This book was the breath of fresh air I didn't know I needed. My first full WLW romance did not disappoint. I'll even forgive the overwhelming amount of flower puns because the writing was just too good.

Our story opens with Opal, a woman down on her luck who just so happens to win the lottery. Like we all would, I'm sure, she decides to spend her newfound chunk of change on a failing flower farm. I just love relatable protagonists.

Questionable financial decisions aside, this book was really cute. Opal meets Piper, the hardworking and autistic occupant of said flower farm. While the two don't initially hit it off, what started as thorny exchanges blossoms into something beautiful between the two. (Please forgive me for the puns, I do hate myself)

I loved the representation of autism through Piper's character and felt like the neurodivergence was handled well. Opal is the people-pleasing bisexual queen that I never knew I needed. Truly magical.

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.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

This book was an absolute delight!!! I’m new to Mazey Eddings’ writing but I immediately fell in love with the characters, the setting, and the story (and can we talk about that cover!!). Opal is such a great MC, she’s the perfect balance of bubbly sunshine without being over the top. She’s chaotic and messy but a ray of light in a tough situation and I felt myself rooting for her the whole time.
I saw myself in Pepper a lot; her challenges around grief were beautifully handled and her need to prove herself in spite of her upbringing was so heartwarming.
The setting as a flower farm worked so well and made such a delightful backdrop to this sweet story. Everything about this was delightful and I can’t wait to nab a physical copy when it hits shelves in April.
Big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I wasn't sure what to expect from Late Bloomer, and like many books, I went in completely blind. Opal is chaotic and eccentric and a lot of fun on the page. There were a few times early on where I was cringing with some of her impulsive decisions and actions. Then we are introduced to Pepper, who is her polar opposite, the grumpy to Opal's sunshine, she is running a struggling flower farm. These two are unlikely partners but balance each other out perfectly. This book was funny and clever and had some great banter! The romance was beautiful and there was on the page spice that was fire! This is my first time reading a book by Mazey Eddings and I will definitely read another.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and voluntarily give my honest review.

4 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this book! it did take me about 20% in before I really got hooked, I was more just upset for Opal & wanted to hurt people for her. Opal & Pepper were such perfect compliments for each other. they brought out different sides of each other while also helped them realize the way they were is perfect also. Pepper brought out the stronger side of Opal while Opal brought out a soft less abrasive side of Pepper. but not in a bad way, they just truly complimented each others characters so well. I love watching them grow as characters & grow with each other. they were both such good & sweet characters.

the only thing I wasn’t a huge fan of was the more modern sayings / phrases, they just felt out of place to me for this story.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Publication: April 16, 2024

Rating: 3 stars

I love Mazey Eddings' works however, this one would not be my first choice to introduce readers to her. I'm not sure what it was about this book but I struggled to be fully invested. Opal and Pepper lacked connection (think insta-love) and I had a hard time distinguishing who was who. Overall, not her best but perfect for a light fluff read in the Spring time.

Perfect for fans of:
- Dual POV
- Grumpy x sunshine
- Opposites attract
- Neurodivergent MCs
- LGBTQIAP+ rep
- FMC x FMC
- Instalove
- Touched on heavier topics

TW: Loss of a loved one, grief, abandonment of parent (flashbacks)

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an early copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

I liked this book! I thought all the representation was really extensive and (to me) seemed well done. I liked the plot of the book, it felt pretty fresh. The third act conflict was brief which I also appreciated.

I did find the book dragged a bit in the middle and felt kind of bland.

All in all, I enjoyed and would recommend.

✨5/5
I can’t lie, I really REALLY enjoyed this book. Late Bloomer hits the nail on the head for everything I want in a book. They’re queer, awkward, feuding women who are also neurodivergent and are stuck in the same house. It talks about grief in an emotional way, makes you cry, is so very relatable and realistic. Yet this book has the perfect balance of Sweet and Spicy to go along with it. I genuinely didn’t expect this good of Smut from this book, but let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint. And the cover?!? Gorgeous! Opal and Pepper left a lasting impact on me and I genuinely will never stop thinking about them. Their love is one I dream of.

There are so many quotes I would love to write, but I think this one really shows the love-able (and hilarious) characters:

“Hunger takes me go to a dark place.” -Opal
“Yeah, no shit. I’m scared of what will happen if I don’t get a full meal in you in the next ten minutes.” -Pepper
“I’ll make my final metamorphosis into a cuntossaurus Rex and pillage this lovely hotel.” I hold up my limp wrists in front of me, making a roaring sound. -Opal

Late Bloomer is a fun read and has some good discussions about grief and finding value in yourself when you've been treated badly in the past. I was also happy to see the neurodivergent rep in this book. That being said, I felt like the plot outside of the romance between the two main characters wasn't engaging enough for me. It was still enjoyable and I did feel a lot for the characters.

Mazey Eddings is my autobuy author. She hasn’t written anything I haven’t loved. I was so excited to receive this ARC- crying, screaming the whole works. First, look at this cover! It’s gorgeous! The story is a grumpy/sunshine forced roommate rom com set on a flower farm. The explanations of the different flowers was such a nice detail in the story. I laughed out loud throughout the book and felt super emotional throughout the parts that made me feel seen. This was such a beautiful story that wrapped up nicely. Another lovely book from the author!

