I started reading this book this morning, as a pallette cleanser after a gothic fantasy book. I just wanted something light to read while I made my morning coffee and took a dip in the hot tub. And it was perfect for that! And it was also perfect to switch to text-to-speech and listen to while I walked my dog, did house chores, and started a new cross stitch. This is to say, I could not put it down for one minute. The writing had me hooked from the beginning - the levity and youth, but also the sarcasm and humor to cover heavier topics. As someone on both the ADHD and autism spectrums, I found the representation to be nuanced and accurate to my own experiences. There were two quotes that hit me particularly hard...

"I used to indulge it without a second though - taking so much, enough, that I'd feel like I got to a very human baseline, everyone else's normal. But the problem with a quick fix like drinks or cigarettes is how fast the numbness wears off. The shitty taste in your mouth from your own disappointment, the achy shame that you can't regulate yourself like everyone around you appears to be capable of."

"I have endless grace for everyone in the world, but none for myself. Why am I not allowed to make mistakes? Why does my compassion stretch to strangers but stop at my own front door?"

The impact that both of these had on me was profound, and I didn't expect it from such a lighthearted romance. But it perfectly describes my own experiences and it is rare that I find it put so beautifully in writing.

I will be thinking about this one for awhile, and with a smile on my face.

Big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review!

what a cute read! a thoroughly enjoyable, low-stakes read. i loved the neurodivergent representation & really appreciated the contrast of the characters. i did feel that the conflict was a bit too immature. it felt like their real issue was that they struggled to communicate their emotions well & i’m not sure i’m entirely convinced that they reached a solution for that but i was still cheering for them at the end. Mazey Eddings writes such a cozy, low angst romance perfectly!

I read this book weeks ago and procrastinated in writing this review because it was so perfect and I have no words to truly describe where it took me and how it made me feel. It’s my first sapphic romance and I trusted Mazey Eddings with that popping my sapphic cherry. I’d trust her with any story, honestly.

I am a perpetual people pleaser, and likely have ADD, and I identified so well with Opal. I highlighted half of her internal dialogue. It was so visceral and so “me.” The way these characters collided and fell in love felt so real and so imperfectly perfect. They matched their insecurities and growth, and wound together so well. Not to mention the gorgeous view that Mazey Eddings colored for me when describing the setting. No one describes color better than her and she made this Flower Farm come to life.

WHAT I LOVED MOST:
How the characters described each other. They saw each other's essences and broke through each other's detrimental sense of self.
Loveable and loyal side characters, including a crazy set of sisters and a foot cake.
The sweetest spice I’ve ever read
The neurodivergent story telling. No one does it like Mazey Eddings.
The Lizzie Blake easter egg!

FAVORITE QUOTES (ps- this is only a handful)
“I hate seeing people upset-wanting to fix their sadness any way I can-and something about the quiet, contained way Pepper holds her hurt makes me wish I could pull it all out of her and swallow it away, let it chew me up instead.”
“I want to bleach the stupid from my head, but my hair is an okay starting point.”
“I hate that hate. I have endless grace for everyone in the world, but none for myself.”
“I prefer to think of it as we harvest this beauty. Share it with others. Spread their magic and joy. Then, we do what we can to see them again next year.”
“Because I’m a defender of the truth in the face of egregious lies! Calm down, Elle Woods, this isn’t a trial.”
“I kiss her how I love her, deep and steady and a little bit frantic.”

I’m a Mazey Eddings fangirl, for sure. I will tell you on autopilot to read any book she releases. BUT, this book is truly magic. I have a feeling that no sapphic romance will compare. VERY MUCH MUST READ.

Thank you to Netgalley and Mazey Eddings for the e-ARC. I appreciated the opportunity to read this book and give an honest review.

I LOVED this book. So much that I sat down and devoured it in seven hours.

I love Mazey's work, and I was so excited to get an ARC of her sapphic romance after falling for her other couples. I was NOT disappointed - Opal and Pepper have my heart.

Having gone to college in and then living in Asheville for years, I loved all of the little local references and seeing the love that Mazey has for the city. The Thistle and Bloom almost seemed like an additional character, I loved how much world-building we got in this book.

