Keplinger truly understood what it was like to be that age, and wasn’t afraid to show the explicitness that comes with it. The protagonists were all seventeen and the author was seventeen when she wrote it. There was something about this book that made it really easy to read. What’s worse is that Wesley didn’t even realise how bad it made her feel another reason why people should think before they speak. Bianca coped with the insult but it truly affected her. I hate the fact that self-esteem is built or broken because of the opinions of others, but its the truth. I think it really demonstrated how much a word like ‘ugly’ can affect a girl, especially when it comes from someone of the opposite sex. What I really loved about this book, though, was the way the label ‘Duff’ affected Bianca. His name instantly tells you he’s someone that would ask if he could kiss you, and would walk you to your door at the end of a date. I preferred the romance she shared with Toby Tucker. I was able to understand the relationship, but not connect with Bianca because of it. Of course, it’s probably realistic, as ‘romance’ becomes more of something we put in inverted commas rather than a reality. The relationship dynamic between the couple made me feel uncomfortable.

However, it seems they were operating under the rule ‘sex first, love later’, which is what ends up happening. (Bianca’s parents are getting a divorce and her dad’s an alcoholic.) Not the kind of relationship to promote. The basis of their relationship revolves around having sex to distract them from their family problems. Even the name makes you want to roll your eyes. (This book is certainly filled with a lot of stereotypes of what’s beautiful.)īianca tries to defy this label and she does this with the help of womaniser Wesley Rush. Even though the main character, Bianca, is none of these things, its a label used to separate her from her friends, who are seen as prettier because they have bigger chests and longer legs. So, DUFF stands for designated, ugly, fat friend. After seeing that this book was going to become a movie (and that it was only 99p on Kindle) I was super intrigued to see what ‘The Duff’ was about…and what the word even meant.

The duff book author