4.25 stars! “Find out who you are and do it on purpose” -Dolly Parton Dumplin’ was one of those books I devoured. When I listen to an audio book, I know I’m really into it when I have great books sitting on my kindle waiting for me to read, but I’m finding inconsequential tasks to do around the house just so I can listen. It took me less than 2 days to listen to this book, which is super fast for me. There are so many parts in this story that were relatable to me. I adored our he...

DNF @ 65% What started off as beautiful body positive book. . . I’m fat. It’s not a cuss word. It’s not an insult. At least it’s not when I say it. So I always figure why not get it out of the way? and I know that fat girls are supposed to be allergic to pools or whatever, but I love swimming… I know people stare, but they can’t blame me for wanting to cool off…What about having huge, bumpy thighs means that I need to apologize? Slowly turned into…constant judgement ???!!??I’m fat, but Milli

2.5 stars

If this book were a movie, we'd all be at Julie Murphy's slumber party piled in front of the TV in our jammies, both screaming with laughter and clutching each other the minute someone leaned in for a kiss. This book is: Hilarious. Quietly poignant. Provocative. This book contains: Nuanced friendships and complex families. Romantic moments as sweet as puppy dog kisses. Lots of Dolly Parton songs. References to awesome books. And it's so great to find a book that is fiercely positive, most especi...

I JUST FINISHED THE MOVIE AND IT WAS AMAZING!! It was just as beautiful as the book and, okay, I admit it.... It made me cry 😢 😂*****I'm so happy with Young Adult literature today. Even though it all ranges from space to the forests, but it usually has the same over arching message:And it's true. Everyone is beautiful. It doesn't matter if you black or white; gay or straight; Christian or Muslim; Big or small. It's about what's in your heart. As long as you fight against the evil and unkind, you...

SO this rating is probably closer to 2.5 stars but I decided to round it down because, even though I enjoyed this book, it has too many flaws to be worth a three star rating. My main problem with this was that it was heralded as a book about body positivity and acceptance but it felt far from it. I found Willowdean to be quite a hypocritical character in general. Her internal monologue was filled with her judging other people; Millie, for example, who Willow points out as 'the type of fat that r...

This book is a hypocritical mess. There are three main things wrong with it:1. It was boring2. It's not body-positive for a book that's about body positivity3. A love triangle (boo! hiss!)Doesn't that defeat the purpose of this book? I would say it does. This book is vastly inferior to the spectacular Future Perfect, which sends the message of being comfortable in your own body in a far better way.The main character in this book is fat. She is also an insecure, judgmental snit. Look, I get that

Once upon a time, I was fat.I would have liked to use the nicer term "overweight", but who am I kidding? Almost weighing 70 kilos in my 5 feet 3 inches frame, I was fat and unhappy. I had big fucking boobs, big bulging sides, big buttcheeks, big arms, thighs that met together in at least one tangent, and the fact that my cheeks were already chubby without the added fat? Unhappiness galore. I tried to convince myself that even though I looked this way, I should still exude confidence because my p...

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/EDIT FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY RE-READ (BECAUSE WHAT ELSE IS A HOLIDAY FOR IF NOT TO CHANNEL YOUR INNER SLOTH AND READ TWO BOOKS IN ONE DAY????): Bumping to 5 Stars because there ain't nothing more 'Murican than Texas, beauty pageants and Dolly Parton.BUUUUUUUUUMP!!!!!!!!!! Because this premieres on Netflix tonight and I'm so excited to go home, put my PJs on, cozy up in bed, turn on the boobtube and shove my face full of what I lovingly ca...

Overall a really cute and fun story with a great moral!Video review soon (once school slows down a bit)

Dumplin' might be the perfect example of why I don't tend to read light-hearted, fluffy contemporaries. Occasionally, my foray into this sub-genre ends with surprising new favourites like Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, but mostly I'm left feeling a little underwhelmed. Many times, I'm thinking "yeah, that was quite a nice book" or "that had an important message" but I don't feel any emotional connection to it.The thing about Dumplin' is that it contains a great message. Willowdean "Dumplin'"...

Before I get into my review, I haven’t watched the movie yet, so if you have any thoughts on the movie, or the movie in relation to the book, leave your thoughts in the comments because I have to make up my mind about whether to watch the movie or not, and I would love to talk to you guys about it. "I’m Dumplin’. And Will and Willowdean. I’m fat. I’m happy. I’m insecure. I’m bold." This is a book about confidence, friendship, and being comfortable in your own skin. It’s a book about teenage, g...

3/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I guess sometimes the perfection we perceive in others is made up of a whole bunch of tiny imperfections, because some days the damn dress just won't zip.” Look, 3 stars isn't a good rating nor a bad rating. But the issues I had with this book sometimes overcame the good stuff. I can't stop comparing the book to the Netflix movie based on it I saw beforehand (yes, I have watched the movie adaptation before reading the book yet again, AND STILL YOU HAVEN'T SLAYED ME YOU BUFFOONS...

This was a nice surprise! I really wasn't expecting to like this one as much as I did. I was kinda iffy on whether or not I was going to like the beauty pageant parts of the story but thankfully there were some good moments with that and also the other things going on in the main character's life.What I loved most about the book was Willowdean wasn't perfect. She could be shallow, cruel, and hypocritical among other things. I found it refreshing to have a protagonist who could act like a jerk. T...

‘all my life i have had a body worth commenting on and if living in my skin has taught me anything its that if its not your body, its not yours to comment on.’ this is a book i wish i had in high school but a story i can still appreciate today. in fact, anyone who has ever had insecurities or issues with their body (which is literally everyone) should read this. there are such a wholesome messages in this book - how loyalty is the key to meaningful friendship, no one can love you until you lo

2.5 stars "If you're gonna go, then goShe said to me on the phoneSo tired of hearin' all yourBoy problemsIf you're gonna stay then stayHe's not gonna change anywaySo tired of hearin' all yourBoy problems" Dumplin' is about Dolly Parton and I opened with a Carly Rae Jepsen song. One, because I'm not familiar with Dolly's music. Two, Boy Problems describes Dumplin' perfectly. I'd wager half the book is angst over boys and romance instead of the promised pageant revolution. Willowdean is fat—an...

YAS! Here's my video review - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6Yu0...

I had such high hopes for this book but it was just.... average. The characters weren't amazing, the story wasn't amazing, etc. I was really excited to read this because I love reading books about fat girls, but her size was rarely mentioned. I know the book isn't supposed to focus on her weight, but I found it a little less relatable than i'd like because it failed to give descriptions of her size. Like at one point near the end of the book, it was talking about how she pulled her knees up to h...

THAT'S HOW IT ENDS???? I NEED MORE.I really REALLY liked this book. The message is SUPER SOLID and fantastic, and we need more books like this.Will is an incredible character, and all the supporting characters are so great as well. I really loved Millie and her ability to shine so bright no matter what anyone else thought. The relationships in this book were super solid, even through the ups and downs, and it was so great to see so much female friendship.My main reasons that it's not a 5 star bo...

Dumplin’ is the story of Willowdean Dickson, a fat girl from a small town that hosts the oldest beauty pageant in Texas. After the sudden death of her beloved aunt, Will decides to honor her memory by signing up for the pageant. She wants to try something that her aunt had always denied herself because of her own insecurities about her weight. Now Will suddenly finds herself contending with becoming a beauty queen, her crazy pageant mother, an angry best friend, two cute boys… and maybe a small