Every so often you read a book that’s so good you’re livid you didn’t save it to read on vacation.

If you’ve ever watched a hallmark movie and been like can y’all please fuck now this book is for you.

The premise, 💸 windfall//fresh start, and forced roommates (to lovers) set on a 🌸 farm, is very true to the heart of the genre.

💕 🏳️‍🌈 I liked the cute queer neurospicy characters struggle to express themselves and in turn communicate with one another.

🇺🇸Note: the real estate transaction is very American in that cash exchanges hands and the deed is signed. This is very different from the 37 step process in 🇨🇦 with lawyers, writ searches, statutory declarations and land registry offices. I had to remind myself again that most home sales in the US use an escrow office and that’s it.

50/50 Some of the sex scenes were a little like has the author had gay sex? Is she trying to describe ✂️ unironically? Tongue in hole ew. And some wording that icked me that I’ve done a great job at oppressing (but I think it was “opening”). There’s enough sprinklings of sex scenes that of one or two ick you there’s other snippets for you.

Initially it kinda felt like a beauty and the beast retelling with Pepper being the one dimensional beast with one mood: moody.

Flaws: At times the writing annoyed me. It was occasionally repetitive and made me need to reread or wonder if there needed to be more copy editing.

👎 “Inky night” is used multiple times. This annoys me personally because it makes me think of my sleep story™️

👎Overuse of the word “Thrum”. I feel like this word is blowing up in romance right now and I hate it.

ARC provided by Macmillan Audio via NetGalley for $Free.99

‘Late Bloomer’ by Mazey Eddings
The ever spontaneous Opal suddenly comes into a large sum of money, life changing amount of money. She decides to spend her new fortune on a fresh start, buying a flower farm in Asheville, where she can spend her days working on her art. Upon arriving to her new home she discovers that someone is already living there. In comes Pepper, flower farmer who was raised on the farm and hates changes. As the two work through the challenges of living together, they decide to enter a flower sculpture contest to help Pepper afford to buy the struggling farm back from Opal.
The neurodiversity representation in this book was truly comprehensive. It felt very authentic and well done. I am sure a lot of readers will find themselves represented through this book.
I struggled with Pepper and Opal’s romantic relationship. I did not feel the spark I was hoping to see from these two passionate characters. The physical tension between them was evident, the spice was well done. But I felt like the romantic connection was lacking and could have been a bit more intense.
The growth in the character’s individually was well done. I felt their growth and it was done authentically. It was inspiring to see them work for the changes they wanted in life and from each other.

I received the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Great book. Really enjoyed the story and the progression of it all. Everything worked out great at the end

DNF'd at 60%
I was really trying to give it a fair shot as I loved the premise, but the characters fell flat for me. Nothing about their choices felt at all authentic. Also, the two characters sounded way too similar in the narration so it was hard for me to differentiate between who was talking/thinking.

I wish I could give partials as this is actually a 4.5 for me! I adored the concept and characters that Eddings wrote. As a fellow autist and late bloomer, it is basically impossible to find my own life experience reflected in books let alone a queer love story!!

The flower competition and Opal’s unending kindness were my other favorite parts!

Only reason I didn’t give a 5 star is I am not a huge fan of spicy scenes, I felt it was just a few too many for me. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the miscommunication back and forth considering most ND people lean more towards direct communication so this felt a little OOC for the characters in my opinion.

But overall, it was a delightful gift to read.

*I was given this to read early and review by #Netgalley and #MacmillianAudio but all opinions and words are my own.*

Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings
Contemporary sapphic romance. New adult.
Opal Devlin likes to do things for people. Even when she can’t afford it herself. Winning the lottery is a surprise bonus she never expected. She also didn’t expect friends to immediately expect a handout. Opal takes the money and buys a farm, thinking she can finally make her art into a business. But when she gets there, she finds that the farm is still actively growing flowers and Pepper didn’t know her mother had sold the property out from under her. Opal and Pepper agree to coexist on the farm while they both make decisions on their future.

Lots of life planning, some angst, a bit of loving, and quite a few flower arrangements and metaphorical flower analogies.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and audiobook when reading this story. The audiobook is narrated by Ellie Gossage. The performance is well done with distinct voices for Opal and Pepper as well as a couple of the secondary characters. Both the print version and audio also have chapter headings that tell you whose POV is being told. The different temperaments of Pepper and Opal come through clearly in the audio which helps in getting to know them both.

