Kevin Panetta

Now that high school is over, Ari is dying to move to the big city with his ultra-hip band, if he can just convince his dad, Nikos, to let him quit their struggling family bakery. Despite loving it as a kid, Ari cannot fathom a life wasting away his days over rising doughs and hot ovens. But in the midst of interviewing candidates for his replacement, Ari meets Hector, an easy-going guy who loves baking as much as Ari wants to escape it. As they become closer over batches of breads, love begins to bloom� that is, if Ari doesn't ruin everything.Writer Kevin Panetta and artist Savanna Ganucheau concoct a delicious recipe of intricately illustrated baking scenes and blushing young love, where the choices we make can have terrible consequences, but the people who love us can help us grow.

Bloom

Okay so... This book felt rushed... It was a good book, but I don't really feel like there was much story background on Hector. 

Ari- He was so well developed, the way he didn't want to continue baking His group of friends, and wanting to move to the city. Was so imported into him. It made me happy to see Hector having a big change in his live. But I don't like Ari that much... He blamed the fire on Hector even though it was his fault!

Hector- Wasn't well developed. There was no real background on him, all that we knew was that Tyler or whatever was his friend but also his ex-boyfriend. And that he went to culinary school, his grandma died, and he loved to cook. Like dude give us more.

But they still were really cute so it's whatever I guess.

Gracie

***Spoiler***

Okay so... This book felt rushed... It was a good book, but I don't really feel like there was much story background on Hector. 

Ari- He was so well developed, the way he didn't want to continue baking His group of friends, and wanting to move to the city. Was so imported into him. It made me happy to see Hector having a big change in his live. But I don't like Ari that much... He blamed the fire on Hector even though it was his fault!


Hector- Wasn't well developed. There was no real background on him, all that we knew was that Tyler or whatever was his friend but also his ex-boyfriend. And that he went to culinary school, his grandma died, and he loved to cook. Like dude give us more.

But they still were really cute so it's whatever I guess.



Kiran Aftab

the art was beautiful! i like that baking and music were the focus of this graphic novel, but yea ari needs to become more self-aware

clau☁️

It is actually 3.75/5, usually I would just rate is as 3.5 as I don’t use the .25 or .75 but this time I just had to.

The story I thought was cute but meh, it felt a bit rushed to be honest and I think it would’ve been easier to just make it two different novels and make them both complete.

The reason I made the rating higher is because I adored the art and I thought it was such I unique idea to use the blue tones.
Also I loved that there’s a recipe and a playlist in the back. 
So overall, a really cool and quick graphic novel!

Ellie M.

I just love soft, queer boys! What a perfect read for fans of Heartstopper <3 This graphic novel is a short, coming-of-age story about boys finding each other in friendship and baking. This is without a doubt something that you would imagine watching as a short film that’s so meaningful and comforting that you’d watch it again and again and not get tired of it.

Ally

I didn't like ari, but I do love me some Greek pastries

Stevie Gonzales

im a sucker for graphic novels with beautiful art and pastries. this has both and so much more. wholesome

Agus Charky

wow wtf, ahora nick y charlie cocinan y tienen una panadería????????
anyway im kidding, ame bloom, es hermosoo 😭😭😭😭😭💝

daisy

First, I’ll start with the positives of this book! 
I LOVED the art style, i felt it fit the book perfectly, and the colour scheme being just shades of blue was very pleasing to me (DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? LMAO). I found the plot fun, and I LOVED the little montage pages they did, which was a fun and smart way to show time passing i thought!
Unfortunately though, I felt something was missing. The conflicts weren’t really ever resolved, and it was so frustrating getting to the last page and having seen practically nothing resolved. Adding on to this, the main character had a lot of flaws (as any person does), but none of them were improved upon, and he wasn’t held accountable for anything wrong he did, aside from saying sorry once or twice. i felt that the love interest, honestly, deserved better. aris friends were rude and mean at times, and they didnt develop to become better in any way, and the worst friend was never confronted properly for his behaviour in anyway. 
i feel very let down by this book to be honest, as i had had high expectations for this book, but there were also aspects i liked to it, so i find it fitting to give it three stars.

B Sai Sushma

It is really cute, but I found it super hard to relate to the main character. I could not root for Ari, I saw no growth in him. How is just apologising enough? But the baking scenes were really really pleasant.

I loved this one so much! So heartwarming and real and ahhhh 🥰!! 

Read this if you want a cute summery bakery romance~

Sabrina D. 

I loved this one so much! So heartwarming and real and ahhhh 🥰!! 

