The DUFF: (Designated Ugly Fat Friend), by Kody Keplinger

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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.




Jennie from Life is Short. Read Fast. and I just completed a Buddy Read of The Duff: Designated Ugly Fat Friend.  Originally, I was going to give this book four stars, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. So five stars it is!

Wow, you guys. I am in so much love with this book.

To start, I wish that I'd had a high-school-age nightclub in my town when I was a student. What a fantastic idea! It seems so much safer than house parties. Remind me to figure out how to start this up when my kids are older. And yeah, I giggled at the name of the club: The Nest. Fitting, since that's where my book forum resides.

The awesome Ellen Page as Bianca

Bianca Piper is your average high school student: two best friends; a fantastically snarky personality; good grades; and a massive crush on a cute boy (but it's not who you think!).  She has a crappy car, and a ton of sh*t going on at home, and desperately needs an escape.  That escape comes in the form of Wesley Rush.

Wesley

Wesley is your typical high school manwhore: a long list of conquests; smoking hot body; a cocky attitude; and a fantastic kisser (among other things!). He's also a complete and total douchecanoe.

At 40% in to the book, I wondered how on earth Keplinger was going to transform Wesley -- someone I hated from the very start -- into the "hero" of the story.  I was very impressed with how she wrote him without completely changing his personality or making him ashamed of his past. 

The same can be said for Bianca: over the few weeks that the two of them were sleeping together, she subtly grew up.  There were "aha" moments, but it wasn't like the huge revelations you see in most YA novels.  An amazing feat for a book that is only 300 pages long!

As an adult, I was slightly uncomfortable with teenagers having sex.  Yes, I know it happens; it always has and always will.  But as a mother of two young kids, it petrifies me that they will one day become sexual beings.

:: shudder ::

Hypocrite that I am, I confess that the smexy times between Bianca and Wesley did get me all hot and bothered.

I am adding Kody Keplinger to my growing list of favorite authors.  I have just placed A Midsummer's Nightmare on hold at my local library.