Review: Bloom by Elizabeth Scott

Title: Bloom
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Published: June 2008 (Simon Pulse)
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Lauren has a good life: decent grades, great friends, and a boyfriend every girl lusts after. So why is she so unhappy?

It takes the arrival of Evan Kirkland for Lauren to figure out the answer: She's been holding back. She's been denying herself a bunch of things (like sex) because staying with her loyal and gorgeous boyfriend, Dave, is the "right" thing to do. After all, who would give up the perfect boyfriend?

But as Dave starts talking more and more about their life together, planning a future Lauren simply can't see herself in -- and as Lauren's craving for Evan, and moreover, who she is with Evan becomes all the more fierce -- Lauren realizes she needs to make a choice...before one is made for her.

My Review: I really enjoyed this book. Elizabeth Scott is such a fresh, unique voice in YA fiction. I love her writing style, and her characters are always interesting and believably flawed. Bloom was no exception. The chemistry between Lauren and Evan is obvious even from the beginning, and Scott captured that initial infatuation and awareness perfectly.

I usually do not enjoy the whole boyfriend-vs-other-boy internal debate. It's always the "safe" choice vs. the choice the girl actually wants. In this book, however, I actually believed her. Dave seemed perfect and worked very well with her world. He was also a fantastic boyfriend. In addition, Lauren had many actual, credible reasons for trying to stay with him. I really felt for her. Lauren grew up a lot in this book, and I enjoyed reading this coming-of-age story.

There were also several great quotes in Bloom. Here are a few of my favorites:

❝...it was only when we actually got boyfriends that I realized without the acquiring of them to talk about, we had absolutely nothing in common. ❞

I particularly appreciated this quote because I could very much relate to it.

❝I love books. I like that the moment you open one and sink into it you can escape from the world, into a story that's way more interesting than yours will ever be.❞

Basically? ♥ ♥ ♥

❝Just once can't I be the kind of girl who can walk into a room and toss her hair just so?❞

Ah, don't we all wish that once in a while?

❝I try not to act like I've melted into a little pile of goo, but really. He just does things to me. ❞

I just love this quote. It is totally realistic and adorable. I love how Scott writes Lauren's internal monologue.

❝I fold my arms across my chest in what I hope is an I-swear-I-haven't-been-rolling-around-on-the-sofa kind of way.❞

This line made me snort with laughter, so I simply had to include it.

All-in-all, Bloom is a great read. It has relatable characters, a main couple with great chemistry, and is a good coming-of-age story. Very enjoyable, and I will be reading more from Scott in the future.