2.5⭐

When one of your most anticipated reads of the year falls flat... Ugh!

Listen. LISTEN. The premise of this books sounded SO promising. I was so excited for a neurodivergent sapphic love story that takes place on a FLOWER FARM (hello!!!), but this was so... forced? Cliché. Bland! The phrases "she giggled" and "she rolled her eyes" were used SO many times I wanted to rip my hair out. There were so many issues with the writing, the pacing, and the characters. Opal and Pepper's love story is based off of little to nothing. The only thing the have in common is that they are both neurodivergent! The opposites attract narrative did land. The grumpy/sunshine trope missed the marked entirely. The chemistry just wasn't there for me. The conversations surrounding sensory issues should have been fleshed out more, in my opinion. There definitely needed to be more talk about how touches during s3x can sometimes feel wrong, off, too much, and just downright overwhelming.

I also really disliked the way Eddings painted us neurodivergent people as "disasters." The characterization of Opal was that of a "walking tornado" (I'm paraphrasing) and she's described as someone who bounds into people's lives and messes things up. Made me super uncomfy. I'm so tired of the narrative that every person with ADHD is a "mess" when it comes to taking care of their spaces, their appearance, their well-being. It's getting old.

Now I don't want to be remiss and not mention what I DID enjoy about this book. There are a few of saving graces! The descriptions of grief were really well done. I also did enjoy that Pepper and Opal do not try to change one other. There is a coherent understanding between these two that autism and ADHD are very difficult to navigate. It's also understood that communication isn't always easy when you don't have a neurotypical brain.

I really wish this book was better. I'm hoping that since this is an ARC, maybe some of the things I disliked will be revisited and edited. Fingers crossed the finished copy is a bit better.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (St. Martin's Griffin) for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Late Bloomer is a sweet, sometimes funny, sometimes sensual story of two young women who are both at moments of upheaval in their lives, evaluating what to keep and figuring out how to let go-- and is absolutely full of flowers. When they find and choose each other, everything changes. I loved this book for its portrayal of sisterhood, sapphic love, nerodivergence, and grief. I only wish I could see photos of the flower show.

This book has a cute story line and I love that Pepper is an autistic woman. The beginning really pulled me in I loved opal’s personality. After opal first gets to the farm and starts interacting with Pepper I struggled to get through the book because it felt very YA for me. I almost did not finish but I had to know if they won the floral competition and I wanted to see if they ended up being more than friends with benefits. This is probably a good book for most people just for my personal preference once again it felt YA and i didn’t connect with it.

Opal and Pepper you two were so dang cute! For anyone looking for a cute sapphic romance with grumpyxsunshine, opposites attract, and forced proximity this is for you! I’m obssessed with this cover!!
4 ⭐️

Mazey Eddings has quickly became one of my favorite romance authors! I love all of her books, but Late Bloomer really stands out! I fell in love with Opal and Pepper. Both women had difficult journeys that brought them together. They both struggled with fitting in and feeling accepted, and they found love and acceptance together. Pepper had been abandoned by her mother, and Opal had been a people pleaser who always felt like she wasn't sure what her place was.

When Opal wins the lottery, she wants a change, so she buys a flower farm! The only problem is that Pepper thinks that she owns the farm. The two women agree to live together until they can find a solution.

This is a great example of grumpy/sunshine and opposites attract. I loved that throughout the story the grumpy and sunshine roles kept switching. I think that both characters showed so much growth in themselves. They needed to understand themselves before they could be in a relationship.

I'm a sucker for a great epilogue, and this one delivered! I loved all of the author's notes at the end about all of the different tiles that the book went through and information about the flowers that were featured in the book.

I definitely recommend this book! The cover is beautiful, and it will draw you in, but the chraracters will steal your heart!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this amazing story.

Something about Late Bloomer split me
open and sprouted roots. It sits between my ribs, a tiny, hopeful bloom that I feel will only grow as I reread this novel over and over again. Before I could fall in love with Opal and Pepper I fell in love with Mazey Eddings’s words and I will carry them on my skin, in my mushy little heart, and autistic little brain.


