“You deserve a life so peaceful it feels deliciously boring.”

I really love the cover and the synopsis, by which I mean I was expecting a slightly more relaxing extended proximity story but was surprised by what turned out to be a little too much angst for me in the family abandonment and taking advantage of someone financially (the law comes through in the end!)

The conflict at the end also felt a little too drawn-out (in real time, not book time) for how small it seemed (to me), and I also thought it was a missed opportunity that their flower display didn’t pay homage to Pepper’s grandmother and a different kind of love.

With that said, I did enjoy the parts of the book that were more what I was expecting — unexpected roommates, a bit of art and working on the flower farm — but I think I just wanted more of it and there were certain parts of the story that stressed me out more than I think they were supposed to and I couldn’t let them go! The writing was great though, the steaminess and intimacy was top tier, and there were a few quotes that I even saved because they made me think or resonated with me.

From the moment I saw Late Bloomer's title on Twitter, I knew I had to read it. And sure enough, it was exactly the warm, safe, healing sort of book I needed. I related to both Opal and Pepper in many ways, from Opal's compulsive people pleasing to Pepper's intense trust issues. The Thistle and Bloom sounds like my own personal heaven, and I would pay literal money to be part of Opal and Pepper's friend group. The romantic pacing was fantastic, particularly because it wasn't linear. Opal and Pepper hookup, then they get awkward around each other. Opal and Pepper admit they have feelings for each other, and then they both start second-guessing the other's feelings. They dance around their love for each other because they're terrified of getting hurt, which is...so real, and it all makes the ending that much more satisfying (plus, the ending wonderfully showcases both Opal and Pepper's character development). Overall, for me this book was exactly right, and I'm thrilled to say I finished reading (devouring?) my first sapphic love story on Valentine's Day. I will be recommending this to ALL my friends.

i will not be rating or reviewing outside of netgalley as long as st. martin's press is still under boycott.

Ladys and gentleman, Mazey eddings.
This book is just another reason why i love her. I absolutely loved the cottage core, girlish, and charming vibe this book contained. I am very appreciative of the representation of Autism and the LGBTQIA+ community. As someone who is both bi=sexual and Autistic i felt very heard and understood. I cant tell you how many times i had to sit and reread a paragraph because i felt so understood. Each of the characters are so much fun and well written. I enjoyed every single one. Opal and Pepper will have my heart forever. They fit so perfectly together. It really warmed my heart watching their love bloom throughout the entire book I was always so excited to sit down and read about them. The spice between them was amazing. It doesn't just happen just because. I felt like it was happening in order to help the plot and cause more emotional chaos for the characters.
I really really deeply connected with Pepper. Even down to her awful mother. I cried because i know exactly how Pepper feels. Its been a minute since iv deeply connected with a character and well...this is the one. Pepper being autistic really hit me. I loved that i understood that her routine being thrown off was causing chaos. I understood her confusion, anger, sadness. It was fun to watch her figure herself out and her feelings for Opal through the story. The representation was really nice. I dont come across alot of autistic representation that shows the reality of autism in a daily sense in books so this was greatly appreciated.
Opal. Opal is so funny. I loved her quick wit and snarky responses. She is such a bright spot in this book. She is Peppers other half. She is so optimistic and carries a wild child vibe. I loved her bright hair and go get it attitude. She does everything from her heart and its so sweet. She is so loving and caring. She 100% falls first even though she isn't suppose to. I would be lying if i wasn't cheering on the characters. I wanted them to fall in love and be together.
Mazey Eddings is very thorough with her writing and her world building is incredible. I felt like i was in the flower fields along side Pepper and Opal. I think its safe to say ill read just about anything Mazey Eddings writes. Trust me. You are going to want to read this book. Its perfect. Through and through. This will probably be a new comfort read for me.
Thank you St. Martins Press and Mazey Eddings for an e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.

With a cover and description like this, I REALLY wanted to love this book. However, unfortunately, I could not finish it. I made it through 60% and found myself DREADING picking up my kindle. Nothing about the story ever really drew me in, the big plot points felt extremely rushed and there was an odd amount of details added to inconsequential pieces of the story. I was bored after the initial plot points of Opal winning the lottery, her obtaining the farm, and her meeting pepper. I feel like these major plot points were SO SO rushed and happened inorganically throughout the text. Furthermore, I feel like too many irrelevant characters were introduced in great detail with almost as much dialogue as the main characters. Once the major conflict of Pepper wanting the farm was introduced I was not intrigued. I feel like a conflict outside of the two major characters should have been at play, bringing them together in a more authentic way. I also felt like the main characters inner monologues were inconsistent and blended together. I was excited to see neurodivergent, ADHD, and autism representation but I don’t think it really landed. With the hallmark-esque plotline I was expecting a slow burn, forced proximity romance, but found a clunky strangers to lovers, who still don’t know a lot about each other romance which was uncomfortable. The entire romance was based solely on their physical attraction to each other, their romance had no depth, they barely had any dialogue with each other.

