Tahira in Bloom

After reading and adoring Farah Heron's book Accidentally Engaged this past spring, I was eager to read more from this Canadian author. Heron is back with her next book, Tahira in Bloom which is her first foray into the Teen genre. This was an entertaining and sweet coming-of-age story with a side of teen romance that is embellished with bits of flora and fashion as it tells the story of a young Muslim teen who wants to make her mark on the world. 

I'm a sucker for a gorgeous cover and this one is stun-ning! I was pleasantly surprised that the actual hardcover book is also adorned with beautiful artwork under the book jacket. How awesome is that? 

And while at first glance the blurb sounds like this is a light read with its teen enemies to friends to lovers romance, I liked that, along with the romance, the story also addressed larger issues from the POV of a modern Muslim teenager - the racism, microaggressions, influence and stress of social media, identity, and the pressure on teens to decide their future.

Tahira is a character readers will connect with - she's a high school senior who is determined to be a fashion designer and she's well on her way. She's smart, talented and knows what she wants out of life. Or does she? The rest of the cast are well-developed, and I appreciated the diversity in its cast (ethnicity, culture, religion and bi/pan sexuality) which were relayed to the reader in a casual, natural way. And this Canuck always loves when a book is set here in Canada (in this case, southern Ontario).

Overall, this is a quick, fun read that is part sweet romance, part coming-of-age and is a story about learning about yourself, friendship and going after what you want in life. 

Disclaimer: Thanks to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a hardcover copy of this title (and an Amazon First Reads for a digital copy) given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 4 stars

Author: Farah Heron

Genre: Young Adult, Canadian, Coming-of-Age

Type and Source: Hardcover from TLC Book Tours

Publisher: Skyscape

First Published: November 1, 2021

Opening Line: One fateful spring day when I 

was only seven, I learned two things.

Book Description from GoodReads: Life is full of surprises in a winning novel about a girl dreaming big during one unexpected small-town summer.

When seventeen-year-old aspiring designer Tahira Janmohammad’s coveted fashion internship falls through, her parents have a Plan B. Tahira will work in her aunt’s boutique in the small town of Bakewell, the flower capital of Ontario. It’s only for the summer, and she’ll get the experience she needs for her college application. Plus her best friend is coming along. It won’t be that bad.

But she just can’t deal with Rowan Johnston, the rude, totally obsessive garden-nerd next door with frayed cutoffs and terrible shoes. Not to mention his sharp jawline, smoldering eyes, and soft lips. So irritating. Rowan is also just the plant-boy Tahira needs to help win the Bakewell flower-arranging contest―an event that carries clout in New York City, of all places. And with designers, of all people. Connections that she needs!

No one is more surprised than Tahira to learn that floral design is almost as great as fashion design. And Rowan? Turns out he’s more than ironic shirts and soil under the fingernails. Tahira’s about to find out what she’s really made of―and made for. Because here in the middle of nowhere, Tahira is just beginning to bloom.