My rating:

add to my books

Bloom

by Elizabeth Scott (Goodreads Author)

3.79 · rating details · 3,853 ratings · 319 reviews

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 gorge

...more

Paperback, 231 pages

Published June 20th 2008 by Simon Pulse (first published April 24th 2007)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Young Adult Romance

61st out of 918 books — 3,092 voters

DCPL 's Teen Love & Sex (Some Romance) Booklist, for OWL

40th out of 279 books — 1,078 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 8,554)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

May 26, 2008

Nian rated it

Shelves: 2008

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. Alth...moreWhen 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. Although, to be honest, I couldn’t force myself to finish it, and I had about 60 pages left. 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. I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel like her problems are just fake, and everything that she’s going through is fake. I know it isn’t, but that’s just how I feel when I read the book. Especially when Lauren’s detailing Dave’s perfection. There, I notice the repetition again.

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 his and talking about the past. I’m watching him walk a ladder, but I only see him take the first two steps, and when I blink, he’s already reached the top of the stairs. Now, what happened to all those other steps in between? This is definitely not a well thought out progress of the story. Lame, lame.

But the most important thing is that it’s BORING. 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 storyline, 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. (less)

like 15 likes

· see review

Dec 07, 2011

Aleeza Rauf rated it

Shelves: 2011-read

*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.

like 3 likes

· see review

Feb 17, 2009

Angie rated it

Shelves: good-uns

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 n...moreBloom 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.(less)

like 3 likes

· see review

Oct 02, 2009

Vivian rated it

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 fro...moreBloom, 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.
(less)

like 2 likes

· see review

Oct 18, 2009

Princess Bookie rated it

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 t...more

like 1 like

· see review

Jun 01, 2009

totalgilmoregirl rated it

Shelves: my-comfort-reads, my-favorite-books-ever

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. ...more

like 3 likes

· see review

Jul 17, 2008

Diana rated it

Shelves: teen

Lauren stays closed off by choice. Even though she has been dating Dave, the most popular boy in school, she and her one friend are not popular, merely tolerated by the popular crowd. After her mother abandoned Lauren and her philandering father, a series of women moved in and out of the house but now she has made her dad promise to not move another one in until she goes off to college. When she was eight Evan and his mom had moved in for a brief time and he had become her friend. Now he has tur...more

like 1 like

· see review

Jul 10, 2007

shana naomi rated it

Recommends it for: my family of teachers

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 qu...more

like 1 like

· see review

May 28, 2007

Lucy rated it

Shelves: teen

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 wi...more

like 1 like

· see review

May 15, 2011

Rachel Mosq rated it

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...more

· see review

Jan 11, 2011

Ce-ce rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

· see review

Oct 28, 2010

Abbie rated it

Bloom is about a seventeen year-old Lauren. Lauren has the perfect life; she's pretty, popular, and is dating the most popular boy in school. The only not perfect part is her detached father who never comes home because Lauren's mother left them awhile ago. When an old friend (Evan) comes back to school, Lauren's world is turned upside down, not only because she begins to realize she hates having to appear "perfect" all the time, but because Evan is the son of her father's ex-girlfrien...more

· see review

Aug 16, 2010

Michelle Pham rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 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 ...more

like 3 likes

· see review

Jul 26, 2010

Anita rated it

The summary for the back of the book really does this book justice. Bloom truly is about Lauren coming into her own, figuring out for herself the difference between what looks good on the outside, and what feels right on the inside. She is able to work through wondering if she'll be like her mother, and her hard feelings for her father and his lack of attention in her life. Her personal growth throughout the book is noticeable.

Elizabeth Scott has really captured the heart of a teenag...more

· see review

Jun 12, 2010

Angelia Fransisca Rusli rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: ya

Being pretty much average & broken home, Lauren Lee Smith was far from happy. Okay, she got Dave, a perfect boyfriend who happened to also have a perfect family & Katie, her awesome best friend.

With Dave, her life was just simple & nice. Moreover, being popular and smart didn't make him a jerk like Laura had thought. He's actually very nice. And he loved her so much. Lauren didn't understand why Dave would date her while he could be with anyone.

It may sounds perfect. Exc...more

· see review

Feb 03, 2010

Carla rated it

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 ...moreSeventeen 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.
(less)

· see review

Jan 19, 2012

Ariel rated it

I really liked this book! It was a quick read but it was jam packed with a lot of intense feelings.

Lauren, the main character, she was kind of annoying. How as she was seeing Evan(who is totally awesome) and all her feelings about feeling free and happy YET not break-up with her boyfriend Dave, totally was werid.

I didn't like how through-out the whole book she was so sad and depressed and wouldn't tell anyone anything. I also didn't like how at the end all of sudden she ...more

· see review

Aug 03, 2011

Zemira ♥'s Conrad,Adrian and Tucker rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of good YA romance

Shelves: contemporary, hot-guys, romance, favorite

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 incredi...more

like 1 like

· see review

Sep 23, 2010

Nina ♥ rated it

Recommends it for: readers looking for a quick read.

