This was good, if a bit over the top for me. It was campy in a way that just doesn't appeal to me because it didn't really feel authentic and I could never get behind the characters 100% even though I did find many parts amusing.

As it was clearly intended to be a humorous and somewhat campy road trip, the situations and characters encountered, including Wyatt and Biz's family members and friends, were all over the top to the point that they felt like stereotypes. But then sometimes they would break through the stereotype and feel more real, and that I did enjoy.

It was told in alternating POV style, but for some reason whenever we were in Wyatt's POV and Biz said something, the dialogue tag would be Wyatt saying how Biz felt about it. The same happened in Biz's POV when Wyatt spoke. It was really strange and kept taking me out of the story because it didn't make sense for the characters to know what the other person was thinking, so maybe it was all assumptions? But it happened just about every time anything was said.

Wyatt and Biz also argued and were resentful and childish toward one another for the entire book. I was hoping they'd work things out, and a couple times thought they might, and then they'd revert to sniping at each other. It didn't give me a whole lot of confidence about their ability to handle actually raising a child together. The way it's told it's as if seeing the baby delivered magically fixes everything, cue the adorable 6 years later epilogue.

I liked it enough to continue to read the whole book, however, and I think it will appeal to a lot of people. Especially those who enjoy campy over the top humor.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an early copy for review.

The Bump is a story of two men who are complete opposites going on a cross country roadtrip "babymoon" leading up to the birth of their first child. This story had some hilarious moments on the road - lots of things didn't go to plan, family emergencies popped up, and long buried family secrets were uncovered. But underneath it all were two men who were anxious about being first time parents but didn't know how to express that to their partner. Sometimes I wanted to shake them and beg them to talk to their partner, but they got there in the end. This was funny and heartfelt, and I really enjoyed it!

TW: parent cancer diagnosis

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for giving me this advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

"The Bump" by Sidney Karger invites readers on a delightful “journey” through the highs and lows of Wyatt and Biz's relationship as they prepare for the next chapter of their lives. With witty humor and heartfelt moments, Karger captures the essence of the couple's dynamic: Wyatt's meticulous planning contrasting with Biz's spontaneous nature. The road trip/“journey” before their new adventure serves as a backdrop for their growth as individuals and as a couple, with mishaps along the way adding to the hilarity. Through the ups and downs, Karger beautifully illustrates the importance of communication and relying on one's partner. "The Bump" is a heartwarming and entertaining read that resonates with anyone who has experienced the joys and challenges of life's unexpected “journeys”, whether it involves furry companions, nurturing plants, or any other form of shared responsibility and love.

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group, NetGalley, and Sidney Karger for this eARC.

Sidney Karger’s latest novel, The Bump, is a charming and hilarious novel following two men expecting a baby via surrogate as they take the road trip of a life time.

Some books are just simply fun and filled with heart, and The Bump is that type of book! Balancing emotional and heartfelt moments with laugh-out-loud ones, I can’t imagine reading this without a smile on my face and warmth radiating through my heart!

Wyatt Wallace is as serious and structured as his partner Massimo “Biz” Petterelli is breezy and creative. The couple is trying to have a baby and the story follows their voyage-to-parenthood that is full of highs, lows, and everything in between. As anyone who has had a baby knows, the journey getting there is never the one you expected!

Biz and Wyatt are using a surrogate, and unfortunately she lives across the country from the couple. Free-spirited, former child-actor Biz has the brilliant idea to take a road trip to California rather than flying there for the birth. This could be their last chance for wild, fun, and free hijinks for a while. They also hope to spend time together and heal some of the bumps in their relationship as of late. They hope to bring a baby into their family in the best place they can be.

Of course, in the same way the journey to parenthood never goes as planned, neither does their road trip. Despite having everything mapped out before they go, unexpected detours and unplanned incidents cause secrets and long-buried hurt to bubble up to the surface. There’s nothing to put pressure on a strained relationship quite like a cross-country road trip with just you, your partner, and your dog!

Watching Biz and Wyatt confront things in their relationship that they have tried to push aside or gloss over was emotional and lovely and hard all at once. These are the kind of conversations that need to happen before being parents, but they aren’t easy and things get worse before they get better sometimes. I kept wondering if they would even make it to California for the birth! Let’s just say the title is fitting—lots of bumps along the way to parenthood for this couple, but love can overcome many challenges!