Late Bloomer was my introduction to Eddings’s writing and I am simply blown away. I have never felt so protective of two characters so instinctively; I have never adored two characters so instantaneously without following their growth. It was so clear that Eddings loved these girls, too. The amount of care I felt in their characterisations and their words and feelings. The way both are unapologetically and wholly flawed yet so real felt like a breath of fresh air. Opal blew me away. Something about her unapologetic boldness and presence (despite feeling the exact opposite) made her the standard for a sunshine character. It was Pepper, however, who really stole my heart. I fell in love instantly and felt so much of Pepper’s feelings as my own. So many of her words and experiences felt real and natural and mine.


The writing really nailed my thoughts and feelings on Late Bloomer and I can’t praise it enough. I am enamoured with Eddings’s writing—all of it—and her overall execution of this story. I had to restrain myself from highlighting every other sentence (but know I would have! I wanted to!). I was particularly enamoured with the overall intimacy in this book and the way both intimate scenes themselves and the girls’ feelings were written. Several parts were reread for the simple pleasure of thinking “wow, that was so beautifully written.”


No book is without its flaws but as I write this immediately after finishing it (thank you for the lovely addendums at the end, those were also lovely) I genuinely cannot think of any. I wish I could hold a physical copy of this book and reread it. I wish I could feel all of these emotions again and fall in love with this story again.


Thank you Mazey Eddings’s team, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

"Late Bloomer" by Mazey Eddings is a delightful sapphic romance that combines opposites-attract chemistry with humor and heart.

Opal Devlin's life takes a turn when she wins the lottery, and suddenly, everyone wants a piece of her newfound wealth. To protect herself from the onslaught of people seeking financial help, Opal buys a failing flower farm in Asheville, North Carolina, with the intention of leading a more isolated life and pursuing her passion for painting. However, her plans for solitude are thwarted when Pepper Boden, who claims to be the rightful owner of Thistle and Bloom Farms, confronts her.

What ensues is a charming and spirited battle of wills between Opal and Pepper. They strike an agreement to cohabit on the farm, leading to plenty of hilarious and heartwarming moments as they navigate their differences and growing attraction.

Mazey Eddings' writing shines in this novel. The narrative is witty, engaging, and peppered with humor that will make readers smile and laugh out loud. Opal and Pepper are well-developed characters, each with their own quirks and vulnerabilities. Their dynamic is electric, and their banter is a highlight of the story.

The book not only explores the romance between Opal and Pepper but also delves into themes of self-discovery and finding one's place in the world. Opal's journey from a lottery winner overwhelmed by outside demands to a woman who takes control of her life and dreams is inspiring.

As the two women work together to make the flower farm thrive, readers are treated to a vivid and enchanting portrayal of the setting in Asheville. The descriptions of the farm and the natural beauty of the surroundings create a lovely backdrop for the story.

"Late Bloomer" is a heartwarming and feel-good romance that celebrates the power of love, personal growth, and the beauty of embracing one's true self. It's a story that will make you believe in the magic of unexpected connections and the possibility of love blooming in the most unexpected places. Mazey Eddings' signature sparkling voice shines brightly in this charming and enjoyable read.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for this ARC!

I will admit that it takes a lot more for me to get invested in a romance book than most other types of books, as I’m not the most romantic person. But I do like one every now and then between the “serious” literature. Everyone needs to be whisked away in a happy ending sometime and I appreciated the unhappy bits balancing that out throughout the story.

Personally, I could have done with a little less in terms of sexual content, but I get that’s the direction the genre is going in and everything else I did enjoy. The characters were fun and had personalities of their own that were clear throughout the book. My only constructive feedback would be to build out the supporting cast a little bit more. When it’s just the relationship it doesn’t always feel like real life.

Also kudos to the author for sharing the (hilarious) list of would be titles at the end. Had a good laugh at those.

Overall, definitely on the upper end of romances. 4/5

Very cute read, I loved the dynamic, being forced roommates is one of my favorites, and I love how not only the story developed, but the characters really came into themselves. Going to give it a re-read and will update my review once I get it done, but I am sure (other than adding more details potentially) this is going to be a book I need the physical copy of.

