Bloom
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3.9 • 14 Ratings
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- $1.99
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- $1.99
Publisher Description
For fans of Heartstopper and Check, Please! comes a heartfelt graphic novel about first love, family expectations, and finding the courage to follow your own path.
High school is finally over, and Ari can't wait to leave his small town behind. His dream? Move to the city with his band. The only thing standing in his way is convincing his dad to let him quit working at the family's struggling bakery.
Ari used to love baking, but now all he sees are long hours, hot ovens, and a future he doesn't want. Then, while searching for his replacement, he meets Hector—a kind, easygoing baker whose passion for bread is impossible to ignore. As flour flies and fresh loaves come out of the oven, Ari begins to question everything he thought he wanted. But choosing between chasing a dream and embracing an unexpected future may cost him more than he ever imagined.
Written by Kevin Panetta and beautifully illustrated by Savanna Ganucheau, Bloom is a warm, funny, and deeply romantic coming-of-age graphic novel about first love, family, and discovering that sometimes the life you're searching for is the one you never expected.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ari is excited to move to the city with his bandmates after high school, leaving his small East Coast beach town behind. His father needs help at their struggling family bakery, however, so Ari must find a replacement before he goes enter Hector, who is taking time off after his first year of culinary school. The two bond over baking throughout the summer and even fall for each other, until an accident costs the family its bakery. A wedding montage, close-ups of family cookbooks and a beloved sourdough starter, along with scenes of people cooking alone, together, and for each other, combine into a loving meditation on the central role of food in relationships. Illustrator Ganucheau's black, white, and blue art is drawn in a simple, naturalistic style with manga-adjacent expressions that suit the story. While some of the supporting characters are thinly developed, a pleasantly diverse cast and realistically varied relationship dynamics from Panetta (Zodiac Starforce) offer a thoughtful look at how one grows into and out of relationships, with all the commensurate joy, awkwardness, and reconciliation that family and friends offer. Ages 14 up.
