The DUFF: (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) [Hardcover]

Kody Keplinger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 7, 2010

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.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

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, NJα(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Duff stands for “designated ugly fat friend.” And while 17-year-old Bianca isn’t that fat or ugly, that’s what Wesley calls her as he tries to hook up with her more desirable gal pals. But Bianca has a surprise for him when she kisses him in response. Then, as her life gets more complicated (parents divorcing, father back on the bottle), she finds it easy to drown her own sorrows in their hot, no-strings-attached sex. There are subtle strings, however, especially as Bianca and Wesley find they are not quite what the other supposed. Lots of language, plenty of sex (well, instances, if not images), and contemporary references make this feel of the moment. But the underlying worry about one’s place in the sun is eternal. Teens will relate, even though the problems, especially at home, seem a retread and the characterizations are on the thin side. What’s best here is Bianca’s brazen voice. Even when confused, she is truer to herself than most. Grades 9-12. --Ilene Cooper

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Poppy; 1 edition (September 7, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316084239
• ISBN-13: 978-0316084239
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (167 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #128,661 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kody Keplinger is a TV buff, a Converse tennis shoe enthusiast, and a self-proclaimed hippie. She's the author of three Young Adult novels, including THE DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend), SHUT OUT, and A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE. She wrote THE DUFF during her senior year of high school in small town, rural Kentucky. Now, she lives in New York City, eats way too much Thai food, and lives in fear of the day when she is buried alive by all of her books. You can find her online at kodykeplinger.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An unexpected favorite! August 23, 2010

By Sara VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I'll admit that I didn't want to read The DUFF. Not one little bit. I kept hearing people talk about it and how excited they were and I just wanted to run in the opposite direction. The fact of the matter was, I didn't want to read a book about a "designated ugly fat friend," not when I felt like one myself. I suppose you could say that I was a bit afraid of Kody Keplinger's debut novel. I can now say that I would have been kicking myself forever if I hadn't given this novel a chance. Before I'd even finished reading, I realized that The DUFF is one the best contemporary YA novels I've ever read and that I may never be able to get it out of my head.

There were so many aspects of this novel that touched me emotionally. It feels cheesy to say that The DUFF inspired me, but there really is no other way to put it. As far back as elementary school, I've felt like the DUFF. Of course, I knew that my friends, who I think are gorgeous, intelligent girls, didn't like things about themselves, but, for the most part, I dismissed their complaints and insecurities. In my mind, they had nothing to complain about... at least not compared to me. I knew that my insecurities were magnified by my negative body image and self-esteem issues, but I could never truly bring myself to turn this self-destructive behavior around. Somehow, Keplinger's words and Bianca's story finally allowed me do this. For years, I've been putting myself down by comparing myself to my friends, when, in reality, we have all have flaws and characteristics that make us amazing and unique. Seeing how Bianca puts herself down, when the reader can clearly see that she's an amazing, vibrant person with so much to offer, really drove this truth about myself home. I truly believe that every girl, and many boys. have felt like or will feel like the DUFF at some point in their lives, and I applaud Kody Keplinger for having the guts - and the wisdom - to write Bianca's story because it's a story everyone can relate to.

I was surprised, but unbelievably happy to find that Keplinger tackles teen sex in The DUFF. Her treatment of the controversial topic is honest and, in my opinion, perfectly done. I can sincerely say that I have never read a sex scene in a YA novel that I believed as much as those found in The DUFF. I didn't feel that Keplinger condoned or discouraged teen sex, she merely presented a realistic portrayal, and, for that, I'm extremely grateful. I have no problem with sex in YA, but I firmly believe that if it's going to be incorporated, it must be done with tact. In my mind, Keplinger has written successfully what many seasoned writers cannot.

It was the romantic plot line that finally convinced me to pick up The DUFF. I can never resist a good love story and Keplinger did a phenomenal job. I find that I like my main character and her romantic interest to bicker and fight and sometimes flat our hate one another before they realize that, against all odds, that hate may have transformed into love - with some passion in between. I'm a huge fan of tension and denial and grand gestures and Keplinger's romance left me sighing happily. I'm especially impressed by the author's ability to nearly make me hate Wesley as much as Bianca does (at the beginning of the novel) and still have me completely in love with him by the end. I was terrified that he was just as bad as Bianca thought he was. And, in ways, I suppose he was. He was definitely flawed, he is, after all, a teenage boy, but he has so many wonderful qualities as well. Bianca and Wesley's romance is will forever be one of my favorites.

I'll definitely be buying myself a copy of The DUFF. And I'll definitely be recommending [forcing] my sisters and friends to read it as well. I'm in awe of this remarkable debut novel and I urge each and every one of you to read it, especially if you can say that you've ever felt like the a DUFF.

Grade: A+

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Icky heroine April 11, 2012

By booklass VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Bianca is supposed to be smart and sassy, a tough girl who protects herself with her mouth so no one can see how vulnerable she really is. That is how the author seemed to start the book, anyway. However, Bianca quickly morphs into one of the most unlikeable, unsympathetic heroines I've come across in a while. Her friends are saints for even keeping her in their vicinity. Bianca is a foul mouthed, crabby user of other people, and she never really redeems herself. She never comes to any real epiphany about her own true ugliness inside. The author tells the reader that Bianca is beginning to see her "neuroses" and faults, but this means nothing because the character's behavior shows the opposite of someone who has come to any sort of enlightenment.
A huge issue is the author's treatment of abuse. When Bianca is the victim, the author makes it pretty clear that it is wrong. However, when Bianca is dishing it out, the author treats it as kittenish behavior. In the last pages when Bianca tells the guy she ends up liking that she will hit him and throw things at him because that is just "who she is", I thought "So, she's an abuser, but it's okay because she's a girl??? And the author thinks this is, what, cute?" The treatment of abuse seemed like a double standard that I REALLY would not want a young adult to bond with. Also, as has been mentioned by others, there was the issue of the angry sex. The novel provides way too much detail and not just for a YA book, and the sex has an abusive quality that is only partially addressed.
Because the main character of Bianca is who the novel is really about, and because she is so distasteful to me as a main character, I cannot give the book more than one star. I just didn't like it.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars I feel like I've read this already October 1, 2010

By Zombie Unicorn

Format:Hardcover

The plot isn't original, and if you go to fanfiction.net, you'll see a thousand other stories with exactly the same scenario - womanizing playboy has a enemies-with-benefits relationship with the unpopular/not-pretty girl, girl eventually discovers she has feelings for the guy and attempts to break it off to salvage her heart, guy realizes he has feelings for the girl, etc...

The characters aren't original. Everyone fills a certain fanfic cliché. Rich, womanizing playboy lead guy. Ugly duckling heroine. Two hot blonde friends to compare the ugly duckling to. Token alcoholic father and absentee mother. Token rebound guy who's perfect for the heroine.

Everything in this book has been done already before. Fanfiction.net aside, anybody who has watched Cruel Intentions, Ten Things I Hate About You, and other teen flicks of the same flavor could see it. But it is entertaining. It's different and "edgy" from the other YA books because of the plot.

It's good for a rent or borrow from the library, not enough to buy.