Bloom

by Elizabeth Scott

There's a difference between falling and letting go.

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.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, High School

231 pages, Paperback

First published April 24, 2007

About the author

Hey there, I'm Elizabeth. I write young adult novels. I live just outside Washington DC with my husband and dog, and am unable to pass a bookstore without stopping and going inside.

All right, and I can't leave without buying at least one book.

Usually two. (Or more!)

My website and blog are at elizabethwrites.com, and I'm also on twitter, tumblr, and facebook

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

When Lauren is with Dave, she’s envied by all, and Lauren thinks nothing can get better than being with her boyfriend. With him, his perfection rubs on her, making her perfect as well. But Lauren isn’t happy. And when an old friend, Evan, comes along, Lauren suddenly realizes that she should change things about her life before she can’t.

I am not impressed with Bloom at all. I guess I had high—extremely high—expectations and was less than pleased when I finally finished reading. I don’t think I liked anything about it. Nada.

Lauren is whiny times a hundred. Overboard. She’s always complaining about this or that—yes, teenagers do that, but I have an incredibly hard time sympathizing with her about anything. It’s like her story is so, so forced. Everything screams fake and lifeless. It's terrible when the world the author has created doesn't resonate with me at all. She's so self-absorbed it should be a crime, and I'm left to try to sympathesize, but oh god, I can't.

Since I read Perfect You first, I noticed that Scott likes to repeat things over and over again, and it’s no different here. Line 1: Dave is perfect in every way. Three pages later, Line 2: Dave is smiling that perfect smile of his. Two more pages later, Line 3: Dave even has straight, perfect teeth! The stress on Dave’s perfection drives me crazy. How can anyone be that perfect?! (See, just describing the book has made my sentences repetitive!) And if she’s so upset about how unhappy she’s feeling, why not just save us all the time and dump him and get a life already? GRRRR...

The story is one long soap opera. Nothing ever really happens short for Lauren talking about how she should be happy but isn’t because Dave’s too good for her. It’s only at the last two chapters that Dave finally finds out that they’re not the perfect couple anymore. Normally, you expect the conflict to be resolved like that, but when it comes to books with stories like this, I can’t help but wait for it all to end sooner. The emotions, lines, pages just drags on until finally, the author realizes a little too lately that she has to end it somewhere, and that’s the feeling I get it. It’s all so sudden—not just Dave figuring out that Lauren wasn’t the best girlfriend, but also the father expressing his feelings at the final chapter. He’s been silent and absentee all this time, but wham, he’s saying how sorry he is and talking about the past. Say what? It wasn't a well thought out progress at all. Lame, lame.

But the most important thing is that it’s B O R I N G. I hate to say that, but I just wasn't pleased. Besides the anticipation for something dramatic or even engaging to happen to wake me up from my foggy state of mind, I was just like, “Oh, please,” filled with sarcasm and everything. There wasn't anything exciting or intriguing about the characters, the story line, or even the chemistry in the relationships. Books, movies, you have to be able to experience that sizzling on-screen romance you get from that big screen in the theaters. But here, Evan is more robotic than anything, and Lauren just gets stupider as time ticks away. Perfect match, you say? Not in my world.

[Audrey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why I disliked the book:

1. Lauren was too boy-crazy. Every thought she had was Evan Evan Evan Dave Evan Evan Evan Evan. I get sick of the realllll fast. And the book is 231 pages of this nonstop…

2. She thought her relationship with Dave was ‘boring’ and ‘safe’ because Dave didn’t want to ‘take it to the next level’. Do some role reversing, does this sound right? And she kind threw her virginity in Evan’s direction… This whole sex debocle didn't sit right with me.

3. I don’t get how she could befriend Gail in the matter of days, and then spill all her dirty little secrets to her. That whole Gail-Lauren friendship didn’t work very well, Gail was only there when Lauren/the plot needed her, and then she disappeared into the backdrop.

4.

“This is where I should say I break up with Dave. Or that I stop seeing Evan. But there’s nothing to say because I don’t do anything. I think about it, tell myself I will figure everything out. That I will do something.

But I don’t.”

Gaahh, exactly. The quote like that explained perfectly why she made me want to tear my hair out. She doesn’t do anything! Just feels guilty but keeps doing what makes her happy.

5. She complained about how she doesn’t fit in with Dave’s friends, yet she only tried once or twice to extend her friendship. Then she was content to sit back and go on about how they’re not nice to her.

6. She constantly tells us how scared she is of everything. Grow a backbone and do something about it. Do anything. I found Lauren to be a very weak character.

7. Her cheating in general, and how it is portrayed in the book. Lauren just cheats and cheats, feels guilty, leads Dave on some more by trying to act perfect, then goes back to cheating because ‘Evan makes her happy’. Ughh. You know what? If you are so freaking unhappy with your boyfriend Dave, break up with him!!! You're just hurting him more.

8. She was a terrible friend to Katie. Exception is the very end, but it shouldn't take you 220 pages to figure out Katie is your best friend for a reason.

9. She’s worried about turning into her mother, and hurting those around her. I don’t know what brand of rose-coloured glasses she is wearing, but does the thought cross her mind that the longer she cheats on Dave, the more hurt he will be? Does it cross her mind how she hurts everyone around her with her selfish actions?

10. The whole absent parent thing is over-glorified. Wow, are there no normal families? It’s either the picture perfect Dave family, the absentee parent Lauren family, or the dysfunctional/depressing Katie family. Way to not feed the stereotypes, guys.

11. Does Evan really not care at all about anyone but himself and Lauren? Isn’t there some guy-code where you.. uhm, lay off other guys’ girlfriends? Also, why the heck does he like Lauren? Is it because of the way-back-when story? I don't see the connection (apart from when Lauren goes on and on about how much she thinks about Evan...), nor much personality from Evan. So Evan in general was unappealing.

12. I'm curious why Lauren doesn't seem to care about what other people think of her. I'm a high-schooler, trust me, I know. Despite what you say, there's a part of you that is always concerned about what others will think of you. Lauren's actions, to most people at her school will probably calleed b*tchy and sl*tty, but she never mentions her fears of this (I find that unrealistic).