I enjoyed the sisterhood closeness and support of Opal’s sisters, Ophelia and Olivia. They are overjoyed at Opal’s winnings and drop everything to travel to her when she calls.
I’m glad Opal saw through her so called friend.
I also thought it was great that Opal was so supportive of the farm and the business.

Opposites attract romance with several depths of love and friendship and affection.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and publisher Macmillan Audio.

A lighthearted, quick read sapphic romance. I appreciated the autism and neurodivergent representation. The plot wasn’t the most captivating but the characters and setting were lovely. Using dual POVs was a good choice. The narration is well done.

Ratings
Quality of Writing 4/5
Pacing 3/5
Plot Development 3/5
Characters 5/5
Overall Enjoyability 4/5

*Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC/ALC in exchange for my honest review*

This book feels like how I imagine hugging Mazey Eddings would be like - Soft, warm, and delightful. The narrator did SO well that I honestly thought that there were 2 females narrating. A flower farm in North Carolina is such a fun setting, and I almost wished that we had more book to explore the flower fields and area more. There's a decent amount of steam, though I do feel like I could've done with more. Like how often do you get a natural opportunity to get it on in a flower field? Regardless, this book is full of quotes that made my heart ache and feel so wholly seen as a person. Felt like Opal wasn't the only one who won the lottery.

I loved how this book exists in the same Mazeyverse and I really hope that this gets picked up as a series because I'd love to see Olivia and Ophelia's stories as well.

I loved this book so much. I cannot wait to re-read this over and over.

The relationship development between Opal and Pepper made me feel a level of hope that I didn't know I needed. We can only be so lucky to find a love like theirs.

I really enjoyed this sapphic romance, and I think it's probably best enjoyed as an audiobook.

Things I loved:
1. I loved how nuanced and unique the two FMCs are. I love that they don't narrowly follow labels and definitions.
2. I loved the setting of the Thistle and Bloom flower farm. It felt really special and made the romance feel like an escape.
3. I thought the found family around Pepper was an absolute delight and her birthday party was one of my favorite parts of the book.
4. Opal. I love her. I want to be her best friend ASAP.

Things I didn't love:
1. I live near Asheville, NC and anyone who lives in a four hour radius knows it's become incredibly gentrified and overpriced by tourists and folks with high paying remote jobs that have largely wiped the cultural diversity from the area. In light of this, it was tough to romanticize a version of Asheville where someone is buying a farm for $300,000 and isn't getting any pushback from locals.
2. I needed more about grandma. I know we were supposed to see her as wise, loving, and caring, but it was more a a tell than a show. I think more flashback's or touches of her in the house would have helped.
3. We never really touch on the power dynamic of Opal owning the home, land, and business that Pepper is living at.... like how is pepper buying groceries? How does she not feel like Opal's employee? That was a bit confusing for me.

I generally really loved the audio version, and I think the author's note and acknowledgement at the end actual improved my overal perception of the book. I'm really grateful to #NetGalley for the chance to read the audiobook, though I have one note for the narration (though it may be too late). The narrator says Appalachian like a northerner. People in the south, especially NC say it like "I threw an Apple-At-Cha" and I think this is how Opal would say the word. I know it's small, but it's a big deal around here.

You have to suspend disbelief in the set-up to this sweet, opposites attract romance. When Opal wins the lottery, her impulsive nature leads her to spend most of her winnings on a flower farm she buys sight unseen on Facebook Marketplace. Somehow this is not a scam but the sale comes as a surprise to the farm’s caretaker and long-term resident, Pepper. Any guesses what happens when Opal shows up and becomes Pepper’s new roommate? There’s also a floral sculpture competition, some charming side characters, and an evil mother and toxic ex thrown in for good measure.

Overall, I think I ended up liking the characters, especially Pepper and her friends, a whole lot more than the story. There isn’t a whole lot of conflict or angst in the relationship itself and all external problems seemed to quickly appear before being easily resolved. So this is perfect when you just need something charming and comforting to read.

I was a little worried when I saw that the audiobook had a single narrator even though the chapters alternate between Opal and Pepper’s POVs. This was ultimately handled well by the narrator, who was able to give both characters a distinct voice, but I think this would have been better with two different actors.

