In solidarity with the St Martins Press boycott, I will not be reviewing this book on any of my platforms. (which is too bad because I'd love to talk about it)

Thanks to the publisher though for providing the ARC. I hope I get to review their titles again after they make appropriate responses to the reasonable demands of Readers For Accountability.

Thank you to St Martin's for the review copy of Late Bloomer from Mazey Eddings. I am a big fan of this author, I love their writing, focus on diverse experiences with neurodivergence (and making neurodivergence part of someone's identity, what makes them special versus a disorder!), and here a strong focus on inclusive queer relationships. Eddings' books always sing with joy even as they dive into the challenges of neurodiversity and mental health struggles; the characters feel real and their experiences capture real world experiences with identity, family, and growing into one's identity.

Late Bloomer is spicy sapphic romance but it's also a story of creativity and identity, of finding out what passions are and how to pursue them, and a story of love and grief and family/found family. I loved Opal's spirit, her openness to taking risks and to making her life and dreams her own; Pepper's journey to process her grief, her past relationship with her mother, and her love for Thistle and Bloom were written with an authentic caring voice. The secondary characters with Opal's loving sisters and Pepper's genuine friends were really well developed too, adding a richness to themes on family and found family that added depth to the story. I have to admit as well that I loved the setting, a flower farm as a business but also a place of creativity and artistry, I really wanted to be there on the farm with Opal's painting and help Pepper care for her blooms.

A note, this is really well done on audiobook, I read some of the book and listened to some, the voice acting really made the two main characters stand out!

a sapphic romance! from the lovely mazey eddings nonetheless 🤭 I was so excited to receive the arc of this and quite enjoyed it. However, there was still something i felt was lacking in this story, whether that was chemistry between our two leads or it simply could have been the story and plot line itself. it was good, but i feel like i kept waiting for it to be great…all in all she was cute and i DID finish it in one go so??

I wanted to love this book. Sadly, I DNFed it at 47%. I thought it was cheesy, cliche and a bit boring. The writing seemed a touch too YA for my tastes. I'm rating it three stars because, while it wasn't the book for me, it could be the perfect book for someone else.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC. And to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC and opportunity to review this book honestly. The cover is something that I am a sucker for. A good cover really does draw you in. As you can see, this is a sapphic romance. It is an easy read, with not a ton of issues between characters. While I expect and enjoy some conflict, I hate for the whole book to be filled with arguing and back and forth.

Who doesn't love flowers?! So, winning money and buying a flower farm seems like a no brainer. Opal packs up and heads to her new dream life. There's just one small problem...someone already lives there. Pepper. So, it looks like they get to be roomies, becuase Opal is far too nice to just kick Pepper out. That isn't easy for anyone, but especially with Pepper being neurotypical (I like to say I'm neurospicy, becuase it can absolutely make you spicy).

So, Pepper can be a bit cranky and wants things done a certain way, and Opal is a little flighty at times. So, there is a small level of conflict that has to be worked through. They end up falling in love, of course. I mean, being in love and owning a flower farm. A sweet, romantic sapphic book. An easy read.

Now, I love puns, memes, and pop-culture references. I absolutely loved it. In a few years, some of that might not hit the same, but that's why you read it now! Go click "Want to Read" now so you can add this one to your TBR pile. I look forward to reading more books by Mazey.

I loved the premise of this book - grumpy/sunshine AND forced proximity revolving around a struggling flower farm?? I also really related to Opal's inclinations toward pleasing people regardless of how hard it makes her life. To the extent that i really wanted to shake her a couple times because I didn't want her to get taken advantage of! I really enjoyed the neurodivergent rep in the book, and I think the dual POV really allowed us understand where both characters were coming from. I think my issue is mostly that miscommunication (or lack of communication) as conflict functions better for me as a reader when I'm only getting one side of it. When i am part of the miscommunication. Opal and Pepper refused to get better at communication through the book, and since i was in both heads, the miscommunication just becomes frustrating for me because it is the main conflict throughout the book. I also like the side characters a lot but could have used more of them, they felt a little one dimensional. There's a lot of sweetness in this book, and watching the two get to stand up for each other and for what they want was really satisfying in the end.

I honestly found this to be a little boring. It’s not a bad book by any means, but I was just wanting a little bit more. I wish that we got to see some better communication between Opal and Pepper before the end. Most of their issues could be led back to little misunderstandings that would have easily been solved. I was also hoping for some more tension between them, especially with them living in the same house. One thing I did enjoy was reading about two neurodivergent characters, but sometimes the chemistry between them was lacking.

I’ve LOVED everything Mazey has ever written…until this one🥲 which makes me SAD! But also not everything can be a win? This might even be a 2.5⭐️

I loove the neurodivergent representation she always has (autism, ADHD in this one), I love that she branched out to write a bi/sapphic romance! But unfortunately that’s where the loves ended…

I often felt bored, the characters were cliched, I couldn’t tell Opal and Pepper’s POVs apart, and I never really cared what was going on so I spaced out a lot🫣 I’m sorry!! I tried!!

I will still shout my loves for the Brush With Love Series till I’m blue in the face though!!!

Late Bloomer is the cutest sapphic, found family romcom!!!! Tired of being walked all over by the people in her life and looking for a fresh start, Opal buys a failing flower farm near Asheville, NC. Much to her surprise, but not her dismay, when she arrives to Thistle & Bloom, the previous owners estranged daughter, Pepper, has conveniently not been informed about the change in ownership. After much debate, Opal and Pepper work out a deal: they will live in the farmhouse together for long enough to compete in a spring flower competition that will, hopefully, provide Pepper with enough money to save Thistle & Bloom and buy it back from Opal. The catch? The forced proximity of their deal might just make it too easy to fall for each other.