Shelves: ridiculously-hot-guys

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...moreSummary: 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.(less)

· see review

Aug 06, 2010

Niratisaya Niratisaya rated it

book #2 of Ms. Scott that I read.

sejujurnya, setelah membaca Perfect You sebagai bacaan yang pertama, saya mengharapkan ada yang lebih dalam Bloom, tapi sepertinya tidak. Bahkan bisa saya katakan, Scott melangkah mundur selangkah.

oke, mungkin dia ingin menciptakan sosok Dave sebagai pacar yang sempurna, tapi rasanya dia tidak perlu mengulang2 kata 'perfect' berkali-kali saat menghubungkan Dave dengan istilah sempurna. Senyum yang sempurna, pacar yang sempurna,....
...more

· see review

May 22, 2010

Audrey (holes In My brain) rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 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.

...more

like 4 likes

· see review

Dec 28, 2010

Clementine rated it

Shelves: 2010, fiction, ya

Lauren Smith has a good life on the surface: she gets decent grades, has friends, comes from a comfortable home, and has a dreamy boyfriend named Dave who seems totally perfect. For a long time, Lauren can't figure out why she's not happy. She has a great life, but she feels like she's just going through the motions. It takes the arrival of Evan Kirkland to help her start to figure out what's wrong. Being with Evan feels real, and Lauren loves how happy she is when she's with him, but she fi...moreLauren Smith has a good life on the surface: she gets decent grades, has friends, comes from a comfortable home, and has a dreamy boyfriend named Dave who seems totally perfect. For a long time, Lauren can't figure out why she's not happy. She has a great life, but she feels like she's just going through the motions. It takes the arrival of Evan Kirkland to help her start to figure out what's wrong. Being with Evan feels real, and Lauren loves how happy she is when she's with him, but she finds herself caught between what feels right and what feels obligatory.

Elizabeth Scott's debut novel is not the first of her books that I've read, but it is the one that has had the most resonance with me as a reader. Scott has created a story about a mixed-up teenage girl's awakening that is multi-layered, complex, and a little heart-breaking. There is a uniqueness to how Scott gets into Lauren's head, but what is particularly commendable is her ability to create the feeling of complete isolation that Lauren feels.

Even though Lauren has people in her life, she feels alone. Instead of confiding in her best friend Katie, she allows her to prattle on about her own boyfriend. She lets her boyfriend Dave talk about his vision of a future together that she doesn't want (and even dreads). Her father is physically and emotionally absent from their home, throwing himself into his work, and so she spends much of her time at home by herself, with the TV to keep her company. As the story unfolds, the reader realizes that much of this isolation is self-imposed, and that it stems from the abandonment she still feels from her mother who left when Lauren was six.

Lauren has closed herself off to the world, and even though she's been in a relationship with Dave for a year and a half, he doesn't really know her. When she begins to hang out with Evan, she finds some of her loneliness ebbing away. Her ability to confide in Evan, as well as her palpable attraction to him, is what drives a large part of the story. Scott's decision to give the characters of Evan and Lauren a past history as pseudo-step-siblings adds dimension to the characters and the story.

Readers looking for a light romance are going to be disappointed or possibly even irritated, because that's not what's to be found within the pages of this book. Scott's novel is a layered look at a screwed-up teenage girl who is desperately trying to figure herself out without much in the way of a support system. As Lauren's actions become more reprehensible, she retreats further into herself as she tries to uncover the source of her actions. Scott's ability to peel back the layers of Lauren and focus in on what is making her act the way she does is what makes this book stand out from other titles dealing with similar topics.

While some readers will struggle with Lauren and her actions, most will be able to understand why she does what she does, even if they don't agree with it. It's the mark of a talented writer when one can straddle that line, and Scott succeeds at keeping Lauren from becoming a completely annoying character. Although she occasionally dips close to being a bit repetitive with mentions of Dave's perfection and Lauren's inability to make a decision between the two boys, the novel is far more enjoyable than redundant, and this is a book that will stay with me for a long time.(less)

· see review

Dec 23, 2010

Caroline (Words & Whispers) rated it

Shelves: reviewed

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 ...more 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(less)

like 1 like

· see review

Jun 19, 2011

Krista Basilio rated it

Lauren's life seems almost perfect at first. She's got a perfect boyfriend, Dave. She's not struggling with school. She's got an awesome best friend, Katie. She doesn't really fight with her father. Her life is good. Safe, but good.

She's not happy, though. Lauren doesn't know why, but her life doesn't seem like all it's cracked up to be. Neither does her relationship with Dave, who may be just a little bit too perfect. She finds a chance to make herself happy when Evan Kirkland comes ...more

· see review

Feb 11, 2010

Caitlin Peterson rated it

I'd heard good things about this author around the blogosphere. She has been grouped in the same category with Sarah Dessen and Jennifer Echols, and in a lot of aspects they are the same. Elizabeth Scott has her own unique voice, and she brought it to the pages of Bloom and created a captivating story with lovable characters and of course -- a happily ever after..

