“The DUFF” is a book I read after I watched the trailer of the movie. The trailer was cute and the female lead seemed like she had substance. This was the reason I decided to pick up the book and read before watching the movie.
The book
The book was not what I expected. I assumed it to be an exceptional young adult romance, looking at the reviews from other bloggers. But it was a massive disappointment. Every scene in the book was meaningless. The paragraphs felt like they were forcibly put there. The romance seemed shallow. The author tried to compensate for all these with some quirky dialogues here and there, but that too got predictable at one point. I could not wait to finish the book!
The movie
The movie started out well. The female lead was quirky and always kept me on my foot. The male lead was someone I disliked the most! His characterization was also little skewed I felt. I mean how could he have been a player if he was a pet to the most famous girl in the school? The two friends of Bianca had little part to play in the movie. They were just sprinkled there to make the screen look pretty. Again a shallow characterization.
It has also spoilt Toby Tucker for me. He was probably the only sweet person in the entire book!
In the end, it isn’t about popularity or even getting the guy. It is about understanding that no matter what label is thrown your way, only you can define yourself.
Who wins?
Overall the movie was really shallow. If you want to watch the female lead please go ahead and watch it. I found myself regretting over wasting my time over the movie halfway.
The book is something I would not recommend to anyone who takes reading seriously. It is that bad.