Puddin’ by Julie Murphy

“For the longest time, I thought the power of positive thinking would get me by. And it helps, that’s for dang sure. But it takes more than thinking and hoping and wishing and praying. You need a whole lot of doing.”

After being completely charmed by the movie version of Dumplin‘ I couldn’t help but pick up Puddin‘, the companion novel that follows two supporting characters from the first novel. In Puddin‘ we follow Millie Michalchuk and Callie Reyes. Mille has decided that this is the year she pursues her secret dream and what she wants to do rather than following her mom’s expectations. Also, to kiss her crush. Callie is a popular girl in school, and is aiming for the dance team captain spot next year. While the two girls live separate lives at school, an incident brings them together, and over time they find common ground and an unexpected friendship develops.

“I wish to feel like this all the time. That I’ve found my place, and that my place isn’t just a geographical coordinate, but a living, breathing thing that I carry inside of me.”

Puddin‘ is a solid, feel good YA novel that I found thoroughly enjoyable and charming. I have not read Dumplin‘ and only know it from its movie version so I am unable to compare, but I hope that a movie of Puddin‘ is not too far behind. The novel is told from the perspectives of Millie and Callie, which alternates chapter by chapter. This works well and we get to know both girls, seeing and understanding their situations from their point of view. Millie is such a sweet character and I couldn’t help but root for her, while Callie is a little less relatable but someone that grew on me and who I really wanted to learn, grow and succeed. A solid read for anyone looking for a sweet and charming story.