mazey eddings never fails to write an incredible book! officially my fifth read of hers and my first queer romance and it was just stellar. there is so much going on within this story, from winning the lottery to getting scammed on facebook marketplace, making for an absolutely hilarious time yet the story itself is simultaneously the perfect cozy, low-stakes plot, allowing you to just savor the romance of it all.

the absolute winner for me was OBVIOUSLY the setting because who doesn't want to read a book that takes place on a flower farm??? the research that mazey put into this story was so evident and I loved the little intricacies throughout, from flower types to minute details about soil type and growing conditions. and then of course, the characters were so well written and their growth throughout was so wonderful to see. something about opal and pepper was just so harmonious and their chemistry just made the book flow so well - I genuinely flew through this book in the span of just a few hours, if that tells you anything!

this is such a unique and fun story with so many quirky plot elements and just has the best vibes ever - highly recommend!

Mazey Eddings is one of my favorite authors. I adored her A BRUSH WITH LOVE series and her YA romance TILLY IN TECHNICOLOR. I love Mazey Eddings’ writing style and the voices she writes for her characters.

🌈 LATE BLOOMER is a sapphic romance about two complete opposites who can’t help but fall in love.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I loved the flower farm setting 💐 Opal’s sisters and Pepper’s friends were amazing side characters that added so much love & humor to the story.

🌸 dual POVs
🌸 autism & neurodivergence rep
🌸 forced proximity

I was hooked right away by the opening scenes and witty writing, but I did lose a bit of steam — and the ending felt rushed to me. I think this one could’ve been a smidge shorter with the ending drawn out a bit more.

Eddings continues to write characters who feel so real and relatable.

Counting down until Mazey’s 2025 release, which is a fake-dating rom-com 🩷

One of the best sapphic romances i have ever read! This book is for my bisexual-neurodivergent-people pleaser queens and i felt so seen and validated throughout my journey reading this one.

Mazey Eddings's writing is fun, beautiful and full of emotion. This book completely blew me away and felt like a big cozy hug. I love the characters, setting, plot and mental health representation. Opal and Pepper are some of the most relatable (maybe a little to much), vulnerable and authentic characters i have ever encountered. It felt as though i was meant to find them and they were meant to find me. The chemistry, connection and unwavering empathy towards each other is what i hope for anyone in a relationship. Both Opal and Pepper taught me how to be more compassionate, patient and understanding. They are a beautiful reminder that my mental illness, trauma and grief is just a small part of who i am and does not defy all of me. The representation in this book, the anxiety and the constant spiraling was so well done. Late Bloomer had some of the sweetest most tender moments that really pulled my heartstrings and made me cry multiple times. The spicy scenes were so wholesome and i was shocked at how hot but also tender the moments were. The tension was amazing!!! The chemistry!!! just everything about this book is perfect!!!

read if you love: queer romances, mental health rep, grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, grief and healing, flower farm setting, autism representation, found family.

Content Warnings: Abusive & Absent Parent

For the sex repulsed, this book features multiple, graphic sex scenes, with the first one being multiple chapters long.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. I wanted to like this book, as neurodivergent representation and LGBTQ+ representation matters a ton to me. I thought that Pepper’s neurodivergent variety (autism) was handled better than Opal’s (undiagnosed), though I know some neurospicy people may disagree. I didn’t mind Opal being undiagnosed as much as her making no moves to adapt her maladaptive (and self-destructive) behaviors aside from avoiding alcohol. Pepper, who falls under the general label of queer, and Opal as bisexual I thought were both done well.

The plot of this novel was beyond contrived, as neither winning a lottery nor wills/property sales work the way this book says they do – but even if suspend my disbelief on those areas, the rest of the story I found to be boring. Opal and Pepper’s relationship seems primarily physical, the most interesting idea of the novel (the flower competition) underdeveloped, and two sets of protagonists dropped in at the beginning and very end but with no real connection to the rest of the story.

I don’t think this book is bad as much as not to my taste, hence the 3 stars.

Late Bloomer was the perfect spring sapphic story that everyone should have on their TBR. I loved the whole atmosphere of the flower farm, Thistle and Bloom, that I wanted to visit it in real life! I have to say I related a lot to Opal since I am also a big people pleaser, not as bad as she is, but enough where it has hindered by everyday life and my friends are like WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!! So all the problems she dealt with, because of that, I related a 100% too. Also, Opal and Pepper did get into a lot of arguments throughout the book but I like how once they went over everything later and knew they were in the wrong, they would apologize to the other person and communicate how they were feeling in that moment and why they reacted the way they did.

It is so fun when an author puts a new twist on the traditional romance. Mazey Eddings introduces the reader to Opal Devlin, a recently single bi female who is striving to heal her heart from betray. On her birthday, she receives a scratch off lottery ticket which pays off. Soon, Opal's ex lover and ex best friend are eager to make amends. In an effort to escape temptation, she impulsively sinks the bulk of her winnings into a flower farm in Asheville, North Carolina. When she arrives at the property to set up her art studio, she discovers it is already occupied. Pepper Boden has lived and worked at the farm since she was a teenager and is unaware that her wayward mother has sold the farm out from under her. Pepper takes an instant dislike to Opal, who she sees as an interloper intent on stealing her future. Opal is ready to concede as she always does and attempts to work a compromise. No one is surprised when their dislike turns to attraction. Eddings is an adept author and know how to build tension between potential lovers. Eddings books are spicy and the payoff of the slow burn is a treat. One more book and I will be an Eddings completist. Hope she writes more soon.

I loved this book so much! I loved the flower farm, the art aspects, and the enemies to lovers romance! Pepper and Opal were complete opposites but I so enjoyed watching them fall in love.

I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read this one and can't wait for more Mazey Eddings books to come!

