A great story with a brilliant premise and equally brilliant & interesting characters.

I loved it.

A couple of daddies, a baby going to be born, a road trip that makes them face old wounds and secrets.
It's a well plotted and poignant story, the story of a couple and how they must face some bumps in their relationship before a birth will change it forever.
Well plotted, interesting characters. good storytelling

My second book of the author
This book was personally recommended to me on Netgalley, as I’ve already enjoyed Sidney Karger’s last installment. Best Men was an entertaining haters-to-lovers rom-com that quickly drew me in and made me laugh over and over again. I expected nothing less for this new publication by the author. A road trip, a queer couple, and a dog—what could go wrong?


Slow start with problems
This is as much true for the story and our characters as for my experience with it/them. Biz and Wyatt both start their journey from a place of insecurity about their relationship and their future as parents. Given that they are in the same adventure and thus share events, it was difficult to tell them apart at first. Although their perception of these events differ, their experiences were nonetheless similar and initially confused me. Only when meeting their families and realizing their backstories, I could picture them as individuals with quite diverse vices and virtues. Despite these initial problems, I eventually grew very fond of them and enjoyed their hardships as much as their moments of pure joy. The balance between those two poles illustrated adulthood and a long relationship nicely.


Independently and jointly working through their worries
This novel intriguingly has our protagonists struggle with the upcoming challenge of being parents. They each fear different things though and lack communication skills for a big part of the story. Given their distinct personalities, which sometimes work together smoothly, other times make them furious, they hardly get together and talk things over. Their more personal challenges further complicate their making-up. The author nonetheless found a good balance between struggles and calm, comfortable moments. Despite the protagonist’s difference, we never really get to doubt their compatibility as a couple, but root for them to talk out their differences. Witnessing this was surely entertaining as much as emotional.


In conclusion,
I’ve always been a sucker for road trip novels. This book combines this trope with a self-discovery journey (yes, I did) of two soon-to-be fathers. They initially doubt their ability to co-parent but and to be happy together, but grow immensely throughout the story. The first chapters troubled me due to the similarity of both povs, but eventually I grew to love both characters and their individualities as much as their joint journey.

3 stars
This book had the potential to be fantastic! For me it fell short. I never really felt like I knew Wyatt & Biz as a couple. The book started out great with a look at the past. Then fast forward & the baby is almost here & Wyatt & Biz are having some serious issues. It was so clear the entire book was based off of lack of communication. While I don’t mind that trope, I felt it was so overused.
Lose your job? Don’t tell your partner. Think you’re going to be a crap parent? Don’t get support from your partner by sharing it. I got sick of it after a while. I really was starting to wonder why on earth they were even together if they can do basic communication how are they going to parent?
There were other things that annoyed me & it was those things that made it hard for me to want to read the book. Some of the side characters felt like they didn’t serve a purpose or their true role as a character wasn’t fleshed out enough. Biz’s brother & his family & their mother, Wyatt & his entire family. When ever I read about them, it just felt fake as if it was rushed or something.
For me I love it when there is an epilogue in the future & this book didn’t disappoint. A lot of things I had questions about (not all) did get answered.
This book teeters between a 2.5 & 3 stars.

Reviews shared on Goodreads & Barnes and Noble.

A couple of daddies, a baby going to be born, a road trip that makes them face old wounds and secrets.
It's a well plotted and poignant story, the story of a couple and how they must face some bumps in their relationship before a birth will change it forever.
Well plotted, interesting characters. good storytelling
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Mixed feelings about this one, largely as I can't decide if I liked the main characters or not. Both were individually annoying in some respects but I liked that the story was told through their different viewpoints. I liked the premise and supporting cast were good. Some funny imagery in here as well. I found the story developed at a good pace, perhaps coinciding with how their trip was going. The ending was a little predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless. A decent read.

Wyatt and Biz have been a couple for quite some time. At the beginning of the book their relationship has hit a rough patch, despite this the two of them decide to have a child together via surrogacy. Fast forward to over a year later, the two still haven’t repaired their relationship, but are embarking on a road trip from New York to California to be present at their child’s birth.

The novel seems to be perfect for Pride Month. I just didn’t like that the relationship problems of the two MCs were built on miscommunication and problems with their wider family. Not to mention that having a child is no way to fix a relationship.

This story might actually work better as a film than a novel.

For the longest time, the only books I had read about assisted reproductive therapy (ART) were either scientific in nature, or memoirs. But last year I read Baby Bank (Sarah Robinson), and this year along comes Sidney Karger’s The Bump.

As a queer woman going through her own “fertility journey” (IYKYK), I related so much to this fun novel. While it certainly is about Biz and Wyatt’s approaching due date, it is also about the couple trying desperately to reconnect. It is about youth, and knowing if you’re ready to move on to the next phases of your life. It is about the heavy expectations placed on queer couples to succeed. It is about the impact of family - and their baggage - on your own relationships.

I thought the imperfections of Biz and Wyatt’s relationship were achingly real. Away with the fairytale that you start ART when all parties are entirely “ready” - readiness is not linear. Biz and Wyatt both deal with their doubts about being a good father, while road tripping across the country, and stopping at their favourite queer haunts as a “last hurrah” - although they don’t necessarily see it from twin views.

Road trip novels make up one of my favourite tropes - which is good, because one of my less-favourite tropes, miscommunication, features heavily in the dynamic.

Overall I strongly recommend this novel, which is simultaneously light and thoughtful, to anyone who enjoys romance, roadtrips, and queer books - whether you see parenthood in your future or not!

