The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde - UPDATED REVIEW

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde  Genre : Classics Blurb (on back of book) : Oscar Wilde’s only novel is the dreamlike story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. In this celebrated work Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind. UPDATED REVIEW MY OPINION : ****** I would like to start out this review by stating that this is undoubtedly m
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The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) - Kody Keplinger

The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) by Kody Keplinger
See the source imageGenre: YA Realistic Fiction

Blurb (on back of book): Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face. 
But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

 MY OPINION: ***

This book was highly unique and was not what I was expecting. As a whole, it wasn't the most enjoyable read but there were parts of it that I loved that bumped it up from a two-star rating to a three-star rating.

I really only read this book because I love the movie adaptation so much. I've watched the film multiple times and I find it hilarious and a good movie! However, the book was not what I expected for several reasons.

The characters weren't fully developed in my opinion. I didn't really understand Bianca or her friends or Wesley or Toby. They didn't seem "real" to me, though the movie in my mind helped a lot.

I thought that the entire book was "rushed" as it went along. It didn't seem fully developed and the entire premise of the book didn't really resonate with me, especially the whole part of being the "Duff" (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) since it wasn't really talked about that much compared to the movie.

I feel biased but I have to compare it to the movie; I can't help it. The movie was so "powerful" and the book fell flat in my opinion. Also, this year I'm going to try to grade "harsher" and try to give honest ratings. I did not hate this book at all and I really enjoyed it but there were things about it that fell short in my opinion.

I would recommend this book to people looking for a light, fun, easy read!

Main Character: Bianca
Sidekick(s): Wesley, Toby, Jess, Casey, etc
Villain(s): Duff, parents, divorce, alcohol, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book was all very real to life.

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