I was immediately drawn to the clever title and gorgeous cover. I’m a big fan of Jenifer Prince’s artwork, so well done whoever hired her.

As far as the book itself goes, the initial premise required a little suspension of disbelief (who buys property without seeing it first?). But once I got past that I absolutely loved this sweet and slightly spicy romance. Grumpy sunshine pairings are my favorite, and Pepper and Opal balanced each other out so well. I was immediately smitten with them both. They had great chemistry together and both felt very authentic and nuanced. The autism and (probable) ADHD rep were outstanding too. Plus, the flower farm was such a lovely backdrop for falling in love.

Overall an absolutely lovely, swoony sapphic romance (with a brilliant nod to Sappho herself, I might add).

This was my first Mazey Eddings book, but if she writes anything else sapphic you can count on me to be first in line to read it!

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

Lazy Bloomer by Mazey Eddings is a beautiful, sweet, touching sapphic romance that touches on each character and their romance. And if it is not held in the coolest setting I don't know what is- a flower farm!

Mazey has a firm grasp of banter, desire, and relatable heroines. This novel is inclusive of topics like neurodivergency which are often left out of romance novels. Characters, Opal, with ADHD, and Pepper, with Autism are extremely well written and feel very genuine..

Opal is an aspiring artist who has won the lottery, and spends her winnings on buying a failing flower farm in hopes of renewing it. Pepper has grown up and worked on the flower farm her entire life. She is shocked to learn that her mother has sold her 'promised' inheritance.

Pepper works to buy out Opal's share of the flower farm all while disagreements and miscommunications occur. Yet a bright and brilliant attraction blossoms. Do Pepper and Opal allow the romance to bid or will it die out amongst the fight for the farm?

Mazey Eddings has yet to miss and her latest book, Late Bloomer, is no exception. Eddings gives us an amazing opposites attract sapphic romance featuring two chaotic, horny, neurodiverse main characters.

I will always be a fan of Eddings (if she has one fan it’s me, and if she has no fans I am probably dead) because she makes so many readers feel seen. It wasn’t until I found her books that I fully started to realize how much I craved to see all parts of myself in a main character, especially in romance. Mazey Eddings has reminded me with every book that everyone deserves to see themselves in romance, and Late Bloomer was no exception.

Watching two neurodiverse women who seem to be as opposite as possible, find love with each other and find themselves was extremely beautiful. I absolutely adored watching them reconcile with the feelings they developed for each other and how they both dealt with those feelings. Especially when it came to Pepper and how she learned more about how she expressed these new emotions that she had not dealt with before. As someone who is in a similar position as Pepper at times, I absolutely loved watching how she processed these emotions.

Meanwhile I absolutely loved seeing our hair dying queen, Opal, deal with her own overwhelming feelings and how to deal with them. Especially as she learned to realize that while she expresses emotions strongly, that’s not the case with everyone and how that can lead to miscommunication. It was also amazing to see Opal learn her own worth. She always stands up for those she cares for, but a lot of times Opal lets others push her around like her “best friend” and her ex. Seeing the growth when confronted by them again, felt inspiring. It was also beautiful to see Pepper be there and stand up for Opal and give her the encouragement she needed to stand up for herself.

On top of two incredible main characters, Eddings gives us perfect side characters. It shows us the value of found families, especially for Pepper who has a strained familial relationship with her mother. I mean what is better than a group of people who love you so much they get you a foot cake for your birthday?! But truly seeing Pepper habe a group of supportive friends who protect her at all costs was beautiful. But especially when paired with how they come to accept Opal, who really wasn’t going to give them a choice.

Not only has this book become one of my all time favorite reads, it also is beautifully written. I savored this book like a fine wine (mainly because I knew it would be my last Mazey Eddings book for awhile) and that’s exactly how it felt. I will forever be a major fan of Eddings’s writing style as I find it to be full of lovely prose while also being entertaining.

And this is just me begging that we possibly get Opal’s sisters, Ophelia and Olivia, stories because I need them ASAP. Especially because I want to see the type of person they’d each fall for and obviously we could always use some more queer romance stories.

