DNF at 67%. loved the idea of this and really wanted this to be my next “I’m so hooked I can’t put this down” kind of book but it just fell a little flat for me. As a neurodivergent woman I related with both characters more than most books but I just didn’t feel connected to them. The beginning of the book was good I read almost half the book in one sitting but then it just became slow and my lack of character attachment made me lose interest.

I think I have complicated feelings about this one. There are absolutely parts of the book I adored and am grateful for. There's a chunk where Pepper sits in her grief and it is beautiful and a great reminder for me in the moment I'm having in my personal life. I needed that representation. But I also didn't super duper believe in these two people as a couple. All I saw was a ton of reasons they shouldn't work, but I didn't feel like we got enough reasons they SHOULD work together. Individually, I really liked each character and was happy for their growth and personal journies, but I'm not sold on them as a happily ever after.

Late Bloomer has all of the best parts of Mazey Eddings' writing--deeply loving characters who want to be deeply loved in return, strong neurodiverse representation, and so much humor.

Opal isn't sure exactly what she's doing in life, but she knows that filling in as an inflatable ice cream cone for her dead-end job isn't it. She has an ex-boyfriend--who is awful--but still keeps her on a string. She has a best friend--who is awful--who only wants whatever Opal can give her. And Opal gives, and gives, and gives, the ultimate people pleaser who wants someone to love her regardless. When Laney, the awful best friend, gifts her a winning scratch-off, she takes the money and buys a flower farm off Facebook Marketplace (yes, it's a risk!). It's a place where she can make art and have something of her own.

When she arrives, though, she finds Pepper inhabiting the farm. Pepper is nursing her grief over the loss of the only person who truly loved her, Grandma Lou. She knows everything about flowers but little about the farm's financial reality, which is not doing well. Opal showing up, having legally bought the farm from her awful mom, Trish, is just another blow.

The book follows Opal and Pepper's path to try and find financial stability for the farm. But, more importantly, it follows both in their attempts to take big risks. For Opal, it's standing up for herself and pursuing her art, all while wanting to be everything for Pepper. For Pepper, it's learning to articulate what she wants, even with her autism and a rough upbringing. Those backgrounds do lead to miscommunication, which is never a fan favorite, but in a way, I think it feels honest and reflective of what the two are trying to overcome.

As I said at the jump, the book is full of humor which made me love the Philadelphia trio of books, but there is just as much heart. If you loved that series, I think you'll enjoy this book just as much. I'm curious to see if we'll have another trifecta of books heading our way, as Opal has two entertaining sisters whom we are briefly introduced to in this one.

For those who love Eddings' previous series, you'll see a brief cameo for Lizzie's bakery, which is always fun. I love it when authors have their characters exist in the same universe.

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

I found this book to be really engaging and I loved the premise. I'm a sucker for queer romance so this story was right up my alley. I am looking forward to reading other books by the author.

I devoured this book so quickly! I enjoyed it and have not read anything like it before! I enjoyed the characters and everything else about this book!

Yet another Mazey Eddings book I couldn't put down! What an absolutely lovely sapphic romance (with such a unique and fun premise). There are characters that made me laugh out loud (Opal really is a true gem, such a sweet little Victorian ghost child), and also a little teary. Opal, Pepper, their friends, and the southern flower farm shenanigans had me wishing I could stay in their world just a little longer.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. It was so cute and there were so many swoon worthy moments. I was really looking for a FF romance to tick all my boxes and this was pretty darn close. I thought Opal and Peppers chemistry was amazing, and the will-they-won't-they in the beginning had me foaming at the mouth. The spice was also done right, not too much but just enough to have you wanting more. My only note was that at times it felt a little slow at times. But the rest of the story made up for it. Deffo pick this one up when you can!!

While there’s so much to love about this story, the stunning cover (yes, I judge books by their cover), the autistic and neurodivergent rep, sunshine versus grumpy MC, and the beautiful writing, I didn’t love it as much as I expected to beforehand. This doesn’t mean I think the book is bad. On the contrary, even. It’s just that I’m looking for different things in a story.

Sometimes, I need a comfort read, but I know by now that a comfort read for me doesn’t mean a low angsty, low conflict romance with a HEA. And that’s exactly what Late Bloomer is. I was constantly waiting for more angst and more conflict, not necessarily between Opal and Pepper (I’m known for my hate for unnecessary third-act break-ups); inner conflict would have been great, too. But I didn’t get any, at least not as much as I wanted to, and I felt a little bored while reading.

So, if you’re looking for a low angst, low conflict story in your next comfort read, this one is for you. I’m going to pick up a story with more friction and tension (hopefully). So bye!

I enjoyed the developing relationship between the two main characters. I also enjoyed the growth both of them went through in the book. The description of the world in the book are amazing.

DNF at 15%. I really wanted to like this book but I found the writing amateurish and clunky. Plus I didn't much care for the characters. I might try again in the future, but I don't think I'm vibing with this one.

DNF at 12%.

Am I supposed to be charmed that Opal is beaten down by circumstances, hopeless and helpless, and that her only "friends" are people who take advantage of her for sex and money? Is it supposed to be funny that she is swindled out of her big windfall by a con artist?

It isn't OK that the meet cute is set up by our two MCs being cheated out of their savings and livelihood, respectively. Opal buying the farm from Trisha sight unseen is just too stupid for words. It is what writers call an "idiot plot", from Wikipedia, "a plot which is kept in motion solely by virtue of the fact that everybody involved is an idiot".

So I can't do this any more. I don't like these characters, I don't like this story, and I don't like this author.

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.