13. Minor characters in general were very flat. They had their own issues, but there wasn't any character growth. I like character growth.

14. The plot itself was lacked originality and really any spark. Very much missing the oomf-factor.

14. The ending is too ideal, not to mention predictable. The heart-to-heart with daddy, the fact that fifteen minutes after breaking up with a very inconsolable Dave, she was holding hands and making out with Evan in the halls, the fact that she believed she had finally kinda ‘figured out who she was”… all very meh.

[Aleeeeeza · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars*

AND YES, I will admit that I'm adding half a star for those mind-blowingly HOT kisses. Man, this woman can write kissing scenes like nobody's business. Even if the ones kissing have a tendency to make me REALLY want to slap some sense into them.

Also, I hatehateHATE the phrase 'chewed-off smile.' Ms. Scott seems to have a thing for it, but whenever I read it I think of someone literally chewing off the other's smile. And that's just...blech.

[Wendy Darling · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

[Michelle Pham · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, I wasn't very fond of this book. At all. It was just so... annoying. I hated the main character, and if I hate the main character, why should I even finish the book? I did, of course, but I ended up skimming a lot of it.

Lauren is an average girl who has a practically non-existent best friend named Katie and an all-too-perfect boyfriend named Dave. Enter Evan, the boy from her childhood, whom she quickly falls in love with for a reason I'm not 100 percent sure of except for the fact that he made her happy.

Along the story line, Lauren cheats on Dave and keeps cheating even though she 1) knows it wrong, 2) really wants to stop, and 3) doesn't want to hurt Dave. I mean, she must realize that cheating on him more keeps hurting him and the people around her, right? Not really. She doesn't know what to do (although the answer is pretty clear to me), so she keeps on cheating on him with Evan.

I don't know why Evan liked her. I don't really know if it's even explained except that one minute they're somewhat friends and the next, they're all over each other, every day. Evan doesn't like the fact that Lauren is cheating on her boyfriend with him, but he doesn't really do much about it.

Then there's Gail, the girl she comes to with her problems, who's only there when needed to be, but pretty much disappears when Lauren doesn't need her anymore. Gail was a character that was pretty much flat and not needed, and nothing even really became of her.

I know Lauren isn't perfect, and I'm glad she's not, but she's just so stupid and such a weak character that I hated her right from the beginning, which kind of just ruined the whole story for me.

[Princess Bookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Thoughts: This is my second Elizabeth Scott book. I will be reading more from her! I heart her! I particularly enjoyed this book and didn't want it to end. As I flipped the pages and got closer to the end, it left me sad. I enjoyed it a lot! I love that Lauren runs into Evan after so many years and they have an instant connection. Not so much as brother and sister (their parents were dating) but more like a connection into their souls. I loved watching the chemistry between them and the way their friendship blossomed. Yes, I should bring up her celibate boyfriend but I'll let you read about him, I didn't find him that fascinating to be honest. I especially liked the part where Lauren's dad did not remember Evan. I think that could really happen in real life. The more time goes on, the more we forget and forget what is really important. I loved the characters in this book, the setting, the chemistry, and especially all the relationships.

Overall: Wonderful. Love the writing style, love Lauren and Evan! Loved everything about this book!!!

Cover: Another pretty cover! Lately I have been reading a lot of books with flowers on the cover. haha! (Reviewed at princessbookie.com)

[Kody Keplinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Elizabeth Scott is OFFICIALLY my favorite YA romance author. I read LIVING DEAD GIRL first (so not a romance) and then decided to backtrack and read her earlier work. I was startled at first to see comedies - ROMANTIC comedies - but then I gave them a shot, and WOW glad I did.

Lauren in BLOOM is such a real character. She's that girl that hangs out with popular people but isn't quite popular - I knew loads of these girls in high school. Her boyfriend is gorgeous, but things just aren't right between them, and when Evan, a hottie from her past, shows back up, sparks fly.

THe story is real and genuine, and the characters are so well written. Especially Katie, the best friend, who could easily be annoying if written poorly, but she wasn't. She was so endearing.

Great read. Hot love interest, realistic family drama, and yes, some awesome kissing. YOu won't be sorry.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bloom, by Elizabeth Scott, looks like one of those teen-romance type books, and, well, it is, but it’s actually good. It’s all about Lauren, who gets relatively good grades, has a “perfect” boyfriend, and plays in jazz band. And then it’s all about Evan--at least in Lauren’s mind, because he’s all she can think about. Oh, and did I mention that her boyfriend’s name is Dave? Yeah, you read right; Lauren cheats on her boyfriend. But that’s hardly giving away the plot, since it’s fairly obvious from the beginning of the book that this is what’s going to happen. It’s not really about what happens with Lauren and Dave when they’re at school, or what happens with Lauren and Evan when they’re not, but it’s more about being inside Lauren’s head, and seeing how she plans to deal with the situations that she’s created for herself.

The book opens by Lauren whining about not being able to drop a class that she doesn’t like, World History. In fact, the very first lines are, “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?” She then proceeds to complain about this class for a bit in the first chapter, then gets on to start talking about her life, her best friend, Katie, and her boyfriend, Dave. As she’s talking about her life, she hits on the subject of her parents: Lauren lives with her father, because her mother left them when Lauren was about six. This plays into the book a lot, and she learns a lot about herself in relation to her parents.

Moving the plot along, something rather important happens in World History class. There Lauren meets Evan Kirkland—meets him again, I should say. As you find out through a series of flashbacks, Evan is the son of Mary, a woman who had gone out with Lauren’s father a couple years previously. Lauren and Evan were good friends when they knew each other, but they lost touch after Mary and Lauren’s father broke up. In spending more and more time with Evan, Lauren begins to question her safe relationship and boring life. She also realizes that she loves who she is with Evan, but she’s also scared. This is where her mother factors back into the story. Lauren starts to wonder that if by cheating on Dave with Evan, she’s turning into her mother, who had a wild streak, which is why she left. Lauren starts to struggle inwardly over whether to stay with Dave, or with Evan, with safe, or with wild.

