Reviews

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

rebbemcc's review against another edition

4.0

Pleasantly surprised. The characters felt appropriately complex -- insightful and stupid, lovely and maddening -- just as teenagers really are. Handled the body positivity and sexual positivity messages fairly well. Wished there was more of the mother-daughter relationship; I thought there was more to dive into there. A solid read.

ghostduchess's review against another edition

5.0

A lovely book about coming to terms with self. Many probably see it as Willowdean's coming to terms, but Bo, Ellen, Hannah, Millie, Amanda, and even Rosie. It's not about promoting fat; it's about loving yourself and knowing your flaws.

nglofile's review against another edition

4.0

This book would have meant so much to me had I had it when I was younger. I understand some of the disillusion expressed by other reviewers, and yes, some of the complaints are valid. Still, one of the aspects I most appreciate is that Willowdean is flawed. She occasionally thinks and says hurtful things, even as she knows how that scars. She isn't always brave. She is often unwise. She's a teen herself. Her journey is ongoing. Not a one of us is pure in our motives or in how we treat others -- still less in how we may think of others. Truth be told, we tend to be hardest on issues in others that we most dislike in ourselves.

I could nitpick some of the narrative choices and the occasional afterschool-special spelling out of theme, but that's not where I want to land. This is fun, spirited, heartfelt, and offers a diversity in representation that is still sorely lacking. I applaud.

aaron_j136's review against another edition

3.0

The main character was a bit annoying and I didn’t really like the ending.

keikiqueen's review against another edition

Bored 

sarahj1994's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

dannycakez8808's review against another edition

4.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this

anitadisguised's review against another edition

3.0

3.5
it was cute

amberdebo's review against another edition

4.0

as far as YA fiction goes, this was pretty run of the mill. not great, but enjoyable. BUT it gets an extra star for two reasons: 1) As a fat girl myself, I could really relate to some of Willow's insecurities when it came to guys touching her body.
2) ALL THE DOLLY PARTON! I love me some Dolly and the Dolly love in this book was fantastic.

roseybot's review against another edition

4.0

I've been avoiding this book. 1. It's contemporary so you already know I've got something against it. 2. I knew it would probably get to me -- the complicated relationship I have with my own body is something I struggle enough with, why would I want to read about someone else's struggle?

Then I watched the movie. Mostly for Jennifer Anniston, and was willing to give this book a try. I'm glad I did, it was thoughtful and moving. It still suffered for me a little in the way that it focused on sex and dating and relationships (honestly I think this is the reason I had a very weird, perturbing dream about deciding to date someone, only for it to turn into meetings), but that's a me problem, not a problem with the book.

| 1/31/19 48,830 ratings (14073 5*, 20161 4*, 11326 3*, 2448 2*, 822 1*) 7,896 reviews / added by 128207 people, 67519 to-reads