DNF @ 22%

sadly, I knew pretty early on that this title wasn't going to work for me. despite previously loving every other mazey book I've read, I struggled with the characters here, especially opal. she mad such frustrating choices and had childish tendencies that stopped being cute after a chapter or two.

The premise of this book was quite intriguing and I was hooked on the story by the first chapter. I loved the autistic and neurodivergent representation in MCs as well as this being a queer romance. The romance itself was just okay for me, and ended up being somewhat forgettable.

Are you kidding me? This is quite possibly everything I wanted and more! This book was so sweet and it hit the spot of my LGBTQ+ reads. I think everyone needs to read this. The title and cover alone is what attracted me but the character development is something that is the driver for recommending this book. Fantastic! I am so unbelievably grateful for the opportunity to read this.

I am such a fan of Eddings' writing and Late Bloomer is not exception. Mazey Eddings has written a sapphic opposites attract that is charming, sweet and full of swoon.

It has the elements that I love about a good romance book. The opposites attract, dislike to love and the funny moments that led them to become roommates and I love how you can see them slowly fall for each other and come to term with their feelings for each other despite being so different. I absolutely love the sunshine and grumpy trope and it works so well with Opal and Pepper. Another thing that I loved about this book was the neurodiverse representation in this book, specially with autism. I am very happy that we are seeing more neurodivergent main characters in romance and I thought mazey did it in a way that felt honest and respectful that made sense with the character.

This book did make me a bit emotional as it discusses topics like grief and learning how to live with that, comforting each other and how you can find hope and be happy. I thought the epilogue was the perfect ending to their story. It was warm, sweet and comforting. I really loved this book and it's set in a flower farm that I think anyone would love.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for this E-ARC, and want to say that all opinions remain my own.

I adored this book. Opal and Pepper had such a fun dynamic, and I love forced proximity! I was attached to both women from the beginning and loved their interactions. I found it refreshing how the women treated the other's neurodivergence, and the scene with the flower was so sweet.

The banter was top-tier and it really added to the story how slowly Pepper warmed to Opal.

This was a beautiful book about seeing eachother's differences and embracing them. It made me want to run out and buy all the author's other books. I will for sure be looking out for future releases by Mazey.

Mazey Eddings knocks it out of the park again with this beautiful sapphic romance! Late bloomer will hit you in all the feels!

As a flower fan, I loved that this took place on a flower farm! I loved the neurodivergent representation and the friendship in this book. Overall, nothing stuck out to me that I need to shout from the rooftops but it was a happy, fun book that I would recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️From publisher St. Martins Press: Winning the lottery has ruined Opal Devlin's life. After quitting her dead-end job where she’d earned minimum wage and even less respect, she’s bombarded by people knocking at her door for a handout. And Opal can’t seem to stop saying yes.

With her tender heart thoroughly abused, Opal decides to protect herself by any means necessary, which to her translates to putting almost all her new money to buying a failing flower farm in North Carolina. She plans to let the flowers live and use the cabin on the property to start her painting business.

But her plans for isolation and self-preservation go hopelessly awry when she finds Pepper Boden is waiting for her at her new farm. Pepper states she’s the rightful owner of Thistle and Bloom Farms, and isn’t moving out. The unlikely pair strike up an agreement of co-habitation, and butt heads at every turn. Can these opposites both live out their dreams and plant roots? Or will their combustible arguing (and growing attraction) burn the whole place down?
**************************

My review: let me say I LOVE Mazey Eddings's last series. I previewed The Plus One about a year ago and it was a fave. Eddings does rom com banter really well. But a bit of it was lost here as both main characters have some social differences (on the spectrum). I LOVE the author's charge in putting two LGBTQ+ characters who also have social challenges at the forefront but it made some of the banter stressful for me as a reader.

Opal is kind and hard working and I felt for her and her desire for true friendship. Pepper is automatically sympathetic as she has lost her grandma and may lose her home. These two women find each other, support each other and need each other.
Overall I enjoyed the book and I cheered on Opal and Pepper and the growth that their relationship allowed each woman. And who doesn't love flowers??

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for my review.

First of all I would like to say that I truly enjoyed this book and thought that multiple points were extremely funny and relatable. The one downside is that the chemistry was sometimes missing for me? But also with two neurodivergent characters I can understand that I may have been missing some context or not have the same experience which made it seem that way.


I will not be publicly talking or rating on public platforms about this book or any others under the St. Martin's Press / Wednesday Books imprint until the BIPOC reading community hears a satisfiable response from your company.

I would like to preface this review by saying I love Mazey Eddings and what she has written in the past. Plus One was one of my favorite books of 2023 and she is always so entertaining. I just finished reading Late Bloomer and I did not enjoy it as much as I have her previous books. I honestly think I was not the right audience for it, so I feel compelled to specify that in my review.

That being said, I do want to talk about the parts of the book I enjoyed.
This story follows to female main characters, who have both been emotionally hurt and taken advantage of, and are trying to find their way in the world. I love the resilience of them both, whether being by pure optimism and joy, like Opal approaches life, or by being guarded and keeping to their inner circle, like Pepper does. I understand their hesitancy in letting others in. I also see the added hurdle of being neurodivergent and what that causes to their own personal challenges. I loved the setting of a flower farm and the freedom to be themselves in that space - where Opal and Pepper could laugh, cry, cuddle, love, and share with each other without being hurt by the outside world or acting like others expect them to.