It is at this point that the book becomes more than a cheesy teen-romance book. When Lauren starts to debate within herself over the whole “cheating” scenario, she also starts to think more about her parents, their motives for doing things they did, and if she’s going to end up like them: mainly unhappy. This is more mature topic than is normally encountered in these types of books and it was refreshing to read it and see how Lauren figures things out and takes charge of her life.

I may sound somewhat critical of the book, but I really did enjoy it; the book itself is actually written very well. It talks about more mature topics than just the daily grind of high school, which really, if you think about it, isn’t that exciting. As stated earlier, I liked that Lauren had to make decisions in her life that were more than just what color to paint her nails; she was virtually deciding between two different futures: one with Dave and one with Evan. It made me think about why we do the things we do, and how the things that we do when we’re young can affect us for the rest of our lives.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bloom has been on my list for quite awhile now and it finally got bumped up to the top of my Amazon cart and made its way to my door. This is my first Elizabeth Scott book and she comes highly recommended. Comparisons to Deb Caletti and Sarah Dessen abound and, as I am a big Caletti fan, I was hoping for a nice, cozy read on a snowy February evening.

Lauren is pretty sure she's as average as it gets. The one thing she excels at is playing the clarinet in her school's jazz band, but no one but her best friend Katie even knows she plays at all, so that hardly counts. The one un-average thing about her life is her boyfriend Dave--the golden boy. For reasons unfathomable to Lauren, Dave chose her the year before and they've been together ever since. Lauren spends her days in a pleasant, if rather lackluster fog, walking through life on Dave's arm. Enter Evan--a blast from Lauren's past. His mother and her father lived together for a short time when they were kids and the shared trauma of that experience reverberates through each of them when Evan moves back into town and begins attending Lauren's high school.

Bloom was good and I enjoyed it. I kind of flip-flopped with regards to my feelings toward Lauren. In many ways, I really liked her. I liked her dedication to the clarinet and her nervous excitement at being given a solo in the upcoming concert. I liked that it was her secret and I got why she couldn't tell anyone about the one good thing she had going on. She took care of her dad even when he didn't deserve it and she tried (and failed) but she tried to do right by her incredibly nice, incredibly clueless boyfriend. On the flip side, I didn't really like how oblivious she was to her best friend's rapidly disintigrating personal life. I didn't really like how long she let the facade of her relationship with Dave go on. It hurt at least four people more than any of them deserved. Back to likes: I really liked Evan. I really liked the mature (yeah, mature) way he and Lauren got to know each other again. I really liked one particular encounter they had in his kitchen. And I really liked how the two of them approached their parents' collective paranoia and disfunction and chose not to make the same mistakes. Overall, this is a relatively short story with a lot of threads, not all of which were as developed as I would have liked. But it has sweet, humorous, and heartbreaking moments and it was a good read on a snowy February evening.

[Marlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I had read this book, I wanted to discuss it with my friends. I found I couldn't. It doesn't have anything to do with the plot or the story, but with the protagonists. One hour after I had read it, I realized I didn't know the names anymore. Have you ever tried to tell somebody about a book and had to begin "Well, there is this girl... her name? I don't know. Let's just call her girl#1. Girl#1 has a boyfriend... his name? I don't know either. Let's just call him boy#1. She also has a best friend, whom we can call girl#2 and meets an old friend, boy#2..."
If you haven't noticed: This won't work.
I never read a book and forgot the names of the protagonists just as fast as I finished it. Looks like there is a first time for everything.

If you like those books with typical love stories, this is the right one for you. Somehting to read trough in a day - maybe when you've just broken up with your boyfriend - and then go on and forget all about it. Why not? I knew exactly what I got, when I bought it... I think. That doesn't keep me from criticising this one, though.

To add, I've never met a protagonist as dumb as Lauren. I mean, come on. She's got the perfect boyfriend, but meets someone else. That's okay, really. But then she goes on and on about how happy she should be, but isn't and wheather to dump her "perfect match" or her true love. Seriously?
I've honestly spent half the book thinking "Oh, come on, break up with him already."

Not only does everyone reading it know how she's going to decide, but then there's this thing with her, weather to trust her best friend or not. Are you guys best friends forever or what? You are supposed to be able to tell each other everything and you both want to - what's the problem?
Oh yeah, right. The plot. Why? Well, there is none. You can divide this book into three stages:
1. Together with "perfect boyfriend" but as unhappy as you can be - still denying
2. Finding true love and cheating on "perfect boyfriend"
3. Arguing with herself what to do (oh, and this part covers more than a third of the book)
Then there is the end. Thank god, I would say. And how does she decide? I bet you know.

I could go on for a while longer, but I think this covers the basics. I hope I'll never have to read a book with this protagonist again.

...wait... what was her name again?

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth Scott is an amazing writer. I never knew about her books, until this: I fell upon them while I was at Borders looking for the author Keiran Scott(A Non-Blonde Cheerleader Series),next to her I saw the name Elizabeth Scott and I saw the cover of Perfect You and picked it up because the cover looked interesting. I read the plot, very good as well. So I Bought It. I read that and loved it, so I looked up her name and went to Borders and bought Bloom . And this is where my review begins.
I absoulutely love Bloom. The characters and evertyhing about this book. It is my favorite Elizabeth Scott book. The cover also catches you're eye. The main character Lauren had tough choices. Choosing Love over Popularity...basically. When she meets Evan you can tell from the second her breath catches at his name and she looks over at him, she fell in love with him. It's also neat they knew each other from when they were kids. He also kept the books she gave him, which was a very sweet, sweet thing to do. It is very very very very well written. After that you know Evan's in love with her too. Though she, basically, cheats on Dave with Evan, she did it because she LOVED Evan, and was really IN LOVE with Evan. I love the part where Evan says, "I Love You." to Lauren. I really love the very end, with the whole part and her saying,"I Love You." to Evan,
Elizabeth Scott has a hit! Good Job,Elizabeth! :-))

[L. · Rating 1 out of 5]

LORD, am I glad that's over.

