The Quiet Concert: Julie Murphy

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Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Title: Dumplin'
Author: Julie Murphy
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: September 15th 2015
Source:ARC from BEA 2015

Summary from Goodreads:

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) 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 Clover City beauty 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.

With starry Texas nights, red candy suckers, Dolly Parton songs, and a wildly unforgettable heroine— Dumplin’ is guaranteed to steal your heart.

Review

Goodness, Willowdean is a fantastic female protagonist. She has spunk, a vibrant personality, a love for Dolly Parton, and a range of insecurities. Willowdean has to work through self image issues, potential boyfriend drama, an awkward family dynamic, and struggling friendships.

As I write this review, I know it sounds like a lot is going on in her life but really it felt like an honest, tough high school experience. Even if her struggles were/are not the same struggles you faced, Willowdean is still so relate-able. I wanted to be there cheering her on through the whole book. Aside from the body issues, she gets in a big fight with her best friend which can also be taxing and a major downer. Will is not without flaws but she learns from her choices.

Dumplin' truly is a great character driven story. With a group of rag tag unique friends, Will decides to take on a beauty pageant. A pageant that is not exactly used to Will and her friends. But by working together and building strong friendships, anything is possible. Dumplin' is full of surprises that won't seize to bring a smile to your face.

I highly recommend Dumplin'; it is wonderful, feel good story about a girl who faces her fears, takes control of her insecurities, and learns how to start to feel good in her own skin.

Stacking the Shelves (136) - August 8th

Stacking the Shelves - hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews - features books that you bought, borrowed, rented from the library, received for review, etc.

Upcoming Reads

Letters to Zell by Camille Griep
Ms. Marvel Vol. 3: Crushed by G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa, Elmo Bondoc
A Whole New World by Liz Braswell
Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

What books are stacking your shelves??

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

Title: Side Effects May Vary
Author: Julie Murphy
Publisher: HarperCollins / Balzer + Bray
Release Date: March 18th 2014
Pages: Kindle, 336 pages

Summary from Goodreads:
What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?

When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission.

Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most?

Julie Murphy’s SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY is a fearless and moving tour de force about love, life, and facing your own mortality

What I Liked

The story telling format. Side Effects May Vary is told from both Alice and Harvey's perspective in both the present and the past. So pre-remission and post remission. The narration style really emphasizes the emotional roller coaster Alice goes through.
The characters. I wanted to hate Alice one chapter then root for her the next. She thought her life was ending and then in the blink of an eye she is given her life back and doesn't know what to do. She was so rough around the edges; it was hard not to feel the emotions even the angry confused ones. Harvey was the good guy; he was the guy I could root for when I could not longer root for Alice.
The love story. It was not rainbow and butterflies instead it was fights and lots of feelings. For example: "I know what this looked like. It looked like I was using Harvey. But here was the reality of the situations: the minute my life went from semi-permanent to most likely temporary, I decided to latch on to everything in my world that had always been permanent, and for me, Harvey was so permanent he was concrete" --Alice.

"I didn't want the easy kind of love. I wanted the crazy love, the kind of love that created and destroyed all at the same time"- Alice
The risks. Never have I liked, then disliked, then liked a main character before. Julie Murphy took risks with the plot, the characters, and even the ending.

What I Didn't

Some of the feels. While I do admire the rawness and beautiful imperfection in the characters, when I finished the book I was not left with warm fuzzies or full closure. It is hard to describe my feelings after finishing the book. I was left thinking and feeling a range of emotions. This is why I would not recommend this book for everyone. It is an story the sucks you in and throws you back out and if you are not prepared for some an imperfect ending to parallel the imperfect characters then this is not for you.

Bottom Line

Side Effects May Vary is not a book for everyone. It excels in its ability to convey the raw emotion and rather intense period that Alice had to face. The emotions were harsh and honest; Murphy was able to blend the harshness with the heart warming in a well done story.

Stacking the Shelves (58) - Feb 8th

Stacking the Shelves - hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews features books that you bought, borrowed, rented from the library, received for review, etc.

This is what's on my shelf for upcoming reads: