ARC Review: Bump by Matthew J. Metzger

From the blurb:

David’s pregnant.

He’s always wanted to have children, and being a stepfather for the past two years has been a great adventure. There’d even been a plan to start looking into adoption and turn their family of three into four.

But now there’s a bump, and David doesn’t know what to do. He’s spent years escaping the grip of his own body and burying the past—but there’s no way he can hide from his history if he lets the bump get any bigger. It’s not just his baby; it’s also his breakdown.

He doesn’t know if he can do this.

Heather's rating:





Bump by Matthew J. Metzger was a very powerful book, and one that I shouldn't have started late at night. I thought I might just read a few pages, but then I actually couldn't put it down. I stayed up for hours reading, and I'm still thinking about it today. Powerful.

Trigger warnings: homophobic and transphobic language, references to suicidal thoughts and depression.

I've read a number of Matthew's books in the past and have enjoyed them all, but Bump felt different to me. For one, it's a romance... but not totally a genre romance. The book has an established couple in it, and while we do get a lot of their relationship and all of it's complexities in the story, the focus of the book is centered around David and his personal journey through pregnancy. And there is no sex content at all, just an FYI to readers.

The story is both straightforward and complicated. I can't even imagine what David went through in this story, and what pregnant trans men have to go through if/when they get pregnant. The dysphoria felt so real and so well described that I started to feel uncomfortable in my skin.



The plotting of this book is perfect. The book moves so well and the writing is so fluid that you will have a hard time putting it down. I've read a number of books that haven't grabbed me recently, and this was a book that grabbed me and didn't let me go.

I loved that we had two POC MCs and one in a wheelchair. It took me a little while to figure out those details as they aren't explicated stated at the start of the story, but the diversity of this book was very lovely to read. I loved the fact that David's partner was in a wheelchair but none of the story centered around any difficulties that he faced, though we get to see him struggle through some aspects of his physical therapy and recovery. It was all about David, and that really worked for the story.

At times, Bump was difficult to read, but I found it to be an extremely rewarding, balanced story. There is angst and pain, but there is so much more. Though I don't have much in common with David, I found myself relating to him and I felt a small hint of what it was like to be in his shoes. Matthew J. Metzger created something powerful with this story.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

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Enjoy, my friends!