This is such a beautiful rom-com! It's a dual POV slow-burn sexy book about two women who are thrown together in a pretty bonkers situation (Lottery winnings! Buying a house without visiting it! Oops, someone else lives there still!)

Opal is a bisexual who just freed herself from a terrible relationship with a man who starts sleeping with her sort-of best friend. She then wins $500,000 from a scratch card (what a twist!) and buys a flower farm to get a fresh start on life. One hiccup - when she arrives at the farm, Pepper, who runs the farm, has no idea it's been sold. Pepper is a sweet, but slightly grumpy, lesbian late bloomer and right away - the sparks fly!

LATE BLOOMER is a sweet, lighthearted novel about how two people can find love in unexpected places and that it's never to late to open up to someone you want to trust. Also, very very spicy!

At it's core, Late Bloomer is a low stakes, low conflict, spicy romance. Both Opal and Pepper are untrusting due to their pasts. But it doesn't stop either of them from falling for one another. The cast of characters is eclectic and very diverse. It's a fun read if you need something lighthearted to read. It's described as a slow burn, but I feel like it was more of the characters couldn't decide if the other liked them enough to commit.
It may have been a little too low stakes for me. The threat of losing the farm is big but I feel like it didn't hold enough weight in the end. I did enjoy that both Opal and Pepper stood up to the people who pushed them around in the end. I liked the closure for both of them.

Loved this sapphic read! It’s so hard to find queer romance that has such deep stories that are also fun. This toed the line perfectly.

4.5. Gloriously queer and gloriously sweet worn some really cool aspects! I loved Pepper so much and Opal was great too.Thanks for the arc! I really liked it.

I love Mazey’s books. Every book of hers are always such a pleasure to read and I always enjoy myself when reading this. This was an adorable queer story and the cover of the book is just stunning. Seriously amazing read !

This was a sweet sapphic romance between two flawed but empathetic protagonists as they found their way to better understandings of themselves through love. I wish there had been more on-page time for both Opal and Pepper with the other important people in their lives, to get a better sense of them outside of the context of each other, but overall it was a really fun read. I'd love to read a romance about Ophelia or Olivia in the future.

The Thistle and Bloom, a perfect backdrop for this story.
We follow Opal, an artist struggling to find a new start and Pepper, a mourning horticulturist who just lost the place that means the most to her. Although opposites in all accounts, both are drawn to each other.

This was a great love story of characters finding themselves and each other. This was a nice slow burn romance that was a comfort read. I enjoyed the story overall. I would love to have had some extra drama in the flower competition, a little added spice!
Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for allowing me to provide an honest review for this ARC.

First Mazey Eddings book and I loved it! The dislike between the MCs Pepper and Opal was well written and there were many hilarious moments because of their forced roommate situation.

Would recommend this cute Sapphic Romance

I'll just say that it was such a relief to read a romance where I was actually rooting for both characters... Lately, the romance genre has been dead for me and I was at my breaking point. There's only so many stories I can read where white men save the day. Which is why this may have been my first WLW book, but it definitely won't be my last.

Late Bloomers by Mazey Eddings is a heartwarming sapphic romance. This cute, low-stakes love story is the perfect companion for a cozy reading weekend. The forced roommate situation was chef’s kiss and there were some seriously hilarious moments. Eddings' writing style effortlessly draws you into the characters' world, making it a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I wholeheartedly recommend Late Bloomers for anyone seeking a light, feel-good read that leaves you with a smile.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy!

I did not love this book as much as I thought I would. I will definitely give it a reread when the audiobook becomes available. I just feel like I was missing that everyone loved about the book.  This book is a slowburn which I genuinely love but I feel like it just did not work with our two main characters. I felt that the misunderstandings that continued to happen were just not important so they annoyed me a little bit. I would recommend this to anyone who loves romance, slowburn, and queer characters. At this time I just feel like it was not the book for me. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher  for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book, however, as delightful as this book sounded, it was not for me. I had a hard time getting past the writing style and the voice for the characters. It seemed like the author was trying to be “quirky” and low key “not like the other girls.” I personally am a people pleaser who is learning to say no but Opal takes it way too far and I just can’t stick with her at all. She’s to the point she’s unlikable. The other characters also seem one dimensional and flat. The dimensions fill in the main characters opal and pepper too much. The characters are too much for themselves, the story, and the reader. I think the idea behind the book is really interesting. It gives me a hallmark movie kinda vibe which is really nice. I just wish it were executed better.

Mazey Eddings can do no wrong. She has a fresh voice, and I have loved every book she has written. And I've had the fortune to meet her and she's as nice as you think she would be.

In Late Bloomer, I absolutely fell in love with Opal and Pepper. I love a grumpy/sunshine trope and forced roommates? c'mon! I also love the neurodiversity representation in this novel. I love how Opal seems to fly by the seat of her pants, like she bought a flower farm on craigslist? Amazing. I would never do that, so it's always fun to read characters that are the opposite of me. Loved the angst between Opal and Pepper, Mazey knocked it out of the park with this one.

