Sigh. Swoon. Grin like a loon. Just some of the things this book made me do!

I love Mazey Edding's writing and Late Bloomer was no exception. This is a sweet sapphic romance that made my heart feel all the feels. Mazey writes fantastic banter between her characters and Opal and Pepper's is *chef's kiss*. And as always with Mazey, there is also great neurodivergent representation.

Forced proximity is one of my favorite romance tropes and it's done well in Late Bloomer, complete with a beautiful flower farm in Asheville, one of my favorite towns. What an idyllic setting. Family dynamics are also abound, with Opal's sisters and Pepper's mother being focal points in the book's conflict. Late Bloomer's powerful main characters navigate things together though and and fall head over heels in the process.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. And thank you to @macmillan.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

A Sweet and Whimsical Romance

Late Bloomer is a charming and heartwarming romantic comedy that celebrates individuality and the power of love. Opal, a quirky and endearing protagonist, navigates the complexities of love and friendship with humor and grace.

The author's lighthearted tone and relatable characters make for an enjoyable read. The romance between Opal and Pepper is sweet and believable, and their chemistry is palpable. While the fast-paced nature of the relationship may not appeal to all readers, it adds a sense of youthful energy and excitement to the story.

The book's focus on neurodivergent representation is commendable, and the author handles the topic with sensitivity and understanding.

The audiobook narration for Late Bloomer is excellent. The narrator skillfully brings the characters to life, capturing their unique voices and personalities. This enhances the listening experience and makes the story even more enjoyable.

Overall, Late Bloomer is a delightful and feel-good read that is perfect for those seeking a lighthearted and romantic escape.

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #macmillianaudio #latebloomer #mazeyeddings

amazing book. mazey outdid herself on every single book. thank you for this book ! you are amazing and I am very obssesed with this
sapphic >

This book had all the classics. Forced proximity, enemies to lovers, grump and sunshine, but with a queer twist and also flowers. What more could you ask for. I loved reading this book, i loved the characters and I loved the warm fuzzies it left me with.

I went into reading this book with a positive heart, but a skeptical mind. I have read two other books by this author, one in which I was pleasantly surprised that I liked so much, and the other was not my favorite. I even met her at a book signing last year, so I was trying to go into this book with positive juju. Unfortunately, this book did not live up to my expectations. Opal is surrounded by shitty "friends" and when she hits the jackpot on a scratcher ticket (like the lottery) she decides to buy a flower farm in North Carolina, sight unseen. She responds to a Facebook ad about the farm and agrees to meet up with the seller in person. Please tell me why there were no real estate agents involved in this transaction? to be honest, I feel like she deserved what she got. I don't care if you are first time home buyer, you use a real estate agent. Whatever. Her stupidity drove me crazy from the beginning, and her interactions with Pepper were not helping. I had to DNF this book because I was so annoyed with all of the characters. If you like this author's other works, then you will probably like this book, but it missed the mark for me, probably because I was on the fence about this author's writing and themes.

Mazey writes in her dedication “This one I wrote for me” but this also feels very much like a love letter written for neurodivergent sapphic babes.

I fell in love with Opal immediately and Pepper not long after that. Pepper’s friends and Opal’s sisters are also fantastic.

There’s some heavier stuff in here… grief from a loved one’s passing, toxic parenting, a really shitty (non) best friend & boyfriend, trauma related to trying to fit into a neurotypical world. But it’s very well balanced out by the humor and heat in the book. I’m never going to not laugh at the line “every garden needs a hoe”.

I started this in ebook but switched over to audio. Ellie Gossage’s narration is fantastic. The way she so distinctly voices all the characters sometimes made me forget there was only one person narrating.

**I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

I wish there was more to this story than lesbians and flowers but unfortunately there was not. Everything that seemed exciting about the plot like the real estate dispute, the flower competition, how to fund a bankrupt flower farm, etc, fizzled out before it got anywhere. Also, I am fairly certain this is not how real estate law works, like, at all. I still have hope for this author to deliver a better story but this was not it.

This book did not hit as hard as I wanted. I loved the idea of two queer and neurodivergent women. However, it felt like the author didn't have a good grasp on one of the characters which made it hard to get into. Also, the villains were villains to be villains. yuck.

