Now a popular Netflix feature film, starring Jennifer Aniston, Danielle Macdonald, and Dove Cameron, as well as a soundtrack from Dolly Parton!The #1 New York Times bestseller and feel-good YA of the year—about Willowdean Dixon, the fearless, funny, and totally unforgettable heroine who takes on her small town’s beauty pageant.Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her … Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body.
With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked . . . until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.
Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any girl does.
Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.
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No matter how old we are, I think most of us have something about our bodies that we hate. For me, it’s my belly. No matter how skinny I was growing up, I was always afraid to wear a bikini because of my belly. Of course, I look back now and laugh at myself. I should have taken advantage of my bikini-worthy body while I could. I look at old pictures and I was skinny and I don’t look like I had a belly at all. Then again, our self-image and what other people see tends to be quite different.
Willowdean has issues with her body, and she is heavy. But she still enters herself in the beauty pageant that her mother once won. Her mother is heavily invested in the pageant and participates in the celebration every year. Her mother is also always trying to get Willow to go on one diet or another. The interesting thing about Willowdean is that when a boy shows real interest in her, she only sees the bad. She worries what he will think about her body and sees only the fact that he is “too good looking” for her. And she worries a lot about what other people would think.
This was a fun book to read and I think gave a realistic look at how teenage girls see themselves. I liked most of the characters and enjoyed watching their development.
Recommended to:
Teenage readers, especially girls. This is a YA book, but I think readers of many ages would enjoy it.
If you’ve been hearing the buzz about this book, you know that it’s one of the most highly anticipated books of the year. Rest assured that this book lives up to the hype- and then some.
I am a sucker for a well-written character. Julie Murphy is hereby being proclaimed a characterization goddess, because every single character in this book is spectacularly well-fashioned. I feel like I’ve known these people for years, and could drive just a few towns over and visit if I wanted to. I finished reading a few days ago, and I can’t stop thinking about them. Not just the main character, mind you- even secondary characters feel like they are a part of my world.
I love that Ms. Murphy chose to focus on a character who doesn’t fit social norms for what she should look like, is comfortable with that, and yet struggles with it. This is so common in the teen experience, and yet is rarely found in teen lit; characters are usually written as either comfortable OR struggling, but kids are often situationally both. This is such a universal theme, yet it’s packaged here in a fresh way.
My shelf space is at a premium these days, so if I buy, I often will opt for an electronic copy. If I am ever lucky enough to meet Julie Murphy, I will want to get this book signed, so I’m spending cash and shelf space in the hope of one day meeting her. That’s the highest form of praise I can think of, and I give it unabashedly to this book.
This heartwarming read is one of my best so far this year. So many gorgeous lines in this book that had me all choked up. I will lock them in my heart for days when inspiration runs low. Here are some towards the end of the book that rang so true to me, I have to put them down here:
“There’s a beauty queen in that cute, little fat girl.”
A slow, satisfied smile melts across my face. “No,” I say, “That cute, little fat girl is a beauty queen.”
AND
‘I guess sometimes the perfection we perceive in others is made up of a whole bunch of tiny imperfections, because some days the damn dress just won’t zip up.’
Y’all see what I’m sayin’?
Best read ever.
I’m not sure if I loved this or hated it. It definitely reminds me of being back in high school.
Willowdean had the best confidence it was awesome and then it just went out the window when a boy came along. I liked the idea that she loved herself but then she doubted it and started to second guess everyone and thought maybe she did need to loose weight to be accepted. It sucks that life is like that.
I did like that she went for the pageant in honor of her aunt but her mother and her were so strained she couldn’t tell her a lot of her fears because she was scared to be ridiculed to loose weight.
I loved her crazy fan girl love of Dolly Patron it was awesome that she bonded and became best friends with Ellen over it but nasty girls made her insecure and loose her friend and herself for a while.
The movie was cute, but the book was a joy and definitely worth a read. Willowdean (Dumplin’) is kind, loyal, smart, conflicted and filled with teenage angst. Author Julie Murphy pulls you right back into the emotional world of an almost-adult. Plus, she nails small-town American life to a T. This was a book I hated to see end!
I don’t read much YA literature but made an exception with this one because I want to watch the Netflix movie made from the book. I was very pleasantly surprised with the book — it was told from a YA perspective but was a story for any age — be proud of who you are and live your life to the fullest.
Willowdean is in high school and her Mom has given her the nickname of Dumplin’. Willowdean knows that she’s fat and she is bullied over it but she is happy with who she is and with her life. She has a best friend, a part time job at Harpy’s and does well in school. The major negatives in her life are her mom – a former beauty queen who is ashamed of her and the recent loss of an aunt who meant the world to her and who taught her to love Dolly Parton. When a potential boyfriend enters her life, she seems to lose her self confidence and starts questioning herself so she decides that she can gain back her self confidence by competing in a local beauty pageant that her mom is in charge of. Will she be able to gain back her self confidence or will the beauty contest make her hate herself even more?
This simple little book was a definite coming of age story for teen girls and one that I wish I could have read in high school. More than that though, is the universal theme of finding that inner confidence and loving who you are no matter what you look like.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
I want to hug Dumplin’.
I missed her when this was over.
She was flawed and smart and had me wrapped up in her within about 4 chapters. I wanted to understand the elusive Bo. I wanted to force this book into the hands of all high school girls so they know they all feel the same.
LOVE. THIS. BOOK.
