Puddin' (Dumplin', #2)

by Julie Murphy

The irresistible companion to the #1 New York Times bestseller Dumplin’, now a Netflix feature film starring Danielle Macdonald and Jennifer Aniston, and a soundtrack by Dolly Parton!

Millie Michalchuk has gone to fat camp every year since she was a little girl. Not this year. This year she has new plans to chase her secret dream of being a newscaster—and to kiss the boy she’s crushing on.

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 surprise everyone (especially themselves) by realizing that they might have more in common than they ever imagined.

A story about unexpected friendship, romance, and Texas-size girl power, this is another winner from Julie Murphy.

• ISBN10: 0062418386
• ISBN13: 9780062418388
• Publish Date: 17 May 2018 (first published 8 May 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 13 March 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: Balzer and Bray
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 448
• Language: English

Reviews

[alisoninbookland]

😆😎😄

Puddin' was just what I needed. A cutesy contemporary book to cleanse my palate of the fantasy/sci fi that I read. You don't *need* to read Dumplin' before Puddin' but I recommend that you do. It's been a couple of years so I forgot about some of the people. Eek.

I loved the positive female friendships in the book. Murphy did a great job of making Callie and Millie fully realized people. They weren’t cookie cutter stock characters. They were real girls that I could have gone to school with.

It was great to see the growth that Callie and Millie had over the course of the novel. Towards the end, it seemed like their growth was really rushed. I was disappointed that there wasn't more growth from Millie's mom. There was too much pushing for fat camp from her for my taste.

While I did enjoy the story, I didn't love it. I can't pick out any one thing that I didn't enjoy. I just didn't love it.

If you enjoyed Dumplin', I'd recommend picking this up!

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

4.5★ Audiobook⎮ I devoured Dumplin’ last year. Everything about it was perfection. Despite knowing that sequels often fail to live up to the standards of their predecessors, I couldn’t help but be excited for Puddin’. I snatched it up within days of its release.

Puddin’ follows to different characters from the Dumplin’ universe. Millie Michalchuk was a minor character in Dumplin’ and I honestly don’t think I registered her presence. If I had known that Puddin’ would turn the spotlight her way, I would have paid more attention to her in Dumplin’. Millie was likable enough, but she was certainly no Willowdean. She lacked Willowdean’s vivaciousness and flair. I think if this story hadn’t been split between two protagonists, Millie could have been better developed.

Callie, on the other hand, was better developed, but not as likable. I enjoyed her part of the story, but still preferred Millie’s. The parts of Callie’s story that I really appreciate were when she explored the impact of her Mexican heritage and other peoples responses to it. Both of these characters felt deserving of their own stories. Forcing them into the same book, felt like an abridgment of both sides.

But where are those stories connected was pure gold. Unlike Willowdean and Ellen’s friendship, Millie and Callie’s friendship gets off to a rocky start. The friendship arc was the most endearing angle, by far. It felt very realistic and organic, as did the other relationships in the story. I think Murphy could have gotten away with telling this entire tale from Callie’s POV. She was the more interesting (better developed) character and had much more growth to experience.

I really enjoyed Puddin’, but it has nothing on Dumplin’. Looking back at my review of Dumplin’, I see exactly why I enjoyed it so much more. Puddin’ lacked the southern sass of Dumplin’. I know that both books take place in the same town, but it doesn’t feel that way. I appreciate Puddin’ as a sequel to a book that I loved, but the flavor just wasn’t there. It felt like a sequel of convenience. You know, one that was created in response to the popularity of Dumplin’, rather than planned from the start. Oh, and it definitely needed more Dolly Parton! That may seem like a little thing, but it’s the little things that count the most when developing characters and story. Dolly Parton is a huge part of what made Willowdean so memorable.

When all said and done, I’m still complete trash for this series. Julie Murphy is out there telling stories that no one else is telling about characters no one else will touch. Dumplin’ and Puddin’ are heartwarming, relatable stories about friendship and body positivity that just make you feel good. They also make you look at people a little differently and reevaluate your own biases and daily interactions, which is always a good thing.

