Book Review: Puddin by Julie Murhy

Title: Puddin' Series: Dumplin' #2 Written by: Julie Murphy Published: May 8, 2018 by Balzar + Bray (Harper Collins) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: It is a companion novel to Dumplin', which follows supporting characters from the first book in the months after Willowdean's star turn in the Clover City pageant. Millie Michalchuk has gone to fat camp every year since she was a girl. Not this year. This year she has new plans to chase her secret dream—and to kiss her crush. Callie Reyes is the pretty girl who is next in line for dance team captain and has the popular boyfriend. But when it comes to other girls, she’s more frenemy than friend. When circumstances bring the girls together over the course of a semester, they will surprise everyone (especially themselves) by realizing they might have more in common than they ever imagined.

I always really love Julie's contemporary novels. I have read all three of her previous novels and really enjoyed them all. They are the contemporaries that I love because they combine fun and lighthearted with more serious moments. Puddin was no exception. Plus it was so great to dive back into the world of Dumplin.

On of the things that I really liked about this book was the characters. Julie definitely knows how to write complex and likeable characters. Our two main characters could not be more different. Millie is perpetually optimist and hopeful. She is sweet and cares a lot about other people. For that reason, Millie is so easy to like and root for. She's the kind of person who never lets anything get her down for too long and she has a lot of inner strength. Being in Millie's head and hearing her voice was amazing. It was a breathe of fresh air and I really felt the joy of Millie's perspective. Callie on the other hand was totally opposite. She was a complete pessimist and totally sassy. Callie is the kind of protagonist that I usually enjoy though. She's kind of unlikable in that she's a bit of a jerk but she also has really great development throughout the book. I loved seeing Callie grow and evolve.

Each of the characters also had a romance throughout the book. I'm usually sort of picky when it comes to my romances but I really liked both of these. For Millie it was a friends to more sort of thing. She had a crush on this guy who she didn't realize also liked her. It was such a sweet and cute romance. The moments they had together were a really great part of the story. Callie also had a really great relationship in this book. It was with a character who was introduced in Dumplin' and I was glad to see that they found love as well. What I really liked too is that it's not two characters who you would normally put together but it worked so well.

But the real heart of this story was the friendships. First we have the unlikely girl gang that began in Dumplin'. I was so glad to see that Millie stayed close with Willowdean, Ellen, Hannah, and Amanda. Not only did I like the fact that we got to see them again but they are a great group and seeing their relationships grow throughout the book was fantastic. The bigger friendship of course was with Callie and Millie. They're definitely an unlikely duo which made their friendship all the more interesting and engaging. Plus the book dealt with more toxic friendships as well. It not only showed how you can become friends with people but also what it means to lose friends, whether because you drift apart or because you have a big falling out. I like the dichotomy of the two and how it showed the emotional toll that can take on a person. It was really relateable in that way.

But like all of Julie's books, it deals with some more serious concepts as well. One of the things that I liked the most is the way that it dealt with weight and perceptions of weight. If you read Dumplin' then you probably remember Millie as a fellow fat girl and the runner up in the pageant. I really love the way Millie's weight is handled in this book. They didn't shy away from addressing it and some of the misconceptions people have about fat people. As someone who is larger I really liked that. It improved on a lot of the ideas that Dumplin' introduced and I really liked the way it addressed these issues.

All in all, Puddin' was a fantastic contemporary read. It had great characters that were likable and interesting, it had an enjoyable romance, and a good story of friendship. Like all of Julie's books it perfectly balanced fun and sweet moments with serious issues.

I give Puddin' by Julie Murphy 9 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy. If you liked Julie's previous books then you should definitely read this one, especially if you enjoyed Dumplin'. But even if you didn't, this is a good contempoary read and you should definitely check out Julie's books.

Have you read Puddin'? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

ARC Review: Dumplin by Julie Murphy

Title: Dumplin Author: Julie Murphy Published: September 15, 2015 by Balthazar & Bray (HarperCollins)  (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: 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. With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine— Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart

**** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This fact has not changed my opinion. ****

This book was everything I wanted it to be and more. I'm not a huge fan of YA contemporaries but Julie Murphy has yet to disappoint me. I really enjoyed her debut Side Effects May Vary, which I found to be a complex and creative story. And that is how Dumplin' was as well. It hit all the right notes for me. From the complex but likable heroine, to the relationships, to the plot development, it was all brilliant.

For one thing, Willowdean is the most perfect heroine and one that we need to see more of in YA. She totally breaks the mold and I mean that in more ways than one. She is a self-proclaimed fat girl who generally loves herself despite not being what others see as beautiful. As a plus size woman myself I could totally relate to Willowdean. It's not often to see a young woman like that take the starring role and do it in such an honest and relateable way. Because despite a sassy attitude and a lot of bravado she's still vulnerable and trying to figure out who she is and who she wants to be both physically and emotionally. She makes mistakes and is vulnerable just as often as she is confident. It was fantastic. A lot of this book is about body image and I love that Julie didn't shy away from those insecurities with Willowdean. It made her a much more complex heroine that you could really empathize with. My sincerest hope is that young women reading this book can relate to the character and see themselves mirrored in the struggle and that Willowdean be a motivating force of self-love. I know she will be for me.

I also really loved the relationships in Dumplin'. First and foremost, the friendships. When we first meet Willowdean she has her best friend Ellen who she does everything with. But throughout the book their relationship hits some bumps. I found it really refreshing to see them kind of fight and drift apart but ultimately come back together. It wasn't perfect but it was so real. Same thing with the new friends she made. They were such a fun group of misfits and seeing them interact was amazing. Julie also did a great job with the familial relationship. There is a lot of criticism in YA about the absent part. For Willowdean her mom was around but they didn't have a great relationship. It too felt very real to see them fight but you could also tell there was a lot of love there. And finally, there was the romance. Julie Murphy knows how to do love triangles right (although you could argue that this wasn't a serious triangle). She provided Willowdean with two amazing and sweet guys who liked her the way she is and it made deciding between them all the more difficult. Every single relationship in this book felt so realistic and honest.

But what is so brilliant about this book is that it effortlessly walks the line between lighthearted humor and serious commentary on society. It dealt with some heavy topics like bullying and body image, and it did it in a way that made you think. I mentioned this a bit when I was talking about Willowdean but there is a fantastic theme throughout this book about self-love. It's a really poignant and empowering story in that way. Julie doesn't shy away for those hard topics and the truth that we all have moments where we don't love ourselves because maybe we are comparing ourselves to others but in the end, you being different is what makes you special. Wow, I sound like an after school special (a term that has me showing my age) but it's true. The themes and sentiments throughout Dumplin' do feel that poignant but they're not overdone and schmaltzy. But it also was a funny and sometimes silly look at high school and beauty pageants.  It perfectly walked that line between lighthearted and serious.

On the whole this was a brilliant and adorable read. My only criticism is that I felt like the ending was just a little too rushed. It felt like everything was really building towards the pageant and I felt like it was over a little too quickly. But that may have just been my feelings as a reader who prefers more of a plot-driven storyline. There is sort of two different plot points but they flowed together really well. It's a pretty character-driven story but it was still really well-paced and was a pretty fast read for me. I honestly stayed up way too late reading a few days and when I was finished I wanted to start it all over again because it is seriously that good.

I give Dumplin by Julie Murphy 9.5 out of 10

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: BUY! This is a must read for all fans of YA or anyone looking for a unique story with a strong female protagonist that isn't like your average heroine. If you are a fan of  contemporaries or you're just looking for something different pick this book up and fall in love with Willowdean Dickson.

Have you read Dumplin? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!