I love a small town sapphic romance and the forced proximity trope!

I struggled with the first 10% of this one and was worried I wasn’t going to connect with the characters or story. I know people make large, impulsive decisions all the time but I found it incredibly hard to believe Opal could purchase a house this way. I decided to press on despite that and I’m glad I did.

Things I loved:
•grumpy sunshine
•forced proximity
•gay panic
•neurodivergent rep. stimming! sensory issues! meltdowns! creativity! emotional intensity! spell it out for me because what are social cues!
•dry humour
•portrayal of grief and mother wounds
•the nod to a historical queer icon

Favourite quote:
“Fuck anything and anyone that made you have to survive instead of live. You deserve a life so peaceful it feels deliciously boring.”

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the eARC!

3.75/5 stars

This is a super cute sapphic story about a woman who wins the lottery and buys a flower farm that is already occupied by a prickly woman grieving the loss of her grandmother.

It’s an opposites attract, forced proximity romance with queer and neurodivergent rep.

It was a little hard to get into and lost me a little in the middle, but overall a cute story!

This was a delightful Sapphic romance that perfectly balanced humor and real life emotions and challenges. The set-up was crazy but plausible although I am glad that Opal got out of her hometown before her toxic friends could drain her of her money since the synopsis indicated that would be a thing.

I think the author did a very good job at making Opal and Pepper's voices and personalities unique and different from one another (TBH that is my issue with most dual or multiple POV novels). Eddings also did a good job at giving us such insight into their minds that even when we were seeing an emotional reaction from the narrator's POV we understood why the other woman was reacting that way. A lot of authors strive to do that in their works but not all are as successful like here.

I am also a huge fan of the protective trope so when they stood up for each other my heart swooned because that is a big step for people who normally don't like confrontation (which neither did). And their first sexual encounter was both steamy and realistic since there is always an awkwardness to the first time with some one.

All in all a great Sapphic read and I can't wait until I get my hands on the finished copy to re-read it and visit Opal and Pepper all over again.

Mazey Eddings has this way of telling a story that puts your heart in a Vice grip and imagination on overdrive- and Late Bloomer really does it as well. With an achingly familiar emotional charge to both Pepper and Opal’s beginnings, I never had a chance to do anything but LOVE this story.

Mazey did it again! I love everything I’ve read from her so far. Opal and Pepper are both so relatable and lovable characters. I love a happy ending and I was happy that Opal didn’t fall into the trap of her “friends” in the beginning, she makes me want to follow my dreams. Mazey’s writing style is so easy to read and slows so nice, this will definitely be a popular book and will fly off the shelves once released!

late bloomer review
•
3.5/5
I loved Mazey Eddings writing in Tilly in Technicolor, so when I saw this on Netgalley i knew i had to request it. especially because it’s sapphic and more mature and small town romance
•
pros:
+i love that it starts with a content warning!
+i wish i could win the lottery
+gay panic
+grumpy sunshine hits every time
+neurodivergent queer characters!!! my heart is so full
+one of my favorite things ever is when characters talk to themselves in their head because it’s how i think too
+i love their height difference!!!
+steamy smut
+mutual obsession
+flower farm setting is so cute
•
cons:
-heavy on the miscommunication trope
-a tad repetitive
-none of the conflicts felt that realistic
•
there were so many things i loved about this book, but at the end i didn’t have the same feeling after reading tilly in technicolor. don’t get me wrong, this is such a fun book and people should still read it. opal and pepper deserve all of the love and i can’t wait to see what more people think about it!

Sapphic romance on a flower farm and with Autism representation! This story is so heartwarming and had such a great balance of steaminess and pining!

Mazey Eddings is an auto-buy author for me. I love how she takes the time to share characters who are neurodiverse and also includes an open and honest depiction of different mental health challenges. Her characters have depth and a vulnerability that I don’t always see in books. Coupling that with humour makes them all the better. Late Bloomers is no exception. I really enjoyed Opal and Pepper individually and as the story unfolded with them together.