It wasn't any one thing about this book that bothered me-- just, absolutely everything put together made it into a complete catastrophe. Another review on here described all of Lauren's problems as feeling forced, fake... Well, that's absolutely spot-on.

I'm too old to be reading young adult novels, mind you, and maybe this would have been considered acceptable to someone in high school, or perhaps middle school, but this book could be summed up as the following: whinewhinewhinewhinewhineeee. No character seemed remotely developed, aside from maybe Lauren's best friend Katie, who was always being blown off by the main character despite having far more depth than anybody involved in the ridiculous central love triangle. Everything happened ridiculously slowly, making for repetitive, mind-numbing internal monologues, where Lauren would complain about how she was dating the "perfect" guy, how she was not good enough for this aforementioned guy, and how scared she was to take any risks or actually DO anything to solve any of her problems.

I just, man. I hate leaving books unfinished, which is the only reason I stuck it through until the last page, but I know that within a couple of weeks, I won't remember a single stand-out moment from this book.

I don't really ever post reviews, but I just had to warn everybody who goes into this expecting to find a sympathetic protagonist, a gripping (or at least remotely compelling) plot, and absolutely any moments which would make you relate to the situation/characters-- guess what, you won't find anything of the sort here.

[Olivia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me explain myself. I did not hate this book at all. I actually did like it. There was just certain aspects of the book that I HATED.

While reading I would get lost in what was happening then. Lauren and Evan were so sweet and so good together and Gail was such a refreshing piece to the story, but then I would remember that she wasn't dating Evan and she didn't even acknowledge Gail at school. This book really bugged me. It got under my skin and while I did enjoy it I refuse to give it anything higher than one star because of all the issues that were just skimmed over like it was no big deal.

Pieces of the story that I did like:

1. Lauren had a very sweet and genuine voice. It was real. It could have actually happened. It was as though I went back to high school. She was real and it was realistic. It was overly dramatic. I love Elizabeth Scott's writing. I read Living Dead Girl and now Bloom and the way she writes is smooth and it flows and the characters always seem so real.

2. Although the book seem to jump around a lot, one thought turned into something completely different this was like we were inside her head. I know I do this all the time. My thoughts are all over the place and it was made Lauren not seem like a robot, like some other characters.

3. It was a very light, easy read. Not a lot of thought had to go into what you were reading. It was easy and I flew through it.

4. Gail was so refreshing. She seemed so real, like the friend everyone needs. In a story full of crappy people she was like the light at the end of the tunnel.

5. Although it took WAY too long, Lauren finally grew into herself, she bloomed (lol get it). But, no she really did grow. She did learn from her mistakes and she tried to right her wrongs. In the end she was confident with herself and she was actually herself instead of hiding behind a wall.

Now for the things I didn't like so much.......:

1. It was so easy that at times it was intriguing. I was reading fluff. I do like thinking in books, if I want an easy read I want to think at least a little bit.

2. Lauren encounter SO MANY toxic relationships its no wonder why she treated everyone else so crappy:
-Dave: she was dating him for a year and a half and he didn't know her at all. She wanted to talk about her solo in band and she felt like she couldn't tell her own boyfriend because he would judge her???? He also couldn't tell that she was unhappy in the relationship? How? I could tell she was unhappy by reading the back of the book. He didn't know her and he wasn't a good boyfriend, they wouldn't talk about anything and that started to put the strain on the relationship.
-Katie: Katie seemed to jump to conclusions way too fast, she was constantly judging people and therefore Lauren didn't feel comforable sharing things going on in her life. She had to deal with everything alone. They were bad for each other and although Katie redeemed herself in the end, it was a little to late for her in my eyes.
-Her Dad: He didn't talk to her. He seemed to blame her for her mom leaving. He put her in so many uncomfortable situations. He was not a father and it was awful.
-Her Mom: She left. In the middle of the day. Without saying goodbye.
-Her Dad's past relationships: All she knew was people leaving and she wanted to do everything in her power to not leave anyone. Which leads her to cheating and lying to her friends.

3. The fact that the whole book was about Lauren falling for Evan while SHE WAS DATING DAVE????????? AND NO ONE THOUGHT THIS WAS AN ISSUE EVEN DAVE?? I'm sorry but WHAT?? How is cheating not considered a big deal?????? No one, literally no one thought this was a big deal. When she finally broke up with him in the last chapter and he said he knew and he acted like it was no problem????????????? WHAT HOW WHY?? No, the whole cheating aspect NEEDED to be confronted and made a big deal? That is not okay and this book made it seem like it was and I am NOT okay with that.

4. This quote from Evan to Lauren grinds my gears:

"I knew you were with Dave and I hated it, but it made me feel better too. It meant I didn't have to worry about liking you too much, that whatever was going on was because you were bored or Dave was busy or whatever."

Am I the only one that finds an issue with this??? How is this okay? That should not make you feel better. She has a boyfriend that is nOT YOU BUT YOU'RE OKAY WITH MAKING OUT WITH HER BEHIND HIS BACK???? The whole concept of the fact that he was okay with that really bugged me.

5. The resolution was too short. Was it there? Yes. Was it enough? No. It was literally maybe 7 pages. THAT DOESN'T make up for all the crappy things you did throughout the book. I'm sorry but it doesn't.

6. Also I was more interested in Katie's home life than I was in Lauren's whole life.

It WAS a cute first love story but it didn't make cheating a big deal and there were so many toxic relationships. It seemed like it was okay for Lauren to lie to EVERYONE (its not by the way). But I just cant get on board with this book. It bugged me, probably more than it should have, but still I can't recommend this book and I will not.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Nina ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: Lauren is miserable. When she was only a child, he mom abandoned her and his father and never came back. And her father might as well have. He's never home and is rarely there for her when she needs someone to talk to. But she has a gorgeous boyfriend whom any girl would kill to be with and a great best friend, and that almost makes up for her absent father. She's not exactly happy, but she's content; and she's content with being content. She's convinced that if she let loose any of her wild side--the one she inherited from her mother--she might end up exactly like her, the mother who left her without a single look back. It takes the arrival of Evan Kirkland to realize exactly what she's missing out. With Evan, she feels free, more like herself than the Lauren she is with her other friends. And as Dave starts talking more and more about their future together, Lauren must decide what she really wants, who she really wants.