Bloom contains the aspects of young adult novels that I love: young romance and trying to figure out life. Lauren ha...more

· see review

Aug 29, 2011

Savannah (Books With Bite) rated it

Ms.Scott is another author I love to read! Her books are always life changing and have something significant you can always take away from. In this book., we the reader, discover Lauren. A teenager who is looking for something more. Aren't we not?

I loved the characters in this book. I like how real Lauren is. I like how she wants more to her life than what she is living now. I think we need to make mistakes in order to get to the place where we need to be. To grow not only in life but ...more

· see review

Jun 30, 2010

Laila rated it

It's not often that I read a book and think, "This is me! This is my life." Well, that's exactly what happened when I read Bloom. The odd thing is that the protagonist is a teenager, while I am 33. But, I'm chalking that up to being young at heart or whatever.

I think we all can identify with Lauren's struggle: she seemingly has everything she could ever want, yet she wants more. Selfish, right? I loved this book because she is a strong enough character to not only want more...more

· see review

Feb 17, 2010

Kody Keplinger rated it

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 ar...more

like 2 likes

· see review

May 13, 2011

Angel Cullen rated it

Shelves: teen-romance

WOW ... i LOVE this book ...
it's about a girl ... who is unsure of who she is ?
who she should be ? and who's the real her ?
Lauren is scared to turn out to be just like her parents ... just when she thought she had everything ... and that her life was perfect ,until Evan Kirkland moves to her school and she starts questioning all that ...
would she turn out like her mother ===> and just leaves every thing behind her ?
or would she be like her father ===> and have...more

· see review

Apr 11, 2011

Lourdes rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I choose to read this book because i really enjoyed reading Living dead girl and i think this author is a good writer i like here books so far. I think the genre of this book was romance. The setting took place at school and at Laurens' house and at Evans. Lauren is a very nice girl, her mom left here when she was six years old things didn't work out with Laurens dad because they got married at such a young age. Lauren has the boyfriend any girl could ever want hes in the footbal team, he's ...more I choose to read this book because i really enjoyed reading Living dead girl and i think this author is a good writer i like here books so far. I think the genre of this book was romance. The setting took place at school and at Laurens' house and at Evans. Lauren is a very nice girl, her mom left here when she was six years old things didn't work out with Laurens dad because they got married at such a young age. Lauren has the boyfriend any girl could ever want hes in the footbal team, he's tall blond,blue eyes,perfect parents,good grades, and has dated Lauren for 2 years.

Lauren has always tried to do whats right...well atleast what seems right. Lauren's dad dated Mary, Evans mom,when they were kids they used to get along very well until Lauren's dad and Evans mom stopped dating. Evan came back to Lauren's life and they fall in love the thing is that Lauren can't decide weather to dump Dave to be with Evan or stay with Dave and forget about Evan. Dave finds out Lauren has been cheating on him with Evan because he accidently sees them making out outside of school by his car. Lauren doesn't tell her best friend Katie anything about Evan she tries to avoid the subject with her because she thinks that she will try and keep here with Dave. Marcus and Dave are best friends and he is dating Katie which is Laurens best friend. Lauren decides to tell Gail more of what is going on with Evan because that way she wont judge her and she can help her out deciding what is better. Lauren doesn't want to leave Dave because she feels like she is doing the same thing as her mother. In the end Lauren understands she isn't like either of her parents and that Evan makes her happy so she and Dave break up.

I really enjoyed reading this book because i think that it kept me reading and it really caught my attention. I also think that this author has a creative way of writing and that so far the books i read by her have been really good. I would reccomend this book to anyone that likes to read about romance and some difficulties teens face. I think that this book can also be considered non fiction because many girls go through this situation.
(less)

like 1 like

· see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 285 286 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (4)

Genres

Young Adult

160 users

Romance

69 users

Womens Fiction > Chick Lit

26 users

Young Adult > Teen

22 users

Contemporary

22 users

Realistic Fiction

11 users

Love

8 users

Young Adult > Young Adult Contemporary

7 users

Young Adult > Young Adult Romance

6 users

Young Adult > High School

5 users

See top shelves...

Readers Also Enjoyed

About Elizabeth Scott

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 facebook and twitter.

More about Elizabeth Scott...

Books by Elizabeth Scott

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Pin It

Trivia About Bloom

3 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Bloom

“.. I love books. I like that the moment you open one and sink into it you can escape from the world, into a story that's way more interesting that yours will ever be.” — 307 people liked it

“Look at me. We aren´t them lauren. You´re not your mother or father any more than I´m my mother. You´re you and I´m me and I love you.” — 57 people liked it

More quotes…

Groups That Shelved Bloom

Young Adult Fiction for A...

4511 members

last activity 1 hour, 52 min ago

shelf: read

JLMS / Pioneer Team / Mrs...

101 members

last activity Feb 08, 2012 09:57am

shelf: read

100 Books + in 2011!

41 members

last activity Jan 01, 2012 02:16pm

shelf: read

title link	preview: Bloom
avg rating	preview: Bloom Goodreads rating: 3.79 (3853 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/678891.Bloom?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298132153m/678891.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/678891.Bloom?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Bloom by Elizabeth Scott[/url]

Bloom

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Readers Also Enjoyed

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website