Late Bloomer, in true Mazey Eddings fashion, focuses on the capers of intensely written neurodiverse characters. This book features perspectives not only on ADHD and autism, but quite a few queer characters as well. This was a sweet enemies to lovers tale with lots of ups and downs and a cast of friends (and frenemies) that began to feel like family. It took me a bit longer to get through this one that some of her other stories, most likely due to the younger age of the characters and the focus on their own personal issues and lack of communication which causes frustration when reading. I enjoyed this book!

mazey eddings the writer that you are
i will read and LOVE anything she writes and I’m so glad she wrote this book, especially with that dedication
five million stars for opal, pepper and ever single flower on that farm

This was a sweet novel about the main character Opal trying to figure herself and her life out. She recognizes she has been being used by people and wants a fresh start. She found one, but then maybe she thinks been duped by this one she bought land from. She finds that Pepper is still living there. They are both confused but can figure out how to help one another. A sweet and nice novel. 3.5 - 4 stars.

Absolutely loved getting to meet Opal and Pepper and reading their story. Beautiful story about love, loss, adjusting to change and discovering your path when you feel lost.

3.75/5 stars rounded up.

This book was nothing groundbreaking, but super cute nonetheless.

I loved the flower farm setting and the neurodivergence representation through both our main characters. The romance was also super wholesome and made me awwww out loud on multiple occasions.

Overall, an adorable read perfect for this time of the year.

I’m such a big fan of Mazey Eddings’ books, with their amazing love stories, complex characters, and neurodivergent representation, I will read anything she writes!

Late Bloomer was such an anticipated read of mine and I had such a great time reading it! I loved the plot and the setting of a flower farm. It’s such a great read for spring/summer.

The pacing felt a little rushed to me with how the relationship between Opal and Pepper developed, but their love story was still beautiful and I really enjoyed reading it!

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

2.5 stars
I had a hard time getting through this one but I'm glad I stuck with it!
Unfortunately, this book didn't have much in the way of plot and nothing about it really pulled me in. The first act felt like it was getting pulled in multiple different directions and I had a hard time gaining my footing once I had a grasp of where we were going. I had a hard time feeling compelled to finish it because of this. I thought the book felt a little juvenile and I didn't feel like the characters were super likeable either. I felt like I had more of a vested interest in the health of Opal's hair than any other part of the book. I really wish I liked this more, and maybe it was just the timing, but unfortunately this was really tough to get through for me.

I was excited about this one based on the hype and that it was sapphic but it just didn’t land as well as I wanted it to for me. I did LOVE Pepper’s vulnerability and how she and Opal communicated through everything.

Opal goes from minimum wage to millionaire overnight! Sounds like a dream come true, right? Wrong! Turns out, winning the lottery can be a total buzzkill, especially when everyone around you starts acting like dollar signs with legs. Opal decides to trade the city life for a fixer-upper flower farm except there's already a gorgeous (and admittedly grumpy) woman named Pepper living there and claiming ownership! Can Opal turn this blooming disaster into a blooming friendship (or maybe even a romance?)

I don’t think I liked Opal… or Pepper… so I couldn’t root for them necessarily. I did appreciate their vulnerable pasts but thought they were both kinda …. Not nice people?? IDK just didn’t work for me

Mazey Eddings has blown us all out of the water AGAIN. Opal and Pepper's story is so different and unique compared to other storied by Eddings (but in the best way possible). I loved this novel so much. I laughed so much and this story made my heart feel warm and fuzzy. Highly recommend!
💕
"I'm not sure the exact moment we switched roles, but Opal’s grumpiness makes it feel like sunshine is radiating through my veins." AHH!!

This was easily one of my best reads all year! I reccomend it to everyone. It was so cozy, cute and had me kicking my feet and laughing the whole time, this love story is unmatched 💕 it was my first by this author and absolutely not my last!

I got an ARC of this book.

This isn’t a bad book, but it was slower than felt right. I ended up getting the audiobook and listening to it at 1.5-2x the speed to make it feel the right speed. I think this is a me problem and not the book this time though. Everything is dragging, even when I enjoy it. I did enjoy this for the most part.

The characters were almost three dimensional. There was an attempt, but it didn’t really feel complete. Pepper’s main trait is being autistic. Opal’s main trait is being a bit flighty. The conflict was createad by someone who was barely in the book, so some of the choices to deal with it just felt weird. A lot of the book didn’t quite make sense, but it kept going and it was mostly cute so I kept going.

The romance didn’t make sense, but I liked it. I liked how Pepper and Opal showed their affection for each other, even when it didn’t make sense that they were together. I liked the big sweeping gestures and the small little details. The big gestures were needed for Pepper, but the small gestures were needed for Opal. So the way that the relationship worked out was pretty amazing. I really enjoyed that even if the start didn’t work for me.

I did appreciate that everything wasn’t magically fixed by one long shot in the end. That is a bit spoiler, but there is a lot more to it. There was a fix, it is a romance after all. It just wasn’t the plan I didn’t expect to work anyway. That was a long shot and felt too Disney.

Overall, it was an ok book. It was cute, even if it didn’t land all the time.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I've read a lot of queer romance in the last 4 years as a balm in these wild times, and this one had one of the absolute wildest and most unbelievable premises of any I've read. It felt pretty formulaic, but if you're into queer romance, it'll satisfy.

✨Book Review✨
Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
.
This Queer romance was adorable. I really loved the light grumpy to sunshine trope. Both main characters are neurodivergent, and SO well represented. I loved them together and love the way their neurodivergence was discussed. The flower farm setting was SO cute (and it's one of my favorite covers I've ever seen!). Definitely recommended if you like a sapphic rom com!
.
I listened to the audio and really enjoyed it.