ugh she was NOT for me. i really wanted to like this but it was just not my cup of tea. this felt so YA, but its def not. the characters were so annoying and i felt like the story dragged. i feel so bad that i didn't like it but i just couldn't get this over with fast enough.

i think you would like this if you enjoy YA, whiny characters, and not much a satisfying plot.

i will say there is great rep in this book, but overall it fell flat..
thank you netgally for the e-arc.

Read if you like:
💐 All the flowers
🏳️‍🌈 Books that the author describes as “so gay!”
👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 Queer Love
🏡 Property Drama
🌶️ Spice
🧠 Nuerospicy Characters

This book was really cute and the audio narration was well done where with the dual pov it was so easy to track between the two characters.

I really enjoyed how Mazey wrote this queer romance and as someone that loves flowers it was so atmospheric with the setting on a flower farm.

There was plenty of drama with the plot that made it a fun read!

Other than the spice, it felt like very much like a YA type of storyline and plot with both MC’s having some lacking of experiences in life and being thrust into “the real world” in this story.

So if those vibes described are up your ally I would strongly recommend taking a chance on Mazey’s fifth published novel!

Thanks so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

unfortunately this was a let down. i found myself uninterested while reading and waiting for the book to be over. some of the dialogue and pop culture references were cringey and end up dating the book. there were a handful of scenes i enjoyed, and definitely some cute moments, but overall i found it to be meh.

thanks to netgalley and st. martin’s griffin for an arc in exchange for my honest review!

This book was such a fun, floral, and flirty romance! It combined light romance with darker themes of grief and self-discovery.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s press for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️: 4.5
🌶️: 4

As a self proclaimed “disliker of smut,” I loved this spicy, fun, cheesy, romantic book! I typically find spicy scenes so awkward and cringey, but these were so well done. The chemistry between the main characters was so good and believable!! It helped that we got to go back and forth between the two points of view in different chapters, so we got to hear the inner monologue of both characters.

This wasn’t just a sexy romance. There was a lot of fluff, but this also dealt with a lot of serious issues as well. This book tackled grief, figuring out self identity, autism and neurodivergence (diagnosed and undiagnosed), a rocky relationship with alcohol, and a neglectful relationship.

The setting of this book was so perfect for spring. The beautiful descriptions of the flower farm had me smiling as I felt like I could see the acres of flowers and feel the sunshine on my face.


Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

Loved this sapphic romance! Within the first chapter Opal had me laughing hysterically with her chaotic energy. There was one line it the book that hit me the hardest: “why does my compassion stretch to strangers, but stop at my own front door?” WOW. What a powerful and relatable line. This is one that I feel everybody can relate to because we are our own harshest critics.

I'm giving LATE BLOOMER 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars.

What I liked about this book was the slow burn romance between Pepper and Opal, the forced proximity trope was well executed. I personally sympathized with Opal's neurodivergent journey and struggles with self-worth. The author did a great job of representing the challenges both characters went through. But it took a while for me to get into the story because of the pacing and it felt too silly at times. The "villains" were cartoonishly bad to the main characters, I wish they had been better written or not involved at all. I don't think this book is bad, but I wanted something more to happen in the plot.

A cute, fluffy read if you need it, but I can't wholeheartedly recommend.

This managed to be super sweet and have plenty of steam. I love the pull they had to each other. Opal was an adorable disaster and Pepper was just so endearing too.
I found myself relating for them in many ways and rooting for them so hard. They both deserved so much love and happiness. And I loved the epilogue, perfection.

« As we walk back to our home, I grab her hand. She holds my heart. And nothing is perfect but everything is right, and that’s all that matters. »

I was given an ARC copy of this book and my opinions are my own.

Ugh, I l loved this so much. I love the flower farm! I didn’t love that they would both run when things got hard (one of them has to stay!) and that they were BOTH insecure, but they came together in the end!

Not great but not awful. A pretty run of the mill contemporary romance. Great sapphic and neurodivergent representation. The general plot is very Hallmark-y and really sweet.
It meets the usual cringe threshold for this type of book and I try to be forgiving of it as it’s just to be expected but I really have a hard time with it.
If you’re looking for a cute and lighthearted story this one is if you.

Such a great book! I lovely, cozy read. The plot is farfetched at times but not in a distracting way! I loved the representation shown in this one! We can always count on Mazey Eddings for a good time!

This book wasn't bad but it wasn't amazing. I couldn't connect to the characters, and I found Opal to be a little immature at times.