This book absolutely charmed me. The central couple are fantastic and the characters are so different but I loved them together. Their journey was full of funny and hard and touching moments. I love these types of books because I know that somehow I’m going to get a great ending, so I can just enjoy the ride.

This is a must-read for anyone who loves a novel that is equal parts funny and heartfelt!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

Wyatt and Biz both fear they might not make it through this hurdle. On the brink of parenthood, Biz convinces Wyatt to a "babymoon" - a trip designed to hit all of their favorite gay vacation spots.
I loved the focus on the use of surrogacy - the grief of NOT experiencing all those joys parents take for granted, such as baby kicks and hiccups; playing music and talking; dr appts and ultrasounds.
This trip becomes more of a healing and rejoining of Wyatt and Biz. Wyatt's brother is in an accident - his mother desperate for emotional support. Their complex relationship and Biz's work to ease the tension are so relatable. Desperate to feel the support and joy of his own family, Biz pushes for time with his family.
The discovery of family secrets, lost connections - and meeting their child, truly a bumpy ride.
I love these characters!

REVIEW: The Bump ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 (4.5)

Wyatt and Biz have been together for over ten years. They decide they are ready for the next step and want a baby. After much planning, they have a surrogate in California who will be having their child soon. Instead of just flying there for the birth, the guys decide to make a babymoon road trip out of it. Everything is planned and ready until it isn't.

The Bump was a perfect heartfelt, sweet, and funny story. In a dual POV, we learn through our main characters, Wyatt and Biz, how they are both feeling about becoming dads soon. Even though they have been together for so long, they have their troubles together. They disagree about marriage, they are nervous about truly communicating together, and they are both secretly fearful of becoming bad dads. I really like a switch-up with a romance of sometimes having an established couple like them who have some rocky moments to go through. Their relationship felt very authentic, and you could tell that deep down, they both really loved each other. Wyatt and Biz were definitely different from one another, but they both brought so much heart and laughter to this book.

I really love the different family dynamics and struggles throughout The Bump. There was a great deal of variety and representation as well. I really loved that this book presented surrogacy and gay adoption in such a positive light.

The only tiny thing I didn’t like about this story is the fact that there was a point when too much was going on at the same time. I get this is supposed to be stressful and chaotic, but sometimes it can feel too overwhelming.

Overall, I really loved The Bump. It was a great contemporary romance with so much love and fun throughout. I can’t wait to read Sidney Karger’s other novel, Best Men.

Thank you, Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, for the free advanced copy for my honest review!

#bookreview #bookrecommendations #arcread #bookstagram #books #booklover #bookish #bookaddict #romancereader #booksofinstagram #bookaholic #romancereadersofinstagram #bookcommunity #igreads #readingbooks

“The Bump” is a heartwarming story about Wyatt Wallace and Massimo “Biz” Petterelli’s journey to become parents. These two had me laughing out loud in Chapter One during their egg donor selection and I was immediately invested in the process. Fast forward a year and a half, and they are ready to take a road trip across the country to meet their surrogate before the birth of their baby.

Wyatt has the route from New York to California meticulously planned out and Biz is excited for the babymoon that he sees as their last hurrah to have fun before they become fathers. Their different approaches to this trip highlight the stress that has been building as they prepare for this new phase of life.

There are some unexpected detours along the way and more of their background is revealed as both Wyatt and Biz make stops to visit their families. At times it feels like they want different things out of their relationship while also feeling hopeful for the future. Wyatt and Biz belong together. They balance each other out in the best way with a little help from their adorable dog, Matilda.

The author does an amazing job of exploring the complexities of relationships and the work that goes into them. The fear that Wyatt and Biz have about becoming parents is so relatable and the surrogacy adds another layer that we don’t often see in books. I really enjoyed this one and look forward to more from this author.

3.5 stars

Wyatt and Biz have wanted to be father's forever, but with their marriage on the rocks and a baby on the way, they're starting to realize maybe what that's not what they wanted after all. With their baby's impending arrival in the next few weeks, Wyatt and Biz decided to go on a cross-country trip for their 'babymoon', and what a disaster it is! Their trip is nothing but misadventure after misadventure, and felt like it might be the straw that broke the camels back... Thankfully things work out in the end for these two, but it was work!

Wyatt and Biz set-off, cross-country to meet their new baby. Misadventure plagues the trip from New York to California as family causes havoc on their well laid plans. These two keep puns rolling throughout their trip from movies, TV and music which had me laughing. The forced proximity in the car forces these men to address issues over their 10-year relationship including impending fatherhood.