4.75 stars rounded up!! The only reason why I couldn’t give this 5 stars is because there was a lot of miscommunication which was part of the personalities of the main characters. However, at the end they suddenly knew how to communicate perfectly and I felt like I’d been thrown for a loop.
Otherwise, I feel in love with this book. It was artistic, poetic, and I could tell so much thought went into crafting this story. I loved the setting because of my own relationship to Western, NC. The setting was made even better by the flower farm setting and all the visuals that were written. I actually felt like this story was a sensory experience down to the heartwarming personalities of the main characters. There was great humor built into their inner dialogue and their banter. What a refreshing, sapphic story was strong neurodivergent representation!

I've heard wonderful things about Mazey Edding's books and now I get it, I'll definitely be diving into the rest of her work this year.
First of all, the writing in this was perfect for me. I absolutely adored the descriptions of all the flowers at the farm and the atmosphere was perfect.
I really loved Opal. Her sense of humor and mine are the same and loved seeing her take an unconventional life path and make it. There's a part where she really goes up to bat for Pepper and it made me realize how little dreamy sapphic characters there are. In true sapphic fashion, the romance in this was poetic and emotional. Opal and Pepper's banter was incredible and Mazey Eddings did a great job at showing the progression of their growing feelings in a way that felt organic. I also felt like the conflicts in this were believable, which is kind of funny since this is about a girl that wins the lottery and buys a flower farm, but I digress.

I am currently supporting the boycott against St. Martin’s Press until they respond to influencer’s concerns about safety, inequality, systemic issues at hand and also meet the demands of the boycott. I am looking forward to leaving an updated review for this book once the demands are met ❤️

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Late Bloomer is the first title I’ve read by Mazey Eddings and it didn’t disappoint. If you’re looking for a sweet sexy sapphic romance low on angst but high on quirky neurodivergent main characters in Opal and Pepper, this book is for you.

I enjoyed the alternating points of view and rooted for both women to overcome their differences and find love in each other.

I will admit the start was a little slow and honestly, both Opal and Pepper annoyed the hell out of me at the beginning, but I stuck with it and I’m glad to have followed their journey.

I’m off to read more by Mazey Eddings, and I hope you will too.

"𝐅*𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐀 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐲. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥.”

This is my second book by Mazey Eddings (I read Tilly in Technicolor first - also loved) and I think she's quickly becoming an auto buy author for me. And now we have Sapphic love on a flower farm!! Sign me up.

Opal has ADHD and she's everything! She's impulsive and loud and bright and funny and creative and all self deprocating. She's plagued by being a full blown people pleaser who lets others walk all over her and never stands up for herself. She finds herself winning the lottery when a fair weather friend randomly gives her a scratch off for her birthday.

With the money she decides to buy a flower farm, and there she plans to start a new life, make a business out of her art, and have a happy life.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐈 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐲. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞.

Pepper, Opal's polar opporiste, is autistic and pessimistic and quiet and reserved and orderly and is living in said flower farm when Opal arrives. The farm she grew up in. The farm that should be hers. The farm that is no longer profitable and falling apart.

Opal, never the one to ruffle feathers, agrees to let Pepper stay while they work things out.

Together they enter into a fragile arrangement, and when one of Pepper's friends suggest they enter this flower art competition for money to save the farm Opal jumps at the chance to use her talents and help.

I was struck with how these two opposites learn to work together, and live together, and eventually fall into each other. Opal is our pusher. She craves people's approval, so she works overtime to make Pepper like her. Pepper is used to her quiet life, and having Opal is like inviting a hurricane into her life and she's drawn to her anyway.

This book is equal parts learning how to navigate a world and communicate with someone completely different than you as well as a book on grief and moving on. It's tender and compassionate and beautiful and sexy and reading about these characters that just truly needed each other to be their whole selves was so perfect.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭—𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡, 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐬, 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞—𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞, 𝐎𝐩𝐚𝐥’𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐇𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭.

All the stars. I can't wait until this one comes out.

I received this ARC from NetGalley to read and review. All of the statements above are mine.

I adored Late Bloomer! The cover and title alone are so fun but the text was such a delight. The autistic and neurodivergent rep was also a lovely surprise, and the sunshine versus grumpy main characters Opal and Pepper were too cute.

Opal and Pepper’s initial dislike for each other wasn’t overtly cruel, and as a reader it was fun to watch their banter turn into love. Their push and pull was just the right amount to keep me invested in their relationship as they went from fuck buddies to friends to much more. Sometimes a light (and spicy!) read is what anyone needs, or at least I do, so I cherished this one, and will likely pick it back up when I need something cute to lift my spirits.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will be withholding all reviews and promotion for St. Martin's Press titles and their imprints until the publisher addresses the concerns of BIPOC and Muslim creators who are being stalked, harassed and feel unsafe due to the actions of a racist employee.