Thumped

Finished Thumped by Megan McCafferty.  This is the sequel to Bumped; it is a two book series.

Summary from Goodreads (so I don’t accidentally spoil anything):  “It’s been thirty-five weeks since twin sisters Harmony and Melody went their separate ways. And now their story has become irresistible: twins separated at birth, each due to deliver twins…on the same day!

Married to Ram and living in Goodside, Harmony spends her time trying to fit back into the community she once believed in. But she can’t forget about Jondoe, the guy she fell for under the strangest of circumstances.

To her adoring fans, Melody has achieved everything: a major contract and a coupling with the hottest bump prospect around. But this image is costing her the one guy she really wants.

The girls’ every move is analyzed by millions of fans eagerly counting down to “Double Double Due Date.” They’re two of the most powerful teen girls on the planet, and they could do only one thing to make them even more famous:

Tell the truth.”

I LOVE all things Megan McCafferty.  I loved the first book in this series, Bumped, and her Jessica Darling series is one of my most favorite things ever. 

The world in these books is creepily plausible and the slang is really clever.  (The whole idea is that only teens can get pregnant and so advertising has made it really cool to get pregnant as often as you can.  The religious teens keep and raise their babies; the others get pregnant for cash.) 

Thumped deals with the repercussions of the events in Bumped, especially for Harmony.  Now that she’s been exposed to a different way of living, it’s hard for her to be content with her simple life in Goodside. 

Bumped and Thumped—in addition to being incredibly fun—also make some great points about how teen pregnancy is treated in our culture and how what should be considered first—the babies—are generally not even thought of at all.

This series (and the Jessica Darling books) are highly recommended.