Review: I didn't particularity love this book, but I didn't hate it either. The plot was cliche. Some parts of it were really bad, flat and boring. But it was...not bad.

My only problem was Lauren. I hated her. Gosh, she was so whiny! I couldn't stand her. From page 1 she starts talking about how miserable her life is, how she doesn't deserve her boyfriend, how she's a terrible friend, etc... 'til the end.

I liked Evan. He sounded really mature, and (surprise, surprise) hot. (Seriously, I can't tell you a book where I didn't fall for one of the characters.) I just didn't get why he fell in love with Lauren. And vice-versa. I mean, they barely even knew each other!

Dave. Did not like him. I don't like "perfect" people. He was smiling throughout the book. Ugh. The whole time I was reading about him I was thinking, Poor, oblivious bastard... Anyway, he annoyed me. Partly because was just too perfect, and partly because he showed no emotion at all.

I really liked Lauren's best friend Katie, and her other friend, Gail. I wanted to know more about Katie's family. Why she was the one taking care of her twin brothers and not his parents. Gail was cool too, and I would've loved to read about her and Jennie a little more.

The ending with her dad wasn't as hopeful and emotional in my opinion. They just have a short, awkward conversation and...that's it.

So, yeah. I have nothing else to say. I recommend this book for readers looking for a quick, short, simple read.

Overall, it was...not bad.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lauren Smith's mom left when she was six. Her dad, a distant figure in her life, is rarely there for her. Meanwhile, Lauren is dating perfect Dave. Dave is popular, gorgeous, and actually a decent human being. He's good and kind and he loves her, and any girl would kill to be his girlfriend. So why is Lauren so unhappy? It takes the arrival of Evan Kirkland, a guy from her distant past, to wake Lauren up. With Evan, she feels different. It's not just that Evan excites her - when she's with Evan, she starts to feel more and more like herself. As Dave starts to make plans for their future together, Lauren must decide who she really wants to be.

The writing in this book is gorgeous. Lauren's voice is strong and distictive and achingly real. Her inner struggle, her family life and her friendships, all feel like they could be happening to your best friend. The female characters in the book are really strong. Lauren herself, her best friend Katie (who could have been a one-note character but is remarkably multidimensional), but new friend Gail - all of them are alive and real and almost tangible. Unfortunately, the guys feel like one-dimensional props. We barely get to know Perfect Dave. And even as Lauren is fascinated and compelled to spend time with Evan, we never really see what the appeal is, and what Evan is really like.

Great YA voice, with some less than stellar characterisation of anyone male.

[Zemira Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Scott wrote this book to show the problems teenagers go through in high school. The book deals with relationships, divorced parents, friends and school. Scott displays these topics in a way that is relatable and interesting to the reader. I highly suggest this book.

The overall feel of this book was surprisingly complex. The romance view was fantastic; it was steamy without being graphic, it was sweet without being overtly so, it was understandable while being slightly incredible. Evan was a great character, as was Dave and pretty much all of the characters. I loved her relationship with her 'best friend' who really was there for Lauren even if she was blind to it for most of the novel. Gail, while not mentioned a lot until the latter part of the novel, was another great character, and she helped to move the story on well. Overall, Bloom was sweet, romantic, honest, and serious without being heavy.

4,5 Star rating(meaning I REALLY LIKED IT) is a good thing considering I often go for 1 or 2 stars. You know how easily I end up hating the book. :D So,this won't be the last Elizabeth Scott book I read. I just might start with Something, Maybe tonight.

[shana naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

i bought this because elizabeth is my friend and i was so proud of her for getting it written and published and it getting such a good response in the YA world. but it made me reconsider reading more YA novels in general and especially anything that can be similarly unconventional and honest in the way my favorite books growing up were.

here's what i wrote to elizabeth then:

"i loved that you never let easy assumptions lie, i fucking laughed the hell out loud on a quiet plane when dave wasn't gay and she was so annoyed by that, i loved (of course) that her friend had a not-so-secret girlfriend, and that you layered all this really intense young speculation about class and privilege and where we, like, are and aren't welcome in the world around us just because of where we start off or who people think we are. and the whole evan story was so engrossing, and nerve-wracking in that perfect of ways where i get all tingly and worried things will happen or that they won't or that it might end before i need it to.

i know a lot of my family-of-teachers will appreciate such an honest, fresh take on the neverending confusion of high school and young love."

[Noura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh my lord....
After reading the blurb I had fairly good expectations of this story but oh my god it was beyond boring. At one point I was forcing myself to keep reading to the end.
The entire plot line consisted of Lauren whining on and on about how she's for a perfect boyfriend but isn't happy and he's too good for her, whilst also thinking about touching and kissing Evan whilst her boyfriend was talking to her. HELLO?! Dump him maybe? Like any other person would
Then there was the structure of the story too, to me it just felt rather messy and all over the place. Like Scott writing this happened, an oh this happened too, oh I forgot that happened as well.
Not to mention the ending was entirely rushed , especially compared to the middle of the story where it felt like the 'love triangle' was dragging on for decades.
Highly disappointed in this book, but I guess if you really really are into high school romance novels go for it though I have to warn you Lauren has the personality and likability factor that of Bella Swan from twilight

[DeLani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so special to me in middle school and early high school, even though it’s not particularly good.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, and they almost had me, but the characters were just so.. not well written. Lauren (had to look that up didn't even know her name somehow even though I just read this) is just such an annoying main character. All she does is complain about how her Golden Retriever boyfriend, Dave, is too perfect. Speaking of Dave, God, he was so one dimensional. No one is that perfect, he should have had at least one flaw that wasn't his family eats together. Then in waltzes Evan, the ~bad boy in town~ who happens to be Lauren's ex-step brother. The author tries to play this down, but they were literally, in the eyes of the law, SIBLINGS while their parents were married. This was extremely icky to me and I am not sure why he couldn't have just been an ex-neighbor or something. The step-sibling thing was haunting me throughout the entire book and I just could not put it out of my mind. Going back to the main plot, it was driving me crazy how Lauren refused to break up with Dave and instead chose to just go behind his back and date Evan (her ex-step brother.. did I mention that). Dave, poor one dimensional Dave, the way he is written would definitely just be like "okay bye" and then fly away off to the rainbow planet that he came from. Instead, she just strings him along until he finds out on his own. I mean to his credit he is somehow STILL understanding at that point but idk. I am not even exactly sure how the book ended because I just wanted it to be over... You know what, I am changing my review to 2 stars after typing all this out. /Fin

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, my goodness. The English staff want lighter, more romantic books introduced into Yr 8 Literature Circles, but everything I've read that I thought my be suitable, has been terrible. Why does it have to be so hard?

