There was a lot I really enjoyed about this book! I loved getting to root for our two main characters, Opal and Pepper, not only in their relationship but also in their own lives. I loved seeing Opal shed her people pleasing tendencies and follow her passions, and I loved seeing Pepper come out of her shell. I loved that these characters fell for one another but still allowed for plenty of space for each of them to work through their own things. I also really appreciated the portrayal of neurodiversity.

I found at times the two voices of Opal and Pepper were not sufficiently distinct for me and for brief moments in some chapters I had to double check which perspective I was reading (but usually this was brief).

Overall I was just super happy reading this book. It was sweet, lighthearted, and really lovely. Would absolutely recommend for anyone looking for a heartwarming easy sapphic read!

3.5/5
A disaster bisexual artist and a lesbian flower farmer team up to save the farm, win the local flower contest, and try to not fall in love. Yes, this is basically a gay Hallmark movie!
Opal is a down on her luck artist who wins the lottery and buys a flower farm to restart her life. However, it is revealed that the flower farm was illegally sold and Pepper, the owner, wants nothing to do with Opal. This book is duel POVs, showing each girl’s inner struggles while trying to admit they aren’t attracted to one another. While some of the lines and villains are cheesy, this was an enjoyable read with some very hot sex scenes

While I generally enjoyed Mazey Eddings' books in the past, this one just didn't do it for me. The characters felt like a weird mix of stale and absurd and the romance felt jumbled. I wanted to like it but felt like I ended up skimming most of the ending and even that felt like too much.

Ummm why do I want to move to a flower farm now!?

I really loved this one. The two heroines meet because one buys a flower farm the other one lives at and works at. It wasn't supposed to be sold, but they compromise and she moves in while the other continues to live and work there. They're both going through a lot, but they quickly realize how attracted to each other they are. They know they shouldn't get involved, but they do! The cast of characters in here was really great and I loved how they both had to confront things in their lives and also their feelings for each other. The setting of this was perfect and this audiobook was just great!!

I felt immediately connected to Opal, and was not surprised when she admitted to being neurodivergent, likely with ADHD, being a late in life adhder myself. I saw a lot of myself and how I am in relationships in this character. Loved the Thistle and Bloom, loved that pepper and opal each battle their ghosts and came out on top. Highly recommend.

I love a good sapphic romance but this one just felt very ok. I was reading it and mostly just skimming it towards the end because I felt like it should have already been over.

DNF'ed at 30%. I wanted to love this, but it fell so flat. The writing was immature, the story was so under researched (you can't legally buy property from someone on fb marketplace...) and I felt absolutely no chemistry between Pepper and Opal *also those names... I usually don't like leaving reviews without anything positive, but I really can't think of anything positive to share for this one.

Loved this book. 4.5 stars! Our FMCs were chaotic and I loved them.
forced proximity is one of my all time favorite tropes!

I thought the characters were interesting but they didn’t belong together. The plot was really slow and there was a large portion where it didn’t feel like much was going on.

Mazey writing chaotic characters falling in love is my religion. Every time I pick up one of her books, I just know I'll be seeing myself in one or more characters, and it wasn't different this time. Opal is me. I'm Opal.

I have completed this book but as it is published by an imprint of St. Martin's Press I will be withholding my thoughts until they respond to the boycott.

Thank you for the early copy, apologies for the delayed review. I really loved this book. I didn’t want it to end. I felt like when I picked it up I only wanted to read a few pages at a time, I didn’t want it to be over. We follow Opal and Pepper, who fit the sunshine/grumpy trope very well in my opinion. Opal is all about seeing the positive in everything while pepper is worrying about every possible thing that could go wrong. They were such opposites it was fun watching them open up and reveal themselves to each other emotionally. There were lots of twists with the plot which I think helped keep the pace of the story. I enjoyed this one for the sweet moments, and the emotional reveals. I would definitely recommend.

I just love Mazey Eddings, her books are my confort books.

And I really loved this one! It deals with some heavy topics related to family members but in a very fun way.

I really loved this book! I thought the concept was fun, the characters were nuanced and the right amount of chaotic, and the setting was interesting and whimsical without being unbelievable. Opal and Pepper’s relationship was great to witness unfold, and Mazey Eddings did not disappoint with her writing style, pop culture references, and ability to create emotions and root for Pepper and Opal to work things out.

I really enjoyed this quirky read. The characters were interesting and the plot was engaging. There were some awkward scenes that made me cringe while reading but that was all important to the plot. If you are looking for a light spring read this is a great book to pick up.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Mazey Eddings had yet to disappoint me with any of her reads, and Late Bloomer was no different!
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You will fall in love with Opal and Pepper as individuals and as a couple. You will be rooting for them from start to finish!
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You’ve got neurodivergent rep, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, and so much more in this queer rom-com!

