Puddin’

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

YA Contemporary isn’t usually my jam but if more of them were like this, I’m reading it more often. Fans of Becky Albertalli and Angie Thomas will enjoy Puddin’ for its humour, heart, and unapologetic quality. It’s a book I wish I had as a teen because it touches on identity, body positivity, representation, family relationships, and friendship over competition.

I’m quite picky when it comes to reading about YA romance but I was glad that even though it was part of the story, it wasn’t central to the characters’ lives. I loved that it was more about two girls learning and growing through their actions and experiences and struggling with the unknowns in their future, all while discovering what true friendship looked like.

Like other books, Puddin’ wasn’t perfect but it became such a comforting feel-good book to me that it didn’t even really change how much I liked it. I even appreciated how some characters had slow development because it made it more realistic.

Puddin’is a companion novel to Dumplin’but you don’t need to read them in order. I actually haven’t read Dumplin’ myself but I’m definitely interested in picking it up and checking out other books Murphy puts out in the future.