One of my main challenges with this book was the lack of communication and how difficult it was for both characters to show their fears to the other one, which would have helped so many things. I understand Pepper's walls and it hurt me to see how she treated Opal at the beginning, who had done nothing wrong but end up where she was not well received, by no fault of her own, and feeling like walking on eggshells in her own home. I am glad to see them resolve their issues and loved the epilogue where you can see the healing and how time allowed them to be a healthy version of themselves. All in all, I am glad I read it, and I will continue to support Mazey in her projects. This book I am sure will do fantastic and will really resonate with many, I just don't think I was the correct audience.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

While I have spent a lot of time reading & loving previous titles from St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books, I must side with my BIPOC friends & family members in the current controversy surrounding your marketing team. One of your employees made a negative public statement about people in the BIPOC community. This is someone that regularly works with BIPOC creators on ARC and marketing campaigns. I sure hope this has been dealt with behind the scenes but the reading community is requesting you make a public statement about the situation and how you've moved forward or will be moving forward.

I will not be talking about this book or any others under the St. Martin's Press / Wednesday Books imprint until the BIPOC reading community hears a satisfiable response from your company.

Late Bloomer is a dual POV novel that follows Opal, a neurodivergent chaotic bi mess who has just won the lottery, and Pepper, an autistic flower farmer who loves quiet routine. When a mix up ends with Opal as the owner of Pepper’s farm, a romance begins to bloom.
This is exactly the type of queer, sapphic romance I think the world needs more of. It follows a cohesive plot without too much anxiety and stressful dramatics, but doesn’t shy from exploring deep topics like family abandonment, setting boundaries, and grief. Pepper and Opal are complimentary opposites, and both begin to learn how to grow as better individuals as they come together. I love the neurodivergent rep, and especially related with Pepper. The flower farm setting was fun and offered lots of good metaphors to choose from.
I do wish we had seen more from the side characters, like Opal’s sisters and Pepper’s friends. But the glimpses we do get are fun and full of interesting personalities.
Overall, this book is a wonderful sapphic romance with the perfect amount of drama, and displays a great example of genuine character growth strengthening a relationship.

I am not always in a romance mood. but I AM always in the mood for a sapphic romance! Add in opposites attract, and yes please!

This was my first Mazey Eddings, I actually picked her up on recommendation of a good friend, but it definitely will not be my last.

If you like:
-Angst
-Neurotypical characters
-A little SPICE
-A STUNNING cover
and MORE, be sure to pick this one up!

The plot was cute and quirky. A little long winded and drawn out at times. Overall, so-so and nothing I’d recommend to others.

Loved this! I'm a huge Mazey Eddings fan, and this didn't dissapoint. I love the banter, I love the chemistry, and I especially love the neurodivergent representation.

Late Bloomer promised a tale of new money, a flower farm, and an unlikely romance, but unfortunately, the execution leaves much to be desired. The disappointment starts with the unconvincing connection between Opal and Pepper.

I know there is so much deep love for the grumpy/sunshine trope, but to me it is an easy miss if you do not convince me these characters would actually like each other. Opal and Pepper's interactions lack the authentic charm and depth needed to make this dynamic work. I didn't feel the connection, and honestly, I wasn't vibing with either of them. Opal's people-pleasing got on my nerves real quick, and Pepper was just kinda bland. I wish we could've explored more their evolution so this could've felt satisfying.

And lastly, the pacing. I love romance books where I don't feel like the entire thing consists of a collage between sweet romantic moments, and then the next there is this big miscommunication. One moment, Opal and Pepper are doing the awkward dance around each other, and the next, they're all over each other like- well, flowers.

I think however the representation of neurodiversity in romance, particularly sapphic romance, is needed and important. I will continue rooting for more books like that to be out into the world. But this one missed the mark for me, which is a shame because that cover is pure perfection.

Fair disclaimer that I DNF'd this book at 88% in because I already knew how it was about to end and I honestly wanted much more.

Mazey Eddings' just so very, very talented and does an incredible job giving us rich, full bodied characters and swoony build ups. I love Opal and Pepper so much. I felt like they are much younger than their stated ages but it totally works with the idea/title of "Late Bloomers' and I can easily project forward their story in my mind, how they will truly grow up together. The level of conflict is perfect and even the misunderstandings are understandable with these two. I enjoyed the Asheville setting and the uniqueness that a flower farm brings to the table. I would recommend to any patron who wants something swoony and is down for a sapphic romance (there is some hot scenes in there, which were sublime).
Thanks so much for the ARC!

Mazey Eddings became my queen with "Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake". When I saw the cover of this one, it was an IMMEDIATE request and pre-order. But nothing could have prepared me for how much I would absolutely adore this book. A sapphic, beautiful, dynamic story with so much heart.

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for a copy of this arc ebook!

WOW! I will be thinking about this book for a long time. Late Bloomer is an opposite-attracts, sapphic romance. It was lighthearted, fast paced (sometimes felt too much so), fun, easy read.

Opal is a self-diagnosed artistic neurodivergent lottery winner and the now proud owner of Thistle and Bloom Farms.
Pepper is an autistic flower farmer who just lost her grandmother and ownership of Thistle and Bloom Farms.

I enjoyed how Mazey Endings navigated mental health and the complex relationships and communication of two people who have a hard time understanding each other. I absolutely loved the side characters in this, I thought they added to the dimension of the story and character development. I hope we get to see more of Opal's sisters!

This story held a lot of pop culture references that made me laugh and swoon.

Overall I absolutely enjoyed it!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

This book is super cute. The premise is great for a rom-com and the representation in this novel was well done.

My biggest issue with this book is just the overall writing style. While it works well today, to me the way it is written will date the book very quickly.

I would recommend this book, it was super cute!