BUMPED by Megan McCafferty
Series: Bumped, #1
Publication Date: April 26th 2011 by Balzer + Bray
Rating: 
Summary: When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents are forced to pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society.
Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and had never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Until now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend Zen, who is way too short for the job.
Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to bring Melody back to Goodside and convince her that “pregging” for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.
When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.
Review Overview:
- Refreshing dystopian novel that will make you laugh out loud
- Rocky start, but I ended up loving it by the very end
- Incomparable to the Jessica Darling series – it’s fantastic in its own way
First impressions are never a good basis to judge a book. Despite my initial thoughts on BUMPED, Megan McCafferty has not disappointed me: in a year full of heavy, hardcore dystopia, BUMPED stands out as a light-hearted and funny novel that still tackles important issues on teen pregnancy. Yes, you will laugh out loud.
Don’t expect a scientific explanation about the virus. The book deals with more about the social aspect of being “bumped” than the science behind the whole epidemic. It’s not about politics, but more about the choices that these girls have at sixteen. It’s about what Melody and Harmony are experiencing – two girls from two very different backgrounds and how they are each handling the issue.
My initial qualms with the book was with Harmony. To be honest, I wasn’t a fan of her Bible-loving character. Reading from her perspective was a little annoying since she was a bit eccentric and I couldn’t relate to her views. Furthermore, the alternating perspectives did turn out to be confusing for a while. Melody and Harmony have very similar names but opposite attitudes. While I knew the distinction in their character, I still had trouble putting the name to the character. I was able to sort it out around halfway through the book. It took long enough…
So what is so great about this book? McCafferty does a wonderful job tackling a controversial issue in this satirical dystopian novel. From the fake baby bumps to the silly jingles of Babiez R Us, I couldn’t help but laugh at it all. The whole novel is kind of silly and ridiculous. The whole concept of girls making a competition of how many they can birth before they’re 18? Massive sex orgies to see how many girls can get pregnant in one night? McCafferty makes it seem silly and fun, but when you really think about it, it’s a scary concept. And the worst part is, it isn’t too far from the truth.
BUMPED is incomparable to McCafferty’s Jessica Darling series. The protagonists have a completely different tone from Jessica Darling, and I don’t think that readers should try to compare the two series at all. BUMPED is targeted towards a different audience and market, and readers should be aware of that.
BUMPED is a fantastic dystopian novel that will stand out from the many others that are being released this year. It tackles controversial issues with wit and humor, but still manages the reader to think, What if? BUMPED is definitely my new favorite series and I am counting down the days for the next book.
I ended up liking this too. It wasn’t the best dystopian book I’ve read, but I enjoyed it anyway!
Yes, it’s definitely not the best dystopian but still a great read.
Great review! I love the format of this review, especially the summary at the start and how detailed it is. I’ve been on the fence for a while about this, but I think your review has convinced me
Thanks! Let me know what you think of the book
I feel like I’m the only person who hasn’t read the Jessica Darling series! Seriously need to get on that. And I know what you mean with all the dark and heavy dystopians, so that’s why I want to read this! I’ve read some mixed things, but I’d love a somewhat lighter dystopian that explores social issues as opposed to something like political oppression
Great review!
Oooh! Yeah you definitely have to read the Jessica Darling series! It’s fantastic.
I enjoyed it too, and tried not to think too much about the science.
Brandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog
Wow…you gave it 5 stars.
I KNOW RIGHT?!?! I thought about it for a while, and I really do think that it was that fantastic. I laughed out loud too many times.
Thanks for this one! I’ve started to read it a few times, but I keep thinking it’s pretty weird, lol. I’ll definitely have to keep going on my next try.