There's almost no setting more picturesque for a romance than a flower farm, and it set a wonderful backdrop for Opal and Pepper's love story.
I loved that the book started with Opal's personal renaissance. She finally had the opportunity to change her life and shed the terrible "friends" she had-and she did and didn't really look back! I found Pepper to be incredibly relatable as well. In the depths of grief, and with a her neurodivergence and traumatic childhood just adding fuel to the fire, I was not surprised at her hesitation to trust Opal.
I loved their grumpy/sunshine dynamic and how by the end of the book we found them almost switching those roles at times. I loved how clear their care for one another was. Their attraction and connection was believable and so sweet!
My only qualm with this book lies in the fact that I am desperately seeking more romances (particularly queer romances) that don't center a grief storyline! Otherwise I really enjoyed it.

Late Bloomer was such a cute sapphic roman e that is perfect to read during spring! Winning the lottery and buying a flower farm sounds like a dream, it’s such a unique story and I love how it all played out. I was surprised with how spicy it is too!

Mazey Eddings is a MASTER of banter, desire, and relatable heroines. I love love love her inclusion of characters with neurodivergency, and Opal, with ADHD, and Pepper, with Autism are no exception.

Opal, an aspiring artist, has won the lottery, and spends her winnings on buying a failing flower farm outside of Asheville, NC. Pepper has grown up and worked on the flower farm her entire life, and is shocked to learn that her mother has sold her 'promised' inheritance to Opal. These opposites are forced into a shared living situation as Pepper works to buy out Opal's share of the farm. Heads-bump and wires are crossed, yet an explosive attraction blossoms. Can these two opposites scratch this physical itch and keep emotions and feeling out of this new arrangement?

This was such a fun and vulnerable sapphic romance, and the steam was so steamy. The setting was unique, and the plotline about a floral competition bringing Opan and Pepper's strengths together was fun. I also really adored Opal's sisters and wonder if Eddings has plans to return to this world/family. It wasn't my favorite Eddings book to date, but I struggle to land on what it was that was lacking for me. However, readers of contemporary sapphic romances will store adore this one!

Oh my goodness I am obsessed with this book!! Winning the lottery and buying a flower farm?!? Count me in! I loved just about every little thing in this book. From the neurodivergent representation to the friendships to the way that grief was discussed and handled, this was the picture of perfection. I particularly love that there was just a bit of spice and love but that there was so much else going on so it wasn't the only plot point. As an Autistic queer person, this made me feel very seen and I related deeply to it. Thank you Mazey Eddings for writing a book where I feel seen and heard and can chase my dreams (cause hey, we all want to win the lottery, right?)

Tropes
-queer / sapphic
-neurodivergent representation
-forced proximity
-strangers to lovers

Mazes Eddings did such an amazing job. Wow her writing is truly so special, she has a gentleness with humans that is truly a shiny star.

What I loved: The lottery winning, the impulse purchase of a flower farm, the neurodivergent representation, writing style bonus points, opposites attract, forced proximity trope.

What I didn’t like: The flower competition was low priority for me, but a cute-ish addition to the plot. Didn’t love the toxic friends, but glad Opal didn’t succumb to their bullshit.

Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Catuion super spiiicy

This book was such a lovely, cozy book. I love that both leads were neurodivergent- one with diagnosed Autism, and one with probably ADHD.

A flower farm is a unique setting, and while the premise is a bit odd at first, the exposition made the setting and conflict entirely probable and realistic.

There is a third act miscommunication, and while I normally hate that trope, as an ADHD person married to an Autistic person, I completely understood and related. This is the only miscommunication that didn't mind reading!

Book Review 🌺 🌸-

Over the last year, @mazeyeddings has quickly become an auto-buy author for me. I love that each and every one of her stories is different but every books brings her diverse characters to life and always makes me laugh.

Swipe to see a picture of Mazey and I at @steamylitcon last summer!

Late Bloomer is no exception. Although no one will make me laugh as much Tilly or Lizzy (from her other books) Opal and Pepper brought so much sweetness to this story. I loved the neurodivergent representation and themes of grief and self discovery. While tackling all those bigger topics, the book is still lighthearted and sweet. Definitely one to check out!

Late Bloomer comes out April 16, 2024.

Thank you @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for my advanced copies!

This is exactly the story my high school self needed!!! Trying to figure out who I was then was definitely hard enough, but throw in heteronormative literature and I was a goner. Truly why REPRESENTATION MATTERS!!!! Pepper and Opal are your typical neurodivergents (again, loving the representation) trying to figure out who they are all while being put in a really uncomfortable predicament. Taking points off because while the storyline in regards of what they were going through in real time was boring but THEIR LOVE STORY MADE ME CRY. The plot was just a little meh and didn’t give me much detail other than surface level stuff. Ended up hugging my wife after this was over because it made me so happy we were represented in a book. Thank you to the author for inclusion and diversity.

