Queer Representation: bisexual FMC, sapphic female LI

Summary: Gemma is unlucky in love - not only did her first girlfriend suddenly disappear from her life without a word and flee back to Korea, now her fiance is breaking up with her out of nowhere. Maybe it's best for her to focus on work, and the new project where Gemma will pair with a photographer to interview couples on their relationships and their ideas on love. The only problem? The photographer is the previously mentioned ex-girlfriend, Celeste. Can Gemma and Celeste navigate the way they made each other feel, both before and after their breakup, to manage this project and succeed in landing on the magazine's front page, all the while still having the hots for one another? Only one way to find out....

You will like this book if you like:
- more variety in sapphic sex than I've seen in a GOOD long while
- Korean representation!
- couples who grow and change into better people while apart
- First person POV with occasional chapters of third person POV

I flew through this book like it was butter! Just a smooth, easy read. As an adult only a bit younger than Celeste and Gemma, I really enjoyed the emotional growth that happened in the last 15% of the book particularly.

Gemma’s life is turned upside down. Her fiance abruptly broke up with her. She has to move out. But the whole break up is also awful because she still has to see her ex fiance at work.
Luckily, her friends step in to help her. She ends up crashing on their couch.
She wants to try dating again then runs into her college ex - Celeste at a bar.
She mysteriously disappeared and ghosted her 8 years ago.
Gemma has to learn to unscramble her feelings. Clearly there’s still some longing for Celeste but can she trust her again?

This was just a sweet and easy ready with some steamy scenes. If you’re looking for a sapphic, second chance romance - this book is for you.

Lyla Lee’s *Love in Focus* is a delightful sapphic rom-com that blends humor, heart, and second chances into an engaging contemporary romance. Perfect for fans of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care and The Bold Type, the novel follows two exes who reconnect and are given a shot at rekindling their love.

Gemma Cho, a relationship advice columnist, has built a career out of guiding others through their love lives. However, when her boyfriend of seven years suddenly breaks up with her, she becomes disillusioned with the idea of real love. Struggling with heartbreak and writer’s block, Gemma’s world is upended when she unexpectedly crosses paths with her ex, who once held her heart. As their lives intertwine once again, Gemma must confront her past, reassess her beliefs about love, and determine whether she’s willing to take a second chance at happiness.

Lee crafts a compelling and authentic romance, capturing both the angst of heartbreak and the joy of rediscovery. The chemistry between the protagonists is palpable, and their emotional journey feels natural and deeply relatable. The novel also excels in its witty dialogue and engaging banter, making for a fun yet heartfelt read. Additionally, the book shines in its representation of LGBTQ+ relationships, portraying Gemma’s sapphic romance with sincerity and depth. Themes of self-love, career aspirations, and personal growth intertwine seamlessly with the central love story, giving the novel an added layer of richness.

Lyla Lee’s *Love in Focus* is a heartwarming, witty, and empowering romance that beautifully captures the magic of second chances. With lovable characters, sharp humor, and meaningful themes, this novel is a must-read for fans of sapphic rom-coms. Whether you’re a longtime romance enthusiast or simply looking for a feel-good read, *Love in Focus* delivers an enjoyable and emotionally fulfilling experience.

Love is Focus is a sweet & cute romance!

I liked the way the story was set up and thought the characters were great. The chemistry was electric too. I liked the second chance romance between college sweethearts too.

I did have an issue with the writing at times though. The changes from first to third person were a bit jarring.

The steamy scenes were well done, especially chapter 33. Twas quite hot!

Overall, an enjoyable second chance love story.

Okay, WOW!

The amount of swooning I did for this book!

Gemma, the soft-hearted romantic, reminded me so much of myself in my twenties. Hopping from relationship to relationship to fill a void I never thought I would be able to fill, so I relied on long-term relationship dependency. She was such a relatable character, and I loved her!

But omg, Celeste! 😍 She is me in my thirties. Jaded, scared to try relationships, scared that another relationship might break me. Someone who doesn't know how to feel about love and marriage, but is secretly yearning for one.

The two of them together? Literally the best representation of romantic and platonic love I've read in a long time. Not only was there great communication between the two of them when they actually were communicating, but they BOTH did the work!

