Bloom

A lot of people would call Lauren’s life perfect. Her boyfriend, Dave, is lusted after by most of the females at their high school, and she’s popular (by association, at least); in high school that makes you practically royal. But look a little deeper and you soon realize that Lauren is just really good at fitting into everyone else’s expectations for her. Once the shiny exterior is pulled off, it’s easy to see that her mom left when she was six and she hasn’t gotten over hoping she’ll come back, her dad practically lives at the office, her best friend, Katie, is really only her best friend because their boyfriends are friends. And her super popular, besides having a family that is almost too perfect, isn’t exactly who he show more pretends to be either. Then Evan comes back into her life and he’s everything Dave isn’t. Around him, Lauren feels she can be more herself, more the person she wants to be. So what’s a girl to do: follow everyone else’s plan or decide to be true to herself?

Bloom came very highly recommended, so I had very high expectations when I started reading. I’m happy to say that I really enjoyed Bloom and found it to be a well written story about trying to figure out what you want out of life. Lauren was instantly relatable because who hasn’t been unhappy with how their life was going or wanted something other than what they had. She started out going along with everyone else until she gained some confidence in herself. Her relationship with Evan had a lot to with this.

Lauren and Evan knew each other when they were young, actually Lauren’s father and Evan’s mother dated and were serious for awhile, so there is a connection there that Lauren just doesn’t have with Dave. An example of this was when Lauren and Evan talk about their career goals. Lauren says that she wants to be a librarian, but admits that she’s never actually told her father, Dave or Katie this. Instead she tells them she wants to be a lawyer or a pediatrician because she knows that fits how they see her. I didn’t agree with all of Lauren’s decisions, she definitely could have been more upfront with both Dave and Katie about her feelings for Evan. But, at the same time I can appreciate that she found herself in a hard place trying to decide between what was safe and routine with Dave or the possibly exciting unknown with Evan.

The contrast between Dave and Evan was really well done. Dave had this almost too perfect aura about him: he had the ideal family, he was a caring and devoted older brother, he was planning his life with Lauren, including what college they would attend. Evan, on the other hand, was rough around the edges, he didn’t care about popularity or friends and it was just him and his mom. Of the two, Evan felt more real, more like someone you could meet in real life. Where Dave was the shiny fantasy (remember all the girls and possibly some of the boys wanted to date him), Evan was gritty reality.

The supporting characters added overall depth to the story. I especially liked the small side plot of Lauren’s growing friendship with Gail, a fellow jazz band member. It was obvious that Lauren’s relationship with her dad needed a lot of work and it was nice to see that the two of them got to a better place by the end of the book. Not everything was worked out but, it was obvious that the mending had begun. For most of the book, my least favorite relationship was Lauren and Katie’s friendship. Lauren is very upfront with the reader that the two of them were only best friends because of specific circumstances. Out of all the people in Lauren’s life, Katie is the most concerned with outward appearance and maintaining an aura of perfection. There was a small side plot with Katie’s family that I wish had been explored a little more. In the end, Katie surprised me by being much more perceptive than I thought she could be. And the fact that Lauren had both Katie and Gail as friends at the end of the story, shows just how much she had grown.

Bloom is one of those books that engaged me right away and kept my attention straight through to the end. Ms. Scott writes in such a way that you care about her characters from the first page and want the best for them, even if they might not know exactly what that might be. Even after I had read the last sentence, I was still thinking about the characters, especially Lauren and Evan. I still had lots of questions, like: were they still together, were they happy, did they end up achieving their career goals? I love when an author makes me wonder about the characters’ lives beyond the story, beyond the ending. Bloom was a book that stayed with me for a long time, weeks after I had finished it I was still thinking about it and all the choices that Lauren made. It is definitely a book that I will reread.

Overall, a book with a strong message about being yourself and finding what makes you happy. show less

Lauren knows everything should be great since she's with the super cute and popular Dave. Nevermind that she's only semi-popular now that she's dating Dave and nevermind that her supposed best friend Katie doesn't really know anything about her. And nevermind that her mom skipped out on her when she was six and her dad's never around. Lauren knows that as long as she's with Dave, as long as she has the status of being his girlfriend, everything's going to be fine.

Then Evan shows up. And everything changes.

A brutally honest look at first loves, I found this novel somewhat disturbing because Lauren seemed so real. I wanted to shake her most of the time, but I also remember how all-consuming that first love was.

