This is the first Mazey Eddings book I’ve read and I’m definitely going to read more of hers. This was a heartwarming story. I loved the neurodivergent representation. This was a fun quick read.

What a fun, light hearted romance from Mazey Eddings! Mazey has been an auto-buy author for me since I read Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake and The Plus One. This book centers around Opal, an artist who is not very happy with her direction in life, after she wins the lottery and decides to buy a flower farm. Only thing is... that flower farm also comes with Pepper, who recently lost her grandmother, the former owner of the flower farm. Pepper is still grieving her grandmother, and the sale of the flower farm feels like the rug being ripped from underneath her. However, Opal agrees to let Pepper stay with her on the property, and work to be able to buy the farm back.

Something Mazey has always excelled at in her books for me is the neurodivergent representation, and it is not different in this book! Pepper is on the spectrum, while Opal is neurodivergent herself. Reading these two women learn to understand each other and accept each other no questions asked was beautiful!

There were a few times when I got confused which POV we were in because sometimes the inner dialogue was similar. For example, both characters make a lot of pop culture references and it sometimes made it confusing. I think Opal in particular felt a bit under developed, while Pepper was more fleshed out. The ending also felt slightly rushed and too fast paced. Although they technically did not break up, their "fight" near the end felt kind unnecessary.

Overall, this was a sweet, light hearted read with excellent sapphic and neurodivergent representation.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was so cute!!

I loved seeing Pepper and Opal come together event though they are opposites in a lot of ways.
Though it's the beginning of fall, I think this would be the perfect spring to summer transitional romance novel for next year!

Would definitely recommend this sapphic romance.

4 out of 5 stars

I love everything that Mazey releases - she has a way of getting to the core of her characters. As much as I love everything Mazey - I didn't love the characters that much, I liked them but I wasn't obsessed with them

Opal wins the lottery and this changes her life - I do wish she won more - the amount she won didn't seem like enough for what Opal was trying to do

Opal is what I would call a push over someone who is being taken advantage of. I do love a story of a woman who gets a backbone however Opal is scammed and instead of being more causation she gets involved with Pepper and her issues and puts 100% into helping her.

Pepper is going through a hard time and has issues trusting people however she loved and trusted her late grandmother. Pepper is more standoffish and cautious which seems more normal

Within their collaboration - Pepper and Opal fall in love which was as always a sweet part of the story. I was happy to see the villains brought down some which is always a major plus within a storyline

A good story with some swoony moments however not my favorite from Mazey

I loved this book so much! I love the neurodivergent rep, the autistic rep, the fact that these two had a lot more in common than they even thought. The writing was fantastic, I was totally sucked into the story. I will now be checking out this author's past works!

If books could speak, this one would scream “Girls are just superior!” the moment you touched it.

I'm familiar with the majestic pen of Mazey Eddings, but she outdid herself with Opal and Pepper’s story.
The pace, the characters’ arc, the delicate writing about sexuality and intimacy, being neurodivergent, dealing with traumas and grief, even the spicy moments between them… chef’s kiss.
The thing that took my breath away is the reality of them; I've no idea how many times either of them has spiralled in here, but it's certainly the right amount for a totally normal girl in her 20s.

Personal feelings aside, the only drawback is the not-so-different POVs.
Some people look for similar ones - instead of a polar opposite -, and it’s cool, but Opal and Pepper’s voices are so similar that more than once I asked myself whose chapter was I reading. Both characters have their personality, are shy and don't properly communicate, and they’re both great in bed, and would tear apart anyone who messed up with the other; even their spiralling is very similar.
I'm not saying they can't have the same insecurities or be bold about the same stuff, but I’d have liked it if there were something that would have clearly distinguished them, not only Opal’s hair colour or Pepper’s love for flowers.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

p.s.: please, look how cute the cover is!

This sapphic romance is absolutely adorable. Watching Opal and Pepper's relationship blossom was incredibly satisfying. Their opposites-attract slow-burn romance is beautifully portrayed. Each character has a distinct voice that makes reading from their perspectives a joy. The authenticity of the plot points made the story even more enjoyable. Overall, it was a delightful and enjoyable read.

