the serious issues discussed throughout the story somehow wrapped up nicely with a big bow to tie everything together. In order to avoid spoilers I will not explain this critique much more. However, as an example, Bianca’s father relapses in an addiction he has struggled with for years, and seemingly gets over it instantaneously. Not only did this scene in particular rub me the wrong way (it gives young readers the idea that addiction is just a quick sickness that can be overcome in a day), but when I put it together with all the other aspects of this book that worked out perfectly in the end, it was quite damaging to the book’s credibility.

I was also very shocked with the content of this book. The DUFF is labeled as young adult, but it is definitely new adult. There is obscene language in the entirety of the book (I think the F word is Keplinger’s favorite), and there are several explicit sex scenes. While there was nothing wrong with the subject matter of the novel per se, I felt very uncomfortable thinking that so many young people have read this book and loved it. This book takes place in a high school with a protagonist who is only 17-years-old. I would feel much differently if the story played out between adults, and not between young people who are on the borderline of being able to legally consent.

In the same way, while I appreciate that The DUFF is taking on a “girl power” attitude, the feminism portrayed in the novel was quite unsettling. I whole heartedly agree that women should not be called sluts and whores, but while this book celebrates womanhood, it does so at the expense of bashing men. Male gender roles are completely upheld (in fact, there is a line commenting on how all teenage boys are obsessed with sex), and the author suggests that it’s okay to call Wesley a manwhore. This double standard was very aggravating, and not what I would want today’s youth to read. This is true with The DUFF’s moral, if you will, at the end of the story, though I will hold off on critiquing that in the interest of not spoiling the ending.

Finally, I want to quickly mention some of the serious issues brushed over in this novel that are clearly present yet not flushed-out. First, Bianca is clearly going through some mental anguish and needs to talk about her issues with a professional. Her obsessive clothes-folding routine and several comments regarding how “messed up” she is leads the reader to the conclusion that there is something wrong that needs to be addressed in ways other than casual sex. Unfortunately, we never see Bianca reach out for that help. In addition, I was very disappointed with the flippant comments marginalizing suicide in this book. Suicide is a serious issue that should never be used as a joke.

Overall, I’m not sure that I would recommend The DUFF to anyone, as I find it inappropriate for its target, young adult audience, and anyone older would probably not enjoy it. If you’re a contemporary lover who doesn’t mind some teenage angst and friends-with-benefits relationships, perhaps you’ll give The DUFF a try. Otherwise, it’s fine to go without reading this popular book. I don’t think you need to worry about missing out on anything!

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Book Review | Bunheads by Sophie Flack

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

Bunheads by Sophie Flack

Published by Poppy on October 10, 2011

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary

Pages: 294

Format: Hardcover

Source: BookMooch

Goodreads: ★★★★1/2


As a dancer with the ultra-prestigious Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward juggles intense rehearsals, dazzling performances and complicated backstage relationships. Up until now, Hannah has happily devoted her entire life to ballet.

But when she meets a handsome musician named Jacob, Hannah’s universe begins to change, and she must decide if she wants to compete against the other “bunheads” in the company for a star soloist spot or strike out on her own in the real world. Does she dare give up the gilded confines of the ballet for the freedoms of everyday life? 

REVIEW

After reading a few disturbing books at the end of February, I needed to curl up with something that I knew I’d love. I recently received Bunheads by Sophie Flack on BookMooch, a book trading website. I’ve heard mixed reviews of this young adult novel, but because I was a dancer growing up I was really interested in reading a book featuring a ballerina. I definitely picked up Bunheads at the perfect time – I found it a quick and comforting read.

Bunheads tells the story of Hannah Ward, a nineteen-year-old in the Manhattan Ballet Company’s corps de ballet. The book is written in Hannah’s first-person perspective, and is separated into the three seasons the ballet performs: fall, winter, and spring. Readers follow Hannah as she faces a multitude of struggles in her young life. Hannah wants more than anything to be promoted to a soloist in the company, but receiving that position requires a strict diet and workout schedule, and forces her to compete against her closet friends. At the same time, Hannah wants desperately to be a normal teenager, but ballet dancers in the Manhattan Ballet Company rarely leave the confines of the theatre.

I really enjoyed Hannah’s story, and connected with her in many ways. Even though I am not a professional dancer, I understand how it feels to move to New York City and try to follow your dreams when you are young and alone. Just like Hannah, I struggle with balancing my career with my personal life, and I really admired how Hannah handled her situation.

Bunheads does feature a love triangle, but I think it worked really well with this story. It wasn’t overdone, and it wasn’t dramatic. Instead, it was quite realistic, and the conflict brought an interesting twist to the story. I only mention the love triangle in my review because I know that is a key buzzword for some readers when deciding whether or not to pick up a book.

The only criticisms I have with Bunheads are very small indeed. First, Flack uses a multitude of ballet terms throughout the novel. Because I took ballet for several years, I had no problem pronouncing or understanding the different dance positions and movements. However, readers with no dance background will probably find these terms frustrating, so it would be very helpful to include a glossary in the back of the book with the proper pronunciations, translation from French to English, and a short description of what the step is.

Furthermore, I found the pacing in Bunheads to be a little confusing at times. Even though the story was separated by season, I found that time moved much quicker that I would have expected. For instance, if a scene takes place in the book, the next scene could be either the next day, or the next week, or even a few weeks down the road. The timing between chapters was not consistent, and I would have liked more markers so I could follow where I was. However, this is really nitpicking, and it really did not detract much from the story at all.

Overall, I really loved Bunheads and highly recommend it to anyone who was a dancer or who is interesting in dancing. The author is a retired ballerina herself, so I loved the authenticity in the story. I learned so much about what it takes to be a professional dancer, but at the same time I connected to this book on a personal level. I’m really impressed with Flack’s ability to make Hannah’s story my story even though we lead very different lives. I will definitely be rereading Bunheads at some point in the future, and I anxiously await Flack’s next book, whatever it may be!

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