Preparing to pregg is a full-time job with no days off --but I don't have a choice. Not when there is so much at stake.
In not-so-distant future a virus has swept the globe and everyone over the age of 20 infertile and the teenage pregnancy rate has never been higher.
Melody Mayflower is the first girl in her school to go pro—or become a surrogate for profit. The problem is, she’s been pro for three years and the couple she’s supposed to be surrogating for has not found a sperm jockey to “pregg her egg.” Not only has her flat tummy in a world of fashionably pregnant teens made her stand out, but her secret longing for her vertically-challenged best friend, Zen, and long lost twin sister showing up on her doorstep could ruin her chances of ever getting bumped.
Harmony was raised in the God-fearing community of Goodside where they believe that pregging for profit is a sin. Harmony decides to leave Goodside in search of her long-lost twin sister, armed with her veil, a purity gown, and a deep secret that even she has trouble admitting.
When Melody is finally matched with an uber-famous donor, both sister’s lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity, troubled friendships, and a secret love show that these sisters may have more in common than just their DNA.
McCafferty has an ability to do something that every writer longs to do—create main characters that you want to be your best-friend and male counterparts that you want to be more than friends with. At first I was kind of disturbed with the elements in her story until I realized how REAL she made things like teenage pregnancy and the stigma of baby bumps as “fashion accessories.” I couldn’t get this story and these characters out of my head and had a hard time putting this book down. I’d recommend this book for any girl/woman who is looking for a story that will have you thinking about it long after you’ve finished the last page.
Release date: April 26, 2011
Page Count: 336
Genre: Contemporary/ Science Fiction Young Adult
Similar to: Sloppy Firsts- Megan McCafferty
Recommended for: Girls 12 and up
Stars: 4/5
The Good:
*I love Melody and Zen almost more than I love McCafferty's original couple of Jessica and Marcus. Melody had a witty inner and outer dialogue that I found myself laughing out loud to and wanting to get to know. But she didn't just have the savvy one-liners, she also had a heart and emotions that made me feel what she was feeling. And Zen...well I do love me a boy with some spikey black hair, but he was more than that. He just seemed like one of those genuinely nice guys that everyone wanted to be around, and I found myself wanted to jump into the pages and hang out with him too.
*At first I was thrown off by some of the language, but then I realized that some of this language is pretty close to how people talk today (my eggo is preggo, anyone?). In other reviews I've seen people complain about the confusing language, but that's something that you see in every Science Fiction novel is new language. Just like the evolution of our own language we all know that new slang will evolve. There were some moments that I thought of the movie IDIOCRACY in which people evolved into being highly unintelligent. It's as if McCafferty thought, "Hey, what if Teen Moms ruled the world?" and so came this story.
The not-as-good:
*One of the only reasons this book didn't get a 5/5 for me is because I didn't like the character of Harmony. Because she is a main character this weighed heavily on me. Every time I read one of her passages I just wanted to scream at her and tell her to stop whatever she was doing. Being the girl straight out of a compound I thought that I might feel sorry for her or understand her actions, but I just couldn't. Even with the shocking twist about her past in Goodside, I still couldn't feel sorry for her. Her actions just seemed selfish and I couldn't understand alot of her reasons for doing things. I really felt like I understood who Melody was, but with Harmony it just sort of fell flat.
*Some of the technology REALLY confused me. I actually didn't realize what the 'MiNet' technology was until almost the end of the book when Melody says that she takes out her 'MiNet contacts and earbuds.' Up until then I had no idea how people were getting their information. I can definitely see a change in technology as the years go on and I like the idea of it, but I really wanted some more explanation of MiNet since it was a pretty big deal throughout the book.
All in all, I can honestly say that I loved the concept of this book and wasn't disappointed when I read it. I loved the storyline and the characters of Melody and Zen. I hope that more girls read this book and realize that their child isn't a fashion accessory and how silly it sounds when they refer to them that way. I also hope that McCafferty gets the sequel out to this one ASAP because I can't wait!
*At first I was thrown off by some of the language, but then I realized that some of this language is pretty close to how people talk today (my eggo is preggo, anyone?). In other reviews I've seen people complain about the confusing language, but that's something that you see in every Science Fiction novel is new language. Just like the evolution of our own language we all know that new slang will evolve. There were some moments that I thought of the movie IDIOCRACY in which people evolved into being highly unintelligent. It's as if McCafferty thought, "Hey, what if Teen Moms ruled the world?" and so came this story.
The not-as-good:
*One of the only reasons this book didn't get a 5/5 for me is because I didn't like the character of Harmony. Because she is a main character this weighed heavily on me. Every time I read one of her passages I just wanted to scream at her and tell her to stop whatever she was doing. Being the girl straight out of a compound I thought that I might feel sorry for her or understand her actions, but I just couldn't. Even with the shocking twist about her past in Goodside, I still couldn't feel sorry for her. Her actions just seemed selfish and I couldn't understand alot of her reasons for doing things. I really felt like I understood who Melody was, but with Harmony it just sort of fell flat.
*Some of the technology REALLY confused me. I actually didn't realize what the 'MiNet' technology was until almost the end of the book when Melody says that she takes out her 'MiNet contacts and earbuds.' Up until then I had no idea how people were getting their information. I can definitely see a change in technology as the years go on and I like the idea of it, but I really wanted some more explanation of MiNet since it was a pretty big deal throughout the book.
All in all, I can honestly say that I loved the concept of this book and wasn't disappointed when I read it. I loved the storyline and the characters of Melody and Zen. I hope that more girls read this book and realize that their child isn't a fashion accessory and how silly it sounds when they refer to them that way. I also hope that McCafferty gets the sequel out to this one ASAP because I can't wait!
Interesting concept! Thanks for the review. I would pick this one up to read.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book! Glad you liked it, too!
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