Review: Thumped by Megan McCafferty

Thumped by Megan McCafferty.
Sequel to Bumped.
Hardcover, 290 pages.
Published in April 2012.
Published by Balzer & Bray.
Source: Borrowed from the library.

Goodreads Summary:
It's been thirty-five weeks since twin sisters Harmony and Melody went their separate ways. Since then, their story has become irresistible to legions of girls: twins separated at birth and living different lives, each due to deliver sets of twins . . . on the same day In a future where only teens can "bump," or give birth, babies mean money, status, and freedom.

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

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

Cursed by their own popularity, the girls are obsessively tracked by their millions of fans, who have been eagerly counting down the days to their "Double Double Due Date." Without a doubt, they are two of the most powerful teen girls on the planet, and there's only one thing they could do that would make them more famous than they already are:

Tell the truth.

My Review:
Oh, Thumped. What can I say about Thumped?
I read the first book, Bumped, and honestly, I did not enjoy it. So don't ask me what compelled me to pick up Thumped and read it, but I did.
And I didn't enjoy this one either. Surprise, surprise.
So I'm just going to keep this review short.

This book was very frustrating for me. In more than one aspect.
First, the relationships between characters. Zen, who supposedly loves Melody, doesn't act at all like he cares about her for a while. Yes, this is for the benefit of the public, who is not allowed to know about their feelings for each other, but really? What teenage boy has that much restraint? Certainly not one I've ever met. Also, if he loves her so much, why is Ventura even an issue? She shouldn't be able to steal Zen away in any aspect if he truly does love Melody. I'm also not a fan of Melody's almost permanent jealous state. That was extremely frustrating to read! Another relationship that bothered me was that between Melody and Jondoe. Partially because it is barely developed, despite them living together. The only thing we see is Jondoe being miserable about Harmony being gone and Melody trying (not very hard) to give him hope that Harmony will come back.
Speaking of Harmony, I like that she was rebelling against her oppressive community, but it seemed so dramatic. I understand that it's important and shows her personal growth, but it felt overdone. I did like that Melody and Johndoe did show some actual growth as characters, even if it was just how I expected.
Also, can I just mention the lingo? Wow. I get that it's part of world-building, but that was just painful. Everyone in the book seemed so... dumb. That was really frustrating. And the fact that Lib spoke almost entirely in capitals. I got extremely annoyed with the character simply because of that.

There were a few things I did enjoy, though. I really like that Melody has such an attitude with Ventura, that was fun to read. It was also impressive how everyone (except Harmony, anyway) was so completely brainwashed by their society. That consistency was good. Finally, at least there were some surprises. Some things happened that I completely did not expect, which I was very glad for!

I think one of my biggest problems with the book was that I couldn't seem to get into the characters' heads and understand them, which meant I couldn't sympathize or feel anything for them except annoyance. It's not that this was a bad book, it just wasn't for me. Therefore:
2 Stars.