The DUFF : designated ugly fat friend

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Title:

The DUFF : designated ugly fat friend

Alternate title:

Designated ugly fat friend

Author:

Keplinger, Kody, author.

Series:

DUFF ;

Series Number:

Summary:

When seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper starts sleeping with Wesley Rush, a notorious womanizer who disgusts her, in order to distract her from her personal problems, she is surprised to find that they have a lot in common.

Edition:

First media tie-in edition.

Physical Description:

277 p. ; 22 cm.

Subject Term:

Family problems -- Fiction.

Emotional problems -- Fiction.

Sex -- Fiction.

Dating (Social customs) -- Fiction.

Self-perception -- Fiction.

High schools -- Fiction.

Schools -- Fiction.

Publisher:

Poppy, Little, Brown and Company,

Publication Date:

2014

2010

ISBN:

9780316381802

Publication Information:

2014

New York : Poppy, Little, Brown and Company, 2014.

Call Number:

YA KEPLING

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003072488	Young Adult	KEPLING	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

An irreverent and irresistible New York Times bestselling romance between the so-called Designated Ugly Fat Friend and the Hot Jock.

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper may not be the prettiest girl in her high school, but she has a loyal group of friends, a biting wit, and a spot-on BS detector. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush, who calls Bianca the Duff--the Designated Ugly Fat Friend--of her crew.

But things aren't so great at home and Bianca, desperate for a distraction, 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.

Author Notes

Kody Keplinger was born in Kentucky. She wrote her first novel, The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend), while in high school. It was adapted into a motion picture. Her other books include LOL (Lying out Loud), Secrets and Lies, A Midsummer's Nightmare, Shut Out, and The Swift Boys and Me. She is the co-founder of Disability in KidLit and teaches at the Gotham Writers Workshops in New York City.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 10 Up-Bianca Piper, 17, is smart, outspoken, and loyal to her two beautiful friends. She is also convinced that she is unattractive, an opinion confirmed when school hottie and "man-whore" Wesley Rush calls her a "Duff" (designated ugly fat friend). Bianca responds by throwing her Cherry Coke in his face, but when her mother decides to divorce her father, who then lapses into drinking again, she becomes involved in a secretive sexual relationship with Wesley to take her mind off her problems. Bianca finds that as their love/hate relationship continues, she is falling in love with him. Not surprisingly, Wesley, who has family problems of his own, reciprocates and announces that, although he doesn't chase girls, he is chasing her. Eventually, everything comes to a satisfying but predictable conclusion. This debut novel is a fun read and surprisingly feminist in a number of ways. Keplinger makes good points about female body image and female friendship, and discusses how both men and women use offensive terms about women as a means of social control. Bianca and the other female characters are more believable and realistic than Wesley, who is straight out of female romantic fantasyland. It is a little difficult to understand why Bianca would get involved with him after he insults her, but in their romantic scenes, there is some seriously hot chemistry. These teens are realistically and openly sexual, and there are frequent discussions of such matters as birth control and STDs, as well as a few F-bombs. Older girls, including reluctant readers, will love this one.-Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

When school "man-whore" Wesley informs Bianca that, compared to her group of beautiful friends, she is the Duff-Designated Ugly Fat Friend-17-year-old Bianca is horrified, outraged, and can't stop thinking about the label ("I couldn't believe he was making me worry about such stupid, pointless, shallow bullshit"). Which makes it all the more upsetting when she starts hooking up regularly with Wesley (even though he continues to call her "Duffy"), as a distraction from her father's struggles with alcohol and the divorce her mother is seeking. Keplinger's premise will easily hook readers as she offers the kind of conventional romance (albeit one that is heavy on hookup sex) that summer teen flicks are made of in this well-written, irreverent, and heartfelt debut. Bianca's friends care about her deeply, so there is little drama between them; the arc of this story is more about Bianca coming to grips with her feelings for Wesley, who is actually a good guy, than about restoring her self-image. Bianca is consistently strong, witty, and confident, and while the nickname pinches, it does little to hurt her self-esteem. Ages 15-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.