Upon hearing about this latest edition to the Clover City series, I'm already so stoked about this latest 'Dumplin' and 'Puddin' companion novel because I adored both of the previous books in this series! Here, Waylon Brewer is a fat, openly gay boy in Clover City who's just trying to bide his time until graduation when he can finally move to Austin with his twin sister and start anew, living authentically. However, once his sister Clementine deviates from the plan and he's dumped, Waylon decides on a whim to audition for his favorite drag competition show. After his audition tape gets shared with the entire school, Waylon ends up nominated for prom queen as a joke, right next to Clem's girlfriend Hannah as a prom king nominee. Even though they believe they were nominated as a joke, they decide to go for it and campaign. Along the campaign, he discovers there's a lot more to the whole prom queen ritual than he thought. Oh, and he's been spending more time with fellow king nominee Tucker who's equal parts cute and infuriating. The summary explains how Waylon needs to learn the best plan for tomorrow is by living for today with the help of some fellow queens. As a book, this has such a compelling and engaging tone of voice and language that really pulls me into his story right off the bat. It's so much fun to see this new story and to check in on your favorite characters from CCHS during their senior year. It's real, authentic, and engaging, just like Murphy's other reads in this series and I thoroughly enjoyed it, even polishing it off in a single day because I couldn't put it down. This fast read is super cute and I absolutely loved seeing Waylon embrace his true self to just shine, just like Maddie and Willowdean already had the chance to do. Then, that ending is absolutely precious and I couldn't stop smiling.

Pump-kin! Pump-kin! Pump-kin! I was delighted to see Julie Murphy return to Clover City, Texas. This time around we meet Waylon Brewer, who is waiting for his real life to begin after high school. He describes himself as fat and guy and that's not easy in a small town. His parents and sister are very supportive but when a video of him in drag is accidentally posted on the internet, Waylon is nominated for Homecoming Queen. He must decided if he can start living his "real" life now and show everyone how fabulous he truly is.
Many favorites from Dumplin and Puddin make appearances which were the cherries on top of the sundae!
Another winner from Murphy!

This was refreshing to read. Waylon is a personality I can get behind and I love seeing him show his true self as the book went on. I also loved seeing the past characters flourishing. I think anyone can relate to Julie Murphy’s books as we are all conscious about something in ourselves and being able to let that go and truly shine is so important.

I received an ARC from Netgalley.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Harper Collins/Balzer & Bray for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Lovely book about Waylon, a plus sized openly gay high school senior in West Texas, and his twin Clementine. When a video audition for his favorite drag show goes viral, he is joke nominated to be prom queen as is his sister’s GF Hannah. Waylon and Hannah decide to embrace the nominations and win.

This is my first book in the Dumplin’ series so I didn’t realize some of the characters where part of earlier books. You don’t need to have read the other books to enjoy Pumpkin but I think it would have made the book even better. I already downloaded the first two books to read.

The author did a phenomenal job of making you care for the characters. She really excelled at keeping the book fun while covering a lot of difficult issues. I loved Clem’s pep talks.

Disclaimer: I got this ARC in exchange for an honest review on @NetGalley.

This is perfect for fans of Simon vs. The Homo Sapien Agenda by Becky Albertalli. This story focuses on twins Waylon and his twin sister, Clem. If you need a book that's both lighthearted and tackles real-life issues, then this is for you!!

Julie Murphy writes beautifully and honestly. Just as with her earlier work, this book explores identity and youth in believable ways. Always ready to read and share more work from this author!

I received a free advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Which I will give happily.

Because oh my god, the feels.

Let me start by saying that I loved Dumplin’. Not only was the story fantastic, but it was one of those reading experiences that was so personally affirming for me as a woman who has been fat since elementary school.

I was so excited when Puddin’ was released to return to Clover City and spend time with Millie, but while I enjoyed that book, it just didn’t have the same magic for me that Dumplin’ did.

Did that stop me from getting super excited when I saw this third book sitting in my NetGalley queue? Of course not. And, as it turns out, for good reason.

Pumpkin, for me, really recaptured the magic of its first predecessor. I was rooting for the main character from the get-go, the love interest was perhaps just as dreamy as Bo, and we got to see quite a few of the original cast, but they were no longer the focus of the story (outside of Hannah, the only OG character to play a significant role). Waylon’s initial journey into drag was a delight to read, and this book was warm and supportive in all the best ways. My only frustration was that it ended- I was highly upset when I turned the page and found only the acknowledgements waiting.

Beyond that, I’m sure anyone who loved Dumplin’ will love this book as well. We do get to find our what the original crew’s post-high school plans are, with this book set just two weeks away from the end of senior year. I am left to wonder whether this timeline means that Julie Murphy is finished with Clover City, but with the introduction of new characters, including an entire club of LGBTQ+ students, there would certainly be plenty of characters with new stories to explore. Heck, maybe even infamous bully Patrick can get a redemption arc or something. After reading the gem that is Pumpkin, one can only hope there’s more to come.

Now for the teacher bit: Like its predecessors, this book is the perfect early-YA. It deals with topics that students in grades 7-10 can relate to, contains little-to-no inappropriate language, and there is no sexual activity discussed beyond characters making out, which is infrequent. This can be read as a stand-alone, but I do think the context of the earlier books in the series would better help the reader understand Hannah’s character and appreciate the occasional appearances of characters from earlier in the series. This is definitely worth picking up for your classroom library, especially if you are seeking more books with LGBTQ+ main characters without the heaps of trauma that can permeate those texts.

I love Julie Murphy's work so much and especially this series. Pumpkin was a delightful character, and I loved spending time in his world. Wish there were more uplifting and queer-positive books like this when I was young.

