I’d been hearing really mixed things about Dumplin’ recently. The book has been out for some time, and honestly, it’s been on my shelf for a few years now, but nothing was making me want to pick it up. After the mixed reviews, i had no idea what to think. Luckily, with the release of the Netflix movie, i decided to pick it up, and i absolutely adored it.
Dumplin’ follows Will, a teenage girl with the end of her high school life ahead of her and trying to figure out how to do that with a beauty pageant looming and her weight not getting in the way. She has a strained relationship with her mother, some issues with her friends and a lot of boy trouble, and i love her very much.
The best part of this book for me was how wonderfully real it felt. Her relationship drama felt real, her friendship fall-out’s called to me in a high pitched wail of teenage-hood and it was generally very lovely. The story made me very happy to read, and in all honesty, made me feel empowered.
One of the best parts of this book for me was the somewhat realistic story-line between Will and the two guys she was sort-of-dating. It felt exactly like a teenage relationship to me and it wasn’t completely awful or extremely happy. It worked very well in my opinion. I know these sorts of love triangles aren’t for everyone, but i really enjoyed it.
As someone who’s struggled with her weight her whole life, i really connected to Will and how she felt about her body. A lot of comments i’ve seen were due to the weight comments in the book. I didn’t see them the way most people did. I found Will to be open about her weight, and a lot of people feel the same way as she does no matter what their shape or size. I found it refreshingly honest.
I absolutely adore Julie’s writing style and the stories she creates. We recently read Ramona Blue for book club, and i loved reading it and really connected to Ramona, i was hoping for the same kind of feeling from Dumplin’ and although i didn’t completely connect to the character like i did Ramona, i loved the book all the same. Her writing flows incredibly well and is a pleasure to read. I become addicted to Julie’s books very easily.
If i were you, i’d pick up a copy of Dumplin‘ from Amazon* before you watch the movie. It was released on Netflix on the 7th of December and definitely check it out! It has wonderful body representation and a badass story that’s cheesy and wonderful.
The Little Contemporary Corner 