Kody Keplinger : THE DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend)

Warning! This book will get under the skin of every reader and book reviewer... even the harsh ones.

THE DUFF ( Designated Ugly Fat Friend) is a contemporary young adult novel written by Kody Keplinger. Kody was only 19 years old when this book was published in 2010. And since then she has written three other books. That's a very impressive achievement for someone her age. Especially, since all of her novels have been a big hit with the targeted audience.


I have been totally clueless until I was browsing through #Istagram couple months ago and stubbled upon the pics from the recently shot film adaptation of THE DUFF. And when I found out that it's a well selling YA novel, I had to have it and discover what this whole phenomena is all about.

And the result? It took me only 19 hours to read this book, as I fell under its spell immediately and weren't able to put it down.


Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper knows she's not the hottest girl at school, but she is ok with it. She has her amazing friends Casey and Jessica and together they are going through their high school experience. They have a wonderful friendship and share a bond filled with trust. Bianca is slightly sarcastic girl who tries to keep everything real and doesn't wear pink glasses to pretend that maybe one day she will become Prom's Queen. But she likes herself and her life. She is satisfied. That changes when the school man-whore and jerk, Wesley f***ing Rush calls her a DUFF - Designated Ugly Fat Friend. The word seems to become centre of her life. It starts to bother her, and with it comes a series of unfortunate events which cause Bianca to enter a very unusual friendship with Mr I-shag-everything-with-a-vagina himself. What happens when Bianca's coping mechanism starts to intervene with her life?


Let's talk about the edition first. Modern design with bright colours. Yellow bold writing and beautiful image on the front. Paperback. 341 pages long. Easy to take everywhere with you. And trust me, you won't be able to leave it at home.

This book just gets to you from the first page. Modern. Smartly written. Hilarious. Packed with energetic witty dialogues and story-telling. It reminds you of every teenage romantic comedy out there, but it is also unique in its own way. You catch yourself laughing out loud and the sarcastic comments and remarks of Bianca's and Wesley's and their interaction has you in stitches. This story charmed its way into my heart and soul. I couldn't put it down. I tried to take a break from it, but I kept picking it back up and kept on reading. "Only one more chapter..." I kept on saying. 19 hours!! It took me only 19 hours to read this book. I loved it so so much.


It was the perfect read for cold autumn night. Wrapped in the blanket, a mug of hot tea by my side, I read on. The story was brilliant, funny and very entertaining. It's packed with modern references. The writing is smart, ageless and so so easy to read. It's written exactly how you'd desire. It's written how you would think. Enjoyable and intelligent.

Bianca is one very relate female character. She is sarcastic. Realistic. A say how it is. But she is also scared. Scared for her family. Worried for her friends. And she doesn't like being pushed to share. She has her own way of coping with things. Wesley is an arrogant playboy, who is the most popular guy in school every girl wants to tame. He sleeps with them, but he doesn't date them. 'Wesley rush doesn't chase girls. They chase him.' He is a big jerk on the outside, but inside he has a big lonely heart. Casey is a best friend, every girl dreams of having. She is loyal, caring, funny and always there for you when you need her. Jessica is the girl who seems to have all the light in the world in her. Yes, she might have her pink shades on,  but she cares and with her you know that she does everything in her power to make you smile. All the characters are just wonderful. You want them to be your friends. You want to be in the story with them.


I loved the story. I have truly enjoyed Kody's taking on how name calling can affect someone's life. Being called whore, duff, slut, geek, jerk.. every single on these names can cause a hurtful damage to a person. You are hurting people and causing uncontrollable pain by using these words. There is no reason why one person should be beneath you. We all are different. We all look different. We all like different stuff. But we are human beings and are unique in our on way. We are all special. And we all have a reason to be here. We all have the right to live our lives the way we want to. Without being judged or labelled. And Kody's explains every angle of how words can affect people's life, in her story with humour and seriousness in the same time.

All in all, I have fell for this book from the start. I enjoyed every single page, every single chapter. I just couldn't put it down. I was glued to it. I am a big fan of teenage romantic comedies and this book reminded just of them. And I welcomed it. I love reading love stories and this one was pretty good. 


Thank you Kody Keplinger for writing such a wonderful piece which restored my faith in love, friendship and humanity. I cannot wait to read SHUT OUT & A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE. They have been delivered today :)

Quotes from the book which made me stop and laugh out loud: 

“Spanish, huh?" he said, glancing down at the scattered papers as he grabbed them. "Can you say anything interesting?"
"El tono de tu voz hace que queria estrangularme." I stood up and waited for him to hand over my papers.
"That sounds sexy," he said, getting to his feet and handing me the stack of Spanish work he'd swept together. "What's it mean?"
"The sound of your voice makes me want to strangle myself."
"Kinky.”

