The PERFECT Sapphic romance!

I often hate books that take place in North Carolina because they don't make sense geographically. I grew up in Asheville and was TERRIFIED when the book moved there after a lottery winning artist bought a flower farm from the estranged mother of the woman running the flower farm. The romance was perfect and lovely. I even listened to the book AFTER reading the whole thing, I enjoyed it that much.

I recommend giving this a chance. It is wonderful!

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin's Griffin, and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings is a cute, fast-paced sapphic romance that is perfect for spring. I enjoyed the dual perspectives of Opal and Pepper to advance the story as well as the neurodivergent/autism representation. This is exactly what you would expect from a romance, and I enjoyed my time reading it (especially if you're looking for a lighter read). While I am not a fan of the miscommunication trope, Mazey Eddings resolved the conflicts/situations quickly enough that I was not too turned off by it. All in all, this is a good vacation read for when you just want to sit back, relax, and explore a flower farm while the protagonists figure out what they're going to do.

3.5 stars!

Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings is my second novel by the author, although it’s my first adult one. I previously read Tilly in Technicolor, her debut YA novel, which I adored. Late Bloomer is a sapphic, open door, dual point of view romance with extra spice! I have to be honest, what really drew me to this one was the stunning cover. It looked like the perfect book for spring! It doesn’t get much more spring-y than a flower farm, right?! I did enjoy plenty about Late Bloomer, but it never quite reached the five-stars I gave Tilly.

What I enjoyed most about this one was the setting. I’m a sucker for a farm, orchard, or winery setting. Anywhere they work with the land or outdoors to grow and produce things. I can’t help but get sucked in to the magic of it all. It’s a perfect setting for romance!

I also loved the representation. Opal is neurodivergent and Pepper is autistic, and of course, this is a sapphic novel. Eddings is wonderful at capturing the beauty in all of our individual differences. And while I liked both the characters, and especially liked their backstories, I did find both of their voices too similar sometimes, having to stop and figure out who was speaking. They were very different characters—it is an opposites attract romance—but sometimes their words or actions didn’t seem to match the speaker’s personality.

I did also like most of the side characters, especially Opal’s sisters and Pepper’s friends, who could all probably have their own books.

Much of the conflict between our love interests arises from lack of communication, which is not a favorite trope of mine. If it’s done well, I don’t mind it so much, but I found myself wanting to yell at these two to just talk to each other already. It wasn’t long or drawn out, though, so that was good. It was understandable for Pepper’s character who is more reserved, having put up walls, but Opal is super outspoken, except when it’s most important apparently, which was frustrating.

Even with these little frustrations, I found myself rooting for these two to find their much-deserved happiness together. There are plenty of lighthearted—and romantic—moments, as well, which had me smiling!

3.5⭐️

I was really looking forward to Late Bloomer, and it was definitely a cute sapphic romance!

This was such a cozy, cottage-core type of read, but it did feel a little too cozy at points. The book deals with some tough topics (which Mazey Eddings does include trigger warnings for at the beginning) but despite them, it still remained a pretty lighthearted read with minimal conflict.

Opal and Pepper are so cute, and pretty interesting characters individually; I just wish there was more between them to set up those romantic feelings!! There were some sweet things done for each other, but sadly not as much dialogue happening (but maybe that can be due to Pepper’s autism?). While there were just a few aspects that could’ve been more flushed out, I still enjoyed this happily-ever-after romance💫

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book did not hold up to what I was hoping it would be. The representation was done extremely well, but otherwise I was disappointed. The miscommunication felt over the top, and as it’s my least favorite trope in romance, this just wasn’t for me.

Opal's life changes when she wins the lottery. She's sick of people asking for money so she buys a flower farm to start her painting business from the cabin. Her plans get changed when she shows up and Pepper is standing outside. She is staying and so they have to cohabitate.

Late Bloomers was a fun sapphic romance that made me happy to read! Thank you netgalley and St Martin's for the fun read!

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I wanted to really love this book. It felt a little too long to me. At the beginning, I was so upset at how Opal was allowing herself to be treated that I was about to DNF, but I'm glad I did not. It was so interesting to have two neurodivergent main characters and getting to see the range of the spectrum. Some of the moments felt set up just for us to see the character growth. It felt like we were in a continuous cycle of miscommunication, which I did not enjoy. I loved the setting of the flower farm. I was rooting for the couple to get out of their own way and just be together.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: April 16, 2024

A steamy, open door grumpy/sunshine sapphic romcom with great neurospicy rep. I really struggle to continue with a book when a major plot point is absolutely absurd. In this case, Opal wins big on a scratch off lottery ticket and plans to use it for a fresh start (believable) but then buys a $300k property off of Facebook marketplace for that fresh start (beyond ridiculous). If the character is starting off with this little sense, I probably won’t be a fan—and with the lack of character development, not much changed in my opinion.

This is otherwise cute with a fun premise and lots of steamy scenes. Not all that much happens and I didn’t find the chemistry to be there—but that might be just what you’re looking for!

