Book Review: Bloom

Title: Bloom
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Publisher: Simon Pulse, 200
Page total: 231 pages
Date read: May 8th, 2010
Genre(s): Young Adult; Fiction

I guess I kept hoping some kind of miracle would happen. It wasn’t even like I was asking for a big one. I mean, I didn’t want someone to come along and give me straight A’s or perfect hair or anything. I just didn’t want to take one lousy class. That’s not too much to ask for, right?

(Originally I wanted to copy the blurb but then I realized that it’s telling things that are not true.)
Lauren is an average girl with decent grades, one best friend, okay looks - just average. Except she has the perfect boyfriend Dave every girl at her school wants to be with. So why is not as happy as someone would assume? Why does she feel so… empty? When she sees Evan, the boy from her childhood, again, she feels something she has never felt around Dave. She knows she’s happy around Evan - but what’s the ‘right’ thing to do?

I have to admit at first I thought the story was kind of boring. Not much happened except Lauren agonizing over two boys, not quite able to make up her mind. There’s no major action scenes -like Dave yelling at Lauren when he found the truth (you’d think he’d be mad) or something- or any real making-outs. It’s more about accompanying a girl on her journey to find out what she really wants and how to stand up for what she wants.
I know, it doesn’t really make the book sound appealing. But bits of Lauren’s past and her shattered family, Lauren’s best friend Katie and Lauren’s relationship with Evan made the book much more interesting. I can’t tell you exactly what it was that made reading this book -twice- worth it because I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you but let’s say I really enjoyed to float along as Lauren struggled to stand up for her own happiness, more than I thought I would.
Lauren is - well, I think you could call her not very bright. I mean, she’s not dumb or anything but when it comes to fighting for what she wants, she doesn’t do anything. It can be annoying but at the same time, I could understand her. After all, how can she break up with ‘the perfect’ guy if everyone around her thinks it’s the right thing to do to stay with him and tells her how lucky she is to have him?
I especially loved the end of the book where she finally learns the lesson of her life.

4 Kisses!

Quotes:
"Talking about someone who makes you happy actually makes you happy. Being happy makes you want to talk, to go over everything, to share it so you can remember it all over again. No wonder my GPA isn't all that great. Seventeen and I'm just now realizing this?"

"I even bought a ton of books with covers that promised stories about girls who seemed to be just like me. I figured maybe there'd be something in them to make me feel better. But they were all about so-called ugly losers who were actually really smart and funny (and quirky cute or even gorgeous to boot) and how the football star or mysterious new boy everyone wants or the best-friend-who-seems-kind-of-ugly-but-actually-really-isn't totally falls in love with them, and they go to the big dance or whatever and learn that it's what's on the inside that counts and crap like that."