LOVED this one so much! Late Bloomer was a fantastic read and this one is perfect for the upcoming romance by the pool season! Thank you for an early copy.

Due to the ongoing marketing boycott of St. Martin’s Press, I will not be sharing a review of Late Bloomer on social media. This is disappointing, as it is charming, and Mazey Eddings deserves better.

This book just wasn't for me and that's fine! The queer and neurodivergent representations was lovely, but ultimately I didn't enjoy it purely because of my own reading tastes.

I would love to rate this and tell you what I thought about it. But alas, it's a St. Martin's Press title and I'm boycotting them for their lack of response to racist and misinformed remarks their employee made concerning Palestine.

Sucks for them for not being better humans and running a better publishing house. (One-star rating only because I had to rate it. Does not reflect feelings about the book.)

I really loved this sweet romance about two people who have led very different lives coming together to find common ground and love. The flower farm setting was a huge plus as well! This one was emotional, but also lighthearted and funny.

2.5 stars
I started out really loving this one, but as I continued on, I found myself just dragging through it because I had already read so much of it. Opal as an FMC was not my cup of tea. She was a bit too fantastical and felt more like a stereotypical caricature rather than a well-rounded character.
The romance itself was very sweet, and I enjoyed watching two people learn to love each other and honor their flaws as a part of who they were.

Overall, this was not my favorite book of Eddings' but I will continue to give her books a shot, because I love her other reads.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is officially my favourite Mazey Eddings book! What an amazing story - I’m obsessed!

I loved Opal and Pepper so much!! The way they were so open and vulnerable with each other was adorable.

I genuinely can’t recommend it enough! This is such a cute, fluffy read; conflict is minimal and when it did happen, Opal and Pepper tried her best to talk things through, which I really appreciate.

I had to DNF about a quarter way through. I just couldn't read it anymore. Opal was insufferable with her self-deprecating-millennial attitude. Almost everything she did and said made me roll my eyes. And yes I understand both characters are neurodivergent and that was NOT the issue, I have read other books that wrote neurodiverse people very well, and this was just... I didn't like it. I didn't believe the connection between the two main characters because it felt so forced and like the book was trying its hardest to be a romance. It's never a good sign when you can't stand the main character.

Once I started this book I kept putting it off because I didn't want to read it and I won't be reviewing it on my media platforms because of the St. Martin's Press boycott so there was no reason for me to continue to suffer through this.

Late Bloomer has an intriguing description and a beautiful cover, but the story itself is a standard romance.

Thank you to Mazey Eddings, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I decided to DNF this book at 63%. I started to realize how bored I was every time I picked up the book, which is never how a reader wants to feel. I think the fact that the characters never left the house or farm enough added to the monotony and attributed greatly to my feelings about the book. I love Mazey's other books! I was really loving Opal and Pepper too for a while, but this one just didn't have the same flare that her others have and I was sad to see that spark missing in Late Bloomer.

Mazey Eddings’ Late Bloomer is a charming and engaging romance. Its delightful narrative explores growth and maturation with keen insight, offering readers a sweet, sapphic romance that easily resonates. Eddings’ ability to balance humor and raw emotion is noteworthy; she uses it to deliver a fun book with a bit of substance.

The story follows Opal Devlin, whose life takes a strange turn after winning the lottery. Looking for a fresh start and a place to grow her painting business, she purchases a flower farm in Asheville, North Carolina via Facebook Marketplace. However, her plans are thrown into disarray when she discovers the sale may not have been on the up and up. When Pepper Boden, the supposed rightful owner, enters the picture, Opal’s idyllic notions of farm life are squashed. Forced to coexist on the farm until the ownership can be sorted out, Opal and Pepper do nothing but chafe and irritate one another. Over time, however, the dynamic between the two shifts and an unexpected attraction develops. As this de facto relationship slowly blooms, readers quickly flip through the pages to find out if it will become a floral tribute or a whoops a daisy.

Eddings does a nice job developing Opal and Pepper. They are multifaceted characters with delightful personalities; readers easily form a connection to them. Their “grumpy/sunshine” dynamic is smile worthy, making this slow-burn romance an enchanting read. What’s more, the storytelling is filled to the brim with Eddings’ joyful, animated tone, making Late Bloomer the perfect vacation read.

Final remarks…

Eddings does a nice job with this heartfelt depiction of love and relationships. Told with raw, refreshing tenderness, Late Bloomer is both captivating and engaging. Readers will enjoy this happily-ever-after.

Late Bloomer’s Strengths…

Well-written
Entertaining
Fresh & original
Heartfelt and tender

A delightful sapphic romance. Opal and Pepper are so sweet, so tender, and so precious. Mazey always delivers a delightful read.

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