I really liked the story line between Opie and Pepper. they are two complete different personalities and they click so well together at the same time. These characters were really easy to connect with in this story and i definitely will recommend it to others to read. I loved how there is a complete background of both characters in this book and not just one of the characters it focused on both of them as a whole. My complete favorite part is Pepper telling Miles and Laney off. I definitely did not like those two around Opie from the start of the book and it made me smile when they were finally told off.

This was such an adorable, sapphic love story! I really could not get enough of Opal and Pepper’s slow burn relationship through this book.

After winning the lottery, Opal decides to get back to making textile art. To get inspired by nature, she buys a flower farm and decides to venture out on creating her own independent small business. However, when she arrives, these hopes are dashed when she meets Pepper, the person running the floundering flower farm after the passing of her Aunt. They decide to cohabitate and chaos ensues as they learn to live and work together. While they work together, they find themselves developing feelings for the other, as they figure out how to save the farm together.

As always, I love the care Mazey Eddings puts into creating the all star cast of queer and neurodivergent characters. I loved how the two main characters were both neurodiverse but in very different ways. Eddings also did such a fantastic job creating the friend group - I could definitely see myself hanging out with them in real life, if I could! While she usually does a superb job with this in her books, it felt even more so in this one. I also really liked the forced proximity of the two main characters living on the flower farm. I appreciate the thought she put into selecting all the flowers, based on their meanings (read the end note, trust me it was so fascinating).

Mazey Eddings does not disappoint with this one- go read this book now! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

This is the first Mazey Eddings book I’ve read and I’m definitely going to read more of hers. This was a such a sweet story with two complex women. One of my favorite things about reading romance is seeing myself in characters and being reassured that the messy pieces are meant to be that way, It’s so easy to focus on our perceived flaws, these two were flawed but were able to love each other despite them. The character growth between Opal and Pepper was rocky, which made it feels more realistic. This was a great read, it was emotional, funny and heartwarming.

This book was an easy, quick read. The characters were likable and I loved having some neurodivergent representation in both Pepper and Opal. I’m

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the early read. Late Bloomer is a quick read with a unique route to the relatively predictable ending. The characters were beautifully written and the personal struggles of each were at the center of this modern love story.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! Mazey Eddings has become an auto-buy author for me and seeing her releases, she is writing like her life depends on it and I LOVE IT. My third Mazey Eddings book this year, I had high expectations and I knew I would love everything she puts out and this was no different!

Opal and Pepper take you through their sweeping, sapphic love story that's equal parts sweet and equal parts SPICY (all right, emphasis on the spicy but like, I LOVED IT). If you loved any of Mazey's previous books, you will love this one. It's easy to read, it's steamy, and it's addictive. She's just so perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood and maybe a bit of Abby Jimenez.

Thank you, @netgalley, for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This was my first read by this author, and will certainly not be my last! My favorite part of this book was the representation. I really enjoyed the plot of the story and the characters. I also loved the development of the characters and the romance between them. I truly enjoyed this read!

I was disappointed with this one. The premise was super interesting and I was excited to hear how Opal would handle sudden financial freedom, but the rest of the plot fell flat for me. Opal was too gullible to be believed (buying a house via Facebook Marketplace and adding an additional $10,000 just because you have the money?) I didn't feel any chemistry between Opal and Pepper. I just lost interest very quickly.

Opal is a little bit of a loser who suddenly thinks her problems will be solved after winning the lottery- turns out maybe not so much. Her grand plan takes lots of twists and turns after she meets Pepper and realizes that all of her bright, shiny new hopes may not work out after all. A little forced proximity and a whole lot of chemistry later, these two late bloomers make a whole lot of new magic of their own, but the twists and turns aren't done yet... This very sweet and sensitive sapphic romance definitely hits the spot!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read an advanced copy!

Thank you NetGalley for this incredibly cute novel. I absolutely loves the representation of neurodiversity, found family, and LGBTQ relationships. This book was a warm hug and made me smile constantly. It also was a lot spicier than I thought it might be! I highly recommend!

neurodiverse sapphic grumpy-sunshine? done.

