Author: Julie Murphy
Published: May 2018
Publisher: Harper Collins
Format: Paperback ARC
Pages: 448
Rating: 4.5/5
Summary:
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.
Review:
I would like to send a huge thanks to the amazing people over at Harper Collins Canada for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.
I will admit that at the beginning of the novel, I found it to be a little slow to start, but then it picked up faster than Dorothy noticed she wasn't in Kansas anymore! I'm not even lying. Pretty much after maybe the fourth chapter, so much happens and it just keeps going after that! So many ups and downs, I couldn't put the book down!
So even if you may not believe it, Millie does have quite the sassiness within her like Willowdean did in Duplin' and I think it really just took someone who isn't in her inner circle to help her believe in herself more and to recognize that she has a lot of amazing qualities. There were also a LOT of dramatic moments, and drama withing these social circles, it kind of makes me really glad I'm not in high school anymore!
For me what I really loved was that there were a lot of diverse characters within the novel, whether it be from Millie's family, or from her crush. There were also a lot of Bad-ass moments that I think I leaped out of my chair cheering for Millie who showed more of that backbone, as well as from Callie for finally understanding and going for what she wanted.
I also really loved how brutally honest this book was. There are plenty of moments where Millie really speaks out about her size and literally is like Yeah I know I'm fat, deal with it and then moves on as if nothing happened.
"You make me brave enough to be the person I am and not the one I think I'm supposed to be."
There was a moment in the novel where Millie knows that she should speak up and talk to Callie about something really important, but chooses to be quiet, and I could definitely foresee a lot of trouble down the road, and yet I didn't expect it to go exactly that way, and it made it even more dramatic! I think for me if that there was a little something missing that could have made it even better. I felt at some times, there wasn't that spark.
There were some other quotable moments for myself though that really spoke about the book.
"Love is in the details."
"Sometimes we have to break the rules to get what we want. But now I think it's time we change them."
"This is me. And I'm done waiting to be someone else. I know what I want to do with my life."
There was a moment in the novel with Millie and her mother, and I was cheering for Millie the entire time. It's like her mother just didn't get that she didn't want to go to fat camp. There was nothing there that was making her wish to go. And I swear every time that her mother commented that she should go back because she was making "progress" I just wanted to slap her silly! So when Millie finally said that last quote above, I was pretty much like....
Overall this was a good book! There were so many moments throughout that you could feel the feels. The friendship that develops throughout is honestly something that I wish I could see more often! For the most part, we all just judge on the outside without taking the time to get to know someone. There were a lot of emotions all over the place, and definitely a lot of comebacks I thought were so powerful! Personally there was something I can't point out that was missing. Something to make it even stronger than it was!
That's all for my review of Puddin' I hope you enjoyed it! Honestly I definitely recommend picking up this book, because it's definitely a laugh, compelling and filled with some amazing girls/women!
So until the next time, Keep Reading!
Your Graduated Bookworm!! :)
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