Taking Time to Reread: The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

It is a shame, but I rarely take the time to reread my books. But yesterday while I was waiting in the movie theater for Pitch Perfect to start (we arrived 45 minutes early because we didn't have anything better to do) I started rereading The Duff on my phone. Thank goodness for the nook app because unlike the girl in the ticket line behind me, I didn't bring a book with me.

 
I've wanted to read The Duff again for a while because I read through it pretty fast the first time (back in 2010) and didn't take the time to enjoy the characters. With the second read, I focused more on the relationships between the best friends - Bianca, Jessica, and Casey and not so much on the relationship between Bianca and Wesley. Sometimes as readers we get so caught up on the swoon that other parts of the story fall to the wayside.

In my review (read it here), I explained how much I identified with Bianca (as the designated ugly fat friend) but this time around, I also could see parts of myself in Casey (the too tall girl, she's 6'1", I'm 5'11") and Jessica (falling for the boy who wouldn't even notice her). It was fun to take the time to pick up things that I missed during my original reading. 



I was still loved the bickering chemistry between Bianca and Wesley. And I was more understanding of conflicts that I thought were resolved too easily from my first reading. Knowing what was going to happen took away some of the shock and anger that I felt when I first read it. (I'm intentionally being vague here as to not reveal any spoilers). I still do not think it was fine or as easily forgivable, but it allowed me to see it more from the character's perspective rather than my own. 

The Duff was definitely worth the reread. I think that I liked it ever more the second time around. It's one that I will probably read once again some day. As I make my way through new reads and review copies, I plan to reread more books that I loved and want to revisit. Up next: The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

Do you reread books? Or do your every growing TBR piles keep you from picking up some of your favorite books? I'd love to know your thoughts, so leave a comment.