I've really enjoyed my recent reads from Mazey Eddings, and I was really looking forward to this queer romance from her, but I struggled a bit with this one. I'm trying to wrap my brain around what exactly irked me, but I think it was that it didn't feel like it had much direction.

With Late Bloomer, we get a slow-burn, contemporary romance between a bisexual people-pleaser who is seeking to start over in a small town (classic romance trope!) and a lesbian flower farmer who gets sucked into the the other woman's drama. First of all, YAY for non-neurotypical MCs and some spicy sapphic sex scenes! I will never get bored of those two things, and good on Mazey Eddings for giving the people what they want.

However, despite some really positive aspects of the story, I kept waiting for something to happen other than little misunderstandings and sort of a meandering, directionless plotline. There were some exciting things happening in the background, things that could have given the story more umph, but they seemed to fizzle out before they made me excited. Plus, I had a hard time telling who was "talking" at times- their voices got mixed up in my head.

I applaud Mazey Eddings for this story, but I think she has the ability to write even bigger and better (hopefully queer!) romances.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

I adored everything about this book! I’m on a mission to read more books with LGBTQ characters, and Late Bloomer was a brilliant start to my personal goal.

I relate a lot to Opal. Not with winning the lottery haha, but with her constant need to say “yes” and people please. When she was brave enough to move away from those looking for a handout, I knew I would root for her the entire way! I loved the neurodivergent representation, and the spice was the chef’s kiss 🤌

Sometimes we all need a comfort read, and Late Bloomer provided the HEA along with elevated characters and new perspectives.
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my 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.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about this book initially - it took me a bit to get invested into Opal’s story, as it seemed a little shallow and self-loathing for my tastes at first. But, I needed to see through what was going to happen after the scratch-off ticket, and I’m glad I did. Opal and Pepper’s backgrounds were unique and kept me interested, along with adding some depth to their characters and actions. Though it was kind of clear what the ending was going to be throughout, I was still engaged and excited to read about what transpired between them chapter after chapter. This is my first Mazey Eddings book and I enjoyed it!

Mazey Eddings books are hit or miss for me, but this one was such a lovely read! I was immediately drawn in by the cover and stayed for the neurodivergent rep and sweet romance. The writing also felt smoother and more polished. Something Eddings does really well is use her romances to explore deeper issues--parental neglect, anxiety, PTSD, etc. This story was no different and I love how the characters felt like full, developed people outside of their romantic relationship.

3.25 stars!
First off, thank you netgalley for the ARC :)
Now onto the book itself, this was a cute read! I initially started it a couple months back but then got 20% in and was not feeling it that much so I took a pause. Decided to finally finish it last night and breezed through it. This is a very low stakes, low angst, low conflict book. If that’s what you’re looking for then this book is PERFECT for you. I however like my books to have a lot of tension, angst, and a good amount of conflict (in general not necessarily between the characters). It just fell a lil flat to me and was also pretty cheesy. Sometimes it was fine and really cute but other times I lowkey cringed LMAO. Pepper and Opal are very cutey but personally I just wished I felt a lil bit more!

Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings is a soft and saccharine sweet "unconventional roommates to lovers" story that follows Opal and Pepper in their very honest, very down to earth adult problems. A recent phrase has become popular in online communities called "coming of age but for adults," and Late Bloomer feels like the perfect novel for that explanation as Pepper and Opal both struggle to navigate adult life in a manageable way.

As a reader, it felt nice to see myself in them in that way, on top of navigating adult relationships that go beyond "I like you"/"I like you too." Dealing with issues such as manipulative friends, exes, and parental figures, Late Bloomer explores emotional maturity in the light of wanting to curl up and ignore everything.

It is a warm story, filled with hope and love.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Mazey Eddings for an advance copy!

I would love to give this a full length review . I love and adore this author very much. However, SMP needs to take accountability for the harmful things that were said by an employee. I will still be reading this book and sharing it privately with those who want to read it

This was fantastic! I'm always in want of good sapphic books and this was no exception. It was fluffy and serious at times, but I loved every single page.

A new sapphic contemporary fantasy with great representation of autism and adhd. This novel was very cute and heartwarming, with a grumpy/sunshine type of romance taking place at a flower farm.

There were a lot of elements that I enjoyed--as someone with autism, it was great to have that representation in a story! I related a lot to Pepper and some of her experiences and emotions. Despite some of the heavier topics being explored, I felt like it was a comfy, lovely read. A bonus for me was it wasn't an instalove.

I think some of the characterization was just not for me. I often felt like Opal's reactions to things were cartoonish and over the top. I found it difficult to believe that she could be such a huge pushover while being 100% aware, and narrating, how people were taking advantage of her. Like, girl. Come on. It became a bit repetitive for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sharing this ARC!

Late Bloomer is my very first read by Mazey Eddings, and to be honest, I think I would prefer trying another of her titles compared to this. I tried to give this a fair shot but I don't think this one was for me. Late Bloomer has a lot of great representation and if you're looking for a spicy sapphic story you're in the right place. The plot was believable enough but the characters had too much going on and it felt like there was little to no development.

So so cute! Pepper and Opal were so sweet and all of the side characters were delightful.

I loved the flower farm setting and how different Opal and Pepper were but how well they worked and meshed together.

Mazey is always spot on with the representation!