The bump is simply fun and filled with heartfelt moments. This "journey" is a ride of a lifetime.

Thank you, Berkley

More than being a finding their way back to each other book, this felt like an exercise in misery that would not end until a time jump at the end of the book. It took me a good deal of convincing myself that any of the characters in this book liked each other, much less our two fathers to be. I think maybe if I hadn't expected a little more romcom it might gain a Star but this was just tough to get through.

I enjoyed Best Men but I LOVED “The Bump” it was just the easy light hearted story I needed and devoured in in 1 day. It reminding me of “The Guncle” in all the best ways but the writing style kept the story moving in a faster pace which I enjoyed and could get into much earlier in the book.

The characters were all lovable and relatable even in all of their flaws. They were opposites yet also so similar at the same time.

I didn’t find any of the adventures to be unnecessary or take up too much time. The driving portions served their purpose and didn’t drag on and he focused on the important parts that kept things moving. Their disagreements were all realistic as they weren’t simply solved in one discussion and buttoned up with happy ending right away.

The love between both families and their growth warmed my heart. I am looking forward to his next book.

Biz and Wyatt are having a baby! After picking a donor and a surrogate, their baby is finally almost here. As a babymoon they had on a cross-country road trip to California as a last hurrah. While everything leading up to the pregnancy has gone well, Biz and Wyatt feel further apart than ever. As doubts about fatherhood and raising a child start stirring, both soon to be dads are forced to examine their relationships with their fathers, each other, and themselves. Nowhere better to sort through your problems than by being forced to ride in a small car together from one coast to the other.

Being currently 22 weeks pregnant, I felt this was the perfect time to pick up Karger's new book. Though my 'journey' is different than our leads, there are so many emotions, feelings, and thoughts that present themselves when you're expecting a baby. So, while I couldn't relate to the surrogacy 'journey' as a whole, the overall anticipation, fears, and anxieties were pretty on the nose this go ahead.

Both Biz and Wyatt are such interesting characters and completely opposite; I kept finding myself offering them parenting advice in my head. The contrast between our two leads was great and while I normally hate the miscommunication trope, I mean seriously just talk to each other, I didn't mind it so much in this story. I mean I still wanted them, especially Wyatt to just open up and loosen up, but overall, I think it worked for this story.

In essence this was a cute and heartwarming read filled with hope and antics. Our supporting characters were great, and I was rooting for Biz and Wyatt the whole time. This will certainly make a great road trip read or listen (as I hear the audio is great) and is coming out at the perfect time.



The Bump comes out May 21, 2024. Thank you to Berkley for my advanced copies in exchange for my review. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.

Review of The Bump by Sidney Karger

The Bump is the story of one couple’s babymoon road trip across the country. It lives up to its name, not only in terms of a baby bump but also in terms of navigating some unresolved/unspoken bumps in their relationship.

The couple is on the brink of a significant life change with the impending arrival of their first child. This journey becomes a metaphor for the unspoken tensions and unresolved issues in their relationship.

I enjoyed this novel; however, I had to readjust my expectations. Having read Karger’s first book, The Best Men, I entered this novel expecting a rom-com. It is definitely not a rom-com. While full of love, it is also full of tension as the couple works through unexpected hiccups. While I didn’t relate to the affluent couple’s lifestyle of adventures and privilege, it is relatable regarding how relationships are complicated and evolving.

This is not a warm, fluffy read, nor all doom and gloom. Buckle up for an adventure.

This book definitely wasn’t for me, but I can see how some would like a book like this as a “palette cleanser” or something of the sort..
I didn’t like how the couple was constantly fighting and seemed like they would’ve maybe been better of breaking up, and also really didn’t like the whole “a baby solved our entire relationship” thing.
It was cute at times, and a relatively quick read, so I guess there’s that.

Fun, fantastic, big-hearted and filled with genuine laughs, The Bump is a breezy, fun, but emotional ride through America. It’s the perfect beach read.

Serious minded commercial director Wyatt Wallace and breezy magazine columnist Massimo ‘Biz’ Petterelli are trying to have a baby. Sure, their neurotic Airedale, Matilda, keeps them plenty busy, and their entertainment industry jobs drive them crazy, but a kid’s the next natural step in their loving marriage. They should be excited that their California-based surrogate, old friend Flora, will pop in nine months.

But instead they both totally freak out. They forgo flying directly to California to be with Flora and decide to take a cross-country road-trip from New York to LA. Along the way, they vow to visit important stops, friends, and relatives. But as time goes on, cracks in their relationship start to show up, making them wonder if they’re meant to stay together.

I’m deeply soft for road trip romances, and I’m deeply soft for couples who stand tall throughout disastrous circumstances. Biz and Wyatt go through it in this book, and not just because the baby has put their relationship through an earthquake. Biz was a child actor before he became a magazine writer, so you get lots of views of his childhood and how acting has formed and shaped him. Biz’s father has cancer, and Wyatt has a dysfunctional family he never speaks to. They have wonderfully odd friends and magnetize wonderfully odd events to them. Of course they’re going to be great parents – they just don’t know that yet.

The Bump is all about imperfections and how love helps put those flaws into place. It’s a fantastic, emotional, mostly lighthearted read that readers will bite into with ease.

Thank you @BerkleyPub for the free book and thank you @PRHAudio for my #gifted listening copy of The Bump! #PRHAInfluencer #PRHAudioPartner #BerkleyBookstagram #berkleypub #BerkleyIG #berkley

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐦𝐩
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐫
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐑𝐲𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐡𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐔𝐫𝐢𝐞
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

★★★★★ (ALL THE STARS!!!!)

This book gave me all the feels! It was so heartwarming and also so funny and I could not get enough! I equally loved Wyatt and Biz and their “Journey” and feel like this will be one of my top books of 2024! I seriously loved everything about this book. I knew when I listened to the author Sidney Karger describe this book during the Booked With Berkley Spring Preview I was going to love it, but I did not expect to be this obsessed. This is going to be my new go-to book recommendation!

Biz and Wyatt are going to have a baby together. Their surrogate is across the country, and they decide to embark on a cross country road trip together along with their dog Matilda. It’s the perfect opportunity to have some time together before the baby arrives. With everything mapped out, their plans quickly change as unexpected detours and emergencies pop up along the way. Throughout their trip, they are forced to examine their own relationship, and their past family dynamics and how that could impact their own future family. Will Wyatt and Biz make it to the west coast together in time for the birth of their baby? Or will there be too many bumps along the way?

I seriously cannot say enough good things about this book. It was just so good! It’s the type of book that will leave you with such a huge smile on your face. This is one you will not want to miss!

🎧Ryan Spahn and Michael Urie were PHENOMENAL. I mean I could not ask for two better narrators for this audiobook. I binged this audiobook in a day. Not only did I not want the story to end, I just loved listening to these two share the cross country adventures of Wyatt and Biz. They were both so perfect and I HIGHLY recommend this one on audio if that option is available to you. Seriously. Pure perfection!

Posted on Goodreads on May 2, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around May 21, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on May 21, 2024
**-will post on designated date

This was an incredibly heart warming read. You will fall head over heels for Wyatt and Biz, shedding tears of joy and sadness with them on their "JOURNEY..."

Boyfriends, Biz and Wyatt are soon to be fathers. Via surrogate, they are welcoming their new baby in just a handful of weeks, so they decide to take a road trip from their home in Brooklyn, to where their baby will come into the world in California. Along with their carsick prone dog, Matilda, they embark on a trip that will change their lives in more ways than one.

Both men have dreamed of fatherhood, but suddenly, with it finally approaching, they are crippled with self doubt. Communication is a real issue with these two, which saddened me, but it was all part of Karger's design to show the real time progression of their relationship, as they enter into this uncharted territory.

The things they encounter along the way, the obstacles mentally and physically were so impactful. I absolutely loved this book. Every single thing about it!!

An enjoyable adventure.

Biz and Wyatt have been together for several years when they decided they wanted to become fathers and began their journey to fatherhood with a surrogate. It's been nearly two years of planning, selecting egg donors and surrogates and preparing. Now that the big day is on the horizon and they begin their “babymoon” trip across the country towards their surrogate, both men are beginning to stew in what they feel is their own failings as a future dad. This is especially sad since the bar they set as the perfect Dad is each other. Their separate stewing is affecting their relationship and both men feel the gap spreading between them as they travel west. Each time one is ready to have the discussion, something comes are so it “isn’t the right time” to get into it. Both fear whether they will still be together by the time they make it to their baby’s birth.

A trip to Wyatt’s family and then to Biz’s gives us a great idea of what molded them to be as they are. Wyatt is from a small family with just his mother and brother and his brother’s small family. They are the type to quietly stew rather than discuss their feelings. While Biz comes from a large, loud family who yell out their feelings, if necessary, and make up quickly. This makes Wyatt the planner and Biz the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants free spirit.

