Praise for RAMONA BLUE: “A must-have work that will resonate with teens” - School Library Journal
Praise for PUDDIN’: “This companion to the very popular Dumplin’ introduces more memorable characters for whom readers can’t help but cheer.” - School Library Journal
Praise for PUDDIN’: “Julie Murphy has created the platonic love story of a lifetime. I am wildly in love with Puddin’.” - Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Leah on the Offbeat and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Praise for PUDDIN’: “Murphy’s plot brims with unlikely friendships, irresistible romance, fabulous fat acceptance, and a kick-ass ending. Buoying.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Praise for PUDDIN’: “Texans and non-Texans alike will appreciate getting to know two strong-minded Lone Star girls.” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Murphy creates a wonderfully realistic portrait of tween life in her first middle-grade novel…. Sweet Pea is a treasure of a protagonist.” - ALA Booklist (starred review)
“Dear Sweet Pea is a truly irresistible story about a family in flux, brimming with humor and heart.” - Rebecca Stead, Newbery Award-winning author of When You Reach Me
“Full of cringe-worthy but funny seventh grade moments… [there’s also] plenty of room for more serious reflection about the people around her in her small Texas town, a cast diverse in ethnicity, sexual orientation, and body size as well as in attitudes.” - Horn Book Magazine
"Murphy succeeds yet again at crafting a touching, quotable coming-of-age story, this time exploring divorce, shifting friendships, crushes, queerness, and much more." - School Library Journal (starred review)
“Successfully handles tough topics with humor.” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “A funny and touching novel about a strong-willed heroine who finds facing death simple, but facing life heart-wrenchingly complicated. A real original.” - Jennifer Echols author of Going Too Far
Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “A tale of unlikely romance, impossible obstacles, and mortality, this book is a must-read.” - Teen Vogue
Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “It’s equal parts fun, cringe-worthy, and totally fearless!” - Seventeen
Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “An unexpected twist on the typical cancer story.” - Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
“Endearing and funny… An excellent blend of eccentricity, humor, genuine sweetness, and mild drama.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“With gentle humor, ageless wisdom, and charming, genuine characters who represent a diversity of experiences, Murphy’s novel offers all the emotional highs and lows of pitch-perfect middle grade.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Praise for DUMPLIN’: “Heart-felt and inspirational, Dumplin’ will win readers over with her snarky humor and introspective view of growing up a big girl in a small town. You’ll want her to take the cake, the crown, and the boy!” - Jen Bigheart, Outreach Supervisor, Westbank Community Libraries
Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “Honest and unflinching, this is a compelling story of one teen’s struggle with cancer, love, and living. A worthwhile addition.” - School Library Journal
Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “Readers will turn the last page wanting to know where the next chapter leads.” - Kirkus Reviews
Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “Alice and Harvey’s relationship is raw, honest, moving, and unapologetic in its depiction of their individual, and collective, pain.” - Booklist
Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “Julie Murphy weaves together a tender and funny tale of love, friendship, heartache, and redemption. Side Effects May Vary explodes with brutal honesty, brilliant wit, and unflinching heart.” - John Corey Whaley winner of the Michael L Printz Award for Where Things Come Back
Praise for SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY: “Julie Murphy’s Side Effects May Vary is a funny, heartfelt, honest look at the beauty and the risk of getting a second chance. An inspiring novel about all the things worth living for. I adored this debut!” - Siobhan Vivian author of The List
Praise for DUMPLIN’: “Dumplin’ made me want to high-five everyone in the world. If there’s any justice on this godforsaken earth, Julie Murphy will become the next household name synonymous with YA.” - Cristin Stickles McNally Jackson Books
