Synopsis
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.
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.
-Goodreads.com
My Review
It wasn’t till after finishing the book that I realised it
was written by an 18 year old, but it honestly didn’t feel like it. A) Because
the writing reflected maturity, unlike other books written by young authors ie
Halo by Alexandra Adornetto (Which I personally hated). And B) because of the
number of times the F* Bomb was dropped.
The whole idea surrounding the book, is that in each group
of girls there is a Duff. While reading the book, you start to understand the
point of view the author is trying to get across. The book is not simply a ‘woe
is me’ story about a self-conscious girl and all her body issues, but rather a
story about the self consciousness that all woman posses at some point in
time... even the drop dead gorgeous ones. At some point in their life, everyone feels
like the duff. A designated ugly fat friend; the one who is not necessarily less
pretty but feels less pretty than the rest of her cohort. I know that I’ve
definitely felt like the duff of my group, but there have been times I know my
friends have felt the same way also.
As the book progresses I, along with the main character
Bianca, go from hating the word (purely because it makes me think of my ugly duckling
days) to accepting it, as a way of feeling rather than a way of being. I think
this is a great book for young girls (Despite the large scale amount of
swearing), as it deals with the insecurities that all of us have at some point
or another. The book was simple, yet heartfelt and I found myself getting very
attached to the characters which oozed personality.
My rating: 4/5