Sadly, Bloom was no exception. Lauren was an awful protagonist. She was whiny and shallow, and kept telling the reader how 'perfect' her boyfriend, Dave, was even though she was thinking about kissing Evan Then she starts going out with him while still Dave's girlfriend. Really???!!! There was nothing inspirational about this novel and I was disgusted with Lauren's behaviour. Not for me!

[ThePurpleFox · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish. Main character CONSTANTLY thought about guy. LITERALLY CONSTANTLY.

[Caroline (Words & Whispers) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having now read three Elizabeth Scott novels, I feel I've learned really only one main thing: Scott never disappoints. Bloom looks like your typical YA romance novel--let me tell you, it's not. Lauren has the perfect boyfriend; and yes, literally, Dave is perfect. He's sweet, kind, in-tune to her feelings (or so he thinks), and to boot, he's religious, and has never pushed her into anything. While Lauren is left wanting more than Dave is willing to give her when it comes to physical stuff, she gets nada. The farthest they've gone is making out, and even then he's always the first one to pull away. Now, while, I'm all for remaining abstinent if that's what you want, I totally understood why it hurts Lauren than Dave doesn't want to go farther than kissing. She's left unfullfilled, and can't help but feeling like maybe he doesn't want her, not just sex. Okay, to stop the summarization going on here, I'll just say that while the conflict Lauren has with Dave wasn't as deep as some problems may be, it was genuine, and definitely not one addressed much, at least in the novels I've read. And I thought it was great how Scott managed to make Lauren still seem intelligent and held her dignity while writing about something that can be, to put it plainly, nasty.

In the midst of Lauren's problematic relationship, enters Evan, the boy she used to live with (their parents dated). Evan is quiet, shy, and everything Dave isn't; well, except when it comes to having feelings for Lauren. He was mysterious and sweet in unexpected ways, and totally drool-worthy. He had a sort of bad-boy air without really being all that bad. I loved his relationship with Lauren; Scott was brilliant in making them meet again so that it doesn't really seem like they instantly fall in love. I also liked how they had rough spots, and Lauren didn't just magically wake up one morning and decide she loved him, or even had feelings for him. Their relationship does move sort of fast, but it made sense and I loved every page that Evan was on.

To make matters worse for Lauren, her father is absent throughout her life; he's always working, and his past isn't the most brag-worthy; he used to have women lined up by the dozen, and invited each of them to live with him. I really liked how Scott dealt with her absent father, and how she wrapped things up in that regard; Lauren didn't solve all of her problems or patch-up her relationship with her dad necessarily, but she had closure in the best sense of the word. Lauren's dad was complex even though he wasn't actually present in the novel. Scott tackled a bit of a broad subject with grace and honesty and I loved that aspect of the novel.

One of the best parts of this novel was the conflict of Lauren having to decide on keeping the safe, predictable, and boring relationship she has with the perfect (and perfectly plain) Dave, or whether to go for her jumbled feelings for Evan. I loved how Scott had it all planned, and let Lauren go on worrying about being her mother, who was completely reckless and eventually loveless, even while she was slowly turning into her cheating father. Evan's reaction to her outbursts were natural and yet still caring, and Dave's responses were, well, boring, but I still understood why she would want to stay with him for as long as she had.

The overall feel of this book was surprisingly complex. The romance view was fantastic; it was steamy without being graphic, it was sweet without being overtly so, it was understandable while being slightly incredible. Evan was a great character, as was Dave and pretty much all of the characters. I loved her relationship with her 'best friend' who really was there for Lauren even if she was blind to it for most of the novel. Gail, while not mentioned a lot until the latter part of the novel, was another great character, and she helped to move the story on well. Overall, Bloom was sweet, romantic, honest, and serious without being heavy.

Cover: 3/5
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
Writing: 5/5

Overall Rating: 4.9 stars

[Sarah Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bloom by Elizabeth Scott

3 stars

Lauren is a girl who isn’t considered to be popular, but is only popular because she is dating the ultra-perfect-popular guy in school. Lauren is full of insecurities and she only stays with her boyfriend, Dave, because it’s the right thing for her to do so she doesn’t become her mom. Then Evan Kirkland moves back. Evan’s mom used to date Lauren’s dad and they developed a close friendship and now when she sees him she can’t deny her sudden attraction to him. Even if being with Evan means Lauren is more like her mom than she cares to admit. I’m not sure how to rate this book. I liked it and enjoyed it, but at the same time I was frustrated with Lauren and her choices.

Whimsical Writing Scale: 2

The main female character is Lauren. I could relate to Lauren in some ways, but then I wanted to bitch slap her to the moon and back. Her choices were idiotic and made me frown at her stupidity. If I was in her shoes I would’ve just dumped Mr. Perfect in the first place. No, I wouldn’t have even dated him for as long as she did. She didn’t even really like him all that much but stayed with him because she didn’t want to be like her mom. Lauren needed to get over this speed bump of not becoming her mom. Her fear of not being her mom was actually making her, her mom. I can’t hate her completely thought because her mistakes just show that she is human.

Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 3.5

The main male characters are Evan and Dave. Dave was Lauren’s boyfriend and he was played like a violin. Poor guy, he seemed nice but that’s it. He had no depth and I can’t even remember what he was like (I read this book back in January so that might be why). Evan was interesting, but aside from him sounding hot and sweet I felt like I didn’t get to know him.

