I love all of Julie Murphy's other books so when I heard she was writing a book about a fat gay teen I knew I had to read it! Boy oh boy am I glad I did! I loved so much about this book i am not sure I can even mention all of it but I will try.
First off I loved being back in Clover City and getting to revisit some of Murphy's other characters like Hannah and Millie and Willowdean. I also really loved that Hannah was such a big part of this story! She was one of my favorite characters from Dumplin and getting to revisit her and see her happy makes my little lesbian heart sing!
Speaking of lesbians I would be remissed if I didn't mention Clem, a ginger after my own heart truly! She is everything I wish I was in high-school! I loved every second I got to read about her. She was just so sweet but strong willed and confident. She obviously felt and loved so fearsly. I honestly just adored her and she was the highlight of this book for me.
And then there is Wayland. Who wouldn't love Wayland? I wanted to be his best friend and protect him at all cost. He was just so perfect and so much fun. I loved following his journey throughout this book. He was amazing.
This whole book was just an absolute delight! I knew I would like this book but I had no idea I would like it this much! I definitely can not wait to get myself a physical copy and then endlessly recommend this book to everyone I know!

I was super excited for another round in the Dumplin'-verse, and this book did NOT disappoint! These books are so near and dear to my heart. I love all these characters and it was wonderful to get to see a lot of same people from the last two novels in this one. This was definitely the biggest coming-of-age one of the three, with Waylon really developing and blossoming into his true self. Waylon was absolutely fabulous as our MC, stealing the stage and my heart from the first chapter! Murphy's books are always so full of body positivity, LGBTQ+ representation, and fantastic discourse on changing society's view on larger body sizes. The characters are snappy, witty, and totally fun. She writes characters that you want as your friends in real life. I feel like this is the end of the Dumplin'-verse, but honestly, I would love to read more books like this.

I have loved the first two books in the Dumplin' series, and Julie Murphy did not disappoint this time around either! We get a slight glimpse at our old friends while going on a brand new adventure with our new friend. This story was riveting from beginning to end, with a little bit of judgement in the middle. *winks*

Full disclosure...I did not read Dumplin’ or Puddin’ before reading this novel. However, I can definitively say that you do not need to read either of them to read this book. I did watch the movie, so some of the characters were familiar. After reading this novel, I will be going back to read the first two.

This book was magnificent from start to finish. It’s an escape from real-world problems where I can simply read a heartwarming book where I can laugh, grin, and gush about the characters. I related to Waylon’s character to a T. 6’3, fat, gay, flamboyant, and unapologetic. I really think this book could help teens come into themselves and not feel like they need to apologize for who they are as a person.

I wanted more! This book seemed too short and my mind continued to race after finishing the book about what antics Waylon (and Pumpkin) have in store. Perhaps there is a novella in the future!!! If not, I’ll create my own future for this Queen!

We're back in Clover City, where Murphy's other YA novels have taken place. I enjoyed glimpses of characters from the previous books.
Overall I felt the plot moved a little too slowly

I can't even tell you how happy I was to get another LGBTQ offering from Julie Murphy. Ramona Blue is one of the first books featuring a bisexual character I was able to get for my library, and it is a go-to recomendation for students seeking LGBTQ reads. And then to find out this one was part of the Dumplin' universe? Uh...yes, please!

Wyatt is fat. And gay. And although he struggles with both at times, he's not ashamed of either one. He doesn't always feel like he can be 100% Waytt, though--but when he is jokingly nominated for Prom Queen, he decides to take the bull by the horns and be the queeniest queen that ever queened.

Thought there is a lot of fun in this one, there are also some serious issues regarding body image, bullying, and the changes that teenagers face. Wyatt and his twin sister Clementine find themselves at odds with each other for the first time in their lives, and Wyatt struggles with having crushes on the wrong people and figuring out where exactly he's heading after graduation.

My only complaint is that the relationship between Wyatt and Tucker feels a little rushed...I would have loved more development and a deeper dive into Tucker's family life and future plans. I also would have loved a little more Pumpkin Patch--because who doesn't love some fierce drag?

It’s like all of the complaints I had from the previous two books were listened to and implemented in the most heavy handed yet bland way.

I can only describe this reading experience as entering a fugue state.

I laughed once, making it necessarily better than Puddin', so it gets two stars.

What I love about Julie Murphy's books are that they are an unapologetic love story to both kids who feel like they don''t fit in, and the small towns they live in. I loved seeing glimpses of characters from past books too!

