Bloom

Product Information

As the summer goes on, the two find themselves learning more and more about each other, the world, and themselves, all while baking bread, muffins, and more. Aw, this one wasn't for me 😭 I felt that the plot meandered, was paced strangely, and that the relationships didn't grow in understandable ways.

But while interviewing candidates for his replacement, Ari meets Hector, an easygoing guy who loves baking as much as Ari wants to escape it.

It’s sad, really, that this is pretty much what we’ve come to expect in stories of young gay men today. From the very beginning of this clever adaptation, effort is made to prioritize accessibility of both the manga form and the classic Shakespearean play: The frontmatter briefly highlights the reading direction of the panels, and characters are labeled when introduced, coming to life via a striking combination of early modern Venetian dress; quintessential manga hairdos and facial expressions; and pronounced linework. Families may also find this book resourceful if they are wanted to normalize queer relationships within their family unit. this problem is tied to the random time jumps; we’re left to assume what happened in those month-long voids.

Ari and Hector come together slowly and naturally, forming a really sweet friendship as their romantic relationship grows.

It did seem like it moved a bit quickly, and y’all already know how I feel about age differences relationships (here it’s a college student and a very recent high school grad so … I know that’s not a huge age difference but the HS grad is barely an adult). Featuring a vibrant rainbow design, and our super-sized Q logo, you won't find a more stylish way to make a statement. Bloom reads like an indie teen film (think Lady Bird or Me, Earl and the Dying Girl) with bonus baking tips.

The one thing that I felt Panetta and Ganucheau really hit on the head was the semi-abusive/power-play relationship between Ari and Cameron, Ari’s “friend” and bandmate.The authors have helped me reflect on how the culture has indoctrinated us to believe that queer relationships are outside the “norm,” but this book rejects that and allows to hope for more. The theme and the message that the book delivered, especially when it's something teenagers could relate to about their uncertain future. Many scenes don't end properly, they skip from one part of the book to another without any explanation.