While I'm as white as they come, my step-mom is Filipina, which I know is not what is represented here, but I did feel like I could relate a bit because of similarly held ideologies about family and conservative viewpoints. However, I think Lee did an incredible job really explaining the intricacies of cross-cultural norms, experiences, and expectations. Seeing–well, reading in this case–representation of older queer characters made me absolutely break down and sob.

This book was perfection, and it's made one of my top favorite sapphic books I've ever read.

Thank you so much to Forever and NetGalley for this ARC. I feel deeply humbled to have been accepted to read this one early.

Before I get into my review of “Love In Focus”, I’d like to thank NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC copy!

I loved this book SO much and never wanted it to end! Such a great book for anyone who wants an easy cozy book to read or a book to get them out of a reading slump.

As someone who’s not a fan of the second-chance romance trope, I was thoroughly surprised by how much I loved this book. It was sweet and spicy and had all the feels!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Love in Focus by Lyla Lee is a sweet and lighthearted romance that follows a young photographer navigating love and self-discovery. The story has a charming premise and relatable characters, making it an easy and enjoyable read. However, the plot is somewhat predictable, and the character development feels a bit rushed at times. While it’s a good choice for fans of cute contemporary romances, it doesn’t stand out

love in focus is a cute, second chance romance involving two women who are close to thirty that end up working together after their break up eight years ago. celeste, a photographer, gave up on love pretty early after the fall out between her parents as well as her own relationship ending in shambles with gemma. gemma, a romance advice columnist, is a hopeless romantic who gets dumped out of nowhere by her fiancé of seven years. the both of them are roped into a work place relationship that involves spending a lot of time together. all this time they realize they may have never been over each other.

this was overall a very cute read, i enjoyed the characters as well as the side ones. it was cliche like a hallmark movie with a lot of diverse representation. it was a beautiful mix bag of people who had their own flaws and goals in life. i didn’t think it was amazing but it was cute! it’s a good quick read for anyone that wants something fluffy and romantic.

I would be remiss if I didn't comment on how absolutely wonderful the cover of this book is - it is PERFECT. I adore every aspect of it.

A romcom with bisexual/queer and Asian rep that gives the vibes of west coast The Bold Type (tv show) mixed with the banter of Ali Hazelwood is exactly what I never knew I was missing.

Gemma and Celeste getting their second chance romance was everything. It was also refreshing to see a bisexual lead actually interact and have romantic feelings towards both men and women - often it feels like authors will simply toss in a line about a character being bi but then throw them into a straight presenting relationship just to check the diversity box. Lee does a really good job with respectful representation and it means so much, especially now.

The pacing and character development was done well, I did feel like James was a little more underdeveloped than he could have been but that's just an opinion and I do think the book is still strong anyway. Some of the writing felt choppy with the switch between 1st and 3rd person (although I do understand the purpose and I do think its a stylistic choice that just didn't vibe with me personally).

Overall with this being my first introduction to Lyla Lee I'm really impressed. I do feel like the book could have been a bit longer but I flew through it and I'm really looking forward to reading more from her in the future

Love in Focus by Lyla Lee is a sapphic second-chance romance that captured my attention from the first chapter. I enjoyed other works by the author (I'll Be the One; Flip the Script), and this book bringing together creatives Gemma and Celeste did not disappoint.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

Gemma doesn’t believe true love exists—or at least she isn’t sure it’s in the cards for her—after her seven-year relationship implodes, and she has no idea why. To make matters worse, she has to pair up with Celeste, her college ex, on the most important work assignment of her career. Gemma hasn’t talked to Celeste since she ghosted her in college. Chaos and adorable romantic drama ensue.

I saw the cover of this book and immediately added it to my TBR, so I was beyond excited when Forever made it available for review via NetGalley. This book was a bingeable, fluffy sapphic delight. I will also never look at an orange couch again without calling it a Clementine. 🍊 I’m not usually the biggest fan of second-chance romances, but this one charmed me greatly. It was a cute take on the “right one, wrong time” trope, and I loved that both of our main characters were such big romantics at heart. I also adored Gemma’s character growth, and the ending the author gave her just made my heart happy.

