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. 🥺🎀.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC :)

Late Bloomer is a sapphic romance which follows two neurodivergent women as they navigate the unexpected. This story features an opposites attract slow burn romance with a hint of grumpy x sunshine. One thing that makes this book really unique is that it not only features two neurodivergent main characters, each with their own POVs, but also autistic representation that I have yet to encounter in other books I’ve read. I really enjoyed this cute little story and think this will be a go-to comfort read in the future.

Thank you to netgalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for allowing me to read Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings. The characters in this book were so well developed and easy to love.

Opal Devlin gives too much of herself and gets taken advantage of – regularly, especially by her “best friend.” However, when she wins the lottery (and wins big) she decides it's time for change and (in a sketchy manner) buys a flower farm. Once she gets to the farm, she meets Pepper, a girl similar in age who is living there … because the farm was her late grandmothers. Pepper, now having nowhere to go and shocked by the news the place was sold, is even more surprised when Opal offers to let her continue to stay there. Pepper is not used to kindness, especially from a stranger, so Opal throws her off balance and does it often. But as time grows, so do feelings and their attraction for each other.


So often when I read books, I just feel like I’m reading words but never when it comes to any of Mazey’s works, instead I feel like a fly on the wall experiencing everything firsthand. Mazey is one of the realest authors also because her characters are real – unshaved and feeling not so fresh? FINALLY, SOMEONE TALKS ABOUT IT. The characters are so raw and relatable in their neurodivergent ways. The storyline was sweet and felt like a warm spring morning.

Soooo ... how have I missed Mazey Eddings? I see that Late Bloomer will be published in April 2024. I was lucky enough to read it in December 2023, and I'll go out on a limb and say that it will be hard to beat as the best sapphic fiction read of the year.

I loved that this is not a "perfect" couple with witty banter and Insta-worthy lives. I loved all the descriptions of the flowers. Honestly I've never read anything like this.

Asheville NC is my dream retirement location. Just big enough, just small enough, warm enough, cold enough. If only I could win the lottery like Opal.

Loved the two main characters and rep in this book! The flowers were so much fun and Mazey's writing is amazing!

Mazey's characters are approachable and earnest and her writing is lovely, sexy, and easy to immerse myself in.

I love living in a world where we have all the sapphic books at our fingertips, and such a varied range as well.

I never know what to expect when I try new authors, but I was not disappointed by starting Late Bloomer. It's a refreshing take on a plot I've seen before and I'd argue the best I've ever seen do it,

The contrasting characters, forced proximity and a connection you can see sparking from the first meeting all kept me reading well into the night.

This is a sweet, queer love story set on a flower farm. One character is bi and the other explores their queerness settling on their queerness as on the multi-attraction spectrum.

The writing felt like it told more than showed. There were passages that felt overly stated to share a moral or advance the plot. While there isn't instalove, there are a few too many hard-to-believe circumstances.

Both characters are neurodivergent, and I appreciated how that was a represented and how each character finds understanding, acceptance, and love in the other because of their whole selves, including their neurodivergence.

The spice factor was also a plus! The found queer community and family was cozy.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy.

CN: parental abandonment, neglect, death of a parent figure

Mazey Eddings created such dynamic, delightful characters, and in Late Bloomer we see her tackle queer characters in thoughtful, adorable ways. Pepper and Opal are an opposites attract combo—artist, head in the clouds, pixie dream girl Opal meets gruff around the edges, guard your heart at all costs Pepper. When Opal wins the lottery and buys a flower farm in Asheville off Facebook Marketplace, she has no idea that it is already occupied by someone who very much does not want to sell. This book was a run roomies to more book, and while it didn’t hit the same as Eddings others books for me, I still enjoyed the book and will recommend to others. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC and thanks to Eddings for doing the pining thing so dang well.

There aren’t enough sapphic romances for me, so finding this was perfect. With a neurodivergrent and queer rep, this book meant a lot to me. While one woman is discovering her sexual identity, the other is simply discovering herself, and it’s AMAZING. I felt the struggles from each perspective, and loved the support they offered one another. But also their individual support systems (which merge) was heartwarming.

Sweet, and spicy, if you’re into that (I am), Late Bloomer hit all the right spots for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Late Bloomers is lush with all the colors of the rainbow… or maybe just a really good sapphic romance about two women trying to navigate the complexities of living on a dying flower farm together and questionable real estate sales? Mazey Eddings has created a cozy, warm story about two women with the best names — Opal and Pepper — trying to each find their way and finding each other on that journey. There’s lots of wonderful supporting queer friends amongst the group and a whole lot of flower picking in these pages. This was low stress, quiet, and one of my favorite Mazey Eddings entries to date. (Also I’m obsessed with the cover). For anyone looking for a gentle sapphic romance, pick this up! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early review copy, all opinions are my own.

as st Martin’s press remain silent on the blatant racism allegations they have been under for months now and as myself a woman of color, I will not review and promote this book until accountability is taken, even if I nicely received an advanced copy. books are political no matter what has been said

If you’re looking for a light hearted, funny at times, romance this is it.

We have two POVs, Opal and Pepper. Without spoiling anything Opal wins the lottery and buys the flower farm Pepper lives on, and it’s legal but not on the up and up. They end up staying there together.

It’s a struggle at first but they find a groove in living and working together.

Personally I prefer a little more conflict, or angst, that makes the romance overcome some obstacles. There are some here but slight.. that said it’s a feel good read and if that’s what you’re after than I recommend.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martins Press for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Late Bloomer was such an amazing read! The vibes of this book were so fun and cozy. The queer and neurodivergent representation was amazing! I recommend this book to anyone who likes reading about queer stories! The people in this book felt so real and the number of Taylor swift mentions had me screaming (I am a big whore for folklore). I also enjoyed learning more about lesbian history and as a literal lesbian I am ashamed I didn’t know some of these preferences sooner :)

Late Bloomer is different from Eddings' other books and I wasn't sure that I was going to like it, but I should've known I would! This is a great love story between two dynamic characters.