Page Turner: Bumped by Megan McCafferty
Pregging! [Goodreads]it's been a couple of years since I last read something from Megan McCafferty -- who is one of my most favorite authors of all time thanks to the awesome Jessica Darling Series. And though it was hard for me to let go of that series and those books, when I heard she'd be writing a new book, I was excited.
But when I saw the synopsis for Bumped, I got a little scared. I was so used to the 'realistic' fictional setting and characters and universe of Jessica Darling that Bumped's concept scared me. Would I enjoy this as much as I did her first five books on Marcus and Jessica? Would I get attached as I am for all things Pineville?!
Bumped follows twins Melody and Harmony who have just been reunited and live in a world where only teens aged 18 and below can get pregnant. Melody is a professional pregger who is waiting for the perfect guy to bump with to produce the perfect baby for the Jaydens. Harmony on the other hand, is her twin sister who was brought up in a very strict Christian community that shuns professional pregging and instead believes in getting married and pregging within marriage.
Sounds crazy? It does actually but when you throw in the many intricate details that make up this new universe, it actually gets somewhat believable. From the fun bumps to the MiChat to all the 'how-did-you-even-think-of-this' details, it really makes for an enjoyable read. I couldn't stop laughing. It takes some time to get a hang of all these details, but when you get used to it, it all flows really easily while you read.
For one thing, there's romance. you'd think with professional pregging, the romance would be removed from it, but McCafferty is an expert at stealthily inserting that love and she does so not just with one guy to each of the lead girls but a three way entanglement with Zen, Melody's best friend who's supposedly done everythingbut; Jondoe, Melody's perfect co-bumpee who ends up bumping with Harmony and has a secret past; and Ram, Harmony's fiancee husband who I'm guessing is gay or at least that's how I read all this mystery.
Also, McCafferty always has very strong and distinct supporting characters from the friends of Meldoy, the loveable Shoko and the mysterious Malia to Melody's adoptive parents to Melody's pregger-agent Lib, they all bring their own laughs and complications with them. Despite the preposterous plot, McCafferty still manages to inject realities that are happening now, though satirized and presented in a an exaggerated way.
I like the relationship of Harmony and Melody and how both twins have really individual characters and yet are alike as well. They're the center of the story and the narrators as well and when they're talking to you in the chapter, you can tell it's them. At first, I had a hard time differentiating who was who, but I got a hang of it, and it was all good.
For one thing, this story is such an easy read. I'm not the fastest reader, but it took me three days or so, and that was all just commuting. So that's 3 hours a day on the road and I finished it. that's cause it's such a page turner. I really just wanted to find out what was going to happen to either twin. The stakes are set high for both of them and though things aren't quite resolved in the end (I DID NOT KNOW THIS WAS GOING TO BE A SERIES!!! I GOT SUCKERED IN AGAIN!!!), it really does make me excited to read what happens next.
If you made it this far, I suggest you go and just read this book. Despite my being easy to please, I think you'd probably enjoy this easy read too. Nothing beats light reading. Here's to the sequel. I'm definitely looking forward to reading that one.
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