"Late Bloomers" just really didn't work for me. I didn't feel any chemistry between our main couple, and the relationship seemed to advance at light speed without much of any conflict other than misunderstandings and inner doubts that are rehashed again and again throughout the story. I also had to continuously remind myself what perspective I was reading from because the voices of all the characters also read so similarly. Disappointed that this one was a miss for me!

LGBTQ and opposites attract
autism romance
very steamy!!
felt the character development could have been better

This book hit me right in the FEELS! The premise was great-a young woman wins the lottery, impulsively buys a flower farm, finds out the farm wasn't quite as unoccupied as she was led to believe, and then is forced to live with and team up with the woman who runs the farm. The characters were really well rounded and I was extremely invested in their lives and feelings. Mazey Eddings writes really fleshed out characters who I want to read about! The tropes in the book were great-enemies to lovers + forced proximity + friends with benefits= ooops we caught feelings! The chemistry between the two main characters, Pepper and Opal, was really believable, as was the way the romance progressed as the story went on. I loved the two of them together, and how they stood up for each other. There was also great neurodiversity rep in the book, and while I can't speak from experience, the way Eddings wrote about her neurodiversity characters was with real respect and care. Other things I loved in the book-there was a Lizzie Blake shoutout! And a caretaking scene, which are my absolute favorite. The side characters were also great, I really hope we get to revisit them and their stories in future books!

Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings is a funny and heart-warming sapphic romance that is perfect for spring reading!

Opal is a roller-coaster in human form. Her current fixation is a flower farm she bought, not knowing that the farm was actually not supposed to be sold off. Pepper, who's autistic and has recently lost her Grandma, is furious when she finds out her mom sold her grandma's flower farm to Opal. After a not-so-cute introduction, tensions are high. But Opal is a people pleaser, and she wants to do things right by Pepper.

Both Opal and Pepper are chaotic, which added a lot of charm to the story. Their falling in love was the cutest! I also loved the side characters that added so much to the story with all their different personalities.

I unfortunately just…didn’t love this. I wanted to love it, but I just didn’t connect with any of the characters, I honestly straight up just didn’t like Pepper. It felt like work to get myself to keep reading and I’m sad because I really did want to love this.

This was a cute story! I loved the neurodivergent rep and that it was about to women finding love. This was definitely more of a feel good romance and I really enjoyed it. Grumpy sunshine trope was done really well. I feel like the reason.

What would you do if you won the lottery? Would you impulsively buy a flower farm... only to find out that the rightful owner, a grumpy but gorgeous woman, doesn't plan on moving out or giving it to you... and you might be falling for her? Opal Devlin's life has not been going great, her boyfriend has broken up with her and her "best friend" has been using her, so when she suddenly wins the lottery she decides to go for a change in her life.... and that means finally pursuing her dreams and buying a flower farm. Little did Opal know, the flower farm is failing and that the actual rightful owner, Pepper Boden, wants her off the farm immediately. Pepper loves the flower farm her and her grandmother built and worked on, yet when her grandmother passes away suddenly and the will isn't found, Pepper's con woman mother sells the farm without her knowledge and goes on the run. Now Pepper and Opal are stuck together as Opal has the deed and until Pepper can either find the will or get the money to buy the land from Opal, they'll be living and working together. Opal and Pepper are complete opposites but they come to an agreement: they'll live together and Pepper will work with Opal until she can pay off the farm from Opal. Yet the more time they spend together the more sparks begin to fly and maybe romance may begin to bloom. This is Mazey's first sapphic romance and I was so looking forward to it, yet it kind of felt just okay to me. Opal was so hard to like and I just didn't really vibe with this relationship overall unfortunately. I adore sapphic books and this sounded right up my lane, it was on my high anticipated reads, but it just kind of fell flat with the messy plot and the lack of actual chemistry and romance between the two characters. While this didn't work for me, I definitely think if you enjoy sapphic romances, you should give this one a go!

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I feel like I should start this review off by saying that "Late Bloomer," was one of my most anticipated releases for 2024. I was scouring Goodreads for giveaways (and lost all of them lol) so when I got approved for the E-ARC through Netgalley (thank you NG and St. Martins-Griffin!!!) I almost died. This releases on April 16th and I encourage everyone to run and get it! This is a book that encompasses exactly what we need more of: cute, low stakes, sapphic rom-coms. I loved Pepper and Opal. Each character was so unique and fleshed out so well. ADHD and Autism representation was done really well, in my opinion. This was a great feel-good Spring read and it makes me want to visit a flower farm in Asheville ASAP. Only qualm is that some of the mis-communication stuff was a bit repetitive, but it didn't detract from the book. Really loved this and will be on the lookout for the author now! Tropes: grumpy X sunshine, opposites attract, one bed, picking out the *perfect* gift. TWs: grief, mentions of abuse, on page emotional manipulation/abuse (side character), parental neglect, complicated relationship with addiction (alcohol, sex, drugs).

Did I pick this up because the cover is gorgeous? Maybe. But I also love Mazey Eddings, especially Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake, so that factored into my decision as well!