I finally had the chance to pick up Elizabeth Scott's debut bloom which would be my first taste of her writing. Wow! This book may not look long, and the cover may seem a little ordinary - but don't be fooled! bloom certainly delivers a powerful punch in the terms of searching for identity, motivation, and love.

Lauren is probably the girl that we all are - at least, she channels the girl that I think that I was and am somewhat. Her problems, thoughts, hopes, disappointments struck a chord with me, and I felt that I knew her.

To sum it up, go check out bloom if you haven't already! It'll be like finding an old friend!

Lauren is dating the perfect guy. So why isn't she happy? And why can't she stop thinking about Evan, the new boy in school? They had been friends years ago when they were little kids, but that can't explain the jolt of electricity she feels whenever she sees him now. She's hopelessly drawn to Evan, but is terrified of surrendering to her emotions and giving up her "perfect" but predictable relationship to gamble on the unknown.

This is pretty much a perfect modern YA love story. The characters and situations are well-drawn and believable. The narrator's voice is snarky, self-deprecating, and spot on. The basic plot is pure Romance, but several subplots add depth and develop characters without distracting. Elizabeth Scott is an exciting show more new voice in YA lit, and definitely one to watch! show less

Oh, my goodness. The English staff want lighter, more romantic books introduced into Yr 8 Literature Circles, but everything I've read that I thought my be suitable, has been terrible. Why does it have to be so hard?

Sadly, "Bloom" was no exception. Lauren was an awful protagonist. She was whiny and shallow, and kept telling the reader how 'perfect' her boyfriend, Dave, was even though she was thinking about kissing Evan Then she starts going out with him while still Dave's girlfriend. Really???!!! There was nothing inspirational about this novel and I was disgusted with Lauren's behaviour. Not for me!

Imagine that your boyfriend is popular, drop dead gorgeous, crazy about you, athletic and wanted by every girl in high school. This is the relationship that Lauren has with Dave. Seems like she should be happy, right? Wrong. She's not. She's in the "perfect" relationship (so everyone thinks), but yet she feels so far from perfect and certainly not happy. In fact, she feels like a fake.

World History is the class she wants to get out of, however it's also where her story finally begins. As a new semester starts, Lauren dreads her World History class. It starts to get interesting when the teacher assigns seating in alphabetical order. Across from her is Evan Kirkland. The son of her father's former live-in boyfriend; a relationship that show more ended very badly.

As Lauren's feelings grow for Evan, she realizes everything she is missing with her boyfriend Dave. She struggles with keeping up appearances, lying to her best friend, Katie, and understanding these new feelings that Evan has stirred up. Lauren's mom left the family when she was young and her father has been in and out of numerous relationships. Now, he's hardly a presence in Lauren's life. This is also an impact on the triangle of Lauren/Dave/Evan.

Overall, I liked this book. Katie and Dave were good supporting characters, however I wanted to know more about their lives. Bloom is a good story about young love, trying to fit in struggling with doing what is expected of you, and discovering who you really are. show less

I had heard nothing but good things about this book. In many ways, it lived up to my expectations, and in others, failed completely. Lauren, the protagonist, is a pretty unlikeable character. She may embody much of the teenage population of the world, but she certainly doesn't speak for me. The only thing about her that I liked was that she was a reader, volunteering & planning to work at the library. Elizabeth Scott broke barriers, I felt. I've never actually read a YA book in which a main character is religious (save for Miriam's Well, but that's a totally different story). The backstory Lauren has with Evan is also incredibly fresh. And then there's the cheating. I've never read a YA book with such huge instances of cheating on show more another person. There has been emotional cheating, sure, but like this? No. I didn't like it. The break-up with Dave could have and should have happened sometime earlier, instead of dragging it out for no reason. It would have given room to resolve many issues that are never really given an ending--Katie's issues with her family, Marcus with his, Lauren and Mary, and most importantly, we'd have more time to spend with Lauren and her father, the central relationship (to me) in the book. I liked the first person aspect of the book, it let you clearly see everything, while at the same time, skewing everything to fit Lauren's point of view. It worked very effectively. Random formatting notes to close this off: I adored the flowers throughout the book, and I loved the texture of the cover! Almost felt like a hardcover, all smooth, didn't it?

Rating: 4/5 show less