Specific Things I loved about Late Bloomer:
- The story is full of fantastic queer rep, not just lesbian and bi rep, but also nonbinary, and unlabeled queer rep.
- Both main characters are neurodivergent.
- The side characters were just as compelling as the main characters and formed the most lovely found family.
- Bonus points for the adorable Harry Styles reference too.
- History of Sappho is prevalent throughout the novel.

Late Bloomer is the perfect sapphic, spring romcom and I couldn’t recommend it more highly!

Review will be shared to my Bookstagram account on Tuesday, March 12th, 2024.

Great narrative, I thought it was well written in dealing with the loss of a close family member and the difficulty that comes with that. The love story between Opal and Pepper was pure and sweet. I really liked the explanation at the end of all of the flowers mentioned and their meanings, nice touch!p

Late Bloomer has cemented itself as one of my all-time fave sapphic romances. The neurodivergent and Autistic representation made me feel so seen. I related so much to Pepper in every way, which is so rare for me in reading characters who are on the spectrum. And the fact that the story was set in North Carolina, specifically Asheville, was so fun because I felt like I was in on a little secret since I was able to recognize so many of the references and could picture the setting so easily. Opal and Pepper's story was so sweet and lovely, the way they connected had me kicking my feet and giggling -- I love them so much and I need a hundred more books about them. This book will be one I read and reread for years to come.

DNF @ 30%

This book is getting a lot of love and I am here for it. The dnf is very much a case of, "it's me, not you". While I love a grumpy/sunshine sapphic romance, the writing in the novel felt young to me. I had to double check to make sure I wasn't reading a Young Adult book, which wouldn't have been a bad scenario, I just typically gravitate towards adult books over YA. The writing also felt possibly a little too quirky? I was getting millennial tumblr levels of quirk from the characters which I found a little off putting and it took me out of the book entirely.

I did appreciate the discussions surrounding grief that I read as well as Opal's attempts to start over in a new city and stand up for herself and her wants.

I would recommend this to readers who enjoyed Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly or Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

This book was not a hit for me and I am devastated by that. This was in my top 5 most anticipated reads for 2024 and once I got the eARC I started it immediately. And then I had to put it down. And then would pick it back up. And take another break again because I just wasn’t all that interested or compelled to keep reading.

There is much to love about the premise, the neurodivergence rep particularly adults with autism, the most gorgeous cover! I still don’t regret preordering this because at least it’ll look so good on my shelves and I do enjoy others by this author.

The first 25-30% is all logistical. It’s all the setup to get opal and pepper in the same vicinity and it was just words on a page for me. It would be one thing if I felt like I was actually getting to know Opal better as a part of this process but not really.

Pepper immediately assumes the worst of Opal for no discernible reason. Pepper has been burned in her past so understandably she is wary of letting people in but I’m still not seeing why the extreme hate specifically towards Opal when it’s clear she was somewhat scammed.

Overall I just unfortunately felt like these characters were caricatures in a few ways and forced my way through. I can read and love low angst but I need something with it to not be so bored.

Thank you to SMP for the eARC (but also re: the boycott, release a public statement please)

After falling in love with Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake I put Mazey Edding’s on my TO WATCH author radar and was soooo excited to see Late Bloomer and its gorgeous cover cross my path.

Opal and Pepper… the cutest!

When Opal comes across a large sum of money she chooses to follow her dreams with her art and on a whim purchases a flower farm… Pepper works on the farm and it wasn’t brought to her attention that her late aunts property has been sold. So when people pleasing Opal turns up to move in Pepper is taken a back and has no family or place to go. She lives and breaths the flower farm and needs it. So what does Opal do but suggest a way for them to both stay. Opal can create her art and Pepper can continue working on the farm with hopes to purchase it back.

I really enjoyed this one. 💯 out there that Opal wouldn’t be like … ugh this is my place now bye… but then we wouldn’t have a book! The characters have a lot of depth to them Pepper grieving and Opal wanting to be that person Pepper can trust to be there. I loved these two and their connection and how it blossomed over time. Very much opposites attract!

My favorite part in romances are the occupations/hobbies/interests and the flower farm and Opals shoe art stole my heart.

Thank you Macmillan Audio 🎧
Releases 4/16

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I've read other Mazey Eddings books which I enjoyed but this one just didn't vibe with me from the beginning.

Both of the main characters felt like caricatures and the constant barrage of shitty characters and situations in both MC's lives mixed with in my opinion a lack of chemistry meant I just never got into the story.

Perfect spring vibes. Loved the ADHD and Autism representation. Forced proximity heaven. Grumpy sunshine. And make it sapphic

I am withholding my review in solidarity with the St. Martin’s Press Boycott. Once the publisher acknowledges the harm it has done and makes reparations, I will gladly give my review and increase my star rating.

Genuinely think I would let these characters do anything they want to me ahhhhhhh this was such a fun romp!

This was a cute sapphic romcom with two neurodivergent leads. Both Opal and Pepper were well-drawn characters who had clear motivations that helped balance some of the wackier elements of the writing. My main gripe would be that the pacing in the second half felt off, both with the relationship development and the plot around the flower competition as well. Overall, I would reccomemend for people looking for a wlw story with some solid autism rep.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5 stars

Late Bloomer is another quirky, heartwarming romance from Mazey Eddings. The story follows Opal, a naive, lost artist who wins the lottery and can’t handle how it impacts the people around her. She impulsively buys a flower farm, but when she arrives, she meets Pepper…the rightful owner of the farm. The two come to an agreement that involves them living on the farm together. The two couldn’t be more different, but why is there still chemistry between them?

This was a super cute read. It is full of vibes and romance, as well as lovable characters. There is a full cast of fun characters, so I hope Eddings revisits this world.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.