Checkout our podcast episode where I share my full opinion.

What Did I Just Read? the podcast - "Pride Reads! - Late Bloomer by Mazey Edding & The Prospects by KT Hoffman"
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-did-i-just-read/id1688795567?i=1000660728436

I liked Opal and Pepper. Opal could have kicked Pepper out because was technically the owner of the farm. I liked the way they were able to come up with a comprise that benefited them both.

Even though I liked Opal and Pepper, I didn’t really believe the romance part of the story. At times, it seemed forced simply because they were in the house together. the chemistry didn’t come across really well for me. I just needed more between them.

3.5 stars

<i>Late Bloomer</i> is a romance set on a flower farm. After Opal wins the lottery, she buys the farm from a lady. Unbeknownst to her, Pepper lives on said farm and wasn't aware of the sale. They strike up a deal and something more...

This book was enjoyable. I was really into it at the beginning, but the ending fell flat. I thought Opal was a bit of a caricature of the quirky heroine (she paints shoes for a living lmao). On the other hand, I felt like Pepper had more depth as a character. She had issues outside of her relationship with Opal that were explored throughout the whole novel, which I liked. There was definitively sexual tension between the leads, but I did not fully believe the romance was there, which made part of the ending a bit egregious to me. Despite the pretty lengthy romance book, I just wish we got more time of the leads spending time together, maybe outside of the farm.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed this author's work and might check out some of her backlog. I would not mind having this on my bookshelf. Long live sapphics!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins's Press for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974


A slow building does to lovers story. With the beautiful Asheville, NC as the backdrop and a lottery winner with a big heart, what can go wrong? Opal and Pepper have to learn to work together or lose the farm. A sweet read for a dreary day.

Themes: LGBTQ, neurodivergence and autism.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for providing me this Digital Advanced Readers Copy of the book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I’m glad I can finally post this review since SMP got themselves together. I thought this book, just like all Mazey Eddings books, was really well done. It was cute, sweet, and the cover is beautiful! These were fun and quirky characters. I loved the representation.

Mazey Eddings' Late Bloomer is a witty, heartwarming exploration of personal growth, identity, and love. This contemporary romance takes a thoughtful look at what it means to bloom on your own time, especially when life doesn’t quite go according to plan. As I've come to expect from her, Eddings delivers a story full of charm, humor, and emotional depth.

This was one of my most-anticipated releases of the year, but I'm sad to say it just didn't work for me. I normally am someone who, as a reader, actually really enjoys reading about characters who make different decisions than i would in their situation and who mess up (because it makes them seem all the more human!), but in this book, the main characters' poor decision-making really stressed me out. i also unfortunately didn't feel bought into the romance-- it felt pretty surface-level and just lacked a certain spark or romantic tension to keep me invested. i did really appreciate the rep in this book (both MCs are neurodivergent), and i thought the flower farm setting was very fun.

REVIEW FOR LATE BLOOMER 💐

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @smpromance for the gifted digital copy! All thoughts are my own-

Happy #pubday to Late Bloomer! I loved this story so much. It really just made me want to quit my job and move to a flower farm 🫠 this story was sweet and full of whole heart experiences (both good and bad). This took me a little longer to read as it was heavier at times and really hit me in the feels, but it helped me savor it.

There were a couple situations with miscommunication I didn’t love, which is why it wasn’t a 5⭐️ for me. But I did feel like the epilogue put a nice bow on everything and I cannot wait to see what other stories may come from the side characters!

What a sweet, emotional sapphic delight! I loved following Opal and Pepper through the garden of their lives as they discovered a lot about themselves and grew together and as individuals. The cast of friends were delightful, and I felt very seen with the neurodivergent rep.

I really wanted to love this book. I loved the last Maisie editing book I read, and I tend to really like sapphic romance novels. I had a really hard time getting into this book. I think maybe the plot felt a little outlandish. It took me a long time because I kept picking up and putting back down this book. I’m glad overall that I finished it, but I don’t think it was for me.

This was an excellent "vibes" or "environment" book. The world really wrapped me up into it but it was a little slower paced than I typically prefer. However, the story was incredibly flushed out, along with the characters, and the setting of the book.