#BloomTour || Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau

Hello, bookish fam! I’m so happy to be part of the #BloomTour and to have this as my first blog tour post of the year. Shout out to JM from Book Freak Revelations for hosting this amazing international blog tour and having me on board.

Bloom

Author: Kevin Panetta

Illustrator: Savanna Ganucheau

Publisher: First Second

Released: January 29th, 2019

Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult

Pages: 368

Format: E-book

Characters: Ari, Hector, Meg, Andrew, …

Now that high school is over, Ari is dying to move to the big city with his ultra-hip band—if he can just persuade his dad to let him quit his job at their struggling family bakery. Though he loved working there as a kid, Ari cannot fathom a life wasting away over rising dough and hot ovens. But while interviewing candidates for his replacement, Ari meets Hector, an easygoing guy who loves baking as much as Ari wants to escape it. As they become closer over batches of bread, love is ready to bloom . . . that is, if Ari doesn’t ruin everything.

Source: Goodreads

Since this is a graphic novel, it’s only fair if I’m starting this review with how I felt about the graphic. I think it was brilliant. I love how every single movement were sketched and informed with arrows, etc. The illustrator also did a great job on emphasizing the baking and cute romantic scenes between Ari and Hector. Gotta love those! This brings me to my next point, which is I was hungry for bread as I read this book. The baking and assorted breads made me crave for breads and baking goods. I swear I could smell the aroma of breads for a moment lol.

There was also a good representation of LGBTQ+ in this book. I think Ari and Hector made a cute couple and the way their love blossom was cute but it sorta fell short for me. It was, like I said, cute but that’s it. The development of their relationship was somewhat predictable and nothing was special about it. However, I love the values that were inserted in this book. The relationship between family and friends was also highlighted. I liked how father and son relationship was showcased throughout the book. It was heartwarming to see them bonding over the time. This book also taught me to not just follow the current trend and what’s cool but do what we love instead and don’t feel ashamed about it. We gotta do things that spark joy for us.

The main issue I had with Bloom is the plot. The plot was somewhat meh for me. It didn’t develop a lot and even if it were to be characters driven kinda book, I don’t see much development in the characters as well. The plot was easy, predictable and nothing was too exciting about it. I wish there was more to the plot, it’d be much better and interesting to read.

Overall, if you want to read something light, I’d highly recommend this book. But otherwise, it’s totally up to you. 😉