I’d give the story 3.5 stars and the audiobook 4 stars.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This one was very cute.

It took me a second to connect with both Pepper and Opal. And there were moments where I just didn’t quite understand their choices. But once we got more back story and I came to appreciate them for who they were.

It was sweet how they fall into a relationship. How they slowly open up to each other. And then defend the other against those who are toxic.

I liked that there wasn’t too much relationship drama. Though there were times I wanted them to talk to each other rather than just making assumptions.

As usual, this book has a lot of great representation of neurodivergence. How it can come to play in a variety of situations/parts of a persons life.

Very entertaining and very fun. It’s sweet and funny. Recommend.

Okay this story is absolutely adorable and I FLEW through the audiobook. Mazey Eddings remains the queen of neurodivergence representation, and we love to see it. I loved Opal & Pepper. Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

Hell Yes.

I got exactly what I wanted and needed. This was so lovely. You did have to dispend a little bit of belief because as much as I want to believe that this girl was just going to buy property off of facebook marketplace... with zero lawyers involved... yikes... lol. Once you get past it, the rest of it is just lovely. It had perfect amounts of neurodivergence, flower puns, and close friend group that made this the perfect read.

Seriously a great time. The audiobook was a great way to recieve the book, and I'm going to be digging into Mazey Eddings backlist for sure.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Negalley and Macmillian Audio for an early copy.

This was a delightful book. Opal and Pepper were great characters. I loved how real they were, and the fact that the author showed their neurodiversity and autism is all its glory.
Opal wins the lottery and decided to buy a flower farm with her winnings. Unbeknownst to her, the farm already have somebody living there. Pepper is none too pleased when Opal shows up.
Their decision to cohabitate leads to a lot of crazy happenings. Besides Opal and Pepper, I was particularly fond of Peppers friend Diksha. This book made me laugh and cheer, and it also made me want to strangle a few of the characters.
It had a little bit of spice, nothing bad or over the top. This book is well worth a read.
The audio version was well made. The narrator held my interest and was easy to listen to.

Spicy sapphic romance! Opal and Pepper are both cute and quirky. The way they stumble around each other and try to fight their feelings to keep things casual-so great to listen to!

Thank you for the ALC for my honest review

This was a soft, steamy sapphic romance set on a flower farm. I really liked Opal and the way her self-confidence blossomed throughout the novel, and I enjoyed the way she walked Pepper through some of their more intimate moments, asking what she liked and telling her what *she* liked in return. I had to suspend my disbelief a fair bit at the beginning with the farm purchase (and the fact that the seller so clearly seemed to be a con artist), and I also didn't really get the whole shoe art idea (it just seemed too niche to take off as a business?). But apart from that, this was a relaxing read and I really enjoyed the neurodivergent rep.

I loved Opal and Pepper, the flower farm, how much they both developed throughout the book and the ending 🥹🥹🥹🥹


Huge thanks to NetGalley, MacMillan Audio & St Martin's Press for an advance

While this can feel like a run-of-the-mill contemporary romance at (many) times, the representation of grief and neurodivergence really brought this home for me. The feeling of being in a home that became your safe space, but missing someone important in it, to finding new meaning within it. I loved watching Pepper and Opal's relationship blossom (haha, get it?), and their clumsy steps to growing closer.

And the narrator did an amazing job in conveying the characters' personalities. Pepper and Opal had different weights to them.

My biggest complaint is the ending felt weirdly rushed, and that the drama had my eyes rolling. But overall, I enjoyed the story.

I love mazey’s books so so much!! They’re always full of humor, passion, sexiness, emotion and so much more. Late Bloomer was no exception!

I loved both main characters equally and could relate to both of them in different ways. Pepper was standoffish, brash and guarded while Opal was open, cheery and excitable. Classic grumpy/sunshine trope! I especially loved Opal’s growth throughout this book. She seemed like a doormat at the start of the story and after cutting off the negative energy in her life and spending time at Thistle and Bloom with Pepper and friends she really started to ~bloom~ 😉. Basically, she got a backbone and found her voice and really discovered her confidence with Pepper’s support.

I felt so connected to the relationship Pepper had with her late grandmother. The sweet flashbacks where she was remembering special moments with her grandma were some of my favorite parts! I appreciated Pepper’s healing as well through her constant grief.

Overall totally adored this story, and let’s give a moment to that COVER!!