“Your sense of humor needs some work, then," Wesley suggested. "Most girls find my jokes charming."
"Those girls must have IQs low enough to trip over.”

“You can lie to yourself if you want, but reality is going to catch up with you. I’ll be waiting when it does… whether you like it or not.” 

“Just when I think you might have a soul, you say shit like that.” 

“I was the Duff. And that was a good thing. Because anyone who didn't feel like the Duff must not have friends. Every girl feels unattractive sometimes. Why had it taken me so long to figure that out? Why had I been stressing over that dumb word for so long when it was so simple? I should be proud to be the Duff. Proud to have great friends who, in their minds, were my Duffs.” 

“For a girl with such a fat ass, I felt pretty invisible.” 

“He sleeps with everything that moves, and his brain is located in his pants - which means it's microscopic.”


“I’d skipped the crush kiddie pool and jumped right into the deep, shark-infested ocean of emotions. And, if you’ll forgive the dramatic metaphor, I was a lousy swimmer.”


“What you are is an inteligent, sassy, sarcastic, cynical, neurotic, loyal, compassionate girl. That's what you are, OK? You're not a slut or a whore or anything remotely similar. Just because you have some secrets and some screwups...You're just confused...like the rest of us.” 

“Love is rare and hard to find and takes years upon years to develop. Teenagers don't fall in love.”

Josephine Angelini : STARCROSSED

Warning! Don't be put off by the cheesy title. This book actually pretty good.

STARCROSSED is the first instalment of the same named book series, written by Josephine Angelini.


To be honest, I didn't think much of this book as the title screams cheesiness to me. But as a book reviewer and critic, I need to widen my horizons and read books which I might not like (Gone Girl pops to my mind - what a waste of valuable reading time.), so I decided to include this story in Autumn Reading Challenge. And how pleasantly surprised I was.


Meet Helen. Gorgeous, but very insecure girl who has been hiding from others and their bitchy mouths and attitudes. She spends her free time with her best friend Claire aka Giggles. Helen is smart, kind and a very talented athlete. She can run faster than you can say Starcrossed. She has always fell like an outsider and been bullied for most of her life. But she has also fell different to others. And sometimes, that can be lonely. That changes the moment mysterious Delos family moves into the large estate on their small island and Helen stumbles upon Lukas Delos. Well a stumble isn't the right word. She sees him in the hallway of her high school and instantly thinks two things: He is the most gorgeous guy she has ever lied eyes on; and she wants to kill him with her bare hands. There's a greek mythology involved and we are thrown into eventful ride.

Ancient Greek Mythology. Check. Gods, Demigods, Ancient curses and shady deals. Check. A hell of a lot secrets, which can cause the destruction of the world. Check. Forbidden Love. Check. This is a great recipe for a tasty, very juicy story.

You all know that I have a big soft spot for Greek Mythology. It fascinates me. So, I think that was the reasoning behind buying the book in the first place. I've been staying away from it, as the title kind of puts me off. It seems cheesy and made me skeptical about the content inside its pages. But once I started reading the book, I actually really really liked it.

Entertaining. Smart. Eventful. Thrilling. Exciting. Packed with action and secrets which kept on giving. I found myself glued to the pages, really getting into the story. I had my own theories of what is going on, but each time it managed to surprise me. And all the way I had my fingers crossed for Helen & Lukas to find a way to be with each other. They are so cute. But at the same time, I do appreciate that this love story is not all lovey dovey. I love the fact that they kissed only handful of times, the author is really making them work for it.

Helen is a great character which many of readers, female readers, can relate to. Especially with the social awkwardness and being bullied by popular kids at school. Lukas is a wonderful male protagonist, who is like a melt in the middle pud. He can be very stubborn and manly, but at the same time he cares for people. He will do anything to protect the ones he loves. My two favourite characters are Jason and Claire. I love their dynamic and banter and pretended love/hate relationship.


