Review by tristatereader - Bloom

tristatereader 's review for:

Bloom by Kevin Panetta

3.0

emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This was a coming of age graphic novel about Ari, a teenager (I think) desperate to move away from his family’s bakery and start a new life with his band mates in the city. Enter Hector, a lovable new transplant to town. Hector is in culinary school and the perfect bakery replacement for Ari to make his escape. But the two spend all summer together working at the bakery and their friendship develops into something more. Unfortunately, during a passionate moment between Ari and Hector, tragedy strikes the bakery and the two end up going their separate ways (for a short period of time).

I liked the plot of this graphic novel but felt it was lacking in substance and depth. I was really frustrated by how awful Ari’s friends were, especially Cameron, and how Ari was able to walk away and try to start a new life after the bakery tragedy and (figuratively) burning Hector so bad. The pacing / timeline was also a bit off for me as well. I will read the second book in hopes of some redemption for these boys. 5/5 for the incredible artwork!

Content Warnings