Dumplin’ series book 1
Willowdean Dickson, self proclaimed fat girl and nicknamed Dumplin’ by her former beauty queen mother Ms Rosie, has always been comfortable in her own skin. She’s best friends with Ellen Dryver who, like herself, loves Dolly Parton. Dolly was her Willowdean’s aunt Lucy’s idol. Lucy passed away a year ago, and Willowdean is still trying to deal with that loss because Lucy helped raise her.
Her mother wants to clear out aunt Lucy’s room so she can use the space to do clothes alterations she does in her free time. Rosie works as a nurse in a retirement home but she lives for the Miss Teen Blue Bonnet pageant. Once a year, she’s the beauty queen again. Willowdean finds an entry form for the pageant Lucy filled in years ago, and decides she wants to enter this year.
Willowdean also works at a fast food joint called Harpy’s. She works with a really handsome guy called Bo. She can’t quite believe it but Bo kissed her by the dumpsters and they start hooking up. But when Willowdean finds out that Bo will start attending her school (he was in a private school because he’s an excellent basketball player), they break up. Willowdean starts going out with Mitch, who is big like her. Mitch suggests she does magic for her talent in the pageant. During all of this, Willowdean had a falling out with Ellen, who doesn’t know anything about Bo.
Following Willowdean’s example, fellow fat girl Millie Michalchuk, Amanda Lombard, who has to wear corrective shoes because one of her legs is longer than the other and Hannah Perez, the girl who is ridiculed for her looks all decide to enter the pageant as well. Willowdean and these four girls go to a Dolly Parton evening at the Hideout – a gay bar in the middle of nowhere where they meet drag queen Lee. They later ask the drag queens for help which is gladly given because Willowdean’s aunt Lucy was a friend of theirs.
I loved this book so much, I’ve read it a few times now and it always makes me smile. I’ve also enjoyed the film which has a Dolly Parton soundtrack.
I rewatched the film a few days ago, a few days after Dolly Parton’s death. I like/love some of Dolly Parton’s songs, and she was funny, so talented, never judged people for their religion, gender, sexual orientation or anything, and an amazing philanthropist. Her Imagination Library mails free books to children and promotes literacy. The world is a sadder place without her in it.
Read for the PopSugar Reading Challenge 2026
Prompt 6: A book with an overweight main character whose story isn’t about losing weight
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