Honestly, Julie Murphy was my main reason for reading this book, I mean I had an entire Dolly Parton phase because of Dumplin'. the plot sounded great, I would've read it anyways but I will die for Julie Murphy's books. I honestly loved all our main characters, there's quite honestly nothing I love more than mlm/wlw solidarity. I know it's a theme with Julie Murphy's books but seeing a fat queer drag queen main character was everything I wanted. Especially because Waylon didn't hate being fat. Obviously, I know that this is the theme for her books but he did drag and became homecoming queen and did all these incredible, courageous things and he didn't try to diet or lose weight to do those things and that was inspirational. Murphy's books take these things that society tells us aren't ok, being fat, doing drag, being queer, and shows us that not only is it ok, but it's incredible. I wish that I could've had this book when I was younger because it would've been amazing for younger me.

Waylon is a very well written teen character. You will love how he sees beauty in the people around him . You will definitely find yourself rooting for him, wanting to be his friend, and cringing at some of his terrible teenage decisions (hey- we’ve all been there!). Pumpkin is the third and last book to be set in the Dumplin’ world of Clover City. If you LOVE Dumplin’ as much as me, you absolutely have to read this book... I’ll just say you might get some updates on the lives of many of your favorite characters- including the wonderful Willowdean.

This book is YA, but there are some themes that push it more toward adult for me. I would recommend this for older high school at up.

Thank you for allowing me to read and review Pumpkin pre-publication.

This review will be posted on Instagram @gracecookiereads on April 10, 2021

This is a wonderful, feel good story about a gay high school boy running from prom queen. Just like the previous two books in this series, I loved everything about this story. Julie Murphy is truly a genius. I loved all of the new characters and enjoyed seeing what the characters from the other books were up to. Waylon is such a wonderfully diverse character with so many layers. He wants to be his true self, but is afraid of how he will be accepted in his small Texas hometown. I do wish there had been a little more drag experiences for Waylon, or that the ending shared what happens after he graduates from high school. I really just wanted more of the drag queens and wish that the focus had been more on that.

I did like how the story wasn't overly dramatic, but nice, happy, and hopeful. It's a great read if you need something light and fluffy. I'm looking forward to Julie Murphy's next book!

Waylon is a gay teenage boy with drag queen aspirations living in tiny Clover City, Texas. His life hasn't been terrible (his parents are supportive, his twin sister is a lesbian and his biggest fan, and his grandmother, especially, shares and nurtures his flamboyant fashion choices) but he can't wait to move to Austin for college and become Waylon 3.0: the real him. But when a video of Waylon in drag accidentally goes viral and he's nominated for Prom Queen as a joke, he decides to fully embrace his true self a little earlier than planned and throws himself into his campaign. Maybe he'll get teased, maybe he'll be laughed at, but at least he can say he tried, right? With a cast of familiar faces along for the ride, and a cute boy who may or may not be moving from frenemy to crush, the end of Waylon's senior year is going to be anything but boring.

I was a big fan of Dumplin', and I really enjoyed Puddin', too. But something was missing for me in this one. The character development just wasn't there, and cameos from Willowdean, Bo, Callie, Millie, Hannah, etc. are thrown in for fun but they don't actually get to do much aside from act as set decoration. (EXCEPT Hannah, who was the best character in this book, hands down.) For a guy who was interested in being a drag queen, Waylon didn't actually spend very much time with any of them. The ladies from the Hideaway were some of my favorites from the first book, and it was disappointing that they're given such short shrift here. In my previous Julie Murphy reads, I was really impressed with how she introduces diverse, complex, compelling characters but in such a chill, conversational and relatable way. The relaxed tone is still there in Pumpkin, but the depth in the characters just wasn't.

The story just skated along the surface of everything. Maybe I've aged out of the Julie Murphy program and her books just aren't for me anymore. Having said that, I *did* read and enjoy "Dear Sweet Pea" which is intended for middle grade readers, and I thought that was really well done. (Although I will say that the tone was the same for Dear Sweet Pea, Pumpkin, AND If the Shoe Fits--Murphy's first foray into adult romance. It was all a little juvenile and simple, which is perfect for middle grade and not so much for YA and romance. Maybe Murphy is just finding her footing as she experiments with different genres.)

It's also possible that this was just meant to give one last glimpse at some favorite characters from other books while introducing a couple of new ones, and that's fine. It just wasn't as much of a grand finale as I wanted for them!

**Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.**

Murphy blows me away time after time. I love Pumpkin! I want to hug Waylon and hold his hand as he figures out his path in life. The characters in this novel are not to be missed and their are cameos by some favorites of past books. Drop everything and read this heart-warming book today!

It's easy to grow up hating your hometown and biding your time until you can break into the great, wide world. Waylon Brewer knows this feeling way too well. He's been out for years and is supported by his parents, Grammy, and his twin sister Clementine, who is also gay.

Instead of making the most of his senior year, he continues to nurse old grudges and often judges others because he fears they're already judging him. Everything changes when Waylon records his first attempt at drag as Miss Pumpkin Patch. He never meant for the video to be shared, but soon everyone has seen it.

To make matters worse, Waylon's post-graduation plans are crumbling around him, his casual hook-up crashes and burns, and Waylon's been nominated for Prom Queen. Will Waylon turn his volume up to ten, start saying yes, and be his truest self or will he keep trying to blend in even though he was born to stand out?