Swoon Worthy Scale: Dave: 2 Evan: 4

The Villain- Lauren and her dumbass fears and stupidity are the only villain this book had to offer. Her psychological problems amused me.

Villain Scale: 3

Lauren’s best friend, Katie, was so superficial. Every time she would walk into the book I would groan at her superficial remarks… and then towards the end it’s obvious she has more problems than Lauren and is a really good friend. Katie was the not-so-great friend. I think Katie should get her own novel. She would be interesting.

Character Scale: 3.75

This book was all about Lauren. Lauren’s problems, choices, and Lauren, Lauren, Lauren. I think Lauren needs to sit down and let someone have the spotlight for a second.

The other characters needed love to and I don’t think they got that. The book had some good points and I got emotional at one point, even though it wasn’t really that sad, but compared to Living Dead Girl (also by Scott and my first book by her) this book failed to be special or touching. So this novel wasn't character driven, but I felt meh towards everything, but at the same time I was invested in finding out what happened. That probably made absolutely no sense but I'm conflicted when it comes to Bloom. Not Scott’s best work, but I’m still going to pick up her other books.

Plotastic Scale: 2

Cover Thoughts: I really like this cover. I’m not sure if it’s the color, the flower, or just the simplicity of it. But I like it and that’s all I have to say.

[♥♡¢σσкιє♥♡ (Krystle) · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as I can tell, this is the best this author has written so far. I think I will take a long and possible endless break from reading any of her books in the future. Not because this book was bad, but because it was just average.

The main character, whose name escapes me at the moment, was just your typical, confused teenage girl. She has a perfect boyfriend whose only flaws are the fact that he doesn't want to have sex with her before marriage and he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. Even though I am 100% for the idea of saving yourself for marriage and committing when you find the right person, I also know that isn't how everyone thinks. So the fact that the main character obviously didn't want to abstain and never made that commitment for herself, but her boyfriend just assumed she would be okay with a sexless relationship, was something that actually made sense to me. I may think that is the right choice, but it sure wasn't the choice for him to make for her.

Of course I could say that she could have told him she wasn't happy or broken up with him because she wasn't happy, but honestly she was a pretty shallow and eager to please person for most of the book so I wasn't surprised that she strung him along even after she fell for another guy.

The guy she falls for, Evan, was the best character in the book for me. He is the only character whose name I remember so I am sure he is the only one I liked. He was nothing new. He was sweet, sulky, and understanding.

The best part of their relationship was the bond they shared because of knowing each other since they were eight. His mom and her dad lived together for a year or two when they were kids, and they became pretty good friends. After their parent's relationship falls apart, they are separated and don't reunite until they are in high school, but the bond is still there.

Evan's relationship with the main character was cute. I didn't like how long it took her to break up with her boyfriend, but I thought that the strong feelings she had for him were adorable. It was refreshing to read those types of dramatic and intense feelings. I've been searching for something that was unapologetically romantic in terms of the way the characters think about and talk to each other, and this book delivers. It's not too much cheese, but the cute factor is dialed up to at least 8 when the main characters share the page.

If they had shared the page more often, I may have given the book a higher rating, but too much time was spent on a weak message for me. The main character needed to let people in, be honest about what she wanted, and come to terms with the people her parents actually are instead of who she would like them to be. I got the lesson that was being presented in this story, but the delivery lack punch and I think it just would have been more fun to read if less time was spent on her personal problems.

I have no huge complaints about this story, and I get why so may people have enjoyed reading it. I had some moments when I enjoyed reading it too, just not as many as I would have liked.

I would recommend this book for ages 14 and up because of very mild sexual situations. There is one fantastic kissing scene and that's about it, but they do have and discuss sex in this book.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seventeen year old Lauren appears to have it all; she’s popular but not the nasty queen bee and she has the perfect boyfriend, Dave. Most of the girls at school are green with envy that she’s landed the cutest boy in school. Her best friend Katie is dating Dave’s best friend, Marcus. She seems to have it all, but does she?

Lauren doesn’t agree. Yeah, she has good friends in school but her home life is far from envious. She lives with her dad; her mum left when she was little. Her dad is never home and Lauren is sick of going home to meals in front of the TV alone, while her dad lives out of his office. Her dad has never been able to hold down a long term relationship. So Lauren leads a lonely existence and is tired of putting up the so called “perfect” façade.

Her boyfriend Dave is perfect, he’s always a gentleman and involves her in his family life; which by the way is also perfect; his mum and dad are high school sweethearts. The more time she spends with Dave, the more Lauren realises that maybe he just isn’t the guy for her. He has a chastity belt strapped firmly round him and dreams of him and Lauren being together forever, the perfect couple like his parents. But Lauren wants passion, a boy she can be the real Lauren with, someone who she can argue with, someone who won’t put her on a pedestal as a girl to be worshiped.

Enter Evan Kirkland, who Lauren knows from her past. He is your typical bad boy, hotness included. So Lauren is hit with her first boy dilemma, will she choose Evan, whose connection to her she can’t ignore or stay with perfect Dave?

Okay, I will admit, when I started getting into this book I thought, oh here we go again – girl has perfect boyfriend, who is gorgeous and she is plain. Perfect gorgeous boy loves and worships said plain girl. But, oh wait, the girl likes another boy. Mucho drama ensues. You know, your typical YA romance novel, and the main reason I stay away from books like this.

But, I was wrong. I expected Lauren to be this naïve boring little girl, who would be so silly and stupid; I’d want to throw the book at the wall. I loved Lauren; her personality is well formed and is an excellent protagonist. She is your average teenager, who understandably is messed up because of her family life. She has issues and insecurities, she worries she will be left behind by everyone she lets in; something that has stayed with her since her mum left.

Lauren isn’t a strong character, she’s quite weak and has lots of flaws, but I am thinking this was Elizabeth’s intent. She shows us the side of Lauren that is immature and far from perfect. Lauren is constantly making assumptions about other characters, not realising that her actions can hurt others. The books dels with broken homes, the complexity of relationships in a realistic manner and I found the characters really easy to connect with. This is a story of growing up and of first love and I for one loved Laurens journey. Plus, Evan and Dave both sound lush, which is always a big bonus.

