Late Bloomer follow Opal and Pepper as the find themselves unexpectedly roommates on Pepper's family's flower farm.

This book has a fun premise, and I was giddily caught up in several scenes, but the love story totally click for me. The build up to the start of the relationship felt rushed or not fully fleshed out to me. And the build up is the absolute best part of romance. Once Opal and Pepper were together, I did greatly enjoy their relationship and the way they supported each other.

Despite the romance aspect falling a bit flat for me, I loved Pepper so much and will continue to seek out Mazey's books that include neurodivergent folks with such great care.

For me, this was a pretty solidly middle-of-the-road romance: not terrible by any means, but nothing about it stuck out as particularly memorable once I’d finished reading it. I liked the general premise: Opal, a chronic people pleaser wins the lottery and, to escape from all the ill-intentioned people in her life who suddenly want even more from her, impulsively buys a flower farm and unwittingly finds herself the roommate of the farm’s current owner, Pepper. Shenanigans around cohabitating ensue, because of course they do; there is a subplot about a flower arranging contest with a cash prize that could save the financially struggling farm; there were some zany best friends (who, in a move that might be typical of the genre or might just be a pet peeve of me personally, were at times overwritten in their zaniness; I felt like the author was trying to push the idea that this group was a found family, but I never really felt that connected to any of them except for Dishka, who is Pepper’s best friend and therefore has a lot of on-page time). The only thing that really stood out to me about this book was the neurodivergent representation: Pepper is autistic and makes this fact very clear from the beginning, while Opal is undiagnosed (though she thinks that autism, ADHD, or a combination of the two is very likely) and is comfortable for the moment with simply “neurodivergent” as a label. A romance novel with two neurodivergent MCs is still, in my experience, rare, and I really loved that the author made it clear that Opal and Pepper’s neurodivergence was part of what made them relate to and understand each other so well. And I loved how supportive their friends were! A birthday gift that Pepper receives related to her special interest put a smile on my face.

A fun, quick ride with some much-needed neurodivergent representation. Definitely recommend to anyone looking for something light, easy, and romantic.

Oh my gosh where to even start with this review…

This is the neurodiverse, messy but relatable, queer rom-com that my autistic pansexual heart has always wanted to find.

I absolutely adored Opal & Pepper! More importantly, I truly appreciated how messy the feelings were in this one. As an autistic adult who has struggled so damn hard with romantic love in the past, it was affirming to find a romance book that was able to capture the confusion & difficulties of these emotions that sometimes plague the neurodiverse community in particular.

I also just love that there is a romance book with 2 neurodiverse MCs. Especially in light of the fact that for some reason (ahem ignorance), many people still think I can’t possibly be autistic simply because I’m married; instead of recognizing that being autistic doesn’t, by itself, naturally equate to wanting to be alone or single forever 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’ve loved all of Mazey’s books, but this one…oh this one is definitely something special.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin, St. Martin’s Publishing Group for a digital copy of this one. All opinions expressed are my own.

Extra special thanks to Mazey Eddings for continuing to write neurodiverse characters and giving readers like me books that celebrate us.

“Fuck anything and anyone that made you have to survive instead of live.”

This is classic Mazey Eddings. We get two incredible but flawed characters who are trying to figure themselves out. Opal is looking for a fresh start, and Pepper is looking for a way to save her beloved grandmother’s farm. They clash immediately, but there’s such an underlying tension from the beginning.

As always, Eddings does an incredible job with representation. Pepper is autistic and Opal is unsure if she’s autistic or ADHD, but their portrayals are so great. Opal struggles with letting people walk all over her and these feelings of not being enough, which is incredibly relatable. They're complete opposites, but they complement each other so well. They really see each other for what's underneath. I love the way their relationship develops and how much Opal wants to see Pepper succeed.

There is a lot of emotional baggage between them and they take some time to get used to being stuck together. It takes time for them to fully open up to each other, but when they do it's really beautiful. I was happy to see a lot of growth from both of them. I really enjoyed it, thought I felt a few parts were a bit rushed. Overall this is such a great read.

EVERY GARDEN NEEDS A HOE

When I tell you I was dying laughing listening to the acknowledgments at the end of this book. I will forever be referring to this book as every garden needs a hoe.

This was a real surprise delight for me. I have liked Maisy eddings previous books but I always had small issues with them. This is her first sapphic book and all my expectations were met and then some.

This is a sapphic neurodivergent semi enemies to lovers. We have opal who is a chronic people pleaser. She is neurodivergent and bi/pan and when she wins the lottery she impulsively buys a flower farm and ditches her crappy abusive friends. Except when she gets to the flower farm does she bought from the nice old lady, she discovers that someone is already living there and doesn't know that it's been sold.

Insert Pepper. Pepper is autistic and sapphic, I can't actually remember if she is lesbian or bi but she's super duper queer. Pepper was dropped off by her abusive narcissistic mother at the flower farm when she was 16 or 17 or younger I don't remember anyway to live with her great aunt / grandma. I'm so sorry it's been a week since I've read this and apparently the small details have floated away from my mind. Anyway so she sent to live at this farm with a relative and her mom essentially abandons her. When the relative dies, pepper is under the assumption that she has to turn the flower from around and make a profit but that she is still living there. Unbeknownst to her, her mom has gone out from under her and sold the flower farm for an exorbitant money to Opal.

The two of them clash at the beginning but I wouldn't really qualify this as enemies to lovers more like enemies of circumstance. They don't actually dislike each other but it's hard to like the person that just bought your home out from under you or like the person who is living in your brand new startup life respectively. I really liked the slow growth of Pepper and Opals friendship that turned into more. I liked that both of them had their own baggage to deal with and that it wasn't skewed and one character's growth development. Both of them had things to deal with and they do.

As someone with a toxic mom, I really felt for Pepper and how hard it is to be the child of someone who generous toxic as hell and manipulative.

I saw a couple people talk about how the title is a little misleading because both of the characters know they're queer but personally I still really loved it. You know one of the characters has more experience than the other and they're both really blooming into their own identities as queer neurodivergent individuals with power. I mean learning and taking hold of your own strength is something that a lot of people have to work towards and both of these women have to do that in this book and I really liked that. I'm here for that.

DNF by first chapter…Opal is super annoying and can’t deal with her people pleasing tendencies. I usually love this author’s writing style but this doesn’t work for me.

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.