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!

1.5

Setting: North Carolina
Rep: bisexual protagonist with ADHD; queer autistic protagonist

I made it to 90% but realized I didn't care what happened with the story or the characters. They have no chemistry, the writing is bland, and I just can't bring myself to care. The characters are too similar in their POVs and their actions/reactions etc make NO sense at all.

I think maybe this author isn't for me. I read A Brush With Love when it came out and I thought it was ok, but it wasn't my favorite. But I went into this really hopeful because literally everything about the concept sounded amazing to me- and don't even get me started on the cover! That being said, I honestly didn't understand the connection between Opal and Pepper at all. (I didn't much like either of them either if I'm being honest.) There's just not much leading up to their first hookup at all. And also, the way everyone treats Opal when she arrives with the deed to the house (or whatever it is) as if she's the bad guy really wasn't great. Like, as far as they knew, legally she owned that house and could have kicked Pepper out but she went out of her way to make sure Pepper was comfortable and she took up as little space as possible.

Idk, I feel bad giving it a lower rating but despite the great premise, I just didn't really enjoy this. Obviously by the many high reviews, this is a book that many people like, so I'm going to chalk it up to this author not being for me and move on.

Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings
Release Date: 4/16/24
Format: ebook
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Me? Giving Mazey 5 stars? Who is surprised here! Late Bloomer is yet another book of vulnerability and perfection from the Queen of romcoms with neurodivergent representation and this time it’s sapphic!

Whew. These characters are so damn lovable. Pepper Anne (is this a nod to the cartoon bc I truly hope so) and Opal are both absolute messes in the most delightful way. Watching them open up with one another and learn to trust was such a treat.

The chemistry? Amazing. The thought and care Eddings put into not only character development but also all the flowers she chose throughout? Outstanding. And the humor woven throughout a book that is absolutely going to tug on your heart strings is perfectly placed.

And ohhhhh we’ve all had a Laney and a Miles and I loved to hate them. Every character was written so well!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. This one is our in April and you’re not going to want to miss it!

2/5 ⭐️ 1/5🌶️
This book was in my opinion all over the place in terms of plot . The pace was off and at times painful to try to get through . Pepper annoyed me. I thought it was weird she got the property off Facebook marketplace. The only redeeming things for this book was that I liked the romance between the characters at times and the fact that it was showing neurodivergent characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the free arc in exchange for an honest review.

Eddings does it again! I’ll read anything she writes. And wow, this cover is stunning!!! Low angst, sapphic romance, set on a flower farm, sold! I loved the characters, the neurodivergent representation, the setting, and the steam! 5/5 stars
A big thanks to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received the ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NegGalley.

I really enjoyed the neurodivergent representation in this book. There were several passages I read aloud because they captured how my autistic mind worked so beautifully. To see characters who think like I do fall in love was wonderful.

As for the plot, I did find it to be a little too slow at times. It’s a perfect low-angst book, but I prefer a little more drama.

Overall, 4.25/5, and would recommend.

Mazey Eddings and I go together like peanut butter and jelly, if she writes it, I’m going to read it. If she even thinks it, I’m already signing up for it. So when this queer romance was announced I was all over it. But also, that cover bait helped quite a bit, too.

This was a solid read for me. There were absolutely parts that I loved, some I liked, and others I just wanted to be changed up a bit and it would have been perfect. It was a sweet, fun, and believable read that had my heart melting the entire time. If you need a sweet, sensual and quirky read this one is definitely worth it.

I really loved how understanding and accepting Opal and Pepper were of each other. And how the neurodivergent hurdles were really what they both needed to work through. Just add in that they both supported each other through these hurdles, learning to cope and approach situations, and really allow themselves to open up to the word was absolutely breathtaking. The love they had for each other, the thoughtfulness, it made my heart grow three sizes and I wasn’t prepared for that.

My biggest struggles with this read were how, and when, the two resolutions with the antagonists seemed out of no where and misplaced. I understood their purpose as a whole, but the placement and approach just felt off.

All that said, Mazey did it again y’all.

I keep picking up free ARCs on NetGalley, but it's so rare when I find something good. Obviously, this one wasn't something good.

I really didn't like the romance. Opal's people-pleasing was very annoying to me. Her bending over backwards for everyone in the book got so obnoxious, especially because she constantly tells us, the reader, she's one but she can't stop cuz her heart's too soft. Like, there's self awareness, but it becomes to tediously repetitive when Opal keeps doing it until her big catharsis at the end. Plus, her overly bubbly personality was too sweet for me. I found myself liking Pepper a little bit more, but she still was kinda stale and one note. Other than that, I didn't really feel anything. In fact, I could care less about any character in the whole book.

I know it's the grump/sunshine trope, but I hate it when the romance leans too heavily on both ends of the extreme. The forced proximity has always been weird to me, too. The majority of the book is Opal and Pepper interacting, as all romances tend to go, but they felt forced. The chemistry was so off, and nothing about their conversations suggested these characters had any depth I could grasp on to.

Besides the romance, the writing wasn't much better, either. The pacing was all over the place. From the sheer amount of time spent of Opal and Pepper circling around each other to them suddenly having sex, the speed of which things were taken were too slow and too fast all at once. It gave me so much whiplash.

Overall, I'm disappointed in this one. I hope this is Eddings' only dud, because I also have her latest YA neurodivergent romance to read, as well. I so badly want to like/have good neurodivergence representation and romance, but I don't know if I'll be getting it from Eddings.

I wish sapphic romance books were more accessible when I was a teenager and young adult. I only had Tatu songs to satisfy that desire for love stories (real or imagined) between girls/women.
I think I would have enjoyed this book a lot more then.

What I liked:
• whimsical premise: one heroine wins the lottery and decides to follow her dream of making art, the other lives on a flower farm.
• a nice development of the story
• love scenes are written well
• descriptions of the family and chosen family are nice and add to the feeling of the story
• the characters are neurodivergent
• this cover!

What I didn’t care for:
• how angsty do the heroines really need to be? I get the part of getting us through the thinking process of a neurodivergent person, but it was a bit much a times. And did they both have to deal with this? I know we are all a little spicy in our own right, but it just felt a bit like an overkill.
• who buys a property on Facebook marketplace?!
• Opal goes from a shy person who doubts her every step to a confident seductress and back. Good for her but I got a whiplash.
• Opal makes some self deprecating jokes and comments that made me feeling not great.
• Pepper can be really annoying.

It wasn’t my cup of tea at this point in life but I do think I would have loved it 15 years ago.

Thank you for the ARC, NetGalley!

Loved this! It took me a bit to like Opal but she did grow on me. The story is cutesy and a breath of fresh air in terms of my mood reading lately. I loved the Jeff Goldblum and Taylor Swift references, truly feels like a book I’d write, to be honest.

Now I just feel like I’m lumping all sapphics in the same box but honestly, Taylor and Jeff are *chefs kiss*. Anyway, overall the book made me happy and that’s always a great takeaway. There is neurodivergence/autism rep in here and I loved reading that as something that is blatantly discussed in a non-negative way. I want a T-shirt that says ask me about my special interest too :)