The DUFF: NOW ON NETFLIX (Hamilton High Book 1)

First I didn't want to read that book because I've just seen the movie a few weeks ago. Thinking, that the book would be just the same as the movie held me back. But then I got it really cheap from Amazon to read on my phone and Book-Tube-A-Thon was around the corner, so I gave it a chance. It was really different from the movie and now I feel really sorry for the movie. Simply because it now seems so cheap in comparison. Well, you could practically see the ending of both, but the movie had by far that stereotypical high school movie syndrome. The book approached things differently and that was good. I see the point of some things not being in the movie, but still. These things (character personalities, plot points, relationships) made the book unique and enjoyable. Still, it is a very YA book, High School problems and all, but there has been some problems by Bianca which were very serious and made the book more realistic. These characters have flaws and a hard time to weather it. But, as in life, if you hang on and take faith in your hands, there will be a happy ending.

“No matter where you go or what you do to distract yourself, reality catches up with you eventually.” I know I shouldn't have started reading "The DUFF" expecting more than a fluffy teenage book/movie. I honestly don't even remember why I thought the book would deeply and profoundly explore the topics it includes: being smart and witty while also being the duff, teenagers (and yes, even boys) who struggle with family problems at home (divorce, alcoholism, etc…), a crush that turns out to be really weird and wrong but you don't want to give up on your idea of him/her… Well, I don't know why I expected more from a book called "The DUFF" (in case you don't know, that stands for "Designated Ugly Fat Friend"), but my problem is that I did. Which is why I couldn't enjoy the book quite as much as I would have if I had gone into it expecting "just another teen movie". The characters are fun and likable enough, I might have even developed a little crush on Wesley myself and I could definitely relate to Bianca really well (maybe because we share the name Bianca, or maybe I was the DUFF in school, just maybe….). The writing style was easy and fast paced. I read "The DUFF" all in one day during my vacation, so it is a quick read even if it disappoints you. The plot itself isn't that bad (there were even times where I was worrying and/or rooting for the characters a whole lot. It just felt like), and the morale of it all is important. "I was the Duff. And that was a good thing. Because anyone who didn't feel like the Duff must not have friends. Every girl feels unattractive sometimes. Why had it taken me so long to figure that out?" In the end though, the book felt just like high school. Interesting but shallow, tiresome but unsettling. And after you are done, you still think it was over way too quickly… But is this what kids are like in school these days? Really? Because someone needs to do something about that. Can I recommend the book? Sure. It's not a must-read, but if you go into it with the right kind of expectations - looking for a fun teen read that you can get through really quickly - I'm sure you can enjoy it. "'Your sense of humor needs some work, then,' Wesley suggested. 'Most girls find my jokes charming.' 'Those girls must have IQs low enough to trip over.” A few days after finishing the book, I watched the movie. With totally different expectations, and it actually surprised me. I liked it a lot. It's not a masterpiece, again no "must watch" but defnitely a movie you can have fun with more than once, or watch on a rainy day with your friends, or as backgroud noise. I was already a fan of Mae Whitman from Parenthood, and I think she is way too pretty to be a DUFF, but that is not the point of the nickname. Everybody is somebody elses DUFF. Watch the movie or read the book to find out why.