Bumped (Bumped #1) by Megan McCafferty

Bumped by Megan McCafferty
Release Date: April 26, 2011
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 336


Summary: When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society. Girls sport fake baby bumps and the school cafeteria stocks folic-acid-infused food.
Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and have never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Up to 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 Goodside, a religious community, 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.

My Thoughts: This was a weird one.

We head right into the novel and meet the two main characters. Twin sisters Harmony and Melody. Harmony has grown up with religion while Melody has grew up knowing she would be bumped aka get pregnant and take part in birthing. In this novel, usually by the time everyone is in their late teens, they are unable to continue to have babies, so it is the norm to have multiple babies by the time you are leaving young adulthood.

Harmony was very churchy, she wears a veil, dresses carefully,  while Melody is more outgoing and is used to everyone expecting her to have a baby soon. Melody will get paid to have a baby while it is expected of Harmony sometime soon, with the mate that is picked out for her.

Harmony and Melody are getting to know one another. Melody has a best friend named Zen. I loved Zen, he was probably my favorite character! I just wanted Melody to be with him but since he’s not top notch, it wouldn't be "right" for her to bump with him.

Melody is promised to Jondoe, who is the ultimate male specimen so when Harmony ends up in his graces things couldn't go more wrong... or could they?

That’s all I'm going to say about the plot. I didn't give too much away. Bumped was......weird.... that is definitely one word to describe it. It was kind of interesting but hard to follow more than half the time. The lingo they used sometimes got annoying, though it did have its funny moments.

Harmony and Melody... what can I say about them??? They were so different, yet so alike. It was also hard to keep them straight at first. It switches between their points of view, but at times, I had to remember who I was reading about and who was who.

The male characters were easy to like. I even liked Jondoe to a point, but Zen is still the guy I want!

The plot was definitely unusual. I haven't read anything else quite like this one yet this year. or last.

Overall:  I'd say this was probably a 3.5 for me. I didn't love it, but I enjoyed it enough to want to know what happens and to keep reading.

Bumped was an interesting novel and I will read Thumped soon but it wasn't one of my favorites of the year. It was.......different....... some say different good, some say different bad... I say in the middle.

If you want to read Bumped, go into it with an open mind.

Cover: I love the egg. This is the kind of cover that would attract me in a bookstore. I would be looking at this, and think what is that about?

What I'd Give It: