Bloom Into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka (Light Novel) Volume 1

my wife started a yuri bookclub and this was the first thing we read for it. i've seen the bloom into you anime but not read the manga, so i had plenty of context for the character but seeing things from her perspective obviously made a pretty big difference. i also feel like if i rewatched the anime now, i would see this character much differently because at times in the anime she's a borerline antagonist (though i wouldn't say the anime completely fails to sympathize with her by any stretch of the imagination).

i also don't want to give the impression that this book merely fills in some details about a secondary character from the main series. it can absolutely be read completely as a standalone story, and a damn well-written one at show more that. it deals with how messy same-sex attraction can get in an environment that doesn't exactly support or encourage it as a valid kind of relationship to pursue. which isn't to say there's any hardcore depictions of homophobia in this book, moreso characters imperfectly groping towards an understanding of themselves and the kinds of relationships they want, and causing plenty of hurt feelings in the process. show less

It was an alright book. Like most light novels I've read, not too much happens, but I think it was a nice look at a coming of age story. The main character is very out of touch with her feelings for most of the book, but I'm glad this changes by the end. I wasn't familiar with the character, if I was I might have liked it more. 

TBC