I related to both Opal and Pepper in their various aspects of neurodivergence, and as always, I love how real and complex and nuanced their personalities and traumas were - they felt so real and like people I could actually know. Having a Trish in my family, Pepper's storyline broke my heart, but her having Opal to rely on was beautiful and felt really healing.

THE SPICY SCENES. HOLY MOLY. If someone isn't sure about this read from the plot (which you do you, it's incredible) the sex scenes in this book are so sweet and real and HOT.

Highly recommend this book to literally everyone who loves queer characters, found family, puns, human disasters, comfort, and giggling and kicking your feet at cute moments.

I spent time waffling back and forth over how to review this book. one one hand, it’s well-written, has charming characters with amazing chemistry, and a wonderful setting. On the other hand, the plot is a bit of a mess. Nearly everything about it felt forced, like the author just took the most cliched device and slotted each into their appropriate spot in the book.
I enjoyed the book because of the good things, but I would have loved the book of not for the not-so-good things.

This was absolutely a 5 star read for me. It was a hallmark story through and through. From the dedication of this book I knew I was going to love it. I swear Mazey wrote this book about my wife and I. Just like Olivia and Pepper we are a ADHD/Autism couple and we have had to work through the “neuro spicy” things that makes communication hard. Late Bloomer is honestly going to be the Sapphic book of spring and I can’t wait for all my LGBTQ friends to get their hands on this.

I was so so excited when I received this book as an eARC and it truly lived up to the hype I created based on the blurb + cover.

I loved Pepper and Opal as characters. I felt their chemistry was really natural and their character development was realistic and helped the story. I also loved the different representation in this story (autistic/undiagnosed neurodiverse, family conflict, etc.). I would have loved to get to know the side characters a little more but overall, such a great book!

This is a really cute, pure and low-conflict story that made me feel so warm and fuzzy. 4.5/5 stars, rounded up

This story has all the right ideas, but it never fully clicked for me. The cover is stunning, gorgeous, amazing would not change a thing. I loved the queer, disability, neurodivergent representation. The book just felt a little too cozy for me. I wanted more tension before the FMCs got together and more conflict. We open up with the first few chapters being about Opal, so I expected we would be following her journey, but the book really focused on Pepper. It did not feel like the characters grew as much as I would like, and Opals conflict was really just a bookends on the beginning and end.
Overall, the book was good, but just not what I was looking for. If you want cozy, sapphic, low conflict, then I think you would really enjoy this.

A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me an early arc in exchange for my honest review.

Mazey Eddings is an absolute genius. The way she constantly produces hit after hit while also being a dentist blows my mind.

Anyways, Late Bloomer is an incredible sapphic romance with neurodivergent representation. I loved reading about Opal and Pepper. The way they balance each other out to create the ultimate grumpy/sunshine romance is just incredible. I can’t believe I have to wait until next year to hold this gem in my hands.

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

okay so, it started off super cute then fell flat for me in the middle and then ended super cute! Oh and the cover is gorgeous and the characters were super relatable! I loved the chemistry and the character growth. I really enjoy Mazey Eddings writing style!

This book was good, but I didn’t like it more than Mazey’s other novels. I found that the middle lagged a bit and I wasn’t as attached to the characters as I usually am in her novels.

Mazey Eddings has done it again!!!!! Obsessed doesn’t begin to describe how I felt about Late Bloomer. It was so cheesy but so so sweet and heart warming! I loveeeee sapphic love.

The premise with the flower farm and lottery was hilarious and there were so many funny and laugh out loud moments. I appreciated that while the book make me laugh throughout, there were quite a few serious topics touched on. Eddings handled the topics of loss, grief and complicated relationships with alcohol with a lot of care and grace.