DNF. Unfortunately, I not only found this book incredibly shallow but clumsily put together. It relies incredibly heavy on the miscommunication trope, which I detest with a burning passion, and was made all the more worse by the fact that we are hearing from BOTH perspectives. Every chapter follows the same thing 'as a couple we're not working but we're not talking to each other about it, because if we did we'd work out we're both just trying to help each other and we'd actually be happy'. I tried, but I just couldn't find a redeeming quality to this book. It's got a lot of the faults that cultural critics talk about when they discuss Mitch and Cam from Modern Family.
Honestly, if you want something to read for Pride, I'd recommend 'The Guncle' by Steven Rowley over this one.

What do you do if sign up for surrogacy but your relationship with your partner starts to unravel? That is how we meet Biz and Wyatt. Determined to get back on track, they decide to a road trip to the birth of their child with stops at all their old haunts and each other’s parents. Can they get fix their relationship before they become parents?

This is a great book and the perfect time to read it. I liked how there were alternate chapters from each man which gave the reader a full perspective of the relationship. I found the distance between the couple uncomfortable reading at times. However, funny and insightful, with a satisfying ending.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great story that was both funny and sad.
2 dads to be go on a journey to see their suragate and pick up their baby
Great characters
Enjoyable read

"The Bump" by Sidney Karger is the perfect book for summer Pride. While it didn't become a new favorite for me, I would highly recommend it.

This was a pleasant story. The MCs are on a cross country baby moon in advance of the arrival of their first child with simmering relationship issues threatening to ruin the trip. They visit both of their families en route and various family dramas surface and are somewhat resolved on the way. There were so many sub-plots that the book felt a bit meandering and there was no strong central arc to really hook me in. The resolution then felt a bit rushed and unrealistic too so slightly unsatisfying overall.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️,5

I really enjoyed this wonderful book! 🤩
It’s a story about a gay couple on it’s way to meet their baby. They have been preparing for this or at least one of them has!
They go on a roadtrip that’s also their babymoon, but they experience a few bumps along the way (as well as some miscommunication) 🚗

Biz and Wyatt are completely different and it shows but it also shows that they compliment each other well! 🥰
There is a lot of tension present between the 2 of them and you can feel it…are they ready to have this baby and deal with their issues on this roadtrip? 👀

I really loved the writing style of Sidney, it reads easily and the pacing is spot on!
He uses humor and fun references that made me giggle a lot 🤭
I just really enjoyed this novel! ❤️

Must read for people who like:
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQIA
🧲 opposites attract
🚗 roadtrip
❤️‍🩹 relationship in trouble

I had such a great time reading this book and it had me laughing out loud. I enjoyed the character and their relationship development and the road trip aspect. It was my first book by Sidney Karger but definitely not the last.
Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for this arc

Firstly, thank you so much for inviting me to read this glorious book by Sydney karger.
I absolutely adored the journey wyatt and biz went on physically and mentally before becoming fathers. A lot of learning and growing. It was simply a beautiful read. I highly recommend

SIDNEY KARGER – THE BUMP ****

An amusing tale of Biz and Wyatt who are waiting anxiously for the birth of their first baby by a surrogate friend.

Their hopes and fears – often the opposite of each other – are well told, bringing in their respective families as they travel round America visiting gay cities before fatherhood precludes such extravagances. You learn about their first meeting, their ups and downs, worries for the future (will they be good fathers, they want a better life for their unborn child compared with the ones they themselves had), all by them going on a road trip.

The story is told by both men, alternate chapters each, so you learn about their thoughts on the other and their families. It has some great set-pieces, and you can tell from how visual it is that the author normally writes screenplays as well as comedy material for Saturday Night Live.

Easy to read, great characters and situations, and a happy ending. What more can you want?

THE BUMP is a story about two dads-to-be who embark on a cross-country road trip/babymoon but end up unearthing some issues along the way. biz and wyatt are pretty different people, but that hasn't been much of an issue throughout their relationship—until this road trip sheds a light on them. they're committed to being parents and to each other, but their communication leaves a lot to be desired and as their trip stops going as planned, they have no choice but to communicate with each other. if the miscommunication trope isn't your thing, this book might not be for you. i don't have any strong feelings about the trope, but this book really put that to the test. regardless of that, i still really enjoyed it and would recommend it!

read if you like:
- very gay road trips
- opposites attract
- relationship in trouble
- lots of baby talk

thanks to netgalley and harper collins UK for the advanced copy! THE BUMP comes out may 21st in the US and june 6th in the UK.

The Bump has Wyatt and Biz having chosen the surrogate mother of their soon to arrive new baby decide they will take the long road trip from New York to California for the baby’s birth. It’ll be fun, they decide, lots of places to visit and see.
Right from the start it becomes hilariously different to what they envisioned with the bickering increasing whilst both have self doubts they don’t share with the other.
This is a funny at times sad story but they learn more about each other even having been together for a number of years. It gives a good insight into the surrogacy process and for many this is the the best way forward to have a child be it for same sex couples, infertility problems etc.
The journey for the reader is uplifting and enjoyable and at times so funny I was snorting with laughter. The finale was lovely and very satisfying, a great read.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

This book was hilariously touching! It had me from the start!

I loved the couples dynamic and them wanting to start a family. Then secrets come out on a road trip and now they need to take a look at their relationship are they really ready to be parents

This book will have you laughing then crying it was such a great ready I smashed it out in one sitting!

Thank you NetGalley and publishers