Read this if you want a cute summery bakery romance~

Loéva 

brianna

Now that high school is over, Ari is dying to move to the big city with his ultra-hip band, if he can just convince his dad, Nikos, to let him quit their struggling family bakery. Despite loving it as a kid, Ari cannot fathom a life wasting away his days over rising doughs and hot ovens. But in the midst of interviewing candidates for his replacement, Ari meets Hector, an easy-going guy who loves baking as much as Ari wants to escape it. As they become closer over batches of breads, love begins to bloom... that is, if Ari doesn't ruin everything.Writer Kevin Panetta and artist Savanna Ganucheau concoct a delicious recipe of intricately illustrated baking scenes and blushing young love, where the choices we make can have terrible consequences, but the people who love us can help us grow.

Stef

It's really cute 😆😆. I can't help myself not to giggle whenever Hector and Ari fooling around, blooms their relationship. And the Ari family recipe at the end of the book make me wanting to bake one.

very cute graphic novel. Loved the whole bakery vibe!

Nitin Khanna

zahra

Jude Moon

Claudia Ganea

I picked this up on a whim from my bookstore a couple of weeks ago after hearing about it for years, and I'm happy to say it didn't disappoint and that I need the second volume to come out right now!!!!

(view spoiler)[If you know me, you'll probably not be surprised to know that I instantly connected with Ari. I'm years from being fresh out of high school myself, but the self-doubt and inability to know who you are and what you want deeply resonated with me. That feeling like you're not only letting everybody around you down, but also yourself? Every time I encounter a character going through the same thing, I just want to protect them and give them the world 😭

Hector is a human ball of sunshine, and I loved his love for baking so much! He is such a strong character, not only because he supports Ari at every turn and does his best to be there for him and be a good (boy)friend, but also because he is never afraid to set boundaries and call out problematic behavior, even with Ari himself 👏🏻 They're exactly what each other needed and I fall for it every time!!!

Now, I will say that the pacing of this felt a bit rushed (and a tiiiiny little bit insta-lovey, because I feel like the friends stage was done very well, but the more/getting together part was too immediate for my liking), which is why it doesn't get a full 5 stars. I still highly recommend it for a cute, cozy read, though, and I'm very much looking forward to how Ari and Hector's story continues next year!!
 (hide spoiler)]

Very similar to a heart stopper, but focuses on baking. They must have been at least inspired by it. Like heartstopper, it's a pretty simple story.

Nota

Bloom follows Ari, a musician who wants to move to the city with his band, and Hector, who is in town taking care of his late nana's estate. Ari's parents want him to stay and help out with the bakery. He hires Hector, who happens to he on break from culinary school, to hopefully fill his shoes when he moves away. The two of them end up bonding as they work together on lots of different delicious baked goods.

The art was lovely. I enjoyed the different baking montages and the details in the scenery. I found some of the transitions to be jarring, sometimes feeling like I skipped a page.

I thought the way Ari behaved when Hector wanted to visit his friends for a few days to be bizarre strange and overly dramatic. I also felt like Hector forgave him a little top easily at the end.

Overall, I found the story to be a pleasant way to pass the time. It was certainly pretty to look at. But unfortunately I didn't really connect to it very well. That may be more due to my own tastes, as I find myself struggling a lot with both graphic novels and novellas, needing longer stories to really get invested.

Kayla

Bloom follows Ari, a musician who wants to move to the city with his band, and Hector, who is in town taking care of his late nana's estate. Ari's parents want him to stay and help out with the bakery. He hires Hector, who happens to he on break from culinary school, to hopefully fill his shoes when he moves away. The two of them end up bonding as they work together on lots of different delicious baked goods.

The art was lovely. I enjoyed the different baking montages and the details in the scenery. I found some of the transitions to be jarring, sometimes feeling like I skipped a page.

I thought the way Ari behaved when Hector wanted to visit his friends for a few days to be bizarre strange and overly dramatic. I also felt like Hector forgave him a little top easily at the end.

Overall, I found the story to be a pleasant way to pass the time. It was certainly pretty to look at. But unfortunately I didn't really connect to it very well. That may be more due to my own tastes, as I find myself struggling a lot with both graphic novels and novellas, needing longer stories to really get invested.

Kailey Rios

this was very cute and pure and i loved the art style!


  3 stars

Marissa Davis

** spoiler alert **
           So I finished this in one day cause I couldn’t put it down I loved everything about it. Watching Ari open up and find out what he really wants in life. Watching Hector and Ari’s love grow. If you love a friends to lovers LGBTQIA+ graphic novel you will love it. I want to get my own copy so bad now. I hope there is more to Hector and Ari and the bakery and the rest of the gang as well.

june

Ethan Hill

Food, the beach, AND yearning? It's like this was tailor made for me.

Bloom

Reviews