Book Review: Bumped

I finished my third book of 2012 last Monday. I know I should have written my book review the next day, but I had other topics to discuss, so late is better than never, right?

The book I finished is called Bumped, and it was written by Megan McCafferty. Many of you may know here for Sloppy Firsts, Second Helpings, Charmed Thirds, Fourth Comings, and Perfect Fifths, which I read during college.

This book appealed to me because it seemed unlike any other novel I had ever read. It is about twin sisters in a dystopian future America. (Are you seeing a trend in the books I've been reading lately? Me too, but don't worry -- the book I'm reading now is a Nicholas Sparks novel). There names are Melody and Harmony (which REALLY bothered me at first). Melody lives in "Otherside", the area of the nation known for teenage girls selling their bodies and becoming pregnant by "bumping" with men whose sperm has been deemed worthy. Harmony lives in "Goodside", the part of the nation that is ultra religious and raises their females to be good wives and mothers. They get engaged and marry around 13 but mock people in "Otherside" for having babies for other couples. The reason teenage girls in "Otherside" bump, become pregnant, and sell the babies is because there is a virus that causes everyone over the age of 18 to become infertile. They literally cannot conceive anymore. (Yes, the plot IS as complicated as I am making it out to be). The girls are twins who were adopted individually at birth, and they find each other when they are 16. Harmony travels to "Otherside" to visit Melody, whose parents are out of town. After a giant mix up that Melody's best friend Zen is also involved in, the twins find themselves in an unlikely situation where they need to figure things out quickly. This book was SUPER CONFUSING, especially at the beginning. McCafferty made up an entire new language, it seems, and it took a long time to get used to. I would still recommend this book to people who enjoy dystopias or McCafferty's other works.

Because I cannot even begin to capture the entire plot of this novel, here is what McCafferty herself has to say about Bumped:

WHEN A VIRUS makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents must 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 search 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 convince Melody 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.

From New York Times bestselling author Megan McCafferty comes a strikingly original look at friendship, love, and sisterhood—in a future that is eerily believable.

All in all, Bumped was a fun, quick read, but it was not nearly as good as I'd hoped. I will, however, be reading the sequel Thumped when it comes out in April. Even if I didn't enjoy a story as much as I'd assumed, I always need to finish the series anyway.

Janelle