Dumplin’ is a young-adult contemporary novel written by author: Julie Murphy. This story encompasses issues related to coming-of-age, death/loss/grief, family issues, self-image, society’s views on beauty and weight, interpersonal relationships, and first love. The story was entertaining and easily held my interest, and I think it addressed important topics.
Overall, I liked Dumplin’ and especially enjoyed the references to Dolly Parton. Her name isn’t one seen in many young-adult novels so this added some originality which I appreciated. I would recommend this book to empathetic readers who like coming-of-age stories. Enjoy 🙂
My favorite quote:
“All my life, I’ve had a body worth commenting on. And if living in my skin has taught me anything it’s that if it’s not your body, it’s not yours to comment on. Fat, skinny, short, tall, it doesn’t matter.”
This book should be read by anyone who has ever felt less than. This book says that you are not alone and yes, how your feeling is freaking sh*tty at the moment, but it gets better.
I finished this book in a day. Had to find out what happened! I loved every minute reading of it. At turns surprising, frustrating, heartwarming and overall, amazing!
This book is amazing and as for anyone who has been sleeping on this book, where the hell have you been? Wake up and sniff the roses because this book is worth getting up to sniff them for. I promise.
Willowdean a.k.a. Dumplin’ is a strong minded and confident individual. When she and a few of her other “unlikely candidates” enters a beauty pageant that is the town’s biggest event, she is criticized and put down. But please don’t under estimate this girl, she is packed full of surprises, jokes, and love.
I absolutely love this book and the movie which both are great examples that you can do anything and nothing is impossible.
I absolutely loved this book!
I thought it was quite enjoyable. Very much liked the movie also.
This book was so sweet. I wish books like this were written when I was young. Saw the movie and wanted to read the book to see how close the movie came. Both were excellent!
I enjoyed this book and it kept me reading it almost non-stop. It’s not perfect and things are just too pat for the heroine, but it’s still a fun book to read.
I had watched this movie on Netflix before I became aware that it was based on a book. Imagine my delight to find out that the book was available on Prime Reading!
I did find some differences from the movie, and I was disappointed in some of them, but upon sticking it out and continuing the story I was more than happy with the way the story ended and how certain characters redeemed themselves.
I wasn’t a fan of the mother in either the book or the movie for most of the time, but I think in this story (much as in life) people aren’t always what they seem, and almost everyone you meet is going to be facing inner battles that you know nothing about.
The biggest thing to take away from this story is to learn to be comfortable in your own skin. We should all celebrate our uniqueness and differences. And we should stand up to those who want to tear us down because of them.
I first heard of this book because they are making a movie out of it. Usually, when that happens, I am skeptical about said book. But then I found this book in the library and read the synopsis. It actually sounded intriguing, so, even though I was still hesitant, I checked out the book. I am glad I did.
‘Dumplin” is a wonderful look at how society affects the way people both perceive people and what it can do to your own way of thinking. If we are honest with ourselves as girls and women, we often see ourselves as ‘not good enough.’ One reason for this is that men are excited visually, so we think if we’re not perfect, they will leave us.
Enter Willowdean Dickson, a self-proclaimed fat girl. She is fine with herself until a boy shows interest. Then, as it can often happen when you fall in love, she takes a look at herself and begins to wonder. Throughout this book, she learns and grows as a person, and what better way than to enter a beauty pageant?
This is a heartwarming book that also douses us in the cold reality of how society acts when somebody doesn’t conform to what is deemed to be ‘normal’ and how to make your own path. Whether it is Willowdean herself or the new friends she makes, all outcasts like her, this book teaches valuable lessons about how you should really look at yourself, and what can happen when you do. I recommend this book to all teenagers, and even adults, who see themselves through society’s eyes, and who aren’t content with the labels put on them.
So much better than the movie!!!
I have heard so much about this book becoming a NetFlix movie that when I saw it was available to read I couldn’t pass it by. I picked up this book thinking it’d be a quick, fun, and easy YA book. While it was all of that it was also a look at real life. How many times do you walk past someone and have a thought about what they wear, how they style their hair or just their looks in general? Dumplin’ brings to attention that how everyone should be able to follow their dreams, how a person who doesn’t fit a stereotype can be just as talented, beautiful, or able as the person who does fit the stereotype.
Willowdean is the daughter of a beauty pageant winner. She is overweight, calls herself fat. She doesn’t have much self esteem. Then she decides to enter the beauty pageant that her mother won so many years ago. Little did she know that other girls in her class would enter also, they would make waves, they would be laughed at, but most of all they would become friends, they would shake up their town, and they would prove that they are people who deserve respect also.
The relationship between hot, jock Bo and Willowdean was tough. It was a secret, without really meaning to be. They went to different schools, worked together and hung out after work, and didn’t have much of a chance to spend time together. The Bo ends up at her school and they see each other daily. Willowdean doesn’t feel worthy of Bo but Bo sets out to win her over. I love how opposite these two are and how drawn to each other they are. They have a true to high school relationship where the opinion of peers matter, they are unsure of each other, and truly like each other.
This is an amazing YA book that both youth and adults will truly enjoy and learn from. I am excited for the NetFlix release and love that I got the chance to read the book before the movie is released.
Enjoyed it!
It was a great coming of age story about accepting yourself and just plain growing up. It dealt with family and friends and boyfriends. It was well paced and keeps you engaged until the end. Great book for teenagers and adults too.