Review: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

Publication Date: 25th February 2015

Publisher: Hachette Children's Books

Length:

Huge thanks to Netgalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

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.

With the movie about to be released ‘The Duff’ is suddenly on everyone’s radar again, and after missing it the first time around I was curious to see what this book everyone was talking about was like. So I started reading, expecting to read the first couple of chapters and then put it down, but I couldn’t. I finished it in one sitting, desperately trying to shield the light so Husband wouldn’t wake up and tell me it was three in the morning and I really should turn the light off and go to sleep. I just couldn’t leave Bianca’s story once I’d started.

She is a bit of a marmite character as she’s abrasive, cynical, sarcastic, and could quite easily rub readers up the wrong way. However I loved her. She was exactly my cup of tea. I loved her thought process and her angry determination to be her own person and do what she wanted, regardless of the labels and conceptions that others would have. I wanted to hug her and high five her all at the same time, she’s one of the best and lively heroines I’ve read for some time and I adored following her story. Her interactions with Wesley are pure gold. She refuses to fall for his charms and speaks her mind and the banter between them had me laughing out loud.  Wesley walks the fine line between being a truly awful person and a fleshed out self-confessed womanizer with a backstory, personality and history. He was such a refreshing change to the usual hero type and he complimented Bianca fantastically. She never once stepped over into annoyingly quirky Mary Sue territory, and instead stayed fresh and real and bitingly funny without being irritating. She knows she’s making mistakes, she’s entering into these situations with her eyes wide open and her motives and rationale make complete sense. I loved her viewpoint on love – that at that age no one really knows what love is and you cannot be in love, but maybe in like. I loved that she slowly comes round to the idea that maybe you can find love at that age, but I also loved that she isn’t blinded and following along with the crowd that relationships at that age will be forever. It was definitely refreshing to see that view being portrayed.

The novel tackles so many relevant topics, touching on alcoholism, divorce, body image, self-worth and judgement of others and comes out with a wonderful message. Everyone is different but everyone is also the same – we all have insecurities, bad days when we feel ugly and horrid, and we are all guilty of judging others based on stereotypes we’ve been taught without really looking at their life or what they’re going through and how easily it could be us instead.

I can’t really put into words how much I loved this book. It was brilliant, refreshing, and I fell in love with Bianca completely. I laughed, I cried, I swooned. This book had a bit of everything along with a strong message and a brilliant cast of characters. I loved it and cannot recommend it enough and I cannot wait to pick up some more of Keplinger’s books.