This was a cute sapphic romance that featured not just one but two strong female leads! Both leads are neurodivergent as is the author and that lends an authenticity to the voices of these two characters.

I enjoyed the flower farm setting even if the overall premise was pretty wild! There was a lot going on which made some of the plot hard to follow. I enjoyed where this one ended up though. The characters felt so genuine that it just really made me smile to read it.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. And thank you to @macmillan.audio for a free download of the audiobook.

A Sweet and Whimsical Romance

Late Bloomer is a charming and heartwarming romantic comedy that celebrates individuality and the power of love. Opal, a quirky and endearing protagonist, navigates the complexities of love and friendship with humor and grace.

The author's lighthearted tone and relatable characters make for an enjoyable read. The romance between Opal and Pepper is sweet and believable, and their chemistry is palpable. While the fast-paced nature of the relationship may not appeal to all readers, it adds a sense of youthful energy and excitement to the story.

The book's focus on neurodivergent representation is commendable, and the author handles the topic with sensitivity and understanding.

The audiobook narration for Late Bloomer is excellent. The narrator skillfully brings the characters to life, capturing their unique voices and personalities. This enhances the listening experience and makes the story even more enjoyable.

Overall, Late Bloomer is a delightful and feel-good read that is perfect for those seeking a lighthearted and romantic escape.

4 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #stmartinspress #macmillianaudio #latebloomer #mazeyeddings

cute! not a ton of chemistry between the leads in my opinion, which made it a little hard to really root for them. would like to read more lgbtq main couples from mazey!

This book has everything: lottery winnings gone wrong, a flower farm escape, and a grumpy-sunshine romance that’ll hook from go. Opal Devlin thought winning the jackpot would solve her problems—wrong. Now, she’s fleeing with a bruised heart, big dreams, and a failing flower farm. Enter Pepper the rightful owner who refuses to vacate the premises. Their argument are infuriating and hilarious.

- flower chaos
- an artist's soul
- sizzling chemistry
- tension, banter, and reluctant teamwork

Opal is soft and a little lost, while Pepper is all bark, but with the deepest of roots. Watching these two find common ground—and themselves—while trying not to fall in love is pure joy.

This is a story about fresh starts, healing from heartbreak, and the beauty of finding someone who sees you for who you really are. If you love slow burns, stubborn heroines, and stories full of heart, this one’s for you!

Four stars rounded up because of the sex scenes. The missing star is because I hate it when the big breakup scene is due to simple miscommunication. It felt even more so in this one because Opal should have expected Pepper's reaction.

I spent the day at home, as I am not feeling well and did not go to work. I was going to pick up this one between periods of rest, but instead I read it in one sitting instead of resting! Sure Opal is too naïve and sure the book has a Hollywood ending, but it does not enter Hallmark movie territory. (I still cannot with In the Event of Love my eyes will never not roll when I think of how sickly sweet that one was.)

When I finished reading this one I wondered if we are in a Renaissance of Sapphic romances. It feels like so many authors are producing great stories with diverse representation. I cannot wait to see what Alison Cochrun, Ashley Herring Blake, and Jennifer Dugan will have in store!

Such an adorable book. Listened while travelling even though normally I'm not a huge audiobook fan. Sure to be a sapphic classic in the romance sphere!

I’m such a Mazey Eddings fan, and loved this opposites attract, sapphic romance! The flower farm, the great cast of characters, and the swoony story. I ate it right up

I paired the book and audio and loved them both, great narration, and highly recommend.

*many thanks to SMP, Macmillan audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

I requested this because I really enjoyed Edding's books before, and I live for a good sapphic romance. while I liked both characters individually i wasn't super invested in their relationship, and I found they lacked chemistry which was honestly super disappointing for me. The narrator does okay but I did feel a lot of their voices for side characters where very similar which did make some parts hard to follow because I couldn't tell who was supposed to be talking.

I love Mazey and this book was no different!

Late Bloomer was just the book I was looking for. Opal and Pepper are perfect for each other and them maintaining a lower farm together is such a cute idea!

The audiobook was done well, I enjoyed the production thoroughly.

