Dumplin' (Dumplin', #1)

by Julie Murphy

[shannonmiz]

This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight



Dumplin' is kind of adorable. Willowdean is pretty adorable. Her group of friends are adorable. Clearly, I'm going to use "adorable" a lot to sum this book up. But it is. That's the bottom line.

Will has all kinds of stuff going on in this book, certainly way more than just being overweight. Her mom is like, Queen of the Pageant, and in Texas, that is apparently a big deal. Her aunt, who was basically her support system, died at a young age not long ago from weight-related complications. Her best friend is kind of acting shady, and she's got a big old crush on Bo, the dude who works with her.

So you know, let's join said beauty pageant with as many other "pageant atypical" females you can gather! It's fun, and charming, and for other characters it probably wouldn't work so well, but with Will, it just made sense. It fit her personality, and I loved that she started kind of a mini-movement.

There were two parts of this book that stood out the most to me: The overwhelming charm, and the relationships. I don't mean the romantic ones (though they do stand out!) but all of them: Willow's tumultuous relationship with her mom, her evolving friendships, and most importantly, the relationship she has with herself. 

Will basically never realized that she even did feel insecure in her own skin. She didn't give it much thought at all, until Bo showed reciprocal interest. And of course, as one does, he wants to touch her. She feels repulsed by the mere thought of someone feeling her heft, and in that moment, she becomes so, so human. So relatable. I wanted to hug her and then cry with her, because it's such an awful, yet such a real feeling.

The gist of the book is Will navigating life. Not just "life as a fat girl", but life in general. She struggles with things that are specific to her, and things that pretty much everyone goes through. Will's personality is larger than her body, and she just shines. She makes mistakes, she gets back up, and she learns to live her life.

Bottom Line: This is such a lovely coming of age book that I dare say everyone can relate to. Thin, heavy, or anywhere in between, Will has to go through the same ups and downs we all face, and learns so much about herself and everyone around her along the way.

*Copy provided from publisher for review.