Bumped (Bumped, 1)

This was definitely a book I needed to read slowly, to savor each moment. McCafferty really knows how to write dialogue and character so well! And I love her other books that started with Sloppy Firsts. I got this one the day it came out, but it somehow got vacuumed up into my never-ending TBR piles. But, the sequel comes out in a few weeks, and I remembered to read this one!I'm so glad this book was not forgotten. McCafferty's style reminds me so much of Libba Bray's, and that is a high compliment coming from me! The best thing about this book was I kept forgetting it was a dystopia; it felt so real and there were no a-typical dystopia "I finally get that the world is awful" moments until the end, by which point I was just so sucked up in the awesomeness of these characters that I had to remind myself what kind of story it really was.It's about Melody and Harmony (long-lost twin sisters) connecting for the first time. Melody and Harmony live in a world where no one past the age of 18 can make babies. And girls, once they hit puberty, are paid to conceive and give birth to babies for the highest bidder. Melody was the first girl in her school to go pro and sign a contract with a couple who wants her to give birth to their baby. The only issue is that the couple is taking its sweet time to find Melody the perfect guy to sleep with. And while Melody is waiting, other girls are going on to baby number two. And all of the girls who sign these contracts are set for life money-wise.Harmony grows up in Goodside, a place that sounds a lot like an Amish colony. There's little to no technology. Any form of touching with anyone but your husband is considered sin. And girls tend to be arranged into marriage as early as 13 so they can start doing what God wants them to do: make babies. At first, I couldn't stand Harmony's character because every other word out of her mouth was about God or Jesus and how she wanted to give God to people and convince her sister to move back to Goodside with her.And it was so easy to start feeling like the whole teen girls selling their uteruses thing was normal. McCafferty wrote this in such a way where it was almost hard for me to see this as wrong. I was getting sucked into the propaganda as much as the main characters were! And I'm not used to this happening! I definitely liked Melody more to begin with because of this. It made sense that this is what the world would come to when adults couldn't give birth any more. And I liked that teen girls seemed to be so valued in society.Yet, as the book went on, the more I realized how messed up things were. For starters, Melody is clearly in love with her best friend, but since he's short she can't get involved with him. No couple wants short babies. Guys are all mixed up with drugs to make them taller and stronger. There's group sex parties where the intent is for girls to get pregnant all at the same time. There's drugs going around that make you more attracted to your paid sexual partner. There's stores where young teens can buy baby humps. And the advertisments, slang, culture, and even the parents of all the main characters are so wrapped up in promoting teen pregnancy and making teen pregnancy sexy and even the norm.It almost makes sense that the religious zealots take such a firm, opposing argument to the way the Otherside works. The story really gets interesting when Melody's couple finally pick a famous guy to have sex with her, and the guy thinks Harmony (the religious twin) is the one he needs to get pregnant. There's romance. There's pissed off husbands. There's great twin humor. There's plenty of propaganda from both sides of the spectrum. There's evil parents. There's sex, a ton of teen pregnancy, and a lot of heartache. One girl looses it completely after her pregnancy and decides she can't give up her baby. So, she's institutionalized. Most girls never get to see the babies they give birth to. Another girl almost dies in childbirth at 16. And a lot of tough themes are addressed in this one.It took me just a little bit of time to officially dive into the book. I had to fully immerse myself in the language and get used to all the baby-promoting before I really understood what was happening. And I liked that. The author didn't make it easy for you to understand immediately or pick sides immediately either. The best part is when you realize how rebellious both twins are, how neither one (in their own way) will conform to what everyone else wants and expects of them. They both feel that sleeping with someone you don't love is wrong. And it does take Melody a little longer to come to this realization, but she does it all the same. And you can't help but want more girls to come to this same conclusion.I loved the drama! I loved the dialogue and the culture! McCafferty developed an almost brand new consumerism language. And it was just so believable! It's a book that makes you think about how much you take for granted and makes you ask, "what should I be questioning right now?" Each twin was so different and both had such a unique voice to them. I loved both of them. I loved the best friend! And I really just think this was a fantastic novel. I can't wait for book 2. This so gets a 10/10 from me!