I absolutely loved it. At first I was concerned because Opal is surrounded by some terrible characters at first, and I just can’t handle reading a book where someone is getting bullied by their “friends” the whole time. But, her roommate might be a nightmare but here sisters are super supportive and delightful - so the book quickly turned around for me.

The set up was fantastic - the stakes for the flower farm were perfect for a romance. The opposites attract was everything I could ever want. The found family? So wonderful.

I wish I could go into more depth but I read it so quickly that all I really have are vibes to give you.

🎧 Narrator Ellie Gossage does an excellent job creating a cast of characters that is easy to distinguish between. Late Bloomer was excellent as an audiobook!

What a fun and heartfelt sapphic romance! I hadn’t read Mazey Eddings before, but I will definitely be reading more now!! This book had so much to it: great characters, a fun plot, cottage core small town flower farm vibes, and some spicy sapphic romance! It was a little on the cliche and cheesy side, but I ate it up!

I loved Opal and Pepper so much. They were total opposites, with Opal being a little bundle of energy who wants everyone to like her, so much so that people often take advantage of her. She’s a little bundle of sunshine and an artist to boot. I loved her growth in this book and realizing her worth and what she would and would not allow from others in how they treat her. Also, as an ADHD girlie myself, her brain was so familiar to mine that I really understood her spur of the moment tendencies.

Pepper is my type to a T and I loved reading about her. She’s tall and quieter, slower to show emotions and reactions due to being on the spectrum. I wanted to clap at the beginning when she talks about her not being broken because she’s autistic, but that she just operates differently than others. She goes on a whole grief journey through this book as well, and the healing she gets is so beautiful.

I adored the two of them together. There was a lot of miscommunication between them, but it made sense due to both of their neurodivergent brains and the experiences they’ve had in the past. They were trying to communicate, but wires got crossed and things were not understood the way they were supposed to be. There was another sapphic romance I read recently that tried doing miscommunication due to neurodivergent brains but it was done TERRIBLY in my opinion, so having Mazey include it but actually get it right made me so happy.

Also the spice. WOOO this was so good. I love a good sapphic romance that gets it right, and the moments between them were simultaneously so hot and so tender. I really enjoyed their chemistry!

I loved the found family aspects of the book with Pepper’s group of friends and Opal’s sisters joining in. They were excellent side characters and I would love to get books about the sisters!!

This book was very character driven vs plot driven, but there were fun plots both with the ownership of the flower farm and also a flower art competition. I would have liked a little more exterior drama with some of those things and a bit fuller of a plot, but overall a really fun story!

R E A D I F Y O U L I K E
Sapphic Romance
Neurodivergent Rep
Grumpy/Sunshine
Opposites Attract
Forced Proximity
One Bed Trope
Grief and Healing
Small Town Romance
Found Family

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Due to the St. Martin's Press boycott, I will not be publicly sharing my review until further notice.

A forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine sapphic romance -- need I say more? Unfortunately, this one missed the mark for me a bit. While I adored the premise I just couldn't quite connect with the characters or their relationship. Too insta-lusty? Not enough emotional connection? Not enough conflict or angst? I just felt like I needed more from ALL of it.

With all of that said, if you're looking for a light, cozy, sapphic romance, you'll probably really enjoy this! The writing was great, the LGBTQ & neurodivergent rep was great, and I certainly will be checking out more of Mazey's work in the future.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of this cover. It’s cute and at least half of the reason I requested the book. I loved how the story starts because we get to meet sweet Opal and the situation she’s finds herself in. When she wins the lotto and decides to change her life I was fully invested. It’s at the farm that things slow down and my interest began to fade. Her and Pepper are cute together but there isn’t too much else going on and I found it hard to get through. The project they are actively working towards never feels big enough and comes and goes like nothing. Things do pick up at the end but I wish some of those things had occurred earlier when very little was going on. It was a cute read but I wish more went on in the middle of the story. 3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for my #gifted copy of Late Bloomer!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐌𝐚𝐳𝐞𝐲 𝐄𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟏𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

★★★★★

Mazey Eddings! You are amazing! Late Bloomer was so adorable and while I’ve absolutely loved every single book by this author, this one is my new favorite! Everything about this book was just pure perfection. The setting, the characters, the premise, the competition. All of it. Just so perfect and so well done. I cannot recommend this one enough!

After winning the lottery on a scratch off ticket, Opal decides to get away from everyone knocking on her door for a handout, and puts all of her new money into a failing flower farm in Asheville, NC. Her plan is to use the cabin on the property to start her own painting business. But upon her arrival, she’s greeted by a gorgeous, but grumpy woman she comes to find out is Pepper, who states she is the owner of the farm is refuses to move out. The two strike up a an agreement and plan to both stay on the farm together. Will Pepper and Opal be able to work out their differences and be able to live together on the farm? Or is there more at risk?

Seriously, this book is just so good! I loved the flower competition aspect and how that brings Opal and her sisters and Pepper and her friends together. I also really love how the grief aspect is intertwined into the story. I just felt like everything was so well done. And the notes on flowers at the end! Don’t skip that part!