I absolutely loved returning to Clover City and checking in on Willowdean, Millie, and all of the other amazing characters. This story has fantastic representation that will help teens to see themselves in more stories. I definitely recommend this one: 5/5 stars!

I love all of Julie Murphy’s books, but I think this one was my favorite. I enjoy how all of the characters in her stories are from the same town and appear in each other’s books. In Pumpkin a young gay boy finds his excitement over dressing in drag. He also deals with his twin sister growing up and having to navigate his senior year.

Well, this was just adorable! A fine conclusion (perhaps) to the books in the Dumplinverse, Pumpkin follows the out and mostly-proud Waylon as he tries to make his way in conservative Clover City. A series of semi-catastrophic events leads him to be nominated for prom queen. His twin sister's partner, Hannah of Dumplin' beauty pageant fame, was nominated for prom king. Together they decide to see if they can change the hearts and minds of Clover City.

If you liked Dumplin, you'll like this. The books are pretty similar, except that you could swap the beauty pageant for prom, and replace issues around coming out and being queer in a conservative community with the heavy grief elements of Dumplin'. I was a little hesitant about this one because I couldn't get through Puddin', the second book in the Dumplinverse (Millie is just not my thing, y'all), and books based around prom are not my favorite. But I'm happy to report that I mostly adored Waylon and his supporting cast which superseded any lingering hatred from prom that may still exist in my cold, dead, adult heart. I also love it when Julie Murphy takes on fatphobia, which she does to great effect here.

Oh, and on the off chance that anyone reading this review can do something about this prior to publication, the University of Georgia is abbreviated UGA not UG (go dawgs!).

Pumpkin is a great, mostly light contemporary featuring likable characters and a few important life lessons. I'll be widely recommending it. 4 stars - I really liked it.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book.

Once again, readers find themselves in Clover City, Texas, where we first met Willowdean and her posse of beauty queen hopefuls in Julie Murphy's "Dumplin'." This time, readers are introduced to a new "queen," Waylon Brewer, a fat, gay senior boy who loves drag. Waylon has his future all planned out: after graduation he's heading to Austin with his twin sister Clementine and becoming the truest iteration of himself. However, those plans crumble and Waylon copes by experimenting with becoming "Miss Pumpkin Patch," the drag queen he's never allowed himself to be. He makes an audition video for his favorite reality drag competition, and when that video accidentally gets leaked all over social media, Waylon's senior year takes yet another turn. He is nominated for prom queen, and he has a decision to make--try to hide from the attention or become the queen he has always wanted to be.

Like "Dumplin'," readers will appreciate Murphy's nuance and very real portrayals of confident, flawed, and sometimes insecure fat characters. However, unlike Willowdean in "Dumplin'," Waylon, in "Pumpkin," faces significantly more peer abuse, yet Waylon also has far more familial and peer support. For lovers of Julie Murphy and her themes of identity, body-positivity, friendship, and community, this book is a smash. It reads just as quickly as her other novels and is a feel-good, fluffy story.

Julie Murphy is wonderful! I love her stories so much, and this is no exception.

Pumpkin is about a fat, femme, gay teen boy named Waylon Brewer. He and his twin Clementine are seniors at Clover City High School. Both of them are trying to fly under the radar for the next few weeks to get them to graduation when something unexpected happens. Waylon gets nominated for prom court--as the prom queen. His sister's girlfriend, Hannah Perez, is also nominated for prom king. Even though they suspect they were nominated as a joke, the two decide to go for it. They join the prom court meetings and commit to taking on a string of tasks to be eligible for election.

Waylon is paired with Tucker, a former bully, who Waylon is not excited to work with. There is tension between them as they navigate their projects and get to know each other. But, they develop and unlikely friendship.

This story warmed my heart because it is filled with love and friendship. It shows examples of bada** teenagers who are not afraid to shake up gender norms or fight for themselves. I think this book is important because it show examples of students advocating for themselves and inspiring others.

I am a huge fan of Julie Murphy, and I was so excited to pick up the new book set at Clover City High. If you are in Willowdean and Millie fans, then she left us some fun updates on some of our favorite characters!

The third installment of the Dumplin' series follows Waylon Russel Brewer, an overweight, openly gay senior in high school who has a twin sister named Clementine. Their plan is to move to Austin after graduation, but when Clementine deviates from their plan, Waylon decides to create an audition tape for a drag queen show and submit it. But when the tape goes viral and the whole school sees it, he gets nominated as Prom Queen as a joke. Waylon decides to own it, and go with the flow, but can he pull it off?

Pumpkin is an excellent and diverse read that everyone needs in their life! I haven't had a chance to read the other books in the series (don't worry, this one can stand alone) but I will be rectifying that immediately! This is a book that EVERYONE should be reading!