you and i are the same.

The Duff: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger

★★★★

Seventeen year old Bianca is witty and cynical. She doesn't always feel like the prettiest of her friends, but she's smart. Too smart to fall for the charms of the schools hottie Wesley, who happens to be a complete douche and only after one thing.

Then one night Wesley appoints Bianca to be the Duff of her group, The Designated Ugly Fat Friend. This gets Bianca furious and makes her hate Wesley even more. So why does she find herself kissing him and even worse, in his bed?!

Things at home are not so great for Bianca, her mother hasn't been home for months, claiming to be on a business trip. Her father, with a drinking problem, regardless he's been sober for Bianca's whole life, seems to be stuggling to stay that way. So what if Bianca uses Wesley for distraction, after all, Wesley is using her to get to her frieds, right? But Wesley turns out to be a good listener, and maybe everything's not so great in his seemingly perfect life either.

Kody Keplinger writes with a wit and honesty, her characters are complex and real. I find the main character, Bianca, very relatable. She is smart and ambitious, but also a teenager, and a person, who makes mistakes and misjudgements. The Duff is a quick and easy read, but it has a real message. It's true in a way it describes teenage relationships, sexuality, insecurities and struggles.

"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."