🌺Grumpy x Sunshine
🌺Forced Proximity (Roommates)
🌺Neurodiverse Representation
🌺Sapphic Romance
🌺Lots of Spice!
🌺Grief and Healing
🌺Enemies to Lovers

Posted on Goodreads on April 9, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around April 16, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on April 16, 2024
**-will post on designated date

Late Bloomer was a very endearing sapphic read. Opal and Pepper are both facing their own challenges with both their sexuality and their neurodivergence, and the issues that come along with both. As a neurotypical person, I think the author did an excellent job explaining some nuances of autism and neurodivergence that I personally don't experience, and explained it in a way that made complete sense to me while I was reading the book.

I enjoyed the difference in personalities between Opal and Pepper; they were oil and water but fit together like puzzle pieces. Both of these women experienced so much growth within this story and it was a joy to see them grow together. This was a solid 4 star read for me and I would read other works from this author.

This was a very good read but also a bit tough for me to personally get through. I saw a lot of my self in both characters and with all my own issues that made it a bit tough to read when reading is my escape to get away from those things. the writing was wonderful and i'll definantly check out this authors other work base on the writing quality.

I adore Mazey and I adore her writing. I think this book was heavy on the chaotic and I just had a hard time with Opal and Pepper. I did enjoy it but found myself skim reading the last 25%.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest, spoiler-free review!

Representation: Queer and autistic MC who suffers from migraines, neurodivergent and bisexual MC

Okay, so I’m just going to keep this review fairly brief. But overall, I really enjoyed the book. I loved the neurodivergent representation and I think that’s really important in literature. (It’s cooler that the author is neurodivergent herself!) I thought it was pretty well done. And also, I appreciate the representation of Opal being a late/self-diagnosed neurodivergent because hey, anyone of any age can find out they’re neurodivergent.

In terms of the characters, I loved both Opal and Pepper. Opal is quite impulsive and a people-pleaser, but I can tell that she genuinely wants to do good and really cares about those she loves. Pepper is stingy at first but has a soft heart. Pepper is also grieving and I also thought that the representation was great. In terms of chemistry, I’d say that both Pepper and Opal balance each other out and make each other better.

Finally, for the plot of the book, it was your nice lovely sapphic romance. I’d say that at times, it deals with heavier themes, but overall, is a light and predictable read if you’re into that stuff.

Overall, 4.5 stars

Opal just won the lottery. So what does she do? Buys a flower farm, of course! Except Pepper is still living on the flower farm, trying to keep it going. This is opposites attract, cozy, sapphic romance.

This book just wasn't for me. The characters felt cringey and the plot moved way too slow. By halfway through, it felt like nothing happened.

First of all, let us appreciate what an illustrated cover can be. Amongst all the faceless, joyless blobs, we occasionally get something beautiful like this.

So Opal wins the lottery. Enough money to change her life, but not enough to support her the rest of her days. Only enough, in fact, to buy a flower farm. From Facebook Marketplace. And when she arrives at her new flower farm (where she will establish her shoe painting business) she finds Pepper already living there and trying desperately to make her late-grandmother's farm a success. Pepper is not happy that Opal whirlwinds in with a pile of shoes and a dream. Opal is shocked to find that this place is not only her dream but Pepper's. An uneasy truce is called. An uneasy desire is experienced. An uneasy bargain is struck to work together to win a flower sculpture competition so that Pepper can buy back the farm.

There's a lot of ridiculousness in the shape of the plot, but I loved that. Both characters are neurodiverse - Pepper is autistic and Opal has ADHD and a tendency (in the past) to self medicate with drugs and alcohol. Both are trying to put their lives in order and fear the other has thrown it into disarray. There's some quasi forced proximity (as they end up living together) and some rivals to lovers going on.

This was a very nice read, with a moderately silly Hallmark plot. Three and a half stars.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Mazey Eddings novel truly is ‘sugar and spice and everything nice!’

I thoroughly enjoyed this sapphic romance that was filled with joy, vivid descriptions, witty banter, angst, insecurities, acceptance, artistry, friendships, sibling love, healing, flowers, spicy romance, and neurodivergent representation.

I loved that the characters didn’t try to change each other but worked to sort out their own and each other’s feelings (although they do avoid each other when embarrassed or unsure). I thought Opal and Pepper complimented each other really well, despite being opposites. This made for an entertaining read that had me laughing out loud at times. Opal’s sisters and Pepper’s friends are incredibly supportive, kind, and very entertaining adding an extra layer of depth.

I also thought that grief of a loved one was handled gently with a lot of heart and acceptance. And when you finish this book, if you want to talk about Pepper’s mother, I have a lot of thoughts, and I’m sure you will too.

I switched between the ebook and audiobook while reading and really enjoyed both formats. The audiobook narrator was able to give the characters distinct voices, which really helped bring both Opal and Pepper to life. Though if I were reading this with others around I’d definitely use headphones or the ebook during the spice because those scenes are spicy!

<If you like a more chaste romance book, this might not be the tale for you>.

Thank you to NetGalley Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for the advance ebook and audio books of this fantastic title. Mazey Eddings I loved “Late Bloomer!”

Available for preorder now and on shelves next Tuesday, April 16.

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