The whole book is packed with witty conversations and amazing surprises. It's like a ride on a roller-coaster. Its ups and downs make you even more invested in the story. I have loved how many secrets can one family have. And even then, more are pilled on the top. I enjoyed how the author incorporates the Greek Mythology and various world famous characters and important figures in history. The timeless story of Helen & Paris love which led to 10-year war, where the beautiful empire Troy has been destroyed and burnt to the grounds, is wonderful. It kind of reminded me the story of Teardrop by Lauren Kate ( Is this where Ms Kate found her inspiration for her new book series?). But where Ms Kate failed to engage the reader, Ms Angelini excels. This story just gets under your skin and you are not able to put the book down.

I am now really looking forward to read the other two books in this series: DREAMLESS & GODDESS. I have the feeling that Helen won't have an easy journey in finding her true destiny. I can smell that our power couple have a rocky ride ahead of them. Will their love make it till the end? Or are we looking at another love triangle where the one I want the main heroine to be with, ends in tears and betrayal by making the wrong choice? I guess I have to wait and read before I can find out.

Well done Ms Angelini. I have loved your take on the modern Greek Tragedy & Mythology. You have found yourself another reader.

James Dashner: THE MAZE RUNNER

Warning! Nothing is what it seems to be. The Maze is one big huge secret.

THE MAZE RUNNER is a ground breaking, best-selling novel (first one in the series) written by American author James Dashner.

I will be honest, I have had this book on my book shelf for a while, but only recently it made it on my list of books for Autumn Reading Challenge. Maybe, the reason might the fact that the film adaptation has come out this month; maybe, it's because I couldn't wait to find out for myself what is the fuss about. But I can tell you one thing for sure, I do not regret reading this book.

The Maze Runner has been compared to Hunger Games trilogy. I have not read the Hunger Games... Yet. But comparing to the films, my opinion is : It's better than the Hunger Games. It's better than Divergent. Possibly, it might one of the best book series, I've read. But that depends on the other two sequels.. I guess...

The Maze Runner is a story of group of boys who are dropped off into mysterious Glade. The story starts with Thomas. He doesn't remember who he is, where he comes from or what happened in the past. All he remembers is the general knowledge of world's history and happenings, and his name. And he is not the only one. All the boys in the Glade have gone through the same things. Thomas starts to learn about the life in Glade, when things start changing. First, there is a new newbie dropped into Glade the day after Thomas arrived. Second, the newbie is a GIRL. Like a girl girl. And she has a mysterious message. That more things, dangerous things come around the corner. What it all means? Why this group of boys has been put into the Glade in the first place?

This book has been a dangerous exciting ride packed with excitement.  I have loved every page and every single chapter of this book. I couldn't believe my eyes what I was reading. It was so inventive, original,  exciting, dangerous, thrilling, but at them same very easy to follow and read. It took my breath away with its continuous surprises, twists and turns. Its brilliance shines through its pages. The twists and turns written in the story are fantastic. You find yourself glued to the pages and you don't want to let go. It's absolutely fascinating.

All the characters are true to normal personalities of teenagers who were put into dangerous environment and are learning to survive. And I think they are coping rather well. Let's meet some of the main characters:

THOMAS. Smart, heroic, wanting to help others all the time. He is a bit confused at the beginning. But slowly his hero personality shines through and he proves to himself and others that he is one of the most brilliant people they know.

TERESA. I was not sure about this character when she showed up in Glade, probably because she spent most of book in a coma, but she is beautiful, intelligent a clearly there is a big secret connection between her and Thomas. I am sure we will find out more about it in the other books.

NEWT. I think he is my favourite character. He can be annoying at times, but I think he could be a great leader. He isn't judgemental and always hear everyone's point of view, before he makes his mind up. And he is always fair and believes in you.

CHUCK. Sweet innocent Chuck, who became one of the bravest characters at the end. He was like the younger brother who keeps annoying you, but soon enough you know that you love him unconditionally.

MINHO. Sometimes brutally honest, but wonderful friends. He is very practical and tries to do his best. Although he might loose his courage from time to time, at the end he fights for survival with every he's got.

The Maze Runner is an epic story of fight to survive the unexpected. It's packed with action and countless unexpected, sometimes hurtful secrets, which keeps you on your toes with its constantly thrilling plot. Honestly, these kids must have done something seriously wrong in their past lives to deserve to be put through these challenges.

You will fall for this story so much, that when you reach the end of the book, you will want to read on  and start the next book immediately. Guaranteed cliff-hanger which will leave you with your mouth wide opened. I cannot wait to finish my Autumn Reading Challenge so I can move on to THE SCORCH TRIALS & DEATH CURE.

Of course, I cannot wait to see the film adaptation which is in cinema at the moment. In the meantime, check out the trailer below!