Now a major motion picture An irreverent and irresistible New York Times bestselling romance between the so-called Designated Ugly Fat Friend and the Hot Jock. Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper may not be the prettiest girl in her high school, but she has a loyal group of friends, a biting wit, and a spot-on BS detector. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school … of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush, who calls Bianca the Duff–the Designated Ugly Fat Friend–of her crew.
But things aren’t so great at home and Bianca, desperate for a distraction, 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.
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This book was not life changing or prize winning but it was good. Keplinger writes smoothly and her story flows from point “A” to point “B”. Her dialogue rings true (even if it is graphic at times, but hey…that was how I talked when I was high school) and her interactions feel realistic, not forced or silly. Keplinger gives you a story that feels like it could happen. A girl that is less than self-confident has best friends that she adores but feels less than stellar next to, she has issues with the parental units and her home life as well as the fact that she has boy problems. Seems real-life enough to me. Keplinger’s novel was so great to me because it lacked that over-the-top, “miracles happen everyday” fairy tale feel to it. Yeah, it did pretty much have a happy ending and the “Duff” got the boy (…. but which one? 😉 ),yet it was a straight-up look at how it feels to be that age without the Cinderella prom, limo, doves and other staples that fill YA/NA books.
I wanted to throttle Bianca at times as I am so much more outspoken but I really did like her even if her friends had to grow on me.
I wasn’t sure what I was in for when I won this book but I know now that I will keep an eye out for any of Keplinger’s books in the future.
I enjoyed this book very much. I quite literally could not put it down and the evening I started it, I stayed up until I had read it through! Right away I was drawn to the main character, she reminded me of how I felt in Jr. High and High School. The idea of a DUFF is a fairly new one to 30 somethings like me, but that feeling that girls have of being the “ugly” or possibly the “least pretty” friend in the group is something that we have likely all felt at some point or another. I liked how Bianca finally realized this by the end of the book and I think that will speak to the teens who read it.
I loved the character Bianca in this book, she is witty, sarcastic, and is real. So with some problems going on in her home, she wants to escape it all and mistakeningly kisses Wesley Rush, the biggest man-slut in her school. It’s really good, I enjoyed the style of the writing and it is such a page turner!!
the characters seemed a little more mature than most high schoolers I know, but it was written by someone in high school ( I think, or at least in early college), so I suppose the author had some basis for these characters. I loved it anyway
When I saw that a movie was coming out based on this book, I knew I had to read it before seeing the movie. I am so glad I am. The book was so much better than the movie (aren’t they almost always?).
A fantastic, funny, heartfelt story about identity, family and romance. The romance is unapologetically refreshing and Biancas’s journey will captivate the reader too through her doubt, her confidence, her fears and her friendships. Bianca tells it like it is about everything; except her own heart. Until she finally gets the nerve.
I have so many conflicting feelings about this book. There is so much hype surrounding this book and after reading the book it is easy to see why.
First of all, if you saw the movie based on this novel and are thinking of picking up the book then be prepared to be surprised because the movie and the book have completely different plots. I dare say that they are barely connected. They are vastly different stories. The movie is loosely based on the book at best. There are some of the same characters and a few of the scenes in the book take place in the movie but they are simply not the same story. I was a little shocked by this. I really loved the movie so my expectations were kind of high going into the book. Getting a completely different story was a bit of a letdown for me. But such things happen with movie adaptations. It’s just that this didn’t feel like an adaptation to me, it felt like a completely separate thing with barely any ties to its original source. If I were the author I would probably be insulted.
The fact that the story I got was not the story I was expecting aside, the book’s premise was not totally lacking. The plot was okay for the most part and engaging enough, I just didn’t much care for the execution. There were so many plot points that I felt were unnecessary or went against the characters’ personalities. It just felt kind of messy in general.
The major issue that I had with this book was the main character, Bianca. She was probably the most annoying, immature, and hypocritical character that I have ever read. Most of the time, anyway. Once in a while, she would say or do something that would spark a bit of pride inside my chest, but for the most part, I could not stand her character. Her cynicism really grated on my nerves and her internal thought process was irritating and absolutely aggravating. I could not connect with her character one bit. It isn’t often that I dislike a character to such an extreme degree that it affects my opinion of the entire book but such is the case with Bianca. Wesley’s character was a bit underdeveloped in my opinion. I think that he had so much more potential. I liked his character for the most part but his character development was pretty lackluster.
Bianca and Wesley’s relationship was messy. They jump into a physical relationship right away and Bianca hates him at that point. I guess I just didn’t feel like they had much chemistry. At least, nothing to write home about. They do get to know one another throughout all of the time they spend sleeping together so they do start to care for one another. That felt very organic but the rest of their relationship felt so disconnected. There was very little actual romance. I did love how Wesley showed Bianca that he cared though. He stood up for her against her own dad and then he pursued her after she rejected him. He did some romantic things but the same really can’t be said for Bianca. The romance felt very one-sided the entire time. There just wasn’t enough emotion so their entire relationship felt unconvincing.
Overall, this book is the DUFF in YA Contemporary Romance. This book really had so much potential but ultimately fell flat in so many ways. While I can applaud the author for some of the ideas in the story, I felt that the execution really needed some work. This book has a great premise and is certainly entertaining but everything else really drags down my opinion of the book. Unfortunately, all of the problematic things outweighed all of the good things for me.
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So the reason why I was interested in this book was because I liked the look of the movie, but from what I saw of the movie this is nothing like that which didn’t really bother me or change my thoughts on this book. I loved it, this book was just what I needed a contemporary. I loved the plot it is one we have all heard of and for the most of us we all love, and this was no different I loved Wesley and Bianca and all the other characters in this series. I did have 2 problems with the book, one of them were fixed by the end of the book but it still was a little problem for me.