!!!!!! Julie Murphy has done it again. A celebration of queer teens, fat teens, teens in love, teens who don't have a clue. This book is a delight!! Maybe my favorite that she's written.

The third installment of Julie Murphy's "Dumplin'" series might have been my favorite. I loved how beloved characters from the previous books made their way back in, but the new characters were what really made it shine. I laughed, I sighed, I swooned! Highly recommend!

The third novel set in the world of Dumplin', Pumpkin' focuses on the senior year of Waylon Russell Brewer. While Waylon is out he in his small town he longs to finish high school and move to a bigger city where he imagines a future with his twin sister (also gay) where he doesn't have to "tone down" his more femme attributes. Characters from previous books in the series reappear regularly, although the focus remains on Waylon and his struggles to decide a new path for himself when his plans for the future are disrupted.

I love Julie Murphy's books! All of her characters are so real and relatable. This book is set in the same town and high school as Dumplin' and Puddin' with characters overlapping. Waylon Brewer is a fat, openly gay boy with a twin sister (who is also gay) and the nickname Pumpkin. His family accepts him for who he is, but not everyone in his small town is as accepting of him. Waylon navigates his senior year of high school, old and new relationships, his future, a new drag identity, and being nominated for Prom Queen.

A fast, enjoyable read with a wonderful new character and some returning favorites. As always, the relationships shine brightest--between Waylon and his twin sister, Clem, between Clem and her girlfriend Hannah, the relationships all the teens have with their grandmothers, and the budding friendship Waylon has with Tucker after they paired together on the prom committee.

I loved going back to the Hideaway and seeing Waylon's drag queen aspirations. All the characters are figuring out what they want and it's all messy and complicated, as life usually is. Waylon's voice is strong, and he knows much of who he is, but isn't read to share that version of himself yet for most of the book. I didn't fully buy into the romance at first, but as it went on, I started liking and believing it.

It was great to see Will and Ellen and all the others from the previous books to get a snapshot of what they all planned for after high school, Though they're all together sometimes, this is Waylon's story, and his story shines. I really enjoyed his character arc and the confrontation with another character about the way weight loss was treated. The ending was perfect and completely satisfying.

Fans of other books won't be disappointed.

Practically in literal tears. Pumpkin was everything I wanted and more. This is the book that I think Julie Murphy was born to write. I just have to tell you that she delivers here 100% and created this incredibly complex and beautifully developed character. The world is going to get to read an LGBTQ coming of age story with a 300 lb femme gay male protagonist who loves doing drag. A book that is almost certainly going to hit the New York Times bestseller list instantly because on the bottom it will say “Bestselling Author of Dumplin’ Julie Murphy” - this is a story that you just don’t see published very rarely, and for Julie to lend her voice to this incredible story warmed my heart so much. So many other authors would struggle to get this in mainstream hands I believe, but Julie just executes this story to perfection.

Julie Murphy returns to her successful town of Clover City, you get a peak at where Willowdean and Bo from Dumplin’, and Millie and Callie from Puddin’ are and how they are doing before graduating high school. This book is full of funny great characters and so much heart.

Waylon’s story is going to resonate with so many people and I feel so privileged to have been one of the first readers to get to meet him. Thank you to Harper Collins’ Children’s Books and NetGalley.

Julie Murphy is a breath of fresh air, BUT there are some editing issues here. With any luck at all the weird continuity problems will be fixed by publication, yet I cannot, in good conscience, give this the 4 stars it deserves until I see that happen.

Ohhhhhh my goodness I loved the shit out of this. There's so much to love: supportive families (is Clover City the Schitt's Creek of fiction???), great friends, twins, drag queens, LURVE and of course, did I mention, LURVE?

Seriously though, the feel-good bits of this were just so wonderful, and though there is conflict, it is low-stakes and you know things will work out in the end. I loved Clem and Waylon; I loved that everyone's fave Clover City characters come back.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was a fun addition to the Dumplin' series, & I very much enjoyed the main character, Pumpkin AKA Waylon. It was also fun to see what happens to Willowdean from Dumplin'.

Third time's the charm! This book is Dumplin' #3 and is the best one of all. Our story follows Waylon, a tall, bigger boy who is red-headed. And gay. He laments that it's hard enough to be the tall fat kid, but to be gay and feminine in a small Texas town is the icing on the cake, Oh, and then there's his twin sister, Clementine. Waylon's grandma calls him Pumpkin and being a big guy with orange hair just kind of fits with that nickname. When the story opens, we see Waylon getting excited for the season finale of a reality show about drag queens, Fiercest of Them All. Adorable story, and like I said, I'm pretty sure this is the best of the three books in this series (and it's a plus that we get to see Willowdean and Millie again).

Omigosh! I fell in love with this universe Julie Murphy created back in Dumplin' and she continues to give the same exciting, caring, goosebumps-inducing and happy tear crying moments in this newest addition!

This story follows Waylon (aka Ms Pumpkin Patch) as he goes through school in the small lover City town as a VERY much out fem gay boy. He does a late night drag video for fun that accidently gets leaked all over school and, as with all Murphy's stories, takes it in stride and breaks down in his bedroom like we all would have done!

These characters are so relatable (even if you do not have the life experience of being a gay boy in small town Texas) and I love how Murphy's characters don't always get the "happy ending" that Hallmark movies promise. Her stories are real, and characters get their own version of a happy ending.

I will be recommending this to all teen collections

Thanks to NetGalley and Balzer+Bray for this eARC!!

I loved the first two Clover City books, and this one gives similar Dumplin' and Puddin' feels, with just a little less Dolly. Come for the dose of positive self-talk, stay for the rockin' grandma and her golden girls posse. Also, if you are far from your teen days, you'll get to feel happy that you went to high school in the pre-promposal days.