Bumped by Megan McCafferty

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.

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.

I have to say, this is most definitely NOT a book for everyone. And I would NEVER recommend it to a teen. But as an adult, and a mother, it was a little bit fascinating to me. Probably because I can completely remove myself from the story and look at it more as a "study in crazy parenting" among other things.

When I first had the option of reading this book last year as an ARC, I turned it down. The book description just didn't hook me.  I am a religious person, and "teen pregnancy" is not something I condone, especially when it's for profit.

Finally, curiousity got the better of me, and I finally picked it up. Once I did, it was like a train wreck. I couldn't look away, even though it was horrific. Could you even imagine girls, ages 11-18, having sex, with the intention of getting pregnant, and then getting paid for it all, baby included? Can you imagine girls buying fake baby bumps to wear under their clothes to look cooler? Can you imagine parents encouraging this?? It's seriously sick.

But also kind of interesting. Obviously this isn't the world we live in (thank goodness), but it could be one day. The chance that there'd be a virus someday that makes anyone over the age of 18 sterile? Not that hard to imagine. And it's scary, isn't it? That our world could come to this?

This is definitely a controversial topic, which is why I'd say read this at your own risk. I didn't love it, and I didn't hate it. It was really just interesting to me. But it is a somewhat graphic crash course in sex education, and I'd say highly inappropriate for teenagers. Again, read at your own risk.

Happy Reading!