Review: Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

From Goodreads: 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. 

My Rating: 3.5 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Since I wasn’t a fan of Julie Murphy’s debut novel, Side Effects May Vary, I was a little hesitant to give her newest book, Dumplin’, a try. I’m glad I did though because I enjoyed reading about Willowdean learning to embrace herself and her body. 

Willowdean felt like such a real character, and although I didn’t agree with all of her decisions, I understood why she made them. I think every girl can relate to this book, even if they aren’t a fat girl! 

If it wasn’t for the romance, Dumplin’ would have gotten a four hearts rating from me. The reason I didn’t like the romance was because after Willowdean chose to not pursue a relationship with Bo, she decided to date Mitch, despite not having any feelings for him. I hate when people lead on other people! I also liked Mitch better than Bo for Willowdean, but guess who Willowdean picks? 

A book with a positive body image message, Dumplin’ will be released on September 15, 2015 by Balzer + Bray. 

Comments About the Cover: I love the pose of the girl on the cover.

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (HarperCollins) for free via Edelweiss.