Late Bloomer is a comfort read with an interesting plot that kept you wanting to read to find out how it all would end up. The MCs were so unique individually, and even though it started out dicey, these two complimented each other. There were a couple heavy topics, but they added that extra layer to the story. Pretty low angst and when the steam came, it was very steamy.

I’ve ready plenty of rom-coms in my life but nothing like this. It was a beautiful experience to read and it really left a lasting impression on me. I loved it from the very beginning and had the time of my life reading the sarcastic/playful banter between the two MC. The humor was weighed perfectly with emotional moments that had me feel something along with Opal and Pepper. I felt a sense of protection of these two women, like I’ll fight anyone that tries to ruin their happiness. What I appreciate the most is the connections I felt with the MCs. With Opal, I’ve been at the point of numbness after a break up and have felt that need to feel something again. With Pepper, the loss of a close family member really hits home for me. I lost my grandpa just last fall and it still hurts knowing he’s gone. I feel Pepper’s pain and it only makes me feel more attached to this book. Opal and Pepper are a beautiful couple and deserve the happiness they get.

This book starts my 2024 reading challenge and I honestly couldn’t have ask for anything better. This book will forever be in my recommendations.

Late Bloomer is a solid entry into the growing options for sapphic fiction readers. In a welcome turn of events for Opal, she wins the lottery off of a scratch off ticket and decides to follow her dreams for once instead of letting others dictate what she should be doing with her life. After buying a flower farm, she moves to rural North Carolina to tap into her creative side. Unfortunately, she encounters Pepper at the property and doesn't have the heart to put her out. Pepper's grandmother owned the farm before her death and she had hopes of inheriting everything and bringing the farm back to it's original beauty. This sets up an awkward situation between the two that leads to a connection neither planned on finding. Overall, Mazey Eddings novel is great for those who are new to romance, sapphic fiction or both. However, I did find that the two main characters did not have very distinct voices and often they read as the same person. Also, the neurodivergent representation was nice to see; however, there were more stereotypes than I would have liked.

i’m submitting the reviews for books by you that I already have, but I will never request another one. In October one of your employees made a horribly racist statement and you have chosen to do nothing about it. People have continuously asked you to say that you don’t stand with what the employee said, and you refuse to. This is not someone who I want to promote ever because you are sending the wrong message. These reviews will not be posted on social media because you don’t deserve the promotion. I hope that all of your authors move to other publishers because you are standing with a genocide. Watch this video for more information https://www.tiktok.com/@vivafalastinleen/video/7288407369313307947?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7211704101519296042

This was perfect and I loved it so much. Opal and Pepper are such a chaotic duo. Opal was always overthinking everything and Pepper was right there to calm her down. It took them a bit to understand each others communication style but once they did, they were truly perfect for each other. It was fun seeing Opal figure out what she’s supposed to do and how she fits in. It was a really cute book.

Thank you to netgalley for this ARC.

This was my second Mazey Eddings book and not my last. I really enjoyed this grumpy sunshine Sapphic story between Opal and Pepper.

Both are in their mid 20's and just trying to figure out their lives. Opal was a delightful ray of sunshine with her many half baked ideas and Pepper was a sweet grump grieving the loss of her grandmother. This story was overall super cute and I loved seeing Opal and Pepper together. My one issue was the third act 10 page pause/breakup due to miscommunication didn't make sense. It seemed to unravel the past 300 pages of character development for no reason. Still I would definitely recommend and want more from this friend group!

i’ve always heard such great things about Mazey Eddings, but never read one of her books before. I’m super glad that this was my first one, because I absolutely loved it and I will definitely be reading more of her work!

I am an absolute sucker for forced proximity so the basis of this book sucked me in from the get-go. I loved seeing them work through their own trauma, as well as helping each other through the other’s, creating a strong foundation for the a beautiful relationship they find in each other. Opal’s sisters and Pepper’s friend group were an amazing cast of characters filled with love, support, and queerness—and a heavy dose of reality check for the two main characters.

I’m not generally a huge fan of the miscommunication trope, but this was so well done, it didn’t feel like a trope at all. As the reader, I fully understood why this miscommunication happened, and it made sense for both their characters and their situation. The resolution was perfect and while it may seem a little deus ex machina to some people, I thought that it was just the right amount of Hallmark movie for both the genre and the storyline.

As I said, this was my first Mazey Eddings read and it will certainly not be my last. I look forward to this book being out in the world so that Eddings’s many fans can enjoy it as much as I have.

Grumpy sunshine is one of my favorite tropes. I can never find any really good sapphic books with this trope. Mazey delivers that along with forced proximity and I could not get enough of it. As someone on the spectrum, I resonated so, so much with Mazey's characters in all her books, and it was just the same here. She delivers so well on neurodivergent love and reinforcing that we are deserving of love. The story that blossoms (pun intended) Opal and Pepper is beautiful and the give and take between them and the banter is great. The spice, lord have mercy, the spice... All in all this book is a solid 5 from me.

Thank you to NetGally for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

4.5 ⭐️’s !!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC opportunity !!

… wow this book was SO GOOD!!! Opal and Pepper’s story just makes me wanna CRY from how pure, emotional and strong it is. words can’t describe MY love for wlw love. it’s unlike any other type of love. 🥺🎀.