Rapid Review: Bloom by Panetta and Ganucheau

Bloom

By Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau

Finished reading: 17/07/21

My rating: 3/5 stars

Bloom is a cute and easy-going graphic novel that takes place in a bakery follows a romance between two boys over the course of one summer.

I was really craving something sugary sweet to read as the weather started heating up and Bloom definitely ticked these boxes. The artwork was so beautiful, it was like a combination of Heartstopper by Alice Oseman and This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki. I loved the visual characterisation of each character, and the landscapes of the town created a great sense of atmosphere.

My favourite part of this book was the double-page baking montages. There was something so cosy and warm about watching these characters bake frame by frame. All the baked goods looked so delicious, I loved the floral details and the frames were put together in such a creative way. I loved that the creators included a recipe for sour dough rolls and a music playlist at the end of the novel. If I were to reread this, I’d definitely want to be eating a freshly baked roll and listening to the playlist with headphones as I think this would definitely add to the experience.

I was not a huge fan of the plot of the story. It seemed like a lot was introduced, the pacing was a little off and the ending was not complete enough for my liking. Having said this, since finishing the novel I have seen that a sequel to Bloom has been announced for release in 2023. I am really hoping that the sequel will help to wrap things up and explore some of the loose ends with the friendships. I think this book will work better as a ‘part one’ as opposed to a standalone novel—which is what I went into it expecting.

I also did not particularly like Ari as a character, but I liked that Hector called him out on his behaviour. I found some of dialogue did not flow amazingly which may have impacted on my opinion of the characters. I am not sure how necessary all the friend characters were to the story, but I really liked Meg and Hanna as characters, so I really hope we see more of them in the sequel. It would be nice to see them more actively involved in the plot.

Overall, Bloom was a really enjoyable summer read but I definitely enjoyed the artwork more than the story. I will definitely be getting hold of the sequel as I’m interested to see where the story continues and whether some of the creases in the first instalment can be ironed out.