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Thursday, June 14, 2012

My Thoughts: Thumped by Megan McCafferty

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 wasn't sure that I was going to review Thumped when I first finished reading it. You see, I really dislike reviewing sequels. I find it hard to not spoil anything, and I don't think it's really all that fair to compare one book to the next. But having thought about both Bumped it's sequel Thumped and my initial reactions to the two, I have decided to give it a go. Funnily enough my review of this book will go up one year after it's predecessor.

If you want to know my thoughts on Bumped by Megan McCafferty go here. It will act as a prequel to the next few paragraphs.

I initially had some serious issued with Bumped. Most of which stemmed from the fictional vocabulary that was found in the novel. There were some incredibly ridiculous words that the teens in the story were using and I wanted to scream at how often they were used. The use of these terms is HUGELY limited in Thumped. So much so, that I don't recall being all that annoyed. Actually some of the really obnoxious words weren't even in this novel. This was a relief. It made the reading of this novel effortless. Don't get me wrong there are still some pretty 'out there' terms that the teens use, but it's tamer in Thumped.

There was one thing that I was a little disappointed about in Thumped in comparison to Bumped. Which was how obvious the "message" was in Thumped in regards to faith and Christianity as well as teenage pregnancy. I found that it was more subtle in Bumped and I liked that better. I had really enjoyed how McCafferty able to make things funny and light with Bumped. In Thumped things were not as funny, there was a more serious feel. The goal of the novel was more obvious and in your face. I prefer messages about social issued to be perceived and something you have to think about. They are more effective that way. So that was a little bit of a let down.

In the beginning I thought I enjoyed Thumped more than Bumped. I was less annoyed by the language, I read it faster, I was used to the characters and I knew what I was getting with them and their reactions. But I think overall I enjoyed the story behind Bumped more. I enjoyed the creation of this new society and what McCafferty was trying to say with said society. I wish she would have continued this trend in Thumped.

Overall, I am glad that the story ended with Thumped and that it wasn't a trilogy. I really appreciated the social issues that McCafferty touched on in both books and the way she presented them. I believe they were done well in regards to the target audiences. I just expected more from the sequel.

With that said...

~Happy Reading Everyone!


5 comments:

  1. Thanks for your honest thoughts! I'm not so sure about reading this series, because I read a lot of mixed reviews about it. Maybe I just start with Bumped and see if I even want to get to Thumped.

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  2. It sounds like there was some trade off between things you liked and didn't like about both books.
    I kind of passed on the first book because i heard about the made up terms and language and that kind of thing drives me nuts

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  3. I've been meaning to read this series and I can't believe I still haven't. Good to hear that the sequel is great also if not better, I find myself disappointed often when it comes to then. Great review, love!

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  4. Good to know that the terminolgy is used less. I can't wait to read.
    Thanks for review.
    Brandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog

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  5. I havent even started this series..great review!

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