I know it's being marketed as a "cozy" romance, but what I enjoyed most about this was the focus on navigating a cohabitating relationship between two neurodiverse folks. The queer found family was excellent, as was the united comeuppance for terrible parents and toxic ex/friends. The sapphic sexy times were extremely sexy. What tripped me up repeatedly and right up until the end however is the glaring borderline willful obliviousness to the legality of the property ownership setup. The fact that the resolution was literally in a very accessible spot drove me nuts. Also didn't care for the uncharacteristic dramatic declaration of love that felt supremely put of place.

A sweet sapphic small town romance from Mazey Eddings!

Shortly after winning the lottery, Opal impromptu buys a flower farm off an ad she sees on Facebook marketplace. When she shows up to the farm, ready to move in, she funds a gorgeous tall flower farmer named Pepper who has no idea her property has been sold out from under her.

Though the dialofue was a bit cheesy at times and the story was outlandish (especially to me, a lawyer 😅), I overall enjoyed this one. I will say the floee knowledge also seemed a bit off (daffodils and lilacs in season at the same time??).

- set on a flower farm 🚜 🌼 near Asheville, NC
- autistic and neurodivergent rep
- grumpy-sunshine (I think? Sometimes it was hard to tell)
- roommates to lovers 😉
- flowers, flowers, flowers

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

Late Bloomer follows Opal who wins the lottery and buys a failing flower farm in Asheville, NC. Pepper lives on the farm which was her grandmothers. But after her grandmother died her mom sold the farm and Pepper had no idea. Opal and Pepper strike up a cohabitation agreement but don’t like each other. But soon the two start to hit it off and spark up a friendship. However, they soon realize they might be more than friends and roommates.

I have enjoyed every Mazey Eddings book I have read and I have read all of her books. I am happy to say that I also enjoyed this one. I thought it was such a cute romance. I did feel like parts of this book felt a bit rushed. But love the relationship between the main characters. I love a light hearted romance.

Thank you Mazey Eddings, St. Martins Press, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I always have a fun time reading Mazey Edding’s novels and Late Bloomer was wonderful as expected. I thought the relationship between Opal and Pepper was chaotic and beautiful, and I loved watching them fall in love on the flower farm. Did I mention the setting? It’s a freaking flower farm!

You might like if you enjoy:
*Forced Proximity
*Chaotic bisexual disaster meets (slightly) grumpy lesbian flower farmer
*Neurodivegent main characters
*Interesting side characters
*Found family


Thank you to SMP and NetGalley for a review copy.

Late Bloomer has it all - it's funny, sweet, heartbreaking, and relatable. It has incredible queer and neurodivergent representation, without making it what the story revolves around. Eddings had me with hearts and tears in my eyes through the whole story. It's also a beautiful story of growth, grief, and building your own family - no matter what it looks like.

Opal and Pepper are so sweet and the flower farm was the perfect setting for their love story! I loved reading about their group of friends and how they learned to live together. Mazey always delivers beautifully emotional stories and this is no exception.

I wanted to love this one so so so badly!! It seems like a perfect recipe - a cute flower farm in a small town, characters filled with depth and flaws and a competition, but it ultimately fell flat for me. I kept feeling like I was missing parts of their love story. I could tell that there were some passages of time where maybe they connected more off page ("We continued like that for the next couple of weeks," etc) but where we would get to SEE those moments in a movie montage, I felt like I was missing the little moments where Pepper and Opal got to know each other and fall slowly in love. I loved them individually and I loved the IDEA of them getting together, but I was missing chemistry and really seeing it happen. It felt like when it came to the love they went from zero to one hundred without anything in between. And the build up of the big competition ended up feeling a little pointless? Ultimately I really love Mazey Edding's writing and this was filled with her signature quirky moments and wit but this one didn't work for me overall.

What a delightful unexpected romance. Finding happiness in rubble of their lives. Both Opal and and Pepper were at points of their lives where they were lost and a little broken. Finding peace, love, and acceptance is a journey worth reading.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.5⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: contemporary romance📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
I love Mazey and I loved this book! A sapphic romance set on a flower farm?! I mean come on?! can it get any cuter than that?!

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
NC follower farm setting
All the spring vibes
Sapphic opposites attract
Forced proximity
Found family
Small town
Steamy scenes
Slowburn
Heavier topics
Dual POV
Emotional depth

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Neurodivergent rep
The cover!
Flower symbolism

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
All the miscommunication
I didnt really feel the spark between the two characters

𝙵𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚀𝚞𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:
★ "Hope doesn't hurt you. People do."

It took me a bit more to get into this one compared to the rest of Mazey's books. I love love love the cover, but it ended up being the best part of the book for me. I did love the flowers, but I just struggled with the main couple.

I enjoyed this book so much, it was such a chaotic little gay read with big feelings. The characters were authentic and felt so real, the conflict pertained so well to the plot along with amazing neurodivergent representation. This book was feel-good and amazing 🙌🏻

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the development of the characters and the chemistry they had! Will definitely be read more from this author!