Late Bloomer
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Macey Eddings

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Winning the lottery ruined Opal Devlin's life. She may have been able to leave her dead-end job, but now she's getting endlessly bombarded with people knocking at her door for a handout . . . and she can't seem to stop saying yes.

Opal realises she has a chance to follow her own dreams, and decides to spend almost all her new money on a failing flower farm in North Carolina where she can start her painting business. But her plans for isolation soon go hopelessly awry when an angry (albeit gorgeous) Pepper Boden is waiting for her at her new farm. Pepper states that she's the rightful owner of Thistle and Bloom Farms, and she isn't moving out.

There's not much else they can do except strike up an agreement of co-habitation, but they're soon butting heads at every turn. While they each have a reason to stay, can these two opposites find a way to plant some roots? Or will their combustible arguing (and growing attraction) burn the whole place down?

My Thoughts: All I saw was Mazey Eddings, and I said YES without any other information. I LOVE her books. Even though I am a straight person, I do enjoy reading queer romance, I think it is a tad more emotional, more combustible, and just more. I have a few queer romance authors I follow and Eddings is definitely one of them. Opal just won the lottery and now all of the sudden, everyone is her friend, and wanting a handout. Opal makes a decision to follow her dreams and buys a flower farm in Ohio, and spends most of her lottery winnings on this farm that she plans to sell her unique paintings out of. Lo and behold, upon arrival at her newly purchased land, Pepper is working in the field and claims she is the rightful owner of this flower farm, that was her grandmothers. They come to an agreement to live within the same place for the summer and re-evaluate at the end of the summer. The butt heads, cannot get along, and each has a reason to stay. Will they make it? Can they find some common ground? This follows the tropes of queer romance, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, opposites attract, and sunshine/grumpy.

This was a fun sapphic queer romance. The story is a dual narration between Opal and Pepper, from their respective perspectives. The combustible tension between Opal and Pepper is evident at the very first meeting. The angst among them is palpable. The cottage core vibes really fit this story perfectly. Opal and Pepper were chaotic, while being whimsical. Both Pepper and Opal were neurodivergent, yet the author approaches their character paths in different ways, which I loved. Both Opal and Pepper’s character had tremendous growth separately and together, it was so beautiful to watch. The author also does a tremendous job at balancing tender sweet moments with funny lighthearted moments.

Opal is a sweet, fun, lovable character that exudes sunshine. Pepper is loyal to a fault, cautious of others, and is hard to get to know, however, when she lets you in, you are in for life. The chemistry, even the angst chemistry, was off the charts for these two. The characters were created with depth, witty banter, chemistry, intrigue, and were creatively weaved throughout the story. The supporting characters of Opal’s sisters, and Pepper’s best friend really did elevate the story and hopefully an opening for another book. The author’s writing style was complex, multifaceted, steamy/spicy, swoony, engaging, and just brilliant. I loved the pop culture references throughout the story. The author does a great job with the autism and neurodiversity representation. There is also the heavy topics of grief and healing that the author approaches with grace.

I had the pleasure of having both the digital and audio ARCs for this novel. I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend to anyone who loves Anita Kelly, TJ Alexander, or Alison Cochrun.

I adore Mazey Eddings and her characters! In Late Bloomer, we meet Opal and Pepper, two women who couldn't be more opposite of each other. Opal is bisexual, has ADHD, is and artist, and recently won $500,000 from a scratch off lottery ticket. Pepper is a lesbian, autistic, and most at home among the massive amounts of flower at her Grandma Lou's flower farm. When Opal buys the Thistle and Bloom, looking for a fresh start, she didn't realize that it came with Pepper attached or that the two would fall madly in lust and then in love.

I absolutely loved this book! It includes all my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and, best of all NO third-act break up!

Opal and Pepper are both beautifully thought-out characters, as are all the characters that surround them.

Highly recommend this book!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

Maze Eddings delivered a spectacular sapphic romance. The characters were relatable and the story was engaging!

Thank you so much to St Martin's Press for the advance copy of the book!

I have been a fan of Mazey since the first book I read by her and she has continuously wowed me. I often found myself within the characters of her pages especially those that have ADHD. She just always finds ways to make her characters relatable to the average person. And just like with her other books, Edding does such a great job with queer & neurodivergent representation.

This is her first time writing a sapphic novel and I remember when the cover was announced, I knew that it was going to be a smash! Eddings comes up with such a creative way to make you get attached to the characters and their storylines. This story was such a unique one and yes I could suspend reality that someone would actually buy a flower farm in Asheville (which by the way is such a fun town). I love that Opal and Pepper had to work together to win a competition. I love that their relationship was a progression and then when it hit, it hit. One thing Edding knows how to do is write a love scene. She wrote Pepper's inexperience with such grace and Opal was so tender towards her and only wanted her to be comfortable.

This was not my favorite Mazey book but I did really enjoyed this & Mazey will continue to be an auto-buy author!

Read this if you enjoy flowers, forced proximity, queer rep all set at a flower farm!