Kody Keplinger

Bianca Piper isn't peppy, cheery or flirty. She'd rather stay home on a Friday night binge watching old TV shows than being dragged to a crappy club and forced to dance to music that she hates.

But that is exactly where we find her at the beginning of the book. Sitting alone at the bar, nursing a Cherry Coke and watching the minutes tick by so agonizingly slow that she is almost tempted to go out on the dance floor. Almost.

Cue Wesley Rush.

Bianca is less than thrilled when he starts show more chatting with her, so much so that she doesn't even try to hide her distaste for him, but that doesn't stop Wesley. After all if he talks to her (The DUFF (designated ugly fat friend) of the group) that will make him more appealing in the eyes of her two hot friends.

After processing what Wesley said and what he called her all Bianca can do it throw her Cherry Coke in his face, find her friends and leave.

But Bianca can't get that four letter word out of her head, no matter how hard she tries she keeps thinking of herself as the DUFF.

When her home life gets to be too much and a blast from the past shows up the only thing Bianca can do to distract herself is... Well... Wesley.

Suddenly she finds herself addicted to him, needing him to keep her mind off of all the drama unfolding in her life.

It's nothing real, they aren't dating, it's simply a friends with benefits situation, minus the friends part.

But after a series of rather unfortunate events Bianca realizes that Wesley isn't as bad as she thought he was and that maybe, just maybe she's falling for him.

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I don't know why I'm so surprised that I loved this book as much as I did.

I think this is the first time ever that I watched the movie adaptation before reading the book so maybe that has something to do with it but let me just be clear- THE BOOK IS ALWAYS BETTER!

While the movie was all fun and games and centered mostly around the DUFF and what it meant, the book was so much deeper and felt much more real then it's counterpart.

I instantly felt a connection to Bianca, her snarky comments and constant cynicism spoke to my soul- or the lack there of.

I've never been a fan of 'insta-love' but after reading The DUFF I can say that I'm a HUGE fan of 'insta-hate'.

From the beginning Bianca despises Wesley and everything he stands for, he's a man-whore, nothing more.

But slowly she comes to realize that there is so much more to him than what she previously thought and that you can't judge a book by it's (seriously toned) cover.

One of my favorite parts is when Wesley tells Bianca "No matter where you go or what you do to distract yourself, reality catches up eventually."

I instantly had a flash back to Paul Varjack telling Holly Golightly that "No matter where you run you just end up running into yourself."

Distractions are just that, they don't make the problems go away, they don't make them any smaller or easier to deal with. Whether our problems center around being a DUFF, divorced parents or alcoholism.

Soon or later we have to face them head on.

For a man-whore Wesley had some pretty good advice. ;)

Simply put I adored this book.

I'm a little pissed at myself for having put off reading it for so long and I fully intend on making up for that with quite a few re-reads in the near future.

Until next time,
Ginger

In compliance with FTC guidelines I am disclosing that this book was given to me for free to review.

My review is my honest opinion. show less

Considering that I had absolutely nothing in common with any of the characters in this book, I found the first three quarters of it surprisingly enjoyable. But the ending.... Normally I am all about the happy ending, but after reading through the details of the characters' complicated lives and watching their utter failure to cope with any of that with anything approaching maturity, I just didn't buy that they could have a Happily Ever After. Not at this point in their lives, anyway.

Don't show more get me wrong: they made great strides toward maturity by the end of the book. And I'm sure there are couples out there who've worked through the kinds of unhealthy coping mechanisms exhibited by Bianca and Wesley. But The Duff's ending arrived too soon for me to trust that Bianca and Wesley would be one of those success stories. Their happy ending felt glib, insincere. A more equivocal, if still optimistic, conclusion would've been a better fit. show less

Bianca is horrified to realize that among her friends, she is the DUFF - the Designated Ugly Fat Friend. Casey is a modelesque (read: tall and thin), blonde cheerleader and Jessica is curvy and bouncy. Bianca, with her large hips, small boobs, and unmanageable hair, is definitely the DUFF. And when things start to fall apart with her parents, she finds herself swept up in a pseudo-relationship with the very guy who introduced her to the concept of the DUFF - Wesley. Wesley is a first class show more asshole and Bianca absolutely hates everything about him... except for the way his kisses help her escape the stress in her life. But when she finds herself thinking about him more and more, she'll have to decide - when is enough enough?

I found this book unexpectedly delightful! It's a strong debut by a teen author. Bianca felt like a very realistic character and her problems weren't simple. She turned to a somewhat destructive way of dealing with her stress, like some teens are wont to do. I love how Keplinger explores this without sounding message-y and still managing to give readers a satisfying conclusion. Keplinger's an author to watch. show less

Kody Keplinger and Sarah Kipin’s Poison Ivy: Thorns reimagines Pamela Isley’s origin, portraying her as confined to her house under the control of her menacing father. Pamela also feels a desperation to save the local park where she used to walk with her mother, though it’s now threatened with demolition for constructing high rises. Meanwhile, her high school offers no support beyond allowing her to tend to a greenhouse; the principal slut-shames girls and the jocks are the usual show more bullies. Fortunately, Alice Oh takes an interest and helps Pamela to find her confidence. Alice ends up spending time at Pamela’s house, where she discovers family secrets and becomes Pam’s confidant.

The story draws upon a rich vein of gothic literature, with echoes of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights including a secret in the attic. The Isley mansion further features a basement laboratory with a gothic revival/second empire aesthetic on the outside. Keplinger revels in the gothic moments of their story, developing the mood from the outset and adding meaning to each pause. Kipin’s art furthers this, with each glance, reaction, furtive gesture revealing characters’ truths. There’s a simplicity to Kipin’s art that makes it more accessible, as they focus on the most important features for emotion while referencing the movements and gestures that characterized the covers of gothic novels. Just as gothic literature explored gender roles, Keplinger’s story touches on Pamela’s gender identity without making it her defining feature. Fans of recent portrayals of Ivy in Harley Quinn and other titles will find this a welcome addition to the Poison Ivy oeuvre. show less