Published by: Balzer+Bray, September 15th 2015
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 375
Format: Ebook
Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) 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 Clover City beauty 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.
With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine—Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.
I didn't know precisely what to expect from Dumplin. It sounded like everything I wanted in a contemporary - body positive MC, Dolly, and unlikely ladies competing for a beauty pageant crown. Turned out I loved it.
Bo was a complete surprise of a love interest. I didn't have much expectations for romance but it was lovely and swoony and he's really sweet. I wasn't fussed on Mitch, who's kind of another love interest but not really, since there's literally no spark between them at all. The Mitch/Willowdean thing made the middle of the book pretty flat for me, tbh. But the beginning and end were enough to make up for it and I loved all the other characters. I loved Willowdean and her confidence and insecurity. She was a true, real person, not just a character, and I really connected with her. I loved her misfit band of friends, too. (Hanah's personality is 100% my personality.) The story was great, and a lot more happened in the book than I was prepared for.
Fun and feel good and heartwarming.
Bo was a complete surprise of a love interest. I didn't have much expectations for romance but it was lovely and swoony and he's really sweet. I wasn't fussed on Mitch, who's kind of another love interest but not really, since there's literally no spark between them at all. The Mitch/Willowdean thing made the middle of the book pretty flat for me, tbh. But the beginning and end were enough to make up for it and I loved all the other characters. I loved Willowdean and her confidence and insecurity. She was a true, real person, not just a character, and I really connected with her. I loved her misfit band of friends, too. (Hanah's personality is 100% my personality.) The story was great, and a lot more happened in the book than I was prepared for.
Fun and feel good and heartwarming.
Characters ★★★★★
Setting/world ★★★☆☆
I can not wait to read this book!
ReplyDeleteYou will LOVE it. If I'd read it before Christmas, it would 100% have been your present.
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