Narration review: The biggest disappointment for me had do with the narration of this audiobook. I know comparison kills and I’m probably being way too hard on Puddin’, but Eileen Stevens did such a stellar job narrating Dumplin’, that it’s almost unfair to Erin Mallon and Kyla Garcia to have to follow her. I love that they brought on two narrators for the two POVs, which was totally the right call. Erin Mallon (Millie) and Kyla Garcia (Callie) are each an excellent narrator in their own right. For any other book, I would have nothing to complain about.

However, it didn’t feel like they fully grasped the spirit of this series. A big reason why Puddin’ felt so disconnected from Dumplin’ was because of the narration. What was so great about Stevens was how much she added to the story, atmospherically. Garcia brought a little of that to Callie, with her pronunciation of Spanish terms, but Millie didn’t feel Texan at all. Actually, there weren’t a lot accents to be found in the entire story. If I didn’t know the story took place in Texas, I could have easily forgotten. Stevens certainly set the bar high, but I really can’t find a reason to recommend the audiobook version of Puddin’ over the physical book. You’ll be getting just about the same experience either way with this one. ♣︎

[Sam@WLABB]

What happened when the resident mean girl was forced to work with one of the kindest, sweetest misfits in town? They formed an unlikely friendship, which had its ups and downs, but was mostly heartwarming.

•Pro: EVERYone loved Millie when she made her appearance in Dumplin', and I am happy to report, that she was more than capable of carrying a book on her own. Her positive outlook and zeal for the little things was contagious, and she was just so genuine. Millie's life was not without obstacles or struggles, but she would try to work through them, and use the power of positive thinking to make her dreams come to fruition. What's not to love?

•Pro: Callie was so flawed and the polar opposite of Millie. While many thought she had it all, she was actually battling her insecurities of fitting in and her identity issues due to being half white and half Mexican. These things made me sympathetic towards Callie, and I am always happy when a character experiences the amount of growth that Callie did.

•Pro: Redemption arcs are a favorite of mine. I am all about the idea that we can mess up, pay the price, and then try to redeem ourselves. Forgiveness really is a virtue, and although it may be hard to forgive some people, I am glad that grace is a gift that is out there, and I was happy with how it worked out for Callie.

•Pro: This friendship was mutually beneficial to Callie and Millie. Each gained so much by nurturing this relationship, and I really loved that it was not one sided.

•Pro: Murphy always gives us these adorable romances. The romances are not the main focus of this story, but they are there, off to the side, and I really enjoyed each little peek we got at these fabulous couples.

•Pro: The strengths of this book were the female friendships. I adored being with the members of the sleepover club, and seeing their bond grow stronger and stronger. Most of all, I loved seeing women supporting women.

•Pro: Me and endings are a thing, and this book had a great one. I am all about the feel-good, and Murphy delivered.

Overall: A great girl-power book, filled with friendship, romance, and humor, which left me swimming in happy feels.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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[layawaydragon]

I was super excited for Puddin'. Part of it was thinking/hoping it'd be a w/w romance between Millie and Cassie. That didn't come to be. The only queer characters are still background support.

That, wondering where the title Puddin' came from (it'll be clear late in the book), and trying to remember why Willowdean hated Cassie so much were the only issues I had.

I LOVE how it goes deeper into fat shaming, bullying, and diet culture. I loved Millie & Willowdean's bonding fat girl moments. I loved Millie's passion for broadcasting and journalism. I loved how Millie dealt with shy dude and it didn't dissolve into "grow a pair". I love how the genuine nice guy from Dumplin' gets to come back and get a happy ending. I love Cassie's family. I love how it gets involved locally in politics. I love the possibilities and responsibilities and happiness.

Millie is a sweet crafty girl but she doesn't have the firepower to carry the book alone like with Dumplin and Willowdean. She's TOO nice while Cassie's too mean. It's so ingrained to hate the mean girl and their squads. I needed Millie's POV so she didn't come off as perfect and I needed Cassie's POV so her redemption arc was believable.

It's too bad neither of them had a w/w romance or crush. It's too bad there wasn't Millie learning how to dance and killing it and maybe the other girls joining in too?

But it's still a great story with depth, different important issues and romance.

And this probably says a lot about me, but I didn't feel bad for the secret spilling thing at all.