I only recently discovered Mazey Eddings but she's becoming a must read author for me!

I enjoyed this one, I love a good opposites attract. I definitely connected to both characters for different reasons. Pepper was hard to like at first, but I ended up liking that she came around and often stood up for Opal. Opal is such an innocent spirit - all she wants to do is create and don't I feel that down to my bones. Her need to people please was a bit much at times and I would've loved to see her character grow a little more in the self-love aspect and wish she had stood up for herself earlier on in the story. This book also has a great cast of side characters, I actually hope we get Opal's sisters' side love stories as well!

All in all, I did love the artistic/flower farm aspect to this one. I do wish we had gotten to see them working on the contest piece a bit more/around the flower farm together more. But all in all, still an enjoyable Sapphic romance!

CW: abandonment, emotional abuse, death, grief, toxic friendship, Alcoholism.

I went between the ebook and audiobook at first for this one. The narrator did such a great job though- I thought there were 2! The voices for each character were so distinct. I'm impressed!

A huge thanks to St. Martin's Press, MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the early copy and ALC. All opinions are my own.

This may be my favorite book of 2024 so far. It’s rare to find an author or book that is able to capture the struggles of neurodivergence in a new relationship. Not only does this book do so perfectly, but it feels like a queer Hallmark movie with a perfect balance of plot, character development, and spice. Opal is a feisty hot mess, Pepper is a quirky curmudgeon with everything to lose. Together, they are a captivating duo with a mission to save their flower farm from financial collapse and discover the love they cannot live without.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

At time of review the St. Martin's Press boycott is still ongoing as SMP has chosen to still not address islamaphobic and racist remarks made by a member of their team.

The boycott of St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and other related imprints is a direct response to the publisher’s lack of accountability regarding statements made by an employee in their marketing department and their failure to respond to concerns about possible systemic issues within the department.

See https://r4acollective.org/ for more information on the boycott and see how you can help not cross the line.

I’ve read one of Mazey Eddings’ works before and consistent with the first one, she writes cozy, fast-paced, sweet, sweet romance. This would def make for a great beach read! I went into the book blind, the cover and my familiarity with Eddings was enough to lure me in. It made me cackle so many times, the pop culture references were delightful and there were tears, too!

Late Bloomers is a sapphic romance whose characters are both feeling lost and untethered. I love Opal, who I think is the sunshine of the story. Pepper is the grump, but a closet softy. The story revolves around new beginnings and saving a flower farm. There are a bunch of arguments in this book and I’m proud of the characters for always resolving them without the help of others.. You know when they say reading books promote empathy? This book helped open my eyes more about people who are neurodivergent and people in the spectrum. I wish there was more steam to build up more chemistry between the two characters before the first time they made out to build more excitement between them.

I’m curious whether Mazey Eddings would turn this into a trilogy with Opal’s sisters as the next main characters of her next books. Fingers crossed because I would love to know their stories, too!

Genre: contemporary romance

When 24-year-old Opal wins the lottery, people who have never really cared about her come crawling out of the woodwork and her “best friend” (who gave her the scratch-offs for her birthday many weeks later as an afterthought) is hounding her to be a better friend. All Opal wants to do though is use this opportunity to get a fresh start on life. She sees a Facebook Marketplace ad for a flower farm in Asheville, NC, and jumps: property investment is a great way to spend her new wealth, right? Only, when she arrives at her new home, it’s already occupied by Pepper, a prickly 26-year-old woman whose grandmother owned the farm. At odds with one another over everything, Opal and Pepper need to figure out how to save the farm from bankruptcy and get along despite their smoldering attraction.

This was a messy joy to read. What a fun premise and I loved seeing the way Opal and Pepper battle hard with themselves to be able to love one another. Opal is a neurodivergent artist, bubbly, and a little directionless. Pepper is autistic, and personality-wise is the opposite of Opal in nearly every way. Opal’s ADHD makes her impulsive… but honestly, her age does as well. Ultimately, the ages of the characters made this book more difficult for me: they felt age appropriate but also so young. So while they were vibrant and real, I really struggle with stories about 24-year-olds who feel directionless because in all honesty, I’m not sure how many of us had direction at 24.