[Your Need To Read]

Full review here
http://www.yourneedtoread.blogspot.co...

Lauren’s life is perfect, but she’s not happy. Wah, wah, wah...my heart bleeds for her. This book is one long story of indecision; if you know me at all, you know I hate people (and characters) who are indecisive! She’s got this really cute boyfriend who is kind and comes from a good family, but she feels as though she has to pretend to be a different person when she is with him. Hey, that happens sometimes. Just because a guy is cute doesn’t mean you are going to have chemistry together. I can see going along with it for a while to see if something develops, but when it doesn’t, move on.

Instead, Lauren mopes around about how miserable she is. When Evan, a boy from her past, moves back to town, the chemistry between them heats up. But rather than break up with her boyfriend and go for it with Evan, Lauren sneaks around and cheats on him, making me dislike her even more. Her reason for staying with him (so she wouldn’t be like her mother) was lame, and the logic of it never really connected with me. At least Evan has a conscience about his role in the cheating. Lauren just mopes along hoping not to get caught.

It also bothered me that Lauren treats her “best friend” Katie like crap. Katie is going through a lot in her life, but Lauren is too busy moping to notice. (Seriously, Lauren makes Bella Swan seem like the most carefree, happy girl in literature.) I found myself more interested in what is going on with Katie at home, but the author never really develops that story line, which is a real missed opportunity in my opinion.

This story might also have been improved by the author developing the back story of Lauren and Evan. As children, Evan’s mother and Lauren’s dad dated and moved in together for a while. There could have been a really cool storyline developed from that, but instead, it just sort of gets dropped. There could have been some reason why the two had to rely on each other because of problems at home. Or there might have been some dramatic break when Evan and his mother moved away. Unfortunately, her dad was just a jerk of a boyfriend...end of story.

Overall, I give Bloom...

Plot - 2 1/2 bookmarks
Character development - 2 bookmarks (and the only reason I’m being that generous is because I liked Evan.)
Love story - 1 bookmark (Evan should have hooked up with Katie instead.)
Dream cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) - Sarah Hyland (Lauren), Cassie Scerbo (Katie), Kendall Schmidt (Evan), Hunter Parrish (Dave)

[Kasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Elizabeth Scott book and I have enjoyed it tremendously. The writing is super smooth and coherent and grown up enough for teens and everyone else, I'm on that last step of my 20 year old ladder and I had a blast with it! Bloom isn't so much about plot as it is about growing up; blossoming into the person you want to be, especially when it comes to girls and romance and picking the right guy for the right reasons. Seventeen year old Lauren starts off as some people do, dating David because he's extremely good looking and because he pays her attention. She feels that she must like him because every other girl seems to swoon at his sight, the school's hottest guy get to choose, not the other way around. It doesn't take long for her to bore of his babying, religious outings with his family ( ugh, can you say creepy) and his constant way of treating her like a pet, I could almost see him petting her head and telling her that she's a "good girl". One day Lauren literally wakes up from her haze; she comes face to face with a boy from her past who joins one of her classes. Evan is suddenly tugging at hear heart strings and Dave is no longer on her mind, she starts to trust her own soul and her own mind and starts breaking all the cool school rules about dating and being popular. Seems easy enough; follow your heart, but when you have to hide it from your best friend who is friends with Dave too and dealing with adolescence which is awkward enough, your absentee father who spends more time working than talking to his own child and fear of breaking the boyfriend's heart it becomes clear that Lauren has some tough choices to make, and those choices will either open her up or literally stun her emotional growth.

Bloom was such a sweet, funny book that I can't wait to read more from this author. It's a breeze to get through and has its share of drama and problems but also many strong, good parts that make it a successful YA novel. I like how it teaches girls to be strong, to stand up for what they want from life ( and still be nice) whether it's a boy or what not and to go for it, ignoring the rules and regulations from people who deep down couldn't care less whether you're really happy as long as you appear to be. Frankly I never had that problem, I was always into following what I wanted, but still, it's good to have books like this one for all the younger females who sometimes need a little guidance and reassurance when it comes to the matters of the heart.

[Steph Su · Rating 3 out of 5]

BLOOM is a short and sweet read about a problem that most teenagers can relate to. Lauren may say that her life is not like those in the movies, but she certainly has a common story: having to choose between two boys, one of whom can give her everything she’s conditioned to want, and one who can maybe give her what she doesn’t know she really wants.

From this simple premise arises a simple, straightforward high school love story, with a dash of family angst thrown in. Admittedly Lauren and Evan’s budding relationship is not much different from most other teen fiction relationships, and most of the importance of the situation is lost in its blandness. Readers are told by Lauren by her predicament is and may be life-changing, but from the novel we don’t really feel it. Reactions are damped; emotions, cramped.

Very few of the characters and their interactions with one another are actually likable. Lauren was a weak protagonist who had a tough time learning to follow her heart. Dave, he of the religious bent and family-obligated persuasion, is lackluster as well; I never really understood why he was so well liked.

This all would’ve been fine, because I highly suspect that Elizabeth Scott intended to portray them in such a way, had it not been for Evan. Evan is supposed to be Lauren’s savior, the one who pops her bubble, cracks her shell, makes her understand what she wants. However, in BLOOM Evan seems nothing more than a mirror for Lauren’s unconscious desires, instead of being a full human being himself. All of their interactions seem to consist of Lauren feeling butterflies in her stomach, Evan shooting her loaded looks, Lauren wanting to kiss him, Lauren catching herself thinking about him when she shouldn’t be…and on and on and on. It makes me want to shout, and where’s Evan in all of this? Why do we never get a clearer picture of HIM—his quirks, his history, what HE lacks and desires? Why does he only seem like a figment of Lauren’s desperate imagination?

In the end, this book can’t hold a candle to any of Sarah Dessen’s, but it’s good for a quick, predictable, feel-good-because-love-triumphs-all read. Next, please.