Honest and cynical, the DUFF is a tale of high school, friendships and boys. Well, more like Bianca, our heroine's grappling with her own sense of self, her place among her two beautiful tall blonde friends, and her evolving more-than-friendship with Wesley. DUFF opens up with Bianca bemoaning her friends' mindless partying at the local hangout, until Wesley deems her the DUFF - designated ugly fat friend of the group. Bianca, obviously offended, leaves, but that's only the beginning of her troubles. As her life crumbles, and troubles at home, along with relationship issues come to light, she begins to see more than just the class prettyboy in Wesley. 
 DUFF was a conflicting read for me - on one hand I really liked Bianca's sassy, cynical nature, but at the same time I thought she was a huge hypocrite for her beliefs/actions. On one hand, Bianca is the perfect heroine for any modern age high school novel, she's not slaving over the whole Prince-Charming-will-save-me-one-day idea, nor is she naive to the issues of the day. Sex, booze, drugs, Bianca's not afraid of it at all, and she knows its a part of teenage life. She's experienced, not a wimp heroine worrying about her first time, nor one to worry about the morality of casual sex. Seriously, where else will you find such a prideful heroine? 
 (This paragraph may be a bit spoiler-y, beware!) 
 But as soon as Wesley comes into the picture, Bianca's identity is a bit shattered. She's attracted to him, even if it is just casually. However as her relationship deepens with him, I found myself questioning why did Bianca start with him in the first place. I don't see why she picks him for solace, despite the whole DUFF label. Even if Bianca sought Wesley for casual reasons, I found her justifications and rationalizations ridiculously hypocritical. Which made me sad that such an awesome heroine could be reduced to that. 
 (End spoiler-y bit) 
 However, the DUFF shines on how it's not just a romance novel, but a high school romance novel. DUFF focuses on Bianca's place at home, with Wesley, with her two gorgeous friends as well. Character roles, misconceptions, and a bit of social commentary are revealed, timely to the target generation. The DUFF isn't afraid to be outrageous and shockingly honest, because Keplinger doesn't hold back. She tells a story that's absolutely believable and ingenious, a book of contemporary wonder.