I love Mazey Eddings and Late Bloomer was such a great sapphic romance! It was fun and I really loved the tropes, but the pacing was a bit all over the place for me. Still a really great read though!

I’ve loved all of Mazey Edding’s books and I really enjoyed this one, but it took much longer for me to get fully invested. Pepper and Opal are two amazing characters and I love them both. Opal’s sisters added common sense to her craziness and humor and support to her down moments. Pepper’s friends are both fierce and fun. The imagery of the book had me seeing the Thistle and Bloom and feeling the comforts of the cozy cabin. The story was slow at the beginning and even cutting out 50 pages would’ve had me invested much quicker. The characters could’ve been a tiny bit more mature in several scenarios, but their quirks were explained well by their backstory. I can only hope to hear more of their story in the future… series on the O. Devlin sisters please! 4.25⭐️, 2.5🌶

I was thrilled to be approved for Late Bloomer, as I always have a blast reading Eddings work. While this isn’t my favorite of hers, I did have fun reading it! I loved the flower farm setting and the competition in the background. I wish we got a little more of the girls working together and the lead up to the contest. All in all, a very fun read for spring!

Mazey Eddings can do no wrong, I firmly believe that. Whether it's YA or Adult, I will read everything she publishes. This book is so whimsical while also tackling some important topics. It's perfect and I have no notes.

Late Bloomer is a sapphic romance. An opposites attract love story. Opal wins the lottery and quits her dead-end job. Opal is somewhat of a pushover. People come asking for money when they find out she won the lottery. One of these instances Opal finds herself the owner of a flower farm in Asheville, North Carolina. This flower farm is failing. Opal goes to move into a cabin that is on the property. A place where she can start her painting career. When Opal shows up to Thistle and Bloom farms she meets a woman named Pepper. Pepper says she will not be moving and is the owner of the farm. Opal and Pepper decide to live on the farm together. I really enjoyed the banter and chemistry of the two. A very good sapphic romance. Thank you netgalley for an arc.

When Opal Devlin unexpectedly wins the lottery, she sees this as her fresh start. People keep coming out of the woodwork to ask about her money, but she decides to invest in herself. She purchases a flower farm in Asheville, NC, sight unseen, and plans to make art there among the flowers.

As it turns out, though, someone is already living on the farm, and that someone is not expecting Opal.

Since moving to Thistle and Bloom Farms as a teenager, the flowers there have become Pepper Boden’s life. In spite of its current financial troubles, Pepper is determined to turn things around for her recently deceased grandma Lou’s farm. When Opal turns up with a deed, it turns Pepper’s world upside down.

Sweet Opal with her “dominant personality trait [of] pleasing others” decides to let Pepper stay on the farm and to help Pepper raise funds to buy Opal out.

So we end up with a forced proximity, opposites-attract, roommates situation with a bit of a grumpy-sunshine vibe thrown in and some delicious chemistry just waiting to be unleashed. It’s a recipe for romantic comedy goodness.

Highlights for me included
- A flower farm in one of my favorite places in the world (Yes, please!)
- How tender Opal and Pepper end up being with each other
- The Autism and ADHD rep
- The portrayal of migraines (I thought to myself, “Mazey Eddings really gets it.”)
- Pepper’s friend group and Opal’s sisters
- The memories of Grandma Lou (She just seems like she was the best.)

It did take me a few chapters to really get into the book, so if you aren’t immediately sucked in, please give it more of a chance.

I received an advance copy of the ebook from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

This is the third book I have read by Mazey Eddings. I will definitely read or listen to anything she writes. Her stories pull you in from beginning until the end. This is a beautiful story about Opal and Pepper. I loved when Opal finally finds her voice by choosing herself over her friend and Ex. Pepper and Opal were really fun characters and well written. I found this to be a fun and sweet story. I would definitely recommend this book as well as her other books.


Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for allowing me to read this ARC in advance for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to access this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really loved this sapphic love story so much i couldn’t get enough!!

I also really loved opal’s character.

Tw grief..
please read this!!

A beautiful tale of falling down on your luck in your life and falling in love. Queer and stunning, full of heart ache and love.