I adore a good grumpy/sunshine rom com, and this one has that in spades. I knew once I read the description and saw the cover, I was going to enjoy reading this book. This is the first book I have read by this author, so I was doubly excited.

Opal is a hot mess. Nothing in her life has gone the way she has planned: she’s not a successful artist living the high life in the city, and she’s not in a successful relationship. Instead, she’s a dancing ice cream cone constantly being taken advantage of by her friends and ex-boyfriend. Suddenly, everything changes when she wins the lottery. Instead of helping, it makes things worse and Opal has no idea what to do. Then she sees Thistle and Bloom Farms for sale and impulsively buys it. She’s ready for her fresh start, except, Pepper is already living there claiming to be the rightful owner, not Opal. With no choice but to cohabitate, Pepper and Opal have to learn to live together and if some feeling pop up, well, they’ll have to deal with that too.

This was a fun read! I enjoyed the characters and thought the autism representation was well done. Opal’s sisters, Olivia and Ophelia, were particular favorites of mine and I hope they each get their own books soon. I would read those in a heartbeat! While I thought the ending could have been more drawn out, I didn’t see that as a major issue and really enjoyed reading Opal and Pepper’s romance overall!

*rolls my kindle up into a tube and yells real loud into it "This was adorable!!!"

I'd describe it as a cozy f/f romance with spice!

The MC's were everything I wanted them to be. Opal was a hoot and Pepper was just the right amount of grump to balance out Opal's sunshine.

The story starts out with Opal winning the lottery and deciding to find a new fresh start somewhere. She stumbled across a sales ad online for a beautiful flower farm (while knowing nothing about flowers nor farms) but buys it to have a scenic serene place to do her artwork and get away from her old life. But upon arrival, she finds the flower farm occupied by the recently deceased owner's granddaughter, who didn't even know her astranged/schemey mother had sold it. They strike up a deal and the story goes from there.

Don't miss out on the author's notes after the story ends! I was highly entertained by the discussion of possible titles that were thought up for this story as well as the cute little info dive into the various flowers that they grew at the farm and their symbolism.

Solid 4 cozy stars.

It was a nice introduction to this author's work for me and I'm interested in reading what other things she's previously published (looks like a lot of people like them!).

Thank you to NetGalley and Saint Martin's Griffin Press for an advanced copy of this book so that I may share my honest feedback and review.

𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛. 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨. 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙖𝙪𝙙𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙧𝙮. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙨 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥, 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙚. 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚. 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛.

I just loved this super cute romance! 🥰

Opal wins the lottery and decides to buy a flower farm to help inspire her art.

Meanwhile, Pepper has no idea that her mother has up and sold her home out from under her…conundrum!

I really loved the neurodivergent rep in this one, and how they had to learn to understand one another’s uniqueness.

I also loved how cute they were as they started to develop feelings for one another, and we got one of my personal favorite “tropes”: getting “it” out of their systems. 😘

“𝘽𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙩!”

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What this book is giving:
✅ Romantic comedy
✅ Dual POV
✅ Sapphic
✅ Grumpy/Sunshine
✅ Neurodivergent rep
✅ Just gotta get it out of our systems
✅ Flower Farm

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5

4/5

this book was really sweet!! the storyline was really lovely and the romance developed in a way that felt really realistic. it can be tricky for me to get into a romance but this story was really character driven and I believed that they cared for each other. the grief aspect of the story was also really personal and was something that was explored and treated with care. I genuinely felt invested in seeing how their story went and to see how their partnership extended <3

In support of the SMP boycott, I will be withholding my review of this title until SMP speaks out. If the boycott is resolved, I will update with a full review.

I love Mazey Eddings and her mental health and neurodivergent representation that she writes. Opal and Pepper were very sweet and I love unapologetic sapphic love! There were points where this book felt a little slow and dragging for me, it was just hard for me to feel completely drawn into the story at times. But overall super cute and fluffy and funny.

Mazey Edding's Late Bloomer is a heartfelt romance that's so much more than just two people falling in love with each other.

Opal and Pepper, two complete strangers living in a house...find out what happens when they stop being polite and start getting real...The Real World: Ashville.

Ok, jokes aside, I loved the emotion of this book. It really made me connect to the characters and root for them to get their happy endings. But more than that, it felt real (and maybe a little familiar).

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an earc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and netgally for the advanced copy of this incredible book.
Mazey Eddings has been and will continue to be an auto buy author for me. I adore her stories, the characters and the worlds she creates. Her characters are so realistic and amazingly written. I find myself relating to them and feeling so comforted by them. There were so many quotes from Opal that felt like they were spoken to me and I really felt them. It was so incredible to see both characters go through the journeys to discover more about themselves and really grow as people. The flower farm setting was the cutest and I loved learning about different kinds of flowers throughout the book. I loved Opal and Pepper and their group of friends. Such a cute and special story!

"Late Bloomer" is a literary gem that captivated me from start to finish. From its poignant storytelling to its beautifully crafted characters, this book struck a chord deep within me. The author's ability to weave together themes of self-discovery, resilience, and the journey towards personal growth is truly remarkable.

