Review: Dumplin

Title: Dumplin
Author: Julie Murphy

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.

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So Dumplin has been out for a while now but I never gave the book much thought until I heard it was going to be a movie.While looking though the books at the Texas Teen Book Fest I stumble upon a affordable signed copy of Dumplin I snatched it up and later I had a chance to get i personalized by the lovely Julie Murphy herself. It was a wonderful moment were I word vomited on her about how I liked her books and congratulated her on getting her book turned onto a movie.

Willowdean also known as Will is the type of main character that was a bit hard for me to like.I feel like this was mainly because while I love YA books, sometimes it's rough reading from a YA perspective. Will is brave,self consistences and a typical teen girl.What I liked about Willowdean and the other characters was how relate-able they all were. Willowdean decided to do the whole beauty pageant thing to get back some confidence and year that happened,but she also gained some friends and a new perspective on who she was and who the people around her are.

The cover is simple and cute,it really seems to fit with the story perfectly.I can not wait to read the companion book to Dumplin called Puddin that's coming out in 2018!!Also fun fact if you didn't already know Dumplin is being turned into a movie. I'd definitely recommend everyone check out the book before the movie.3.5/5