The joy in this book is palpable. From Opal’s energy to Pepper’s bluntness, the characters are as vibrant as the flowers they grow on their farm. The book is told in first person dual narration, which can have its challenges. Eddings does an excellent job writing the characters and their inner monologues clearly, so I never wondered whose perspective I was reading at a given time (I’ve read some books where I struggle with this even when the characters are the opposite gender.) The audiobook narrator does some excellent voice work for the dual POV, and honestly, I’m glad this doesn’t have two narrators.

this was so stinkin’ CUTE!!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

💭 overall thoughts:
everything about this book was like sunshine - the MCs, the side characters, the competition storyline, & the flower farm setting 🌼🌸

(except Pepper’s mom & Opal’s “best friend” & ex 😒)

📖 story:
Opal wins the lottery, buys a flower farm, and shows up there to find Pepper living & working there.
The farm belonged to Pepper’s late grandmother, and without being able to find her will, it went to her mom (who sold it off to Opal).

They decide to live together until Pepper is able to buy it back, and work together on a flower competition in order to win some of the money.

🎨🌷 MCs:
I adored both Opal & Pepper & their quirks - I really enjoy reading from POVs of neurodiverse characters, I find myself relating in many ways to how their brains work (especially those with ADHD).

I also wanted to give both of them hugs! I’m so glad they found each other 🫶🏼

🤍side characters:
I love the support Opal got from her amazing sisters, and Pepper from her closest friends. They each took in the other and really became a close little group 🥰

🎧 audio thoughts:
Ellie Gossage did such a phenomenal job with both MCs + all the side characters - she really added a lot to the story!

tropes + topics:
🌦️ grumpy sunshine
🏠 roommates/forced proximity
🌸 flower farmer
🎨 textile paint artist (on shoes!)
♾️ neurodiverse rep
❤️‍🩹 grief & loss
💞 dual 1st person pov

🫶🏼 books with similar vibes:
•Set the Record Straight by Hannah Bonam-Young (sapphic, neurodiverse MCs)
•Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner (sapphic, neurodiverse MCs, forced proximity)

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press & Macmillan Audio for advanced copies. All opinions are my own.

Another banger from Mazey Eddings.

Sapphic JOY!!

Opal has been not having the best time of it- keeps going back to her shitty ex, not content in her work life so when her “friend” gifts her some scratch off lottery tickets for her birthday and she wins big! She buys the damn farm! Literally a flower farm where she intends to create and sell her artwork. But when she gets to the farm the current tenant wasn’t aware the farm had sold and isn’t going to just hand over the keys willingly.

Some of the conflict was miscommunication which is one of my least favorite tropes but the way it was done in this was endearing. I loved the romance, the flowers and both main characters so much!

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listening copy.

Mazey Eddings’s books make me happy, which is the point of reading, right? LATE BLOOMER had me first smiling at the cover. It’s a perfect fit for the book. Then, as I read, more smiles came at the awkwardness between Opal and Pepper because it was written to make them seem so ordinary in their neurodivergent ways. I loved it!

One of my absolute favorite things about Mazey Eddings as an author is that she makes neurodivergence normal—it’s just life. I think that is why I enjoy her books so much because I see people living with things I have and having good lives. It feels good even if they are having a frustrating moment.

LATE BLOOMER was also fantastic for me because it had excellent migraine representation. People either get it or don’t, and Eddings got right on the page. The weather changes affect the head, from brightness to the aura and more—migraines aren’t easy, and I wouldn’t wish them on anyone. They aren’t just a headache, nor can you just pop a Tylenol and continue on with the day. So, I’m happy when they are represented well in books to help people understand.

Opal and Pepper had an excellent grumpy/sunshine relationship with the added perk of forced proximity. I couldn’t stop smiling from the cover to the very end.

Content Warnings: (per the author in the book) grief after the loss of a loved one, complicated relationships with alcohol, parental neglect/abandonment

(4.5/5) This was an adorable romance that managed to be whimsical and realistic all at once. I’m usually very fussy about romances and their various cliches and other overused tropes, but this book surpassed my expectations. I did take a few points off for modern references because Lord knows that Phoebe Bridgers, Taylor Swift, Fleabag line is going to age soooooo quickly. But honestly this was the best book I’ve read thus far this year.

This went from 0-100 so fast I actually had went back a few pages to make sure I hadn’t accidentally skipped a chapter. Mazey Eddings never misses. Charming and cozy and spicy, as always.

