Friday Fling! The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

 

During Friday Fling , I share with you a "just for fun" romance book or novella that I read and really enjoyed.  It will generally be a "mini review" instead of a full review and I'll often stray from my YA focus into the realm of adult romance (which, in case you're curious, is my not-so-guilty pleasure).  These are books that I think are fun, quick reads that are definitely worth checking out!



I haven't featured a YA novel on Friday for awhile so I wanted to spotlight a really fun book that I read this week!

Publisher:Little Brown/Poppy
Release Date: 7 September 2010
Get it! Amazon | B&N

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. (from GR)

There was just SOMETHING about this novel that really, truly pulled me in.  In discussing it with a friend shortly after finishing it, I think that what really struck me was the depth of the characters and the way in which Kody Keplinger nailed teenage emotions (perhaps because she was so young herself when she wrote this). The characters felt like real people to me and they all had their ups and downs.  I enjoyed watching the not-a-relationship relationship develop between Biana and Wesley and picking out the moments when there was clearly a shift in one or both of them.  Also, I really liked her friends because they were not at all like I expected them to be (in a good way).