Book Review: Bloom

Bloom
by Elizabeth Scott
231 pages - Paperback
Published April 24th 2007 by Simon Pulse
Source: Bought

Summary:

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.


Review:

I think all girls have, once in their life, dreamt of having the perfect boyfriend. Handsome face, gentleman, smart, rich, athletic, thoughtful, caring, loyal... you name it. Lauren thinks she should be lucky that of all the girls in the whole student body, it's she that Dave chose. The perfect boyfriend all the girls dreamt of. But for some reason, Lauren is not happy. Not with Dave. Instead, she finds happiness from a boy who’s the opposite of perfection.

It's easy to hate Lauren and condemn her for her decisions. To get mad at her and tell her to just do what's right. The thing is, she knows she's not doing the right thing AND she wants to right it. But she always ends up doing the opposite. I understand what she's going through. Why it's so hard for her to decide between Dave and Evan. She thinks that by staying with Dave, she's doing the right thing of not disappointing/hurting the person who loves and trusts her the most. The same thing her mother failed to accomplish when she was just a young girl.

But in staying true to her words of not letting herself become like her mother, she started becoming a more awful person. It was a bit hard to connect with the characters here unlike the characters in Perfect You, another book by Scott which I've just finished reading. The atmosphere here is a little gloomy as well. But once again, I am struck by Scott's writing. I know there is a one year difference between the publication date of this book and Perfect You, but the difference between the atmosphere and characterization is so apparent. If I just picked this one up without looking the author's name, I wouldn't have thought that they were written by the same author. Point is, Elizabeth Scott has one heck of a writing ability. She can write different characters with different personalities but each can make an impression to the readers. I can't wait to read more of Scott's works.

Rating: 4/5 stars