Biz is concerned since Wyatt won’t ever discuss getting married and Wyatt is dealing with his own father issues with this own non-existence Dad.

After years of happiness, will turning their relationship from couplehood to family be the one thing to tear them apart.

THOUGHTS:
This was toted as a Planes, Trains and Automobile type adventure and I was ready to laugh, laugh, laugh my way through Biz and Wyatt's adventures towards their new baby. While this was a nice story, it wasn't the hysterical entertainment I was anticipating.

This is also the perfect example of how bad things happen when we are too much in our own head and don’t speak out to our families or significant other. We have to remember to actually discuss things with other people and not just give them a voice from our own suffering subconscious. We don’t want to hear the negative from them, but issues only get worse when people keep their pain to themselves.

Both Biz and Wyatt are wonderful characters and a perfect of example of opposites attract. We see how happy they are together and yet what is tearing their relationship apart is the fear of their own lacking not any issue with the other man.

While this story wasn't hysterical, it was enjoyable and I waited impatiently to see which one would be brave enough to speak out before it was too late.

4.5 stars, rounded up.

Sometimes you find the right book to fit your mood. For me, the most recent example of this is Sidney Karger’s upcoming book, The Bump. It hit me square in the feels and left me smiling, too.

Wyatt and Biz have been together for a number of years now. Wyatt is a director of commercials; Biz, a former child actor, is now a food writer. Wyatt is the high-strung planner; Biz is the more spontaneous, fun-loving one. The couple lives in Brooklyn with their dog, Matilda.

But everything is about to change for them. They’re having a baby (through a surrogate) in a few weeks, and both are getting pretty tense. Biz decides that instead of flying to California for the baby’s birth, they’ll drive, making a few stops on the way so it’s kind of a “baby-moon.” (Biz is starting to panic, so he hopes the road trip will calm him down.)

In their old VW convertible, they start their journey in Provincetown, the scene of many great memories for them. But Wyatt feels like Biz is trying to avoid becoming a father, while Biz wishes Wyatt would just mellow out a bit. The tension makes it hard to enjoy, and then their plans go awry when an emergency with Wyatt’s family necessitates a detour.

Each time they try to get back on course, something else happens which causes another detour. And at the same time, secrets are revealed and discoveries are made which ratchet up both of their emotions, not to mention the tension between them. Can their family survive before it even starts?

While much of the drama in the book would be solved if Wyatt and Biz would just TALK to each other, the miscommunication didn’t bother me as much as it usually does in books. They make an adorable couple, and I really was rooting for them, plus I enjoyed the supporting characters as well. The book was a good mix of serious and silly, romantic and fun.

Many thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the advance copy! The book will publish 5/21.

🚗 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔹𝕦𝕞𝕡 🚗

Wyatt and Biz have always dreamed of being fathers and raising a family together. However, after successfully getting pregnant with a surrogate, both men begin to have complete mental melt downs. With their relationship on the rocks and their baby only weeks away, they decide to go on a cross country road trip affectionally called the “babymoon” to reconnect and have a few last hurrahs.

Unfortunately, from the second the couple embarks on their journey, everything that can go wrong, does. As they navigate from one disaster to the next, old wounds and hidden feelings begin to tear their already fragile relationship apart. As they get closer and closer to their destination and due date, Wyatt and Biz must reevaluate their ideas of family in order to save their own.

This read was so fun. If you’re a fan of road trip gone wrong rom coms, you’ll love this read. Wyatt and Biz are complete opposites, from their personalities to their upbringing, and it ensures there’s something in the story that everyone can identify with. It also makes for fun and witty banter that makes it hard to put down.

I have to take a second to give the author his due: I am not a fan of the miscommunication trope, but this book did it so well that I actually enjoyed it. I think the fact that it involved new parent anxiety meant it was something that’s easy for me to empathize with, and for the first time this trope didn’t repel me.

I loved that this book offered a perspective that was totally new for me: surrogacy. I got to learn a lot more about the process and gained a whole new appreciation for parents who go thru this as apart of their journey to become parents. It’s truly a beautiful gift and I’m so so happy I got to learn more about it.

If you need a fun sunny day rom com, I highly recommend this read!!!
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pub Date: May 20, 2024

Thank you NetGalley and Berkly Publishing for this free e-reader copy in exchange for a free review.