While I really enjoyed the book, I found some plausibility challenges that took me out of the book at times. Specifically, there were aspects around home ownership that I don’t believe would ever occur. Additionally, I found Opal’s character at the beginning of the book and her actions at the 1/3 mark and onwards not to align. I found myself thinking “a person with that background/history wouldn’t do this.”

Regardless though, I loved the heart of the book, I loved the dialogue and overall premise. I will forever continue to buy Mazey’s work because she’s out there tackling tough topics while presenting them in a way that makes me feel seen and I sincerely applaud the dedication and heart that goes into her storytelling.

Late Bloomer was such a cute book! It satisfied all of my cottagecore, sapphic fantasies from the special interest in flowers to the sprawling farm in Asheville. It was an adorable comfort read straight out of Taylor Swift’s folklore music album. One of the characters buys the other character greenhouses… What is more classic than that?

I loved Opal and Pepper’s story. I deeply enjoyed the character development alongside the romance. For example, I thought (at first) that Opal was going to be a major pick-me with all the people-pleasing tendencies, but I was completely wrong. As the plot progresses, we see what a strong, smart, and loyal person she is to the people she loves. That was a refreshing arc! Both characters are neurodiverse (though Opal isn’t sure what label fits her exactly), which was very relatable to an autistic person like me.

If there is a cozy, comforting (sapphic) version of Gilmore Girls, then this is it. Every detail was spot-on from autistic sensory issues to shoe art to niche special interests. (I loved Opal’s fleeting special interest in the Victorian era. I felt seen.) The epilogue was so perfect! I wish I lived in Opal’s and Pepper’s world! If you like sapphic romance, this will pander directly to your most iconic and cottagecore princess fantasies!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers at St. Martin’s Griffin for my e-arc! I hope Mazey Eddings keeps writing sapphic romances, because I will most definitely be reading them all.

Also, I would buy the book just for the cover alone. Stunning!

I got sooo excited for this the moment I read the blurb and saw the gorgeous cover. I am so grateful I was lucky enough to get an eARC, and that this did not disappoint. I loved this. I mean I kind of didn’t have a choice when Eddings paired a chaos demon with a routine-loving “grump” and set it on a flower farm. The descriptions of flowers and the farm are so gorgeous. I could picture the stunning, sprawling fields with ease. I love the detailed explanations of flower choices throughout the book and their meaning in the back. I don’t have much knowledge of flower symbolism so I appreciated the explanation and it made so many of the moments in the book even sweeter.
This had me laughing out loud but also almost crying (there were several lines at the end that made me tear up). It was just so tender and cute. The way grief, self-acceptance, boundary setting, and love were explored was thoughtful and beautiful. Opal and Pepper have both dealt with a lot but the way they come together for each other and show up in ways that the other never expected anyone to was equally heartwarming as it was heart-wrenching. I want everything good for both of them. It was also really special to see the autistic and neurodivergent rep in this. There are aspects of myself in both Pepper and Opal, and I appreciate how much this made me feel seen.
I did think the overall story felt like it moved really quickly, and the ending especially felt a little fast. I also loved Opal’s sisters and Pepper’s friends and would’ve liked to see more of them. But I really enjoyed this. I have other things I want to share but don’t want to spoil. I have a feeling I’ll come back to yell about this and share quotes.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 ⭑

This was so freaking cute! I loved both characters so much, and their story just felt so authentic. I felt like I was being wrapped in a big hug while reading this.

Opal and Pepper are HOT! Their connection was full of tension and a lot of back-and-forth that made their sexual relationship feel explosive. I loved their first intimate scene because it felt so wholesome yet sexy. To have a couple care for each other so much is everything.

There is so much that makes this book special. The realistic mother-daughter trauma, grief, and personal discovery made this book one that is healing while also having so much that makes it fun.

This is a book for people pleasers, neurodivergent cuties, and bisexual hotties. To have a traditionally published book make you feel so seen is a powerful thing, and I loved this so much.