I think you will enjoy this book if you like the following tropes:

📸 Second Chance Romance
💕 Forced Proximity
📸 Sapphic Romance
💕 Columnist/Photographer
📸 Romantic Comedy
💕 Sweet and Spicy 🌶️

“I like that. One romance novel moment at a time.”

Gemma and Celeste’s story is one filled with so much growth and love. They may have broken up 8 years ago and now find themselves working on a project together, but that doesn’t deter them for learning and growing. They explore what a casual relationship can look like while interviewing couples in love for a work project. They finally talk through what happened when they broke up, what they want out of life, and how they can fit in each other’s lives. I enjoyed this different take on a second chance romance.

I appreciated the message of representation throughout this book. Gemma and Celeste get the opportunity to work with couples of all types during the Modern Love in Focus project. College students, a couple with children, older queer couples. We see all of the forms love can take and it gives us hope that a love exists out there for everyone. We also learn so much about Korean culture and the struggles of growing up in a traditional family. Overall, I adored this book and can’t wait to recommend to others.

Thank you so much to Forever and NetGalley for access to the eARC!

I don’t know if I should chalk this up to a mood read gone wrong or lack of reader-book chemistry, but this book was just okay to me. My biggest gripe was the switch from first person to third person for the Gemma and Celeste chapters, but I’m sure it won’t bother other readers nor impeded their ability to enjoy this book.

Second chance romance, sapphic relationship (lesbian woman x bisexual woman), discussions on biphobia, and non-romantic love and relationships aspects were all well done I think.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early.

Love in Focus follows Gemma and Celeste, two women who dated in college unexpectedly reuniting eight years later through work.

I was so excited to read this as I LOVED Flip the Script and this didn't disappoint. I loved Gemma and her best friends and Celeste surprised me by being one of my favorites in the whole book. I thought there was just enough work and enough of Gemma and Celeste reconnecting to make sense and I really enjoyed how they took their time finding themselves before going back to each other.

My only issue was Gemma's chapters were in first person while Celeste's were in third person. It did help me to figure out whose chapter I was reading but it made Celeste's chapters feel a little more distant than Gemma's which I didn't like as I really enjoyed Celeste as a character. But this wasn't a big deal as this was such a great read.

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley again for the chance to read this early.

this was such an easy and fun read, and i cannot wait to add this beautiful book on my shelf when the time comes

This book is a good read. Gemma has broken up with a guy who she dated for seven years. While on the job, she pairs up with Celeste who’s gay and talented. There’s a connection between both Gemma and Celeste in the book. They’d both tried theirs hardest to keep their relationship strictly professional.

This story was so lovely and heart warming! I loved Gemma and Celeste from the beginning, and it was a honor seeing them reconnect and try to learn to trust love again. Second chance romance is one of my favorite genres and this was done so well! I also love a workplace romance. Chefs kiss!

This second chance romance follows two women thrown back together after not seeing each other for years after their breakup. The author does a great job at exploring their unresolved emotions about the circumstances of the breakup and the conflicted feelings about being in close proximity once again. I wish the POVs were a little more balanced and we had a bit more of Celeste's POV in the book. There was a lot of inclusion about their culture and how that impacted both their queerness and lives. I enjoyed them a lot.

Thank you to Forever Publishing & Netgalley for the eARC!!!

I really enjoyed this book! I loved our two main characters, Gemma and Celeste. I also really enjoyed the setting & the writing style!

I love the second chance romance trope & the tension and chemistry between Gemma and Celeste even after them not seeing one another for years was EVERYTHING!!! I really enjoyed watching them fall in love for a second time & end up stronger than ever! I also absolutely adored Kiara, Val and Burrito!

Definitely recommend picking this one up if you're looking for a cute second chance romance!

Thank you to Net Galley and Forever Publishing for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this book it was a really quick read that was easy to get through. Gemma is going through a breakup and has to team up with her college ex to tackle a project for the company that they are both employed at. I loved that this book was a second chance sapphic romance, one of my absolute favorite tropes. This book has fantastic representation and all of the characters have good relationships with one another. The friendship between these characters are also really good, it explores romantic and platonic love. This was a really fun and steamy read. Although some parts were a bit choppy, it didn’t take away from the story. I just wish that there was a bit more yearning! Excited to read more by Lyla Lee!!!