Praise for DUMPLIN’: “[A] richly enjoyable novel...a clever and funny book to please lovers of thoughtful romance and secret pageant fans.” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Praise for DUMPLIN’: “Genuine, romantic, and with a dash of Texan charm, this is a novel that celebrates being who you are while also acknowledging that it’s incredibly difficult to do.” - The Horn Book
Praise for DUMPLIN’: “Awesome, original, romantic, and wise - Julie Murphy’s Dumplin’ is the book young adult literature has always needed. Willowdean is fat, there’s no getting around it, and that’s both the core of her story and just the start of her full, fabulous, interesting life. Teen readers will be changed by Willowdean and her journey and I can’t wait for them to get the chance to meet her.” - Angie Manfredi, Los Alamos County Library
Praise for DUMPLIN’: “Portrays and challenges sterotypes about beauty pageants, size issues, and women’s concerns...Powerful.” - Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
Praise for DUMPLIN’: “Willowdean will never be the pageant queen her mother was, but when her beloved aunt dies, everything changes. What’s a Dolly Parton lovin’ fat girl to do? Start a revolution…In a story in which everyone can see something of themselves, Julie Murphy has created a character who is flawed, fabulous and feisty. If you can’t be Willowdean you’ll want to be her friend.” - Valerie Davis, Campbell County Public Library
Praise for DUMPLIN’: “Will’s singular voice compels readers to think about all that goes into building-and destroying-self-esteem...Splendid” - Booklist (starred review)
Praise for DUMPLIN’: “Murphy...successfully makes every piece of the story—Dolly Parton superfans, first love, best-friend problems, an unlikely group of pageant entrants, female solidarity, self-acceptance, and Willowdean’s complicated relationship with the mother...-count, weaving them together to create a harmonious, humorous, and thought-provoking whole.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Praise for DUMPLIN’: “I’m obsessed with this book. Wickedly funny, heartbreakingly real, full of characters to love and cheer for. DUMPLIN’ is such a star.” - Katie Cotugno author of How to Love and 99 Days
Praise for DUMPLIN’: “Dumplin’ should be required reading for anyone who has ever felt even slightly uncomfortable in his or her skin. Julie Murphy’s star continues to shine with this groundbreaking, poignant story that will surely change lives.” - John Corey Whaley award-winning author of Noggin’ and Where Things Come Back
Praise for DUMPLIN’: “Willowdean Dickson is fat. And you can either back her up or back the bleep off. She is self-confident, fearless, funny and comfortable in her own skin. In her second novel, Julie Murphy proves that she’s the real deal. She tells Willowdean’s story with wit, sass and kindness. Although the book sadly has to come to an end, Willowdean lives in my heart and will for a very long time.” - Cathy Berner, Blue Willow Bookshop
Praise for DUMPLIN’: “Willowdean Dickson’s journey from being completely comfortable as the ‘resident fat girl’, to doubting everything she thought she knew about herself—and back again—is a journey with which we can all relate. No matter what form your personal demons might take, Julie Murphy’s DUMPLIN’ will touch you, delight you and, hopefully, help you to ‘step into your own light’” - Laura Donohoe, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe
Praise for RAMONA BLUE: “An exquisite, thoughtful exploration of the ties that bind and the fluidity of relationships, sexuality, and life.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Praise for RAMONA BLUE: “Julie Murphy knows a thing or two about navigating the worlds of girls on the brink of self-discovery.” - Booklist (starred review)
Praise for RAMONA BLUE: “Julie Murphy delivers a fresh and glorious love story that addresses all the complexities of one’s heart. Ramona Blue’s discovery of limitless love is total beauty.” - Adam Silvera New York Times bestselling author of They Both Die at the End
Praise for RAMONA BLUE: “Ramona Blue is Julie Murphy’s best book yet. It’s hilarious, it’s heartfelt, and it’s so, so real. I just wish I’d had this book to read during my own teen years!” - Robin Talley New York Times bestselling author of Lies We Tell Ourselves
Praise for RAMONA BLUE: “Murphy creates a place that feels deeply real…a great setting for a coming-of-age story, as Ramona realizes that she’s capable of more than she imagined and that some categories are more fluid than she’d thought.” - Publishers Weekly
Praise for RAMONA BLUE: “Satisfying” - The Horn Book