Review - The Duff by Kody Keplinger

Published by Poppy

Published 7 September 2010

Summary - 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 "Duffy," she throws her Coke in his face. 

But things aren't so great at home right now. Desperate for a distraction, Bianca ends up kissing Wesley. And likes it. Eager for escape, she throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with Wesley.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out that 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 am going to start by saying this quite possibly is the only review i've ever wrote where I have literally nearly peed my panties laughing the whole time.  And it's funny to me because this book just is so not funny, and yet, I can't look at the cover without laughing.  Because you know what? oh crap this book is just SO bad.  I would go as far to say it's FACE OFFENDS ME, but seen as though it doesn't have a face, i'll say this instead - all the hype, all the clever marketing techniques used, just everything said about this book before it was published just seemed to self implode by the end of page one.  And i'm going to tell you why.

Firstly, I'm by no means a prude.  Even typing that statement gave me the giggles.  I mean, I'm all for a bit of YA filth, seriously, I LIVE for that kind of shit.  There is nothing more thrilling to see your favourite characters get down to the Good Stuff.  BUT that thing has to be there, and by thing, I obviously mean I have to like the characters.  When you don't like the characters, them doing the nasty is just that.  Nasty.  So, even though the sexual element of the book was what drew me to it in the first place (hey! don't even try and tell me it wasn't the reason YOU bought it too), it seemed to be something that was trying oh so hard to be risque and controversial.  To me, it felt like I should have been thinking "Oh. Em. Gee.  This girl has a SEX LIFE" and I should somehow be shocked by a teenage girl embracing her sexuality and actually having sex, when really, I was a bit like "so she has sex? so do most of the population".

I'm not going to lie; fiesty, kick ass, snarky girl characters are my favourite kind, because they are AWESOME.  Bianca had been boxed into this category and I figured I would love her and her obviously douchy ways, but man, I tried so hard to like this girl but it just never happened.  She just had no redeeming qualities that could sway me, she was so judgemental of how other people chose to live their lives that it just made me plain mad.  Yes, Bianca has a pretty shitty home life and has to deal with that dick wad Wesley all the live long fracking day, but she was just HORRID.  I know I should've empathised with her, even the most horrible people can be redeemed (Snape, I am talking to you, I love you from the start!), but with the pitfalls of bad characterisation she just deflated more and more as the book progressed.  I mean, she was horrible to her best friends, whom I would like to invite to my house for cocktails, drinking all that Cherry Coke at The Nest must get tedious at times, and I could show them a good time.  Not like that Debbie Downer Bianca.  She deserves a drink in HER FACE!!

There is a good message in this book, and it does a little for promoting female empowerment and embracing your sexuality, but in the hands of poorly constructed characters, the message failed to make its mark on me.  I never understood Biancas attraction to Wesley, who I don't even want to talk about because he just pissed me off.  Wesley was a walking talking cliche, with his stunning good looks, cocky attitude, and muscular physique.  I KNOW, those all sound very hot, believe me, he does sound hot, but then he opens his mouth and I want to punch him in his face.  The pair of them just grated on me with their unauthentic teenage voices and medicore back stories.  

I was dissapointed at best, what with the lack of depth of the characters and sometimes "what the CRAP" plot points, i'm proud of myself for even finishing this book.  I mean, I realise this book goes a long way to promoting good body perception and loving yourself for who you are regardless of petty prejudices, but there is only so far you can go with under developed characters, so the message didn't quite hit the important part of my brian.  There wasn't enough weight to the story for any of it to ring true.