Thank you Mazey Eddings & St. Martin’s Press for the eARC of Late Bloomer!

Late Bloomer is my first Mazey Eddings book and I LOVED it! Late Bloomer is a sapphic romance and just gives everything I love about romance. It’s sweet, funny, full of warm, fuzzy feelings, and I loved the representation!

That being said, loneliness is a significant theme in this book and the brutally honest depiction of loneliness in this book is raw and painfully relatable—like, do we all feel this way or is it just me? Eddings doesn’t shy away from diving deep into vulnerable moments, and it hits hard.

BUT—this book is also cozy, funny, and so, so swoony. Opal and Pepper are both incredibly sweet and totally unique. Opal’s unfailing kindness shines through, while Pepper makes sure that kindness is never taken for granted. They balance each other in such a beautiful way. 💛

Overall, loved it and can’t wait to read more Mazey Eddings!

LIKES:
🧠 Mental Health rep
❤️ Autism rep
🌼 Cottagecore vibes
🌈 Sapphic romance
🖤 Themes of loss/grief
🌱 Personal growth themes

I have a couple plot issues with this book, namely that the characters seemed fairly unrealistic. That said, I loved it! I really identified with one of the characters specifically and loved seeing myself in her. It was a fun summer read and the second book I read in a row with an "oops! i accidentally fell in love with my roommate" plot, weirdly enough.

LATE BLOOMER was a sweet, spicy, novel with a very well done audio version.

Opal and Pepper are the cutest couple that I absolutely fell in love with. Opal starts the book as a bit of a doormat (which is generally hard for me to read), but she thankfully gets her backbone together while still retaining a kind generosity and inclination to help others. I love her character finding that line.

And Pepper is all prickly guarded aloofness and I loved her slowly coming to trust Opal and opening herself up to love and care from others. The way these two go to bat for each other is the sweetest!

In the middle the book's pace slowed down and I was struggling a bit to stay engaged, but it picked back up again and had a great ending.

SPICE LEVEL: Rated R / 2-4 descriptive sex scenes, may have harsh language.
CONTENT WARNING: past parent abandonment, past cheating ex, parent steals money
FEELS: 3/5 - You will definitely feel some feels.

This was very sweet but I just didn’t feel the chemistry between the two characters. I’m big on angst and tension and this didn’t really have any so I didn’t feel quite as pulled into the story. I loved the humor although at times it was a bit cheesy. As always, I appreciated her neurodiverse representation!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Review previously withheld in solidarity with the St. Martin’s Press reviewer boycott. All opinions are my own.

I was excited to hear that Mazey Eddings’ next book would be a sapphic romance, and given I already enjoyed her previous work, I had high hopes. As expected, this was a charming, sweet read, and a warm hug for neurodivergent people and those who’ve dealt with toxic friends and family. Plus, a great homage to the world of flowers.

Opal and Pepper are delightful leads. They’re perfect opposites, yet together, make perfect sense. Opal is chaotic, yet soft-hearted, and has ADHD. Pepper, meanwhile, is more guarded and closed-off, and has autism. I really liked the initial battle of wills between them as they tried to figure out how to navigate their difficult situation and how to get along, not to mention reckoning with the pesky attraction between them. But as their bond grew, I loved how they came to each other’s defense in the face of opposition, especially Pepper’s toxic mother and Opal’s grifter friends. The plot is rather low-stakes/low-angst, with even the will conundrum being conveniently resolved, but I can’t help but be happy for how things worked out, and how it all served as a vehicle to bring them together.

I also love how Eddings gave a little peek behind the scenes at the end into the process of coming up with a title. While Late Bloomer was on the final shortlist, I love some of the alternate punny floral and farming. Not only did I get a good laugh, but I loved seeing how much thought went into what otherwise seemed like an innocuous title, that, in fairness, did suit the characters.

This was an enjoyable, sweet read, and I’d recommend it to readers looking for a sweet, fairly lighthearted sapphic romance.

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=3.5 | 😘=5 | 🤬=5 | 18+

summary: FMC1 wins the lottery and buys a flower farm but FMC2 already works at the flower farm bc it’s her grandma’s so then they have to work together forced proximity grumpy sunshine et cetera

thoughts: this is cute! it is cute! it’s also occasionally kind of cringe prose-wise, which is unfortunate, but overall this is a solid sapphic romance. definition 3.5 stars. it’s okay.

Mazey Eddings never fails to write a book that I like, and this was a delightful book. I have not read nearly enough sapphic stories, but this book has made me want to read more. There's a great mix of sweetness, representation, mild angst, and humor in this book. And that's not even mentioning the absolutely gorgeous cover!