As contemporary romance has started to branch out, authors like Eddings have been my favorites, especially showing how two people with variations of neurodiversity are front and center in how they view and act in the world while still giving them the dimensions of real, fleshed-out characters. I hope that this genre continues to expand in its diversity as time goes on! Keep them coming - our students could benefit from seeing this type of material in a lighter genre than the tragic-suffering-queer literature books..

If you love low-stakes, summer-love-trapped-in-amber sorts of stories with minimal conflict you’ll love this, but it wasn’t the book for me. I found myself bored more often than not.

I had high hopes for this one too, such an amazing premise. In the end it was just a fun small town setting and two interesting characters without a story.

Opal, an out and proud bisexual woman and chronic people pleaser, plus total manic chaos pixie demon with bubblegum-pink hair, has just broken up with her loser musician boyfriend when she finds out she’s won the lottery. Now good-hearted, gullible Opal (gullible in sometimes unbelievable ways), who’s always going out of her way to help others and getting nothing in return, has won the lottery, and suddenly all her old friends are back in her life and needy.

Seeking refuge, she decides on impulse to buy a flower farm in Asheville, North Carolina that she saw advertised on Facebook Marketplace. Everything seems both legit and sketchy. Turns out there’s someone already living there, a grumpy, lonely flower farmer named Pepper grieving the loss of the late grandmother who’d raised her when her con artist mother skipped out on her at 17.

The two agree to an uneasy truce, then soon can’t deny their growing attraction and pursue a roommates-with-benefits situation, but it’s quite clear that each has caught feelings from the start.

What I loved: Excellent sapphic representation. I loved how Pepper’s a later in life virgin and no micro-label quite felt quite right for her so she settled on “queer,” which is how I feel about my sexuality sometimes. Opal’s a total disaster bi with a heart of gold, a force of nature with a wacky plan to paint shoes as a business. The two have chemistry, though after they get together their personalities really started to blend together.

Also mental health rep. Pepper’s autistic and is direct and straightforward in her social interactions, often missing simple cues and needing to self isolate. Opal suspects she has a mix of autism and ADHD but getting a diagnosis felt invasive, but she presents in a different way than Pepper, with impulse control problems and a youth spent hard partying on booze and sex to numb out her pain. I related to the way Opal describes her neurodivergent identity.

The sex scenes were steamy and sensual and raised the heat in this story.

I just ultimately found the story boring and them kind of boring together. I found it hard to track the source of their disagreements and their misunderstandings were so over the top they got to be annoying. I guess that’s the autistic element playing out but their moods really turned on a dime. Their personalities became their mental health identities without much more depth or complexity to them as the story progressed.

Case in point: In one scene Opal gets furious because Pepper’s asking for her help with a flower competition and Opal thinks she’s talking about her sexual experience and she thinks Pepper is implying biphobia. Even I was with Pepper on that one on being like huh? Where’d that come from? The dialogue was sometimes unclear on who was saying what.

They resolved their misunderstandings so quickly that the triggers seemed stupid and over the top in retrospect.

There were some lovely moments in this but it just didn’t quite come together for me as a compelling enough story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Now, this isn’t my typical genre of book I like to read, but I’ve been feeling the love lately; so I decided to request this and it was granted! So, I dived in instantly, and I was not disappointed. This is also my first Mazzy Eddings book!

Oh, and thank you to NetGalley, Mazzy Eddings, and MacMillan Publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, like I said (so much so I devoured it in a day). This books vibe and feeling was very cozy and cute and it’s exactly what I need to enjoy romance books. The relationship between Opal and Pepper had its very cute moments, its very very VERY sexy moments (this is actually one of the spiciest romance books I’ve ever read, yes I know it’s “tame” in comparison to others leave me be lmao), and its upsetting moments. The portrayal of neurodivergency and how hard it is to have a relationship when both parties are affected by it was shown extremely well, so props to Mazzy Eddings for that! And I loved the epilogue so much, and I’m glad the story and the future of the characters wrapped up in a nice, cozy way.

Will I read another Mazzy Eddings book? Yeah, probably if its wlw romance. So if you like soft, cozy, and somewhat spicy sapphic romance novels, then I encourage you to pick up Late Bloomers, out in April of 2024!