I can always count on Mazey Eddings to churn my emotions with wonderfully complex characters and a story that has heart and spice! Opal and Pepper are intense and confused about where their lives are taking them, something that is complicated by circumstance as well as their growing feelings. My heart broke for them both when life knocked them down, but my heart was lifted by their resilience, their grittiness, and their love. They are a couple of feisty and smart women who kept me up at night, reading long into the night!

I am so in love with Mazey Eddings books! She never misses!!!

Opal was so lovable, creative and relatable. Her neurodivergent tendencies were the story of my life and I loved her outlook on life. I felt very connected to Opal and thought she was a wonderful MC.

Pepper was the autistic lesbian flower farmer of my dreams. I loved getting her POV during the story as well. The way she perceived and processed things was written so accurately and lovely.

The plot itself was adorable, such a classic tale of misunderstandings and such. I loved every minute of this lovely story.

While the premise might seem far-fetched, it’s perfectly believable when you get to know these characters! And while the story moves back and forth between Opal’s and Pepper’s perspectives, each feels different and unique, immersing the reader into their worlds and making the story feel that much more believable.

A cute read with a good sex scene or two. Love the flower farm, although the plot around the flower competition felt like an afterthought.

I really wanted to like this one more than I did. I mean, the cover alone deserves all the stars, right? Gorgeous! If I was one to just choose a book by it's cover (I am, it's totally me) I would absolutely choose this book based solely on the cover. But the story sounds cute too, right? The overall story was good but soooooooo rushed, especially the end and the third act "breakup". So little support from the friend/family group who quite literally disappeared from a large event they were all at. Where'd they go? Why don't friends ever intervene when lovers have a miscommunication situation? ESPECIALLY neurodiverse lovers? Like, if you know your friend has a hard time reading social situations why would you not be there for them when they misconstrue something in a major social situation? Idk, the big fight just completely took me out of the story. And the spice throughout was fun but not-believable. Idk. Overall, I enjoyed it but I don't know that I'd recommend it really. Tough one for me.

A sapphic romance set on a flower farm in Asheville; this book is just as cute and cozy as you would expect it to be!

I really enjoyed this book. While at times it felt a little drawn out, the beautify setting made it so that I didn’t mind, and I enjoyed every chapter. The characters were well flushed out and diverse, with plenty of queer and neurodivergent rep. This book was also spicier than I expected, but not overly so - it struck a great balance.

While I enjoyed the characters, I did find one of the MC’s character arch to be a little confusing - it felt like the first few chapters were setting her up to be one way, and then around a quarter of the way through her personality totally changes.

I loved this read - it had everything I was hoping for from the premise. Opal and Pepper are such great opposites attract and were such fun characters to follow falling in love. Pepper is autistic and Opal is neurodivergent and these are characteristics that they celebrate in each other right from the beginning. I also loved Opal's sisters and Pepper's friends who all come together in such a loving and fun group. The background of a flower farm is maybe my new favorite romantic backdrop to a story and I think Eddings does a fantastic job balancing the reality of farming with the romanticized elements. The plot with Pepper's con-woman mother was really interesting and I think Eddings handled the topic with care. This was another win from Eddings with a great mix of heart and heat and I can't wait to get more (hopefully following Opal's sisters).
Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC. Expected publication date is April 16, 2024.

After Opal as struggled to fit in and make true friends her whole life, she suddenly wins the lottery and decides it’s time to start fresh. She purchases an old flower farm and plans to create art in her dream studio surrounded by nature and away from her crappy friends and loser ex boyfriend. Once she arrives she finds that someone is already living at the farm and had no idea it’d be sold. Pepper was dragged around and emotional abused by her mother until she finally dropped her off at her grandmother’s farm. A few months ago, Pepper’s grandmother passed and she has since been attempting to locate her will. Unfortunately, it seems Pepper’s mother has sold the farm out from under her to an airheaded, artsy whirlwind of chaos. As Opal and Pepper become roommates, they butt heads at every turn - only to feel a growing attraction between them that’ll eventually come into full bloom.

I absolutely loved Late Bloomer! It’s adorable in all the right ways and the neurodivergent rep was fantastic. This was super cute and I loved all the instances of flower language the author snuck into the book. The fact she even includes an explanation of all the times she did so was the cherry on top, in my opinion! This was such a fun read and I can’t wait to see more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for sending me an early copy. I’m leaving this review voluntarily.