I am a firm advocate for taking risky leaps, but this story showed the (potentially hilarious) disastrous things that could result from those risks. Opal's lottery winnings didn't create a materialistic, shallow grasper of our main character, but it definitely brought those people out of where they were taking advantage of the loveable duo. In a series of mix ups, Opal and Pepper were thrown together in a way that didn't seem complementary, but it became so as they learned more about one another. This is a sweet story of making the best of situations we find ourselves in - that also tongue-in-cheek feeds the stereotype about lesbians moving in too soon!

hank you netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book!
ugh, i loved this book so much!!! it has been on my tbr since mazey announced this book and it did not disappoint!!
opal and pepper were so real and raw. i loved their individual stories.
as a florist, i absolutely loved the flower farm aspect of this book.
the autism and neurodivergent rep in this book was also so good!!!
if you’re looking for a steamy, emotional, sapphic romance with lovable characters and a cute setting look no further!
absolutely recommend this book!!

I loved this book. It was raw, emotional, and romantic. This bi enemies to lovers, opposites attract romance was so good.

The writing was beautiful and you can’t help but root for Opal and Pepper. I loved the autistic and ADHD Representation and the dual-POV’s too. This book had a great balance between grief, being neurodivergent, dealing with difficult family and friends, and also amazing romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest review!

A really wonderful book! I was pleasantly surprised I would rate this book 3/5 thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book to read.

I've been waiting for this book since Mazey talked about it first and it wasn't even titled Late Bloomer, so yes, to say that I was anticipating it is a big understatement.

Opal and Pepper are the softest girls ever. If you're familiar with Mazey's books, you will know what I mean. Her books are so delicate and just feel so comfy. I've loved all of her books but this one has become a comfort read for me. I always feel more connected to sapphic romances and I felt like both Opal and Pepper were real people. I think this also happened because Mazey's characters are flawed and relatable. Both girls are neurodivergent so it takes them a bit of time to adjust to each other. Opal's character development was a big highlight for me. She's always let everyone step on her just so she can have ''friends'', but in this book she learns to only give her time to the people who love her as much as she loves them. Pepper's development was also great. Facing a toxic parent is a terrible experience and I was so glad when they both confronted Trish!

I don't know if this will be a standalone or Opal's sisters will also have books, but I would LOVE it. Diksha and Tal were amazing characters as well and I loved Diksha so much. I wanted more scenes of her with Opal. Opal deserved a friend like her so bad. Opal and Pepper's romance is adorable, steamy and as mentioned, so soft. I always trust Mazey to deliver the best kind of heartfelt reads.

tw: grief

Rating: 5/5
Steam level: Open door, 4-5 scenes, medium/high level of detail

ARC provided by St. Martin's Press and NetGalley. Opinions are my own!

I had to DNF it. It was good but not good enough to keep me hooked to this book.

I am glad i got approved for his book but i just couldn't finish it somehow.
The 40 % book i read was cute and if you are into it you will probably like it but this book just wasn't my cup of tea and i really wish i could finish reading it. So you might as well ignore this review of mine.

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I will happily leave a review for this when the racist remarks by one of their employees is addressed. I want to support the author, but also want to know they don’t support this behavior.

Excuse me this cover though??? Immediately drew me in, imma sucker for a beautiful cover.

Plus as a florist/flower lover if there is a book about a florist, flower farm, gardening or anything flower related im going to read it and Late Bloomer did NOT disappoint! I loved the growth for both pepper and opal throughout the book. This is my first book I’ve ever read from mazey eddings but definitely won’t be my last! 🌈

Thank you st. Martins press and NetGalley for this wonderful ARC!

I am probably biased as I really love anything by Mazey Eddings. She is a phenomenal writer, who can captivate you in any story she writes, whether it be from her straight romances or her queer ones. I absolutely loved this book, as a bi gal with AuDHD, I not only felt represented, but I felt seen. Another fabulous book, I cannot wait to pick up her next book.

Opal and Pepper find themselves thrust together (wink) at Thistle and Bloom Flower Farm after an epic misunderstanding and a swirl of mayhem with Pepper’s mom’s latest con. Mazey Eddings continues to craft the most incredible descriptions of the setting, including dream-worthy mountain fields full of flowers. If you love The Office and Schitt’s Creek, you will fall head over heels for the hijinks and awkward encounters that Pepper and Opal (“the chaos demon”) experience! Just like the other novels from Eddings that we love, the accompanying characters are incredibly developed and hilarious. Prepare for several really hot sapphic love scenes! Mazey Eddings is an auto buy for me, mostly for her swoon-worthy and poetic declarations of love. And we get to see several of these in Late Bloomer! #sapphicromance #forcedproximity #neurodivergentromance

This was a pretty low stakes book with little conflict and no third act breakup which I loved! It was also such a beautiful and unique sapphic romance book. I never would have thought to write about someone winning the lottery and buying a flower farm. How do you think of these things Mazey?! Watching Pepper and Opal's relationship grow and change from enemies to lovers was so cute. The mental health and neurodiverse representation was also really good and so nice to see. I wish we could have had more scenes with Opal's sisters though, but maybe they'll get their own books???