What I loved most about "Late Bloomer" was its authenticity. The characters felt real, flawed yet endearing, and their struggles resonated with me on a profound level. The narrative is rich with emotion, drawing readers into a world where every triumph and setback feels palpable.

One of the standout elements of this book is the way it celebrates the idea of embracing one's uniqueness and finding beauty in imperfection. It's a reminder that life's greatest moments often come when we least expect them, and that it's never too late to pursue our passions and dreams.

Overall, "Late Bloomer" is a masterpiece that left me feeling deeply moved and inspired. It's a must-read for anyone who appreciates heartfelt storytelling and profound insights into the human experience.

This one was adorable!! A slow burn of opposites attract. Opal wins the lottery and decides to buy a flower farm so she can pursue her art. What she doesn’t expect to find is someone living there who doesn’t want to leave, Pepper. Opal talks too much and Pepper is hard to crack. Both are discovering more about them selves on this farm. Growing into themselves hence the late bloomer. This book is cheesy and adorable.

Both of these characters have a form of nurodivergence. I absolutely loved how the author brought that into these characters and showed the struggles people with autism can face when forming new relationships.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Mazey Eddings has done it again. I have been a fan of hers since she first released "A Brush With Love," and I've read all of her books as soon as I possibly can (either preorder or applying for ARCs). No matter how different each story is, I always find myself falling head over heels in love with the book.

Eddings has an incredible voice, and we are all so lucky she became an author. Her characters are so well-rounded I confuse them for spheres. They have their own voices and dreams and fears and character arcs. I love how each couple meshes together in their own unique way. It always feels like meeting Eddings's writing for the first time.

She also writes the healthiest relationships ever. They communicate and support each other. They grow and learn separately and together. This book is a slight dislike to lovers which was so so fun to read. This is Eddings's first sapphic book, but I really hope it isn't the last.

The writing is funny, raw, emotional, honest, vulnerable, swoony, and so many more adjectives. The characters feel real. The romance makes my heart ache with love and longing. If you haven't read anything by Mazey Eddings, WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE???

Long story short, I devoured this book in a day, and I am already waiting for her next release.

This was so cuuute! I love watching these two fall in love and adored watching them fall in love. Such a beautifully written story ❤️

what can I say about this book that hasn't been said yet? I absolutely adored everything about it. It was adorable and the romance was perfect! There is definitely a reason this is one of the biggest releases of the year!

Late bloomer is a sapphic grumpy/sunshine romance set on a flower farm in Asheville. For me, all of those things are green flags, so I had to request this ARC. I’m so glad that it did! This is my second book by Mazey Eddings, and I enjoyed this just as much as the first!

Opal and Pepper had a very cute relationship. Opal is trying to start a new life on the flower farm, while Pepper distrusts Opal’s intentions. The author did a great job with their characterization. I enjoyed reading them become comfortable and vulnerable with each other. I also appreciated how they had very distinct voices in their respective POVs. A lot of dual-perspective, same-sex romance I have read has blended the characters a bit too much, and this one does not make that mistake.

Mazey Eddings is one of the best at writing neurodivergent characters. In this story, Pepper is autistic and Opal is undiagnosed (but implied to have ADHD). I loved how their neurodivergence tied into other aspects of mental health, such as grief, alcoholism, and tricky family dynamics. I was pleasantly surprised with how emotional and relatable these parts of the story were.

I could go into so much detail about this book and what I adore about it, but I want to avoid giving out spoilers.

This one gets a big YES from me, and it will be perfect for its springtime release!

“Late Bloomer” by Mazey Eddings is her first sapphic romance (and hopefully not her last), and it is as beautiful on the inside as the outside (The cover is GORGEOUS). It was cute, fun, quick to read, and based on an adorable but outlandish scenario which is all anyone can ask for in a romance. Opal and Pepper’s chemistry knocked the breath out of me more than once. The way they learn to manage their own insecurities and brain chemistry so they can communicate with tenderness, was spectacular. They complement each other perfectly and I loved seeing them grow so much for the better as they navigate each other in the beginning, start a friendship, and eventual relationship. There is so much love, acceptance, joy and happiness, mingled with the harsh and sucky moments that come with life, that make this story so lovingly realistic and hopeful. I love romance where the characters become better people because of each other. I cannot say enough good things about Mazey Eddings, and what she delivered with this book! Mazey did a fantastic job of spinning a beautiful love story between two neuro-divergent souls! Representation is so important, and this story served just the right amount of humor, romance, and spice. I adored the pop culture references throughout. I enjoyed their assorted friends and family and wouldn’t mind seeing them in future books. I hope that we do get books on both of Opal’s sisters. I absolutely adored them! I love the detailed explanations of flower choices throughout the book and their meaning in the back. I don’t have much knowledge of flower symbolism so I appreciated the explanation and it made so many of the moments in the book even sweeter. I can honestly say, I will not only be re-reading this one again, but I will also be recommending it to just about everyone! Thanks to Mazy Eddings, Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts. I look forward to reading Mazey’s next book.