Gator Reads (Book Review)

Dumplin'
By Julie Murphy

"Dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom, Willowdean 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 Teen Blue Bonnet 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." ~From the publisher

What I thought: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book!! Did I mention I loved this book?  Have you ever felt different?  How you ever felt you weren't living up to your parents expectations?  Have you ever wanted to be bold and go for something completely out of your comfort level?  Then this book is for you!  Willowdean is an incredibly likeable character and it is so easy to relate to her struggles with body image, crushes, loss, and parents.  This was one of my top reads of the year.  I highly recommend this book!!  Find it @ J MUR

Reviewed by LibraryLef (aka Mrs. Leffel)