Late Bloomer was a fun read. I enjoyed the aesthetic and I think the main couple work well together. I did, however, think the pacing could have been better, particularly in the last thirdish of the book, and I felt that the characters, especially the side characters, were quite one dimensional. I also wish more was done with Opal’s shoe painting career, as it was so hyped up but we barely got to see it. Overall, I enjoyed reading this but don’t plan on reading it again.

Docking one star for a little too much spice for my taste.

Cutesy, fun, and queer. These two characters are so very different, but somehow were made to be together. The journey from start to finish was up and down, but very enjoyable. I would heartily read the sequel to this book. Can we make this happen, Mazey?

I really appreciated the flower lexicon at the end of the book, as well as the background story from the author about how the book’s title was chosen. It was a nice touch to end with.

Recommended to readers of queer romance who enjoy some sapphic spice.

(I received this ALC via NetGalley in return for an honest review. Thank you.)

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings. Whew.. this book was a bit spicy. It felt like the author kept forcing the spice and it really didn't just happen. It was a bit slow paced also and did not keep my attention, I had to keep going back to it.

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.

I listened to the audio version of LATE BLOOMER which was narrated perfectly. Both leads had distinct voices and it was easy to tell them apart.

BOOK RATING: ★★★★
AUDIO RATING: ★★★★★

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.

God this book was just incredibly impossible to suspend disbelief in. She wins the lottery and then immediately spends it all on a piece of property on FACEBOOK MARKETPLACE, for a business she DOESN’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO RUN. And yet again, being an attorney has ruined a book fro me, because none of this is how estate law works. Anyway, I tried to ignore it, but I just couldn’t.

The characters were both really annoying and unlikeable, and their separate neurodivergent characteristics were the entirety of their character. There was no reason for them to like each other other than instant attraction. I listening to the book while shopping and was shocked when they started hooking up - ten min earlier there had been no notice that they were even kind of interested in each other.

So much of this book felt preachy. Like Opal gets worried about not being shaven, and Pepper gives her a long ass monologue about how that has no influence on her attraction to Opal. That’s all fine and dandy, but just let it BE don’t tell me about it for ten minutes. Do we want representation? Yes! Do we need to make it a huge ass thing every time it happens? No! May be a personally issue of mine but whatever.

I’m not a romance reader, and this just felt like it would be a fun, easy read. I got real annoyed real fast.

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! 🩷

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.

This is a grumpy sunshine, opposites attract, sapphic romance with neurodivergence rep.
The "surface" conflicts were easily resolved, no real struggle. It was ok, not bad, not good.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Amazing. Stupendous. Wonderful.. Perfect for lovers of 'Delilah Green Doesn't Care' and I always love a book that has good autism rep in women. It's so rare.

Review withheld until the end of the boycott of St. Martin's Press Imprints ended with Readers for Accountability. The boycott ended 8/27/2024.

This was a lovely, 5-star sapphic romance. I loved the portrayal of ADHD and Autism, Opal and Pepper’s friend group (well mostly Opal’s sisters and Pepper’s friend group). Opal, our artistic, bisexual heroine with ADHD starts the novel surrounded by people who take advantage of her people-pleasing tendencies. She wins the lottery in a scratch-off given to her by one of those toxic “friends” and decides to spend her winnings on a fresh start. Enter the Thistle and Bloom, flower farm in Asheville, NC, where Pepper lived with her “Grandmother.” Her bio-mom, Trish, con-artist and awful mother dropped her there as a teenager. Thankfully she thrived under the care of that family member but is gutted at her passing. After the passing of the owner of the flower farm, Trish swoops in and sells the farm to Opal.

Opal and Pepper’s relationship develops under forced proximity, dealing with abusive/toxic parents and friends, a flower design competition and dealing with all sorts of unpredictable things that can happen on a farm.

I get the criticism of Opal being naive but I think that is highly possible given her just general disaster behavior and being a people-pleaser, having un/late diagnosed neurodivergence. The way that BOTH Pepper and Opal grow up and defend themselves and each other is beautiful.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the arc.