Dumplin' Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
For fans of John Green and Rainbow Rowell comes this powerful novel with the most fearless heroine—self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson—from Julie Murphy, the acclaimed author of Side Effects May Vary. With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine—Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.Dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom, Willowdean has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American-beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked . . . until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back. Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Teen Blue Bonnet Pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray; First Edition, First Printing edition (September 15, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0062327186
ISBN-13: 978-0062327185
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.2 x 8.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (220 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #23,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #45 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Social & Family Issues > Self Esteem & Reliance #45 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Social & Family Issues > Dating & Sex #53 in Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Social & Family Issues > Emotions & Feelings
Introducing Dumplin' by Julie Murphy View larger View larger View larger View larger
View larger Julie Murphy on Swimsuits Spoiler alert: every body is a beach body! Are you wasting away in the heat this summer? Are you tired of covering and taking shelter in dark, air-conditioned coffee shops? Well, slather on that SPF and pack that beach bag full of books, because weâre sharing our tips for attaining The Perfect Beach Body! Who can go to the beach? 1.Zookeepers 2.Lunch Ladies 3.Doctors 4.Cab Drivers 5.Individuals Fluent in Latin 6.Anybody with a Body 7.Literally Anybody Find the perfect swimsuit for your body shape! 1.Find a store that suits your style and carries swimwear in your size. 2.Choose patterns, fabrics, and styles that make you happy. 3.Try on your selected swimsuits. 4.Choose the swimsuit that makes you feel good about your body. 5.Congratulations you have found the perfect swimsuit for your body shape! How to achieve the perfect beach body! 1.Put on your swimsuit. The more fabulous it makes you feel, the better! 2.Add your favorite pair of shades to the mix. You canât go wrong with red heart-shaped sunglasses! 3.Apply sunscreen. 4.Take a good look at yourself in the mirror and do ten *book shimmy* reps. 5.Pat yourself on the back! Your body is the perfect beach body! No matter your shape or size, remember that you deserve to enjoy your summer as much as anyone else. Donât waste time holding yourself back from a beautiful day at the beach or the pool. And remember: every body is a beach body!
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You need this book. Your teen daughter needs this book. So does her boyfriend. And his mom. And her uncle. And...THE WORLD NEEDS THIS BOOK.It's no exaggeration to say that Willowdean is one my favorite characters of 2015, and Dumplin' is one of my favorite books. Of all time. In the whole, wide world. Not kidding. There's a reason Disney optioned this book, right out of the gate. It's just that good.Read it, and rejoice. Read it, and learn to love yourself.Or you could just ignore this, and not try it. I mean, if you like to remain sad and crusty and unfulfilled, I guess.NO, BUT REALLY. Read it.
This book! Oh, this book! It has sky rocketed itself to my #1 favorite book. Why? Well, well we will get to that in a moment.Dumplin' is about Willowdean, or Willow for short. She is your average every day girl. She works in a fast food joint, has a crush on a super cute boy named Bo, a best friend named El that she can count on through thick and thin, and she idolizes Dolly Parton. Most importantly, Willowdean is comfortable in her own skin (or is she?). She is no skinny mini. She has hips and curves.However, when her aunt dies her world slowly starts changing in ways she doesn't like. Dumplin' starts approximately 6 months after her aunts funeral. She doesn't know how to talk to her mom who is a former beauty pageant winner and happens to be the person who plans the local pageant every year. Things are starting to happen with Bo and it makes her question her size, making her uncomfortable in her skin. Then, on top of all that, she and El are starting to drift apart. El has been her lifeline for so long that she can't imagine life without her.Some where in all of this, Willowdean decides she is going to sign up to compete in the local beauty pageant causing even more things to start to spin out of her control.Dumplin' is a story of self discovery. It is beautiful, wonderful, and real. While it is written in a very light hearted manner, it is still very serious.The characters are all written very well. Willowdean feels so real. You can't help but wish you could have her as a friend - if only she didn't exist on paper! I also really loved the character of Mitch. The big softy that he is. It was very easy to picture and imagine all of the characters. Amanda with her limp, Millie with her big goofy grin, Bo with his sucker, etc.I would have liked a bit more from the rude/mean characters such as Callie. They still felt a bit 2 dimensional, but it didn't take away from the story over all. Part of me wonders if Julie Murphy did that on purpose to help keep the focus of the story on the characters with "flaws."What I loved most about this story, though, was the over all message that it had. That you can do anything you want. That you don't have to let how you look hold you back. If you want to enter a beauty pageant don't let that you aren't a skinny mini stop you from doing it! Your size, your face, your appearance in general, shouldn't get in the way of doing something, going for something, that you want!As far as I am concerned, every girl should read this book. Boys too. The message that this book holds should be shared and heard. If I could afford it, I would be purchasing a copy of this book for everyone I know.My review is based off an eARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss.Find more of my reviews here:http://readingwithcupcakes.blogspot.com/
I received an ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss. I have spent much of my life feeling like Dumplin. I know chub rub intimately. I still cringe when my husband touches my back fat. I found it mind blowing to consider that anyone attractive could find me attractive. These things mean that this is a realistic perspective of life as a big girl - Willowdean reads like a real, honest-to-goodness fat girl. That matters a lot to me when it comes to books like this. If you haven't lived life as an XXL in a XS world, you just don't get it - the struggle to love yourself in a world that seems determined to loathe and judge. I am happy to tell you no one loses weight in this book, and no one feels compelled to explain how a hot guy could fall for a full sized gal. Thank you. Seriously. Instead, you can expect to find some cross dressing Dolly Parton impersonators, myriad references to the song Jolene, and big girls showing up weird, loud, and proud to walk the beauty pageant catwalk. That sounds like an awesome prospect, so why was I so underwhelmed? I think I had certain expectations for the character of Willowdean that just weren't in the cards. This has happened before, and I know that I can't expect realistic characters to be my perfect characters. I will own up to the fact that my disappointment with this character is absolutely all on me. Nevertheless, I'm going to explain what I didn't love about Miss Willowdean. She never just went for it!?! I never got that empowering moment where she said - "screw it - I'm gonna burn this mutha' down." I really wanted that moment. I wanted Willodean to get her crap together and really show everyone what she was capable of, and I just didn't feel like she did this. She kind of farted around and halfway lit a sparkler for the pageant. Sigh. That is why I wasn't just in love with this book. Do I think you can still adore this book? Absolutely! I think that other readers will think she is a triumph of a character. Willowdean is herself, even when it doesn't please her mother, and even when it doesn't please me. I think we could actually use a few more people like this in the world, and this is exactly the point of the book - I'm gonna do me. The lessons Willowdean learns as she attempts to do things her way are essential life lessons - she needs to know that just as she hates being judged by people's perceptions, she is as guilty of doing the same thing to those around her. Yep. We all need that one pounded into us. Lots of readers adored this book, and Dumplin is absolutely a "keepin it real" voice in YA fiction that many readers will connect with. I highly recommend you give Willowdean a chance to worm her way into your affections, and I am adding it to my classroom library where I am certain heaps of my high school readers are going to see her as a real inspiration. Language and situations are appropriate for high school, but adult readers will find this book just as compelling.}
Dumplin'
