ARC Tour & Review: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

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.

I have to start out by saying that this was not a book I thought I would really be a big fan of, or be able to really get into, but I had read some positive reviews and decided to jump on the tour despite my hesitations. Boy am I glad I did! I was pleasantly surprised to find that I became far more invested in this book than I thought I would. Kody Keplinger is an author who drew me into the story and had me relating to characters I never thought I would.

I think this is going to be a book that will end up taking people off guard. You get the chance to see more of people than just the stereotype and category you/others might have filed them under previously. I didn't think that I would ever champion a womanizing, spoiled rich boy who treats people like their pawns to be moved around a chess board, but here I am, doing just that. Wesley surprised me and his relationship (or whatever you might call it) with Bianca and it had me invested the whole way through. I was laughing at them when they were ridiculous, and sympathizing with them when they were struggling with the events taking place. Keplinger had me from their first introduction and after that there was no way I could let go.

The DUFF was a new term for my vocabulary and at first I thought it meant exactly what it stood for (the designated ugly fat friend) but eventually further into the story, I think readers will agree and realize as I did that it's more than just an acronym, it's a state of mind that goes far beyond what I'd originally given it credit for.

Keplinger gave this story and scenario depth that I didn't think it would or had the potential for. I always love when I've been waiting for a book to come out that I've been dying to read and it turns out to be just as great and enjoyable as I knew it would be. What I like even more is when a book comes along like The DUFF, that I either didn't know enough about or wasn't expecting much from, and then turns out to be wonderful! It was so much fun to read. To me this was a book that turned out to be a dark horse that I wasn't anticipating or expecting and it surpassed my expectations by miles. That was The DUFF, a complete dark horse for me that I'm so glad I gave the chance and took the time to read, totally worth every minute.

I gave The DUFF 4 shamrocks!!!!