Imagine a world where a virus would make you infertile, typically by the time you were eighteen. That from the moment you were old enough to conceive, society would push you to do so.Where the government's propaganda machine is out in full force working with advertisers to ensure that their slogans, their music, their message would move everyone toward that one single goal - procreate or face extinction. Convincing the young that not only should they do it to save the species, but because everyone is doing it, it is the thing to do and they wouldn't want to miss out.And in this world, where children are the only chance for survival, for salvation, it is the parents who have a golden opportunity to prey on their naiveté and profit from their willingness to follow the trend.Becoming a Surrogette could be very lucrative, especially for those reproaesthetical enough to go pro and bring in the big contracts. If bumping is a necessary evil, why not accept the perks?This is life in Otherside. This is life for Melody. She is on the path to success. A pioneer for professional Surrogettes. She has everything going for her. She has the looks. She has the brains. She has the athleticism. She has the contract. All she needs is to get bumped. The only one standing in her way is Harmony.Harmony is from Goodside. The side where bumping is reserved for husbands and wives. Where procreation is still a necessity but is done only in the marriage bed. Where the community abides by the scriptures and believes that because of their faith, their purity, the virus that came to those so young in Otherside is afflicting those in Goodside at a later age.But Harmony's life in Goodside is not on a sure path. She is a thinker where individual thought is not welcome. And she has questions. If she could just find some way to redeem herself she knows she'll find the happiness and acceptance she has been missing. And the only one standing in her way is Melody.***Bumped is a humorous and thought-provoking dystopian novel about a future version of our society on the verge of extinction, whose only chance at survival is for those not affected by the infertility virus to procreate. And the only ones capable and holding the power are teenagers.In this future, society is split into two groups - those who live in Goodside and those who live in Otherside. They are both radically different, but they both have one thing in common - survival of the species.Melody has lived her life in Otherside, being groomed to be the best Surrogette she possibly could. She had all the comforts and opportunities that life could offer her. Harmony grew up in Goodside, in a community that shunned the outside world, where hearth and home replaced wealth and power as the desired lifestyle. And venturing beyond the boundaries of Goodside was not an option.But when Harmony discovers that she has an identical twin sister living in Otherside, she makes it her mission to save her sister and bring Melody back with her. But it may not be Melody who needs saving.Bumped is a wickedly entertaining read, but not a story that should be read lightly. Author Megan McCafferty takes a humorous approach to a topic that could be seen as highly controversial - a future where not only is premarital sex by minors accepted, but endorsed by the government, and one in which profiting from promiscuity is the norm.In this future, young teenagers, and even preteens, are encouraged to procreate, to take mood-enhancing drugs to help facilitate the process, are made celebrities by the media for numerous pregnancies and are ostracized by friends and society if they haven't jumped on the bandwagon.The surface story is light and amusing but the underlying one is a chilling look at a dark future. Bumped is very original and is just scary good.This is a must read for not-so-young adults who are looking for a story that will provoke discussion and thought and are not easily offended by language and concepts of a sexual nature. This book may not be appropriate for all ages and adults may want to read this through before suggesting it a younger audience.

This book was a lot better for the second time around. I am not sure why. I liked the idea of it the first time, but the writing did not grip me like some books do. But I read it the second time today. And I say today because I went through the whole thing in a day. Granted I was in a read’y mood, but still.The whole issue this book deals with. It sort of mocks, but also makes you think about teenage pregnancy. It mocks it and you can’t help but think that this is ridiculous, but that is the point! It is completely insane but all I could think was that I could completely see how this would be happening. Give a few decades, a virus, and we will have girls selling off babies at the age of 14. I also liked the jabs on iEverything. It was more on the background, but still. And the issues with church/religion. This book deals with a lot of issues that are very present in today’s society.Which is probably why it seems that it is not completely committed to any of the problems other than teenage pregnancy. It is what bothered me the first time around. That it wants to deal with very complex issues yet put in the regular teeage’y story. Second time around I knew what was going on and took in the extra details. Which made this book likeable to me. Sure it is a little flimsy at times and I sort of realize why a lot of people did not like it, but as a personal opinion, it was not half bad.Apart from the world, the story itself sounds a little bit like a Latina soap opera. A lot of humping, people liking people they shouldn’t, mix ups between people and so on. All that was missing was someone having amnesia. It was not necessarily bad but it seemed a little much. I’d say that tone down the crazy, I mean the drama, and focus on the issue at hand.I did like the characters though. Even though they were in such silly situations at times, they made a lot of progress through quite a short book.Melody was my favourite twin. She was so pro-pregging. So up for what she was doing. It was great to see her evolve, doubt her way of life. And at one point, turn not only her world but the whole world around her, upside down. You go girl.Same for Harmony. She started out completely different. The journey was similar, away with the old in with the new (bad side effect, after reading this book you read the phrase “in with something” and you already think kinky). I liked that she and Melody did not have identical reversed stories, Harmony actually kept a lot of her former beliefs.Side guys, Jondoe was a little overdone with being the perfect match for his twin. I would have liked to see the more human side of him. Zen was adorable. He was a lot more on the sidelines at first, but I think that might change. He also gave insight to how the people who are not genetically built for this world might feel.To wrap it up let me just say this, give this book a chance. You might not like it right away after you put it down. Put it just might grow on you. It gets 3.5 stars from me. It is not quite 4 worthy, but before I figured it around 2.5. So 12 months and a second read got it a whole star. Maybe I should pick it up again after next Christmas.---This review is also on my blog: [...]

I think the plot had such potential but I really struggled with this, from the very start to the end.On reading the first page I wondered if I had started with the second book and not the first. You are straight into the middle of the story so much so it is confusing. It was like watching a film midway.A lot of slang and language is used from the start and it's hard to work out what it's supposed to mean till you get further into the book.I found myself having to work hard to 'get' the language so wasn't able to understand the story.Normally I reread my book collection but this one has been removed from my device.

good book

This is far and away the best YA dystopia novel that I've read for ages. The imagined world, where only teens can get pregnant, is so well drawn. Megan McCafferty manages to satirise religion, economists and the sexualisation of young girls without ever dorwning in issues. Her characters are well-drawn and you care about them, and I can't wait for the sequel, Thumped.

I did enjoy the story and took more to the characters as the story went on but the made up words were a bit confusing and sometimes grated on me a bit.Ending was very open, maybe i lack imagination but i like to know whats happened to the characters not have to decide for my self!Worth sticking with it.