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.

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.

Mazey Eddings has done it again. From stunningly crafted characters with to-die-for chemistry to undeniable humor, fast pacing, and delicious steam, LATE BLOOMER is a fantastic read. Opal and Pepper pop off the page, inviting you to find comfort and romance in their world. I really rooted for these two, both as individual characters and as a pair. A rom-com at its finest. As a neurodivergent, queer reader, I can confirm this story is going to be so special for so many people. I devoured every word. Queen Mazey never misses!!!!

A perfectly fine book, but it just didn't work for me and I can't put my finger on why. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

This book was joyful and messy and full of humor and heart. Opal and Pepper are two women who have very deep wells of emotion that they aren't immediately great at expressing with others, or even with themselves, and it is so satisfying to see them both evolve throughout the story and yet also both stay true to the essence of who they are and love each other for it. The friends and family that surround them are wonderful and deserve more on-page time. Honestly, my only wish about this book is for more. More of everything, because Opal and Pepper are two characters that have so much more to explore and offer to readers.

The relationship was handled with such care, and it was refreshing to see something so real, raw, and beautiful unfolding between Opal and Pepper. Their hesitance with each other, and the nuance of both of their neurodivergent personalities, made the stakes feel real and alive. I loved the references to movies and music and the absolute delight our two protagonists found in making the other happy. The flower farm setting, Opal's artistic endeavors, and the family and emotional baggage that they both work through, all of it is a means to see these two women bloom into versions of themselves that they need to be. Both individually and together.

There's a line near the end, "and nothing is perfect but everything is right, and that's all that matters." This is Opal and Pepper - life, really - in a nutshell.

This was such an entertaining read, with just the right amount of animosity, comedy and romance. I definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for a fun and flirty novel. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of the fabulous read!

This was a fun small town romance. It was such a sweet story, and it reminded me of the song “Sweet Nothings” by Taylor Swift. It’s heart warming, and sweet and the perfect enemies to lovers.

In this double neurodivergent heroined romcom, people-pleasing Opal buys a flower farm after winning the lottery. The only problem is that Pepper had thought her grandmother would be leaving the farm to her, and her mother has sold it out from under her. The two then live together while trying to find a way forward.

Okay, so. Legally Opal owns this god damn flower farm. But everyone acts like she has no claim on it and she’s just being a nuisance. And she’s so kind and afraid to counter anyone she just lets everyone run roughshod over her. I felt like I was insane as I read this. I can sometimes get behind a silly little plot because: fiction. But everyone is like omg Opal you’re such a drag for wanting to take up space in a place that is rightfully yours and it gave me the ick in a bad way. Unlikeable heroines are not meant to be in romcoms. This is not a dark romance. Pepper is not supposed to be an asshole. So when they start liking each other I’m like wtf Opal, this is just another person who is taking advantage of you. All throughout the conflict I felt disgusted about Pepper and she stayed bar-on-the-floor through til the very last.

I really liked the neurodivergent representation, but I did have complaints. I read a lot of reviews that complained the characters were messy and the stereotype of messy nd people is old but that didn’t ring true for me because these women were in their early twenties. It’s not the neurodivergence making them messy, it’s their age. Of course they don’t have their shit together. They’re babies. Unfortunately, I do feel like Pepper used her autism to explain why she was a bitch and that’s not an excuse to treat other people badly. In fiction, or in real life. Your mental health and/or disability never gives you the excuse to treat someone poorly. And if someone tells you it is, then get the fuck away from that person. They have no intention of doing work on themself.

Rating: ⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
POV: Dual 1st

Ahh, this title had everything I love: rash decisions to move into a remote cabin, queer coded flower language, Taylor Swift references, cute girls who cut bangs in high stress situations, and spice. Lots and lots of spice. But cuteness, too! And grumpiness. And autism representation that doesn't feel like a caricature. I'll call all of this a big, big win.

I found both protagonists to be fun—Opal and Pepper are just as cute as their names suggest—but there were times when I found the characterization to be a bit forced (for example, Opal when we meet her vs. Opal when she meets Pepper are such different characters to me), but nothing that takes too much away from the story. Overall, I give this a solid B+. I will be adding Mazey Eddings to my list of authors to look out for in the future!

Thanks to the publishers for allowing me early access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

“I’m kissing Opal. I should absolutely not be kissing Opal. I can’t exactly think of reasons why I shouldn’t be kissing Opal when kissing her has quickly become one of my favorite things in the world to do, but facts are facts, and I jump away from her.” - Mazey Eddings, Late Bloomer
🌸
This book was a pure delight! Cottagecore, sapphic, angsty pining with a healthy dash of representation, it’s everything you could possibly want in a cozy romance!
🌷
When Opal wins the lottery, she’s able to escape the drudgery of hooking up with her ex and the most unsupportive friend in romance to date. She stumbles upon a listing for a flower farm, and the deal seems too good to be true. And it is. Because of course it is. There she meets Pepper, grumpy and gorgeous, who has been living on the farm for a decade. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Pepper and Opal decide it’s best to live together (they were most certainly roommates), and the tension grows as fast as the flowers.
💐
I didn’t want include it so close to the top, but I was dying over the quote, “It’s honestly such a power move to raw dog the mail system like that. Put it all out there with nary an envelope to protect your horniest thoughts.” - referencing a postcard 😂
💌
This book was so much fun! I adored their dynamic, the writing was so beautiful and loving, and it made me want to go find a flower farm to buy. Opal is hilarious and sexy, and Pepper is adorably charming. Absolutely must read for any sapphic romance fans. Only complaint is that Opal’s hair isn’t a pastel color on the cover! 4.5/5 ⭐️!
🌹

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC for an honest review.

2.75
I’m a big fan of Mazey Eddings, but this one didn’t quite do it for me. It started off laugh-out-loud funny, and while I acknowledge how hard it is to keep that level of humor going, I didn’t expect it to disappear entirely.

The rest of the book really took a turn toward the serious and sometimes spicy. Opal was hard for me to relate to because she was just so gullible and made the trait of “generous to a fault” annoying. She was also a bit whiney. Pepper was fine, but I just couldn’t become invested in them or the relationship. Maybe there wasn’t enough tension and build up?

The momentum stalled about half way through and I found myself rushing to get to the end. I did, however, appreciate the sapphic romance and neurodivergence representation.

Beautiful cover and great beginning. Not my favorite Eddings book, but she’s a great author and I look forward to what she does next.

I am deeply grateful to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with the opportunity to read “Late Bloomer”. I practically read this romance in one sitting and I don’t regret it one bit. I have fallen in love with Pepper and Opal. Both their internal dialogue and banter made them feel like two of my best friends (mainly because they would fit perfectly in my group of friends, or I would theirs). Also, their steamy romance was *perfection*. In addition, feeling represented with two female neurodivergent characters was something I have not experienced. Autism and ADHD diagnosis in women has very little research and even less representation. Overall this book made me feel wonderfully seen.

Sapphic romance is my life blood. I absolutely adore reading about women falling in love. This book is such a treat. I absolutely loved the setting, the characters, the writing... Just about everything about this book is great! I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves romance.