Book Review: The Duff

"The Duff" by Kody Keplinger

Publication Date-June 7, 2011

Paperback Edition-277 pages

Genre-Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Humor

Rating-3.5 Lily Pads

Would I Recommend It? Yes
Possible Spoilers!!

Favorite Quote:

“No matter where you go or what you do to distract yourself, reality catches up with you eventually.” 

Hey guys. I finally read "The Duff". This book has been on my TBR for five years, basically since I first discovered booktube. I read "A Midsummer's Nightmare" by her and loved it. I thought I would love this book too but I was wrong. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad book I enjoyed it but I didn't love it like I did with her other book. I feel like I would've liked this book more if I read it five years ago when I was younger. As an adult I'm starting to get sick of reading books that take place in High School. I don't hate all of them, most Young Adult contemporary books I love but I think this one felt too young for me. I'm sick of reading High School drama and that's exactly what this book was. Anyway let's get on with the review. 

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 “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face. 

But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out 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.

The Plot-3/5

Honestly, this book doesn't really have a plot which is why I gave it a low rating. It's basically just about a girl in High School who is the fat girl in her group of friends. It's just her day to day life mixed in with family and friend drama and lots of hookups with the school's playboy, Wesley. Not much happens. There is a lot of sex in this book, I'm surprised this is YA and not New Adult. It's not graphic but most of the book is Bianca hooking up with Wesley. 

The Writing-5/5

I know Kody isn't the best writer out there but I really like her writing. Since I loved "A Midsummer's Nightmare" I had to give her writing style a perfect rating because I just love the way she writes. 

The Pacing-5/5

I had no issues with pacing so it gets a perfect rating. 

The Cover-2/5

I like the movie cover but I really don't like the original cover. It doesn't really go with the book and I just think it's ugly. 

The Characters-4/5

I gave the characters this rating because I liked most of the characters but not all of them. Let's start with Bianca. I really liked her. She's very sassy, negative and sarcastic and I loved that about her. She's a unique character and I had that attitude in high school so I could relate to that. She made some bad decisions in the book but no character is perfect. I just loved reading her inner thoughts. 

I loved her best friends, Casey and Jessica. They were very likable. I loved Casey because she's a great friend. I love that she's a blonde cheerleader but she wasn't a stuck up snob. The fact that she wanted to be friends with a chubby loser even though she's a gorgeous cheerleader says a lot about her. I also loved Jessica, she was so cute and bubbly. I liked Bianca's parents. As for the romance, yes there's a love triangle in this book. I loved Toby, he was such a good guy and it's sad when you root for the guy that isn't the main love interest. Obviously you can tell that I didn't love Wesley. Honestly, I didn't really like him. He's not the worst character ever but I never grew attached to him. He has a nice side and he's not just a arrogant/playboy but I just didn't like him. My main problem with this book is the romance. When it comes to romance I'm never picky. It was a love/hate relationship because they hated each other at first, but their relationship was lust and it was more of a "friends with benefits" thing where they didn't like each other but they hooked up and had sex constantly to distract themselves from problems in their lives and I did not approve of that. Bianca always talks about how much she hates Wesley especially since he made up her nickname "The Duff" but then she'll throw herself at him and then they'll randomly make out and have sex like 50 times, that's basically what the whole book is. That's not a healthy relationship, I just didn't like that.I hated that she used him.  And then the whole them developing feelings for each other thing happened too fast for me. By the end of the book it felt like insta-love. I honestly wanted her to be with Toby, the boy she's crushed on for years and he's so nice and perfect. But of course she has to choose the mean,womanizer bad boy right? They can never end up with the good guy. So yeah, that was the main problem I had with this book. I didn't like them together and I never rooted for them. So yeah that's why I didn't give the characters a perfect rating like I usually do. 

Enjoyment-4/5

Even though I didn't love this book I still enjoyed reading it. 

My Overall rating is 3.5 Lily Pads. I originally gave it a 4 but I thought it over and decided to lower the rating. I liked this book it was a quick read. I'm not sure if I'll ever reread it, probably not but we'll see. I don't know if I'm going to watch the movie since I didn't love the book even though I heard the movie is completely different. I would still recommend it and think it's worth a buy. If you loved this book I highly recommend "A Midsummer's Nightmare" by her, that one was better in my opinion. So yeah that was my review. Thank you so much for reading. I'll have more posts coming soon so stay tuned. Happy reading! :)

Book Review: Ensnared

"Ensnared" by A.G. Howard(Splintered #3)

Publication Date-January 13, 2015

Paperback Edition-416 Pages

Genre-Young Adult, Fantasy, Retellings, Romance

Rating-5/5 Lily Pads

Would I Recommend It? If you loved the other books I highly recommend this one!

No Spoilers!!

Favorite Quotes:

Page 1-"I once thought memories were something better left behind...frozen pockets of time you could revisit for sentimental value, but more of an indulgence than a necessity. That was before I realized memories could be the key to moving forward, to recovering the fate and future of everyone you love and treasure most in the world".

Page-175
"I love your faults and imperfections. Your kind heart, the scars that match mine, and the struggles to find ourselves. I want your humaness. Nothing else."

Hey bookworms. I finished "Ensnared" last night and loved it! This trilogy was amazing and it's definitely a favorite series of mine now. I'm so sad it's over. This series was an incredible journey and I'm so glad I experienced it. I have never read such a unique series before. This trilogy has a special place in my heart and it will always stand out to me. 

The Plot-5/5

I really liked the plot for this book because it took place in Wonderland again. I really liked reading about the real world in "Unhinged" but I missed reading about Wonderland so of course I had to give the plot a perfect rating. 

