Very glad I got my hands on an ARC of this! An amazing feel-good romance that delves into some heavy topics but never fails to give you a warm fuzzy feeling! I hadn’t read anything by Mazey Eddings before this so I didn’t know what to expect but I was not disappointed!
Kind of along the lines of an enemies to lovers, the two end up in a situation where two women, slightly at odds with each other are forced to share a house. The two must find common ground to work together to save the flower farm they both live on.
Eddings writes incredibly compelling characters that had me rooting for them both! Using tried and true romance tropes, but subverting my expectations at the right times Mazey Eddings has written a beautiful, hilarious, and sexy novel that I will be recommending at every chance I get.

"Late Bloomer" was really adorable. It's definitely a feel-good romcom novel, and it was the perfect first read of Sapphic September. When Opal wins the lottery, she decides to use the money to give herself a new start by buying a flower farm and selling the shoes she paints. When she arrives at the farm, she finds that someone - an angry, yet gorgeous someone - is already living there. Pepper's lived on the flower farm the last few years with her late grandmother, and she's not ready to give it up. It's a beautiful begrudging-roommates to lovers romance novel featuring two neurodivergent women, demisexual rep, queer and specifically bi rep. Pepper and Opal balance each other out so well and end up bringing out the best in each other. "Late Bloomer" is a relatively quick read; the pacing is a bit choppy at the star, but it picks up and flows into a whirlwind of romance, flowers, friendship, and wonderfully written sexy times.
My only qualm with the book was the overuse of Gen Z slang. The modern language would probably make this book unrelatable to anyone over 30, and it definitely won't make it a timeless classic. I hope I never have to read the phrase "dead ass" in a book ever again.
Other than that? "Late Bloomer" is a highly recommended book from me.

While this book is a fairly predictable romance, it’s more than that and absolutely worth the read for the representation. Two women (self described as autistic and neurodivergent) navigating life and love, tackling their own fears and impulses, feelings and desires… for themselves and each other.

Too many Taylor Swift references (what did I expect from a very cottagecore sapphic white fem4fem cover - I read this for the decently enjoyable autistic rep)

The writing starts off a bit cringe but improves enough for me to find it decent for a romance. I would recommend it to some people but yeah I am finding myself more and more alienated by this type of sapphic romances

I mean sure it hits all the cute and tropy notes and I guess it's the right book to read for no thoughts entertainment, especially next spring

Also Opal has pink and then later green hair why is she blonde on the cover?

Wanted to cleanse my palette with a book by an author I was sure I’d enjoy. Because I need a nice, breezy book about a chick winning the lottery and rebooting her life on a flower farm. Yes, I do.

I have recently discovered this author and read 3 of her books in quick succession. I really liked them - lots of humor and mental health rep. Then this one came up on NetGalley so yes of course I want to read it…

I just wasn’t feeling this one, unfortunately. The characters were lame, I honestly couldn’t keep track of which one was narrating her chapter, there was no connection between the couple, there was absolutely zero plot, everything about it was quite dull…. Ugh.

I will definitely keep reading her books… I bet this is the start of a series with the sisters. But this just wasn’t as good as her others. Like, at all.

the warmest book i’ve read in a long time!! i loved every moment of this book <3 the MC’s were both so loveable and relatable and just had such a beautiful journey with their relationship. i desperately want more from mazey eddings!!

Really cute fun read! I enjoyed this book and the characters a lot. I loved the representation in this book and the banter between characters. This was a new author for me and I loved every second of their book.

Very unexpectedly loved this. When reading romance, the romance itself never really matters much to me. Sure, I want it to feel warm and right and not cringey. But was really pull me into a romance is everything around it. A gorgeous exploration of grief, neurodivergence, and found family really struck gold for me. My only complaint is I found the beginning to be a bit all over the place and it wrapped up very fast. Cannot recommend this more!!

this was a great book just like all the others she writes you get all the mazey eddings vibes in this book too

I want to say thank you for the galley copy of Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings. This book was as cozy as a cup of tea drank in the middle of a wildflower field (see what I did there?). I really enjoyed being able to read this book before it's release. The cover was so pretty that it piqued my curiosity, and the contents of the novel did not disappoint. I couldn't put it down and read it in less than 24 hours.

I loved both Pepper and Opal, and related to both in different ways. Their grumpy/sunshine personalities were hilariously opposite, and the chemistry between the two was palpable through Edding's descriptions. Also, the spice was spicing, which is never a bad thing. I loved the setting of a flower farm, and I love that the running of the farm also played a vital role in the plot, it wasn't just a pretty place for the story to take place.