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.

Thank you to the publisher for the eArc.

I had such a good time with this book and I’m so glad because I was highly anticipating it and THAT COVER 😍.

This book was super cute and a little cheesy in the best way! Both Opal and Pepper had distinct voices which I appreciated and can sometimes run into trouble with in multi-pov books. The writing was a lot of fun and bursting with personality, adding to the humour running throughout.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a really fun and cute sapphic romance with the perfect vibe for spring!

2SLGBTQIA+ Steamy Romance that finds a lottery winner uses her windfall to buy flower farm and get a fresh start only to realize the sale's not on the up-and-up and the rightful owner's not moving out.

1/5 stars: Eddings' 2SLGBTQIA+ Steamy Romance is a great opposites-attract romance that features a people pleasing artist who wins the lottery and an autistic owner of a failing flower farm who wind up having to live and work together when circumstances thrust the two together. Eddings tackles some heavy topics, so take care and check the CWs. Eddings' writing and character work are nicely done. Unfortunately, this just wasn't a book for me; leading me to DNF it at 17%.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

3.5 Rounding Up

This was definitely cute and sweet! Opal and Pepper are more alike than they originally thought and seeing their relationship develop as they worked through their own issues was great!

I was not connecting with the beginning before Opal makes it to the farm and was worrying this really wasn’t going to be for me. But eventually I did connect and ended up having a lovely time. This did feel very low-stakes though, and even the competition didn’t feel like it gave us an issue or problem to solve.

I loved this cute, adorable sapphic romance. Opal and Pepper were SO cute and their story unfolded in the most precious way.

I have chosen to withhold my review of Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings in accordance with the marketing boycott of reviewing and platforming titles published under St. Martin’s Press and associated imprints. As a company, St. Martin’s Press has yet to meaningfully acknowledge and address the harm caused by a marketing employee who perpetuated Islamophobic sentiments against those of Palestinian descent specifically, and has a documented history of discriminating against readers of Arab heritage in general. As a reader, I refuse to participate, even passively, in perpetuating harm against my fellow readers in an activity all should be able to enjoy.

Once action is taken by St. Martin’s Press as a company to address the harm caused and how they will be dedicated to a decisive plan of action to address needs for diversity, equity and inclusion, I will upload my review of Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings.

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC!
This book was very sweet and cheesy at times, like all romances are. I love the sapphic, neurodivergent relationship between Opal and Pepper. It’s all of the opposites attract/found family/forced proximity/grumpy x sunshine tropes wrapped into one lil story and I loved it.

While I have ADORED every other Mazey Eddings book, this one did not hit the mark for me as I hoped.

When Opal wins the lottery, she decides to buy a flower farm and become an artist. Everything seems wistful but for the flower farm's "actual" owner: Pepper. Pepper has helped her grandma on the farm since she was young. She promises to buy the farm from Opal as soon as possible. Yet, Opal isn't what Pepper expected as she agrees to help her in a flower contest with recognition and money that will lead to buying Pepper out. Opal is just happy to help out, no matter that she has heart eyes for Pepper. Everything is whimsical on the farm, especially when the two cross friendship lines. But will it be enough when everything comes crashing down right in front of them?

While I loved the whimsical flower farm and laughed at Opal's hijinks (who hasn't wanted to dye their hair at least once), I found I had no emotional connection with either main character. I loved the autism representation and could definitely relate to needing those important items right in front of me so they stay at the top of my mind. I just wasn't convinced that Pepper and Opal's relationship would last. While this wasn't for me, many may love and I recommend those who enjoy romances pick this one up! It's got a fun nod to Lizzie Blake!

Late Bloomer is the book my heart has been yearning for…achingly tender, heart wrenchingly relatable—this was BEAUTIFUL. It had me crying almost immediately and barely a moment of dry eyes all the way through. Both the queer rep and the neurodivergent rep were so, so good. Books like this, where I feel so seen and a little less alone in my experience of the world, are…everything. They’re everything. I need more stories from this author and will absolutely be picking up her previous books and keeping an eye out for new ones!

Once started I could not put this down! I instantly fell in love with both Opal and Pepper, and found parts of them to be fully relatable. Also, the spicy scenes were the perfect amount of spice and I couldn't really ask for anything else!