The Writing-5/5

As always, her writing style was so beautiful and amazing in this book. The way she describes Wonderland is so amazing, it's feels like your really there with Alyssa. She is definitely a favorite author of mine now, I just love her writing. 

The Pacing-5/5

I thought the pacing was fine. I wouldn't say the beginning was slow but it wasn't as fast paced as the second half. I think I just read this book at the wrong time because I was sort of confused throughout the second half. I think it's because I read this book late at night and I was exhausted so I'm sure my brain missed a lot of details but that's okay. It wasn't the book, it was me. 

The Cover-5/5

These covers are just the prettiest book covers ever! Even though my favorite cover is "Unhinged" I still love this cover. I love the red and Jeb's on it so I can't really complain :)

The World-5/5

If you've read this series you'll understand why I love the world so much. Wonderland is just such a beautiful, magical world and A.G. Howard did an amazing job with it. I had to give it a perfect rating because the world is what makes this series so unique and it really stands out from all the other Young Adult Fantasy settings. 

The Characters-5/5

Obviously I have to give the characters a perfect rating because I loved them so much! They are the reason why this is one of my favorite series now. I'm not gonna go into too much detail about them because I talked about them more in my review for "Splintered". But just know that I love these characters. Alyssa is such a great protagonist. I love how loyal she is to the human realm and wonderland. She's such a sweet, strong character. Jeb is just amazing, he's such a good guy and I'm so glad he got a happy ending because he deserves it. As for Morpheus, he was definitely my favorite character in this series. I love him because his character is so cool and complex. He is actually a really good person and I love his loyalty to Wonderland and Alyssa. I am so glad he finally got his happy ending with his one true love. I loved the ending so much. I'm not  gonna say what happens but the ending was just perfect. I love Allie's parents and I'm so happy for them.

Enjoyment-5/5

Just like with the other two this book was so much fun to read. I just loved these books, they were so easy to read and I found myself getting lost in the world so easily. It's hard to explain but it's just such a fun read. 

My overall rating for this book is 5/5 Lily Pads since all the categories got perfect ratings. This trilogy was just so perfect, I'm so glad I finally read it and I can't believe I waited so long. If you haven't read this series yet, you need to. It is the most unique series you'll ever read in your life. These books are worth a buy not just because of the gorgeous covers but because the insides are just as amazing. I definitely want to read "Untamed" some time but I don't know when I'll get to it because I'm on a book buying ban right now. I can't wait to read her other books, "Roseblood "and "The Architect of Song."  She is now one of my favorite authors and I can't wait to see what else she comes out with. That was my review. I'm sorry this review is up late. I wanted to finish the book sooner but I haven't been reading as much this week. Thank you so much for reading this review. Stay tuned for more coming soon and happy reading! :)

Book Review: Unhinged

"Unhinged" by A.G. Howard(Splintered #2)

Publication Date- January 6, 2015

Genre-Young Adult, Fantasy, Retellings, Romance

Paperback Edition-418 Pages

Rating- 5/5 Lily Pads

Would I recommend it? If you loved the first book, you should read this one!

No Spoilers!!

Favorite Quotes:

Page 197- "So, do you see now? he asks. "Why she doesn't want you driving that car? It's too easy, when you have unharnessed power at your fingertips, to forget you're not invincible. To make rash decisions that can affect your whole future."

Page 252- "Had it been anyone other than the boy who bled himself dry for you in Wonderland," he answers. "I would have killed him with my bare hands-no magic required."

Page 290- "I've often wished he could replace all those bad memories with the good ones we've made together since. But now, more than ever, I realize how important every memory is, bad or good, because they shape who we become."

Hey guys. So I just finished "Unhinged" today and really enjoyed it. It's a great sequel. This review is going to be short because I don't have much too say without spoiling anything. I hope you enjoy it. 

The Plot-5/5

Even though this book doesn't take place in Wonderland like the first book, I still enjoyed the plot. I liked that it was more slow paced because we got to see Alyssa's normal life in our world. 

The Writing-5/5

Just like with the first book, I love her writing style. It's just so wonderful, that's all I can say about it. 

The Pacing-5/5

Even though "Unhinged" wasn't as fast paced as the first book, the pacing was still perfect. I was never bored at all. The first half was just as good as the second half. 

The Cover-5/5

Obviously I love the cover of this book. It's purple which is my favorite color. It's definitely my favorite cover out of the three and Morpheus is on it so how could I not love it?:)

The World-5/5

This book takes place in our world but I'm still going to give it a perfect rating because I love this series. 

The Characters-5/5

I absolutely love the characters in this series! They are so amazing and well developed. I liked Alyssa in "Splintered" but I love her even more. She's just a great character. I still love Jeb, he's such a sweetheart. I love his relationship with Alyssa. I also love Morpheus too. Yes, I still don't completely trust him, but his loyalty to Alyssa is incredible. The love triangle is so hard for me. I love both guys and want her to end up with both of them. However, I'm more Team Morpheus now, I want her to be with him but if she ends up with Jeb I'll still be happy because I love him too. I love Al's Mom and Dad. 

Enjoyment-5/5

I had fun reading this book. It was very enjoyable. The way she writes is so amazing. She makes it so easy to picture everything in your head and I felt like I was watching a movie while reading this book. Overall, I loved this book. 

Since I gave all the categories a perfect rating, my overall rating for this book is 5/5 Lily Pads just like "Splintered". This book was a great sequel. It was just as good as the first book. If you haven't read this series yet you need to. It's so unique and wonderful! These books are definitely worth a buy. This book ended on a cliffhanger so I'm planning on diving into the last book soon. I need to know what happens. Stay tuned for a review for "Ensnared" coming soon. That was my review, thank you so much for reading, and happy reading!