Dumplin' by Julie Murphy Published by HarperCollins ISBN: 9780062327208
on September 15th 2015
Genres: Young Adult, Social Issues, Adolescence, Emotions & Feelings
Pages: 384
My rating:
Check it out in Goodreads
Synopsis
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.
Dumplin’ was a very high on my TBR list, and it didn’t dissapoint. I got it that time I went crazy on my first time at at B&N. There was a lot I enjoyed about the story, but these are the five that won me over!
1. Bo
Bo is Willowdean’s crush, and has been for the longest times. I love how he’s portrayed! As handsome, with his own troubles, normal physical imperfections, and not too intense. He’s a normal, but very sweet guy who is a gem. Seriously, he’s a major highlight!
2. Willowdean doesn’t give a crap
She has this attitude that makes you want to be like her. Her mom was the winner of a beauty pageant, and well, she’s constantly saying these things that would get her an ass-kicking if she weren’t Willowdean’s mom. It’s not that she doesn’t know she’s fat. She just doesn’t make fat into a bad word, just a description of how she looks, and she’s cool with that.
3. Except she does
People aren’t made of stone. So, while I appreciated having the main character be such a strong one, I appreciated even more those moments where the words cut through her armor, when her doubts threatened to overpower her, and she started making questionable decisions.
4. Girl Power
I love how she gets together with other girls and inspires them enter the pageant too! And how they struggle getting ready for the big day!
There IS romance, cue Bo and another name I won’t say because I’ll just get mad at Willowdean; but I think the bonds that she has with other people are on what the focus actually is, especially with the other girls! They are awesome girls who are judged all the time and they have a blast supporting each other and not caring.
5. Friendship
I had to give this its own little space because Willowdean’s relationship with her best friend is very important, and it kind hit a cord with me. It’s not only about your weight. There are tons of things that might make you feel inadequate, and for me, it became personal when the treatment Elle, her best friend, gets is so glaringly different from the one Willowdean gets. I was so mad, and that was a good thing, because I could totally relate with the difficult situation. How do you explain your best friend, who you appreciate so much, that next to her you tend to feel so, very… inferior? It’d be so embarrassing! And how would she react?
Fortunately, it’s not the case for me anymore, but it totally made me shed a few tears, and I think friendship here is a very important point.
It’s worth giving it a try! If you enjoy funny stories with a deep meaning behind with flawed characters and (Dolly Parton songs), then this is your book 🙂
Oh, yes! I loved Dumplin’ a lot when I read it—especially the Friendship aspect you mentioned! By the end, I actually felt like the book wasn’t really about the beauty pageant, but rather her friendships, and learning to be comfortable with yourself in your own relationships. Between Ellen and Millie, I thought that Willowdean had two different standards she was setting for herself in the wrong way, and she had to learn how she fit into the mix of things, which isn’t the way things were before. It was very empowering for female relationships.
(Also, Bo was very attractive in my head.)
Heather recently posted this awesome thing…D.A.Y. A.N.D. N.I.G.H.T. Tag
I totally agree with this post! I just read and reviewed Dumplin and these five things were definitely a few of my favorite parts of the book! I literally had no complaints – Willowdean is such a great character (and so is Bo :D)
Katie recently posted this awesome thing…Review // Dumplin’
Yay! I’m glad this was a hit for you! I was totally blown away by Willowdean. I know she’s not the most likable character, but she was herself and she was badass. She has her insecurities, but she’s also wonderfully snarky at times. Love everything about this book.
Cee recently posted this awesome thing…2015 YA Book Cover Choice Awards! · Semi-Final Round!
YES TO THIS! It set a wonderful example of someone who could very well exist and sometimes you just want to shake some sense into her but love her all the same!