I’ve loved all of Mazey Eddings’ books but this one takes the cake for me. More queer love please!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a treat to read. Ms. Eddings clearly seems to have poured her heart out there when writing this book; making me savour every word. I loved it, loved these both perfectly imperfect main characters

LATE BLOOMER is an emotional love story of two young women with opposite personalities that when in forced proximity with one another are forced to address certain parts of themselves that need healing that allows them to grow and bloom as beautifully as the flowers on their farm. When around Opal, Pepper must learn to reveal her softer side and to trust that not everyone leaves for good. When around Pepper, Opal begins to realize she is deserving of love. I appreciated the complexity, realness, and vulnerability of Opal and Pepper.

A sweet and spicy read. The author has a prolific way with words that made me have to pause several times throughout to fully absorb the beauty of what I just read. I so enjoyed the dual point of view and witnessing a special love unfold.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book has the absolute best premise - what's better than a sapphic romance set on a flower farm? I also loved that both the main characters were neurodivergent and that it was clearly stated that they were; there was no guessing or hey maybe they are neurodivergent. I hate when authors side step around declaring a character is neurodivergent and just says they are "quirky" or "different" so this was a nice change.

I feel like Opal and Pepper clicked so well together as a couple, and there was a good balance of spice and sweet. I can relate a ton to both characters being neurodivergent myself, but also I could really understand Pepper's journey through grief as I am experiencing the same thing. Also, what is more relatable than Opal's chaotic hair journey?

The cover was also a 10/10 for me, it's so beautiful! And the author's note at the end really made me love Mazey Eddings (the endless list of flower puns for the title made me giggle) so I'm intrigued to read the author's other books.

i'm a cold hearted bitch who feels nothing. this shit is ridiculous... you've known this bitch what? 10 hours? and ur fantasizing about her? why do writers make these characters so fucking horny? and for what? ur life is supposedly dragged out beneath ur feet, ur ar rock mfn BOTTOM and ur wanting to fuck the figurehead of disaster? make it make sense 😖

i made a total mistake in requesting this. the romance genre is a joke. i hate them all yet get suckered into cute sounding plots when, in reality, the writing is atrocious and weird, little to differentiation in narrative voice between characters, and situations are so contrived and bizarre. i CAN'T.

'preciate u netgally & st. martin's griffin for the arc in exchange for an honest review 😌

Every book by Mazey Eddings is an insta-read and and insta-buy for me. Without a doubt my favorite author and every novel she publishes gets better and better. So it's no surprise that I loved this one.
A Sapphic love story between a painter who wins the lottery and an overall wearing flower farm owner who insists that the farm is rightfully hers.
They decide to live together while they work out how to handle their difficult situation.
It turns out flowers aren't the only thing blooming on Thistle And Bloom Farms.
If you're looking for a cutesy, carefree love story between two stubborn women then I can't recommend this book more to you!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for allowing me to read and ARC of this sweet, spicy delightful book!

Full of some of the most delicious tropes, forced proximity, a slight "one bed" moment, grumpy/sunshine, enemies to friends to lovers etc this book is a sweet sapphic delight. But don't worry, there is SPICE A PLENTY.

This book also has great autistic and adhd neurodivergent representation and also deals with some trauma from a narcacistic parent.

I highly reccomend this book to anyone interested in wlw stories, especially if you like art/flowers or neurospicy rep. It's also explicit and doesn't fade to black. A delightful, easy read I highly reccomend!

I haven’t read many or any sapphic romances (that I can think of). But this book was a delight to read! This book follows Opal Devlin and Pepper Boden. Their worlds collide when Opal buys Thistle and Bloom Farms with the money she won from the lottery.

Opal is such a sweet character. She’s a people pleaser who was unfortunately taken advantage of by almost everyone around her. Even with all of that going on she still manages to be a ray of sunshine!

Pepper is grumpier than Opal. She’s recently lost her grandmother, who raised her after her mother abandoned her. I loved the banter between them and seeing how their romance developed. It was very heartwarming! I also enjoyed how she put her so called “friends” in their place at the end! I also loved the neurodivergent rep in this book! This book was an amazing and enjoyable read!

Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Great story, really nice prose, wonderful banter. This has a beautiful romance and is well worth picking up if you like sapphic romance. Mazey Eddings’ a comfort read for me, and I really hope to see more books from her with this kind of representation!