Bumped by Megan McCafferty
Published by Random House
Challenge: DAC
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.
Published by Random House
Challenge: DAC
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.
***
Bumped is a controversial and interesting read which I enjoyed.
The first thing that will hit you instantly when you read this book is the slang used. It's teenagery, cringy and brilliant all at the same time. It does take some getting used to but once you get into it you don't notice it at all.
The thing I found most fascinating with this idea is that, unlike some dystopian fiction, I could actually see how this could happen. The whole world built up around the twin main characters is a bit too realistic at times and makes for quite uncomfortable reading at times which is one of the reasons why I liked this book as much as I did. The whole idea of the sexualisation of teenagers and brainwashing them to become breeding machines is both frightening and insightful.
I loved how the story was told via a double narrative. The twins themselves start the story as different as they can be but as the story evolves you start to see that they aren't all that different and the way they deal with the situations they are in are actually quite similar.
The story itself flowed along well and kept me engaged quite happily so much so that I finished it with the space of a few hours.
All in all a book I would recommend if not nothing else for the message it is trying to put across. I am certainly looking forward to the sequel.
The first thing that will hit you instantly when you read this book is the slang used. It's teenagery, cringy and brilliant all at the same time. It does take some getting used to but once you get into it you don't notice it at all.
The thing I found most fascinating with this idea is that, unlike some dystopian fiction, I could actually see how this could happen. The whole world built up around the twin main characters is a bit too realistic at times and makes for quite uncomfortable reading at times which is one of the reasons why I liked this book as much as I did. The whole idea of the sexualisation of teenagers and brainwashing them to become breeding machines is both frightening and insightful.
I loved how the story was told via a double narrative. The twins themselves start the story as different as they can be but as the story evolves you start to see that they aren't all that different and the way they deal with the situations they are in are actually quite similar.
The story itself flowed along well and kept me engaged quite happily so much so that I finished it with the space of a few hours.
All in all a book I would recommend if not nothing else for the message it is trying to put across. I am certainly looking forward to the sequel.
Comments
You certainly cringe at parts where you could see it happen!