I would honestly love a sequel, see where the girls are in the future and maybe follow one or both of the sister's POVs.

We all know by now if Mazey Edding writes it, I will NEED to read it! (Plus we are both dentist 🦷 yay!)

Late Bloomer 🌸 is another winner from Mazey; this book was fast paced, a breathe of fresh air but most important a very raw story (she always writes some messy but relatable characters). I love the representation of autism and neurodiversity within the two MCs - it makes it almost impossible not to fall in love with Pepper and Opal.

Opal, a neurodivergent, wins the lottery just in time for a much needed life change. What she doesn’t expect is this life change isn’t what it seems to be from the get go as her world collides with Pepper, who is autistic. Opal is a people pleaser and Pepper would prefer to avoid people, but what “blossoms” and yes pun intended, is more beautiful than anything that can be grown in a garden.

This precious, feminine novel has so much amazing mental health representation and will leave you with all the feels! PS - loved a little Lizzie mention too made my heart flutter

A cute book that I would recommend for people that like romance or queer books!! I would give this book a 4/5 stars I did enjoy the plot and the characters

This was wonderful!! I never see neurodivergent characters in romances and I loved this representation. Opal and Pepper were so sweet. They truly were thrown together in the most insane circumstances and watching their friendship and relationship grow and bloom (ha, get it, like flowers) was such a treat.

Late Bloomer is a sweet opposites-attract love story between two neurodivergent characters with a spark of that Grumpy-Sunshine trope we all know and love. The writing at times felt rushed while the actual momentum of the plot seemed sluggish, particularly in the middle. All in all this is a great easy read, and even though it felt a bit typical at times I thoroughly enjoyed following these characters as they fell in love.

This was a fun read with great neurodivergent and bisexual representation. There were a few things about the plot that stretched the limits of belief, and there were times when I didn't really feel the chemistry that supposedly existed between the two main characters, but overall I'd recommend it to those intrigued by the flower farm setting, the grumpy/sunshine dynamic, and/or the idea of a spicy sapphic romance.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to reach a digital ARC in advance of publication.

This is just the CUTEST sapphic romance. With Opal and Pepper's relationship blossoming throughout, we are presented with an opposites attract, slow burn romance novel. I really enjoyed this fun, lighthearted story.

Honestly, I don't have to say about this book. It was a quick and easy read, but it was really mediocre. I love the neurodivergent representation, but this fell a little flat for me. Opal was annoyed me a little bit with her need to people please. I liked Pepper more, but she also felt like she was missing something. I wish the characters were a more complex.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

Mazey Eddings has swept me off my feet once again. Late Bloomer is a beautiful sapphic romance. The story follows the sunshiney Opal who is too quick to trust and easily taken advantage of by her “friends” and Pepper who is a neurodivergent flower farmer with a grumpy attitude and traumatic past.

A decision to make some drastic changes to her life leads Opal to Thistle and Bloom which is a flower farm that has been in Pepper’s family for a long time. They are opposites and definitely have a bit of an adversarial relationship to start.

There is so much I love about Opal, Pepper, and their growth as individuals and a couple throughout the story. I would rate this a 2.5 spice 🌶️ so you get a great balance of a meaningful romcom with some steam.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Mazey Eddings is such a talented romance author and I love her stories. While Late Bloomer wasn't my personal favorite, I will read anything this woman writes.

Late Bloomer was a really sweet and heartfelt story about two women finding their way in the world and growing and healing from their pasts. I loved the bones of this story and was totally rooting for Pepper and Opal the entire time.

That being said, I didn't entirely feel the spark between Pepper and Opal, especially in the beginning. There's forced proximity but not much else leading to their first hookup. It just didn't feel believable that these two women with a lot going on in their personal lives, as well as in their own heads, would start a sexual relationship without much bringing them together and the reader feeling very little chemistry between them.

The other thing I struggled with was the fact that it was often hard to tell which POV I was reading. I had to flip back a few times to see if it was Pepper or Opal's chapter because the characters didn't feel incredibly flushed out. I totally recognize that people are fluid and personality traits vary in certain situations but there were times I'd find myself thinking, "that's really not something I'd expect Pepper to say" only to realize that it was Opal's POV. Their voices were just a little too similar at times.

This one is spicy and there's a lot of humor. Some of the jokes felt too millennial-esque and a little cheesy and over the top at times, but I did do quite a bit of chuckling. Also the cover is an absolute stunner!!!

The way this book made my flower loving sapphic heart so happy while also appealing to my neurodivergent brain!!! I read this book in one sitting and I have zero notes. Opal and Pepper are perfect and I love them so much.