I am 100% a sucker for a cute cover so when I saw this one I knew I was gonna request it. I didn't read this as quickly as I expected but I still enjoyed it. It's a sweet sapphic romance that takes place on a flower farm. I liked both MCs and the premise for this one; I love a good "save the small business" story. Plus there's kind of enemies to lovers vibes even though Opal is a big cinnamon roll who wants everything to work out so they're not REALLY enemies but it was enough to make me happy! It's cozy and sweet with steamy moments told in dual POV so you get to know both Opal and Pepper. There are some mentions of grief and trauma but it's handled with care. The pace is slow and steady and overall it's an easy read for fans of Mazey's other books or gentle romance in general. Also, if you like pop culture references, you'll have a field day with this one =p

If you're looking for a cute cottage core vibes romance with opposites attract, forced proximity, grumpy x sunshine, and neurodiversity representation this one fits the bill!

Thank you St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars | 2 spice

I absolutely adored some of Eddings other works so when I saw this GORGEOUS cover and the promise of a friends with benefits to lovers sapphic read I was excited... but it was a bit of a slow start for me.

I'm not sure why but I started and stopped this book so many times. It wasn't that it wasn't good - it just wasn't as witty as her previous books were this one had a more serious edge to it. Eddings always has put characters with something they are trying to overcome and I appreciate that.

There was so much miscommunication in this one that it took away from the story at times. But I did adore Pepper and Opal overall. They had great chemistry and really leaned on each other. Opal helped Pepper come out of her shell and Pepper helped Opal become a bit less of a people pleaser. The audiobook was great and the narration was perfect.

I loved this flower farm though and the idea of the competition. It was interesting and I wanted to see what their final design was which was what pushed me to continue. But really I just wanted these characters to tell each other about their feelings for about 75% of the book before I SCREAMED. No so much a slow burn but definitely a slow burn when it came to feelings being shared.

The character arcs were great though and I did appreciate the growth. I actually loved where the ending went and how things ended up for the two of them.

Overall a 3.5-star read. It was good but not my favorite sapphic romance I have read. I do recommend this for those who love Mazey Eddings writing and some people will love it more than I did.

Big thanks to St. Martin's Press, Mazey Eddings, and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

LATE BLOOMER by Mazey Eddings is sweet, heartfelt, steamy, and funny. As more and more of my friends read and posted about this book the last few months, they all kept noting that it just felt like a “hug” of a book and I couldn’t agree more! I loved Opal and Pepper so much and found myself relating to each of them in a way that had me smiling and rooting for them throughout the whole book! I absolutely loved the plot and tropes and I cannot wait to read more of Mazey’s backlist!

LATE BLOOMER may have a (stunning) floral and spring-vibey cover but this book is so cozy that it’d be the perfect fall/winter read! 🩷

Finally!!! I am just getting around to reading this, unfortunately. Totally worth the read, I love every minute of this book and will continue to pursue this authors books!

Mazy Eddings has some of my very favorite books, a d this one was no different! I mean, a sapphic opposites attract?! What's not to love!

I thought this book was beautifully written and overall amazing. Though I do not like the miscommunication tropes, this one was just so cute!! She really knows how to write characters people can relate to, and she always has the best representation in her books. She is an auto read author for me!

Read if you enjoy:
Opposites attract
Sapphic love story
Autism/ADHD rep
Lighthearted story

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book. A cute and cheesy romance is usually my vibe. Four stars from me.

I really enjoyed this book! at times I wished that Opal stood up for herself a little more, like girl you have the deed to the place you don’t need to just do what Pepper says. but it was lovely watching. these two fall for each other and figure out what they wanted in life

Macey can do no wrong in my book, so that’s why I will always keep coming back for more! This book is no expectation!!

Gorgeous cover and gorgeous sapphic rom-com!

I was already a Mazey Eddings fan with Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake, and now I can safely say she’s an auto-buy author for me.

The humor, the heart, the representation…it’s all there for me.

I enjoyed Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings. Mazey is a new author to me and I look forward to reading more by them in the future.
Late Bloomer is a sapphic romance between Opal and Pepper. Opal wins the lottery and ends up buying a flower farm where Pepper lives and states she is not moving out. They come to terms and Opal allows Pepper to continue living there. I enjoyed the growth of their friendship to romance though they are quite the opposite (opposites attract, right?!). This was a cute book and I gave it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I really enjoy this author and was so excited to have a sapphic romance from her! I absolutely loved the characters and their story to love! They really deserved an HEA. The story and steam was the perfect mix as a whole! I can’t wait for more romances from Maxey!

gosh this book holds such a special place in my heart. I LOVED this book so much. Mazey Eddings is an insanely talented author and I cant wait to read more by them. 5 stars all around.

I just finished this adorable opposites-attract romance, and it was such a fun read! 🌸💕 The premise—a lottery win and a flower farm—was super unique, and the slow-burn love story brought all the warm, happy vibes. 🌻✨

While I loved the book overall, I found the dual POV in the audiobook a bit tricky at times. The female narrators’ voices were similar, so if I wasn’t paying close attention to the chapter headings, I’d sometimes lose track of who was speaking.