Dumplin' by Julie Murphy is a a YA/Young Adult/Teen read about an overweight girl that breaks stereotypes. It's a fun contemporary fiction about Willowdean, a 16 year old, learning more about herself, what she is capable of, true friendship, and a little of what love and romance is.
I give Dumplin' 3.5 out of 5 Stars in my book review. This fun quick read is good, but it wasn't great. I liked that it was about breaking stereotypes. I liked that it is a book about a fat girl (she calls herself that, not me) and the struggles she has with loving and accepting herself. I liked that this book, a first in a soon to be series, was a light, quick read.
However, I didn't like that this book had so much potential and just left me with a "Meh" feeling. I didn't like that Willowdean really didn't have a positive body image or herself when a book about breaking stereotypes and a fat girl really should have.
Overall, I liked Dumplin', but it wasn't amazing. However, teenage girls in 9th grade and up would enjoy this read, and they probably wouldn't over analyze it like I do. As far as content is concerned this book has language, underage drinking, and sex is talked about. It's not squeaky clean, but it wasn't offensive.
Amazon had the following book description:
"For fans of John Green and Rainbow Rowell comes this powerful novel with the most fearless heroine—self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson—from Julie Murphy, the acclaimed author of Side Effects May Vary. With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine—Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.
Dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom, Willowdean 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 Teen Blue Bonnet Pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all."
To be honest, I would put this book more in line with Rainbow Rowell; I think John Green's writing has more depth, but Dumplin' is still a fun read.
Hare you read this book? Are you going to read it? Go check it out!
Happy Fun Light Contemporary Fiction Reading!
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