I really liked the character of Bianca and although she was sleeping with Wesley she still hated him but she did like him at the same time. It was really amusing to see that dynamic at work and how they managed to talk about things that they wouldn’t talk about with other people, because who best to tell than the person you call your enemy who you won’t have anything to do with in public? I did feel a little disappointed in the representation of the friendship between Jessica, Casey and Bianca at times I felt like it was just there for the sake of being there and it soon became all too important about Wesley and that’s all that mattered to her. Thankfully that soon changed when she ended things for a bit I’d like to think things wouldn’t have gone back to the same thing.
Wesley was a character you knew on the outside was going to be a jerk but deep down knew he was hurting, although didn’t know the reason that is usually the case that they are hurting. I liked that at times he could confide in Bianca and actually talk to someone about what was going off. I also loved how he defended her in a certain situation I am not going to say what that was because of spoilers.
Now my two problems with the book.
Like with all books, parental responsibility seems to be lacking and this is a bug bear slightly because we all know in the real world it wouldn’t be possible. Bianca’s mum is absent for a while until she comes back, Casey’s dad didn’t want anything to do with them, Jessica’s parents divorced. Wesley doesn’t even see his parents, it’s like they just don’t want to have parents around. I’d like to say Bianca had some parental responsibility but her dad turned a bit in the middle of the book which again spoilers. Wesley was my main issue, he also had a sister who lived with their grandma but the grandma didn’t want him which was horrible. In the end of the book Wesley does tell his parents he wants them to come home, but the fact a teenager has to say that in the first place is kind of sad and tragic.
My next problem, sex. Don’t get me wrong we all know some teenagers have sex, but it was like EVERY teenager in this book was having sex which of course isn’t the case. I’ll give Kody Keplinger her dues she was making them all use protection and was aware of pregnancy and STD risks they were all having protected sex. But I just felt like some of the sex wasn’t needed like obviously it was the main storyline between Wesley and Bianca but almost EVERYONE was having sex except the adults, and it totally just felt like a stereotypical representation of it.
Other than those two minor problems which were slightly addressed, I really liked this book and I am definitely going to be reading some more of Kody Keplinger’s books because as much as I had those 2 issues I loved the story and the plot!
This book was *nothing* like the movie, and in my opinion all the better for it.
I expected something a lot different. I assumed this story is about an average high school girl, which will be treated badly by other girls. Because the book’s title is DUFF, I thought that pretty ugly girls would pick on Bianca, because she isn’t as ‘pretty’ as them. The first few pages totally surprised me. I mean, with my expectations and the course of this story, there couldn’t be anything more differing. When the DUFF suddenly has sex with the hottest guy in school – whom she hates like no one else I thought it must be a joke. I have never read a story as scurrile as this one.
The hottest guy at school is known for his reputation to have sex with every girl that’s willing – and there are a lot of them. At a bar, he comes up to Bianca and tells her about the definition ‘Duff’, and that she is exactly that. A Designated, Ugly, Fat, Friend. Her friendship with her two best girlfriends is really good and not like he described – that they just use her to stand out and be prettier and sexier than Bianca.
That she kissed him – a guy who insulted her – was already a shock for me, but I could not understand why she even got farther with him. But whatever. Lucky her. I am not the one to judge.
Something I also didn’t understand was, that Bianca and Casey have been best friends since a long time, and suddenly, since Bianca uses Wesley for distraction of her Problems, Bianca is not even talking to her best friend any longer.
Why does Bianca call her best friend a bitch, just because Casey is angry at her for ignoring her and not cancelling a Girls Night Out as appointed? In my opinion, Bianca’s the Bitch, not Casey. Hell, even I would be angry at my best friend for suddenly not talking to me anymore without explanation why and when we say we meet up, and she doesn’t show, I would really be mad and disappointed. That’s when I didn’t like Bianca any longer. She goes through a hard time and all but still, why be so mean to your friend?!
Yeah, just because of a guy.
Thank God, she came to senses at some point! Though it wasn’t like she really intended to, but since the situation needed it, she finally made up with Casey.
At the end, I quite enjoyed the book. It was a quick and easy read. There were some difficult topics picked up on, but never really discussed or found a solution for. If I were a teenager and reading this book, I wouldn’t grasp some of the major problems mentioned here.
Even though I doubt that there is a possibility of a real life HEA since they still have their whole lives ahead of them with endless options, I am a romantic and love any HEA I can get in a book.
The whole concept of this book felt stupid.
This story touches on many aspects of complex young adult life, including teenage romance, alcoholism in the family, and most importantly, self perception. Bianca tells the story from the first person perspective, but she never describes her own appearance very well. For all we know, she is absolutely gorgeous, but she doesn’t see herself that way. She takes the viewpoint of the boy she despises, and feels that she is the DUFF. She spends the majority of the book coming to grips with other people’s opinions about her, even though she professes not to care about them.
It’s well written, with good character development and pace. The ending is predictable, but that’s preferable to a horrible ending, which is the only alternative in most YA stories.
It’s good YA fiction. I give it a solid 4 stars.
I read this a few years ago after linking up with a friend of the author. While reading it, I remember thinking, “Man – Kody pushed the R rated limits while still making this entirely a teen’s book.”
I wish I had reviewed this right after I read it, but it is a book that sticks with me to this day. It’s a story about flawed teenagers, sex, cliques, and in the end, the simple fact that we are all DUFFs to someone . . . and we can totally own the title 🙂
BE WARNED IF YOU SEE THE MOVIE: It is nothing like the book and no where near as brilliant.
i love this book and i love the movie