This is a heartfelt and intimate adult sapphic romance that captures not just the blossoming relationship between its two protagonists, but also the emotional landscapes of love, identity and healing with easy storytelling and a strong commitment to authentic representation, the author delivers a narrative that is both charming and emotionally meaningful.

At its core, this book is a layered exploration of connection, community, and personal growth. What stands out most is how the novel subtly weaves together multiple love stories not only romantic but also familial, platonic, and self-reflective. These elements add a raw and moving quality to the reading experience, creating a sense of immersion that lingers well beyond the final chapter.

The diversity of the book is also a particular strength. From its multicultural cast to the thoughtful inclusion of intersectional identities, The author did well to portrays a world that feels inclusive, lived-in and real. This authenticity is echoed in the audiobook narration, which adds another layer of depth. The narrators, both people of color, bring the characters to life with warmth and clarity. Their emotive performances and culturally resonant voices enhance the story, making it even easier to connect with that part Gemma and Celeste’s make up.

That said, the character development leaves room for more. While both Gemma and Celeste are compelling leads, their portrayals often feel anchored to their professional lives or defined by past relationships. Greater insight into their lives outside these roles particularly Celeste’s connections back home and Gemma’s identity beyond her exes would have added more lore to their arcs. A richer glimpse into their support systems and happier memories could have balanced the emotional tone and enriched the narrative’s world building.

Though the story ends on a hopeful note, one can’t help but wish for a more expansive resolution. Seeing Gemma and Celeste step into the future they envisioned, building a family together would have brought the story full circle and offered a satisfying sense of closure.

And for the romance well she was cute, nothing unforgettable but I loved the communication throughout the stages of their relationship development. I wish there were more dates, more love languages expressed, more depth that I felt instead of being told but i could still see how this could be some else’s Roman Empire.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette audio for the ALC. xo💋

3.7

Perfectly cute romcom, exactly what I needed as a pick me up. It’s definitely a bit cliche and cheesy but I honestly don’t mind, it was a fun read. And the writing was just as good as I remember, a bit of a YA vibe but the perfect amount needed for an entertaining romcom. I liked the concept too to be honest, and besides being pissed towards the end, the actual ending was way more my taste!

I loved that there were actual friendships that feel real, while said friends also exist besides being “Gemma’s Friends” like some books end up making them to be.

And like usual, Natalie Naudus was right up my alley again narration wise, although the second narrator didn’t flow as nicely for me.


Cute second chance romance!

3.5 ⭐️ We love a good Chappell Roan inspo. She was cute, light, and easy. Throughly enjoyed the queer Asian representation, poor Celeste’s mom gonna be waiting long time for her daughter to find a man. What a compelling second chance romance, with chemistry and some scrumptious spice.

Wasn’t a fan of the shifting POVs, Celeste’s is in 3rd person and Gemma is 1st person. I don’t usually have a hard time connecting to characters in 3rd person, but this back and forth was a little weird and took me out of the story. Celeste’s POV felt distance and I got more from Gemmas. Help me understand this choice?!

Thank you Net Galley and Forever for the ARC!

Absolutely in love with the storyline, I was hooked in from the beginning falling in love with the characters and adoring the storyline and relationship between Gem and Celeste.
Going to the fact that this is an audiobook, I adored the narrator, I found everything was said clearly and I think it assisted with me falling in love with the characters.
Over all I am excited to see more from this author as well as hear more from this narrator

4.5 stars ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

this book was literally everything i expected and wanted it to be. i love cute, queer second chance romances AND they have the invincible string truly so cute.

the characters in this book are so lifelike and quirky i just really enjoyed being in the space that this book put me in.

the narrators Natalie Naudus & Catherine Ho did an amazing job with the audiobook for this.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a bit fluffy but it was a decent second chance sapphic romance. I consumed the audiobook which I think helped with how much I enjoyed it as I don’t think I would have done so had I read the physical book.
This was a dual POV book which was also duel narrated by Natalie Naudus and Catherine Ho. I rather enjoyed Ms Naudus vocals throughout and she was the primary reader. Ms Ho did an ok job but her pacing was incredibly slow even speeding up the rate to 2x so her parts lulled a bit.

My biggest criticism was that there were certain words that were incredibly repetitive that did not need to be said. For instance we know that the FMC is staying at X place (no spoilers) so it doesn’t need to be recounted ever since time she says she is going home. Or saying “SF” for San Francisco constantly. Giving it some variation would have made for a more enjoyable experience.

But the book that comes out on May 27th is a great read for Pride month in highlighting a sapphic romance as well as an Asian romance.

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from Hachette Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Lyla Lee's Love in Focus presents an intriguing premise, earning it a solid 3 ½ stars for its exploration of second chances and rekindled sparks. The setup is immediately engaging: relationship advice columnist Gemma Cho, reeling from a long-term breakup and disillusioned with love, finds herself unexpectedly collaborating with her college ex, the captivating photographer Celeste Min. The added layer of Gemma's bisexuality and past heartbreak with Celeste adds a welcome complexity to the typical romance narrative.
The dynamic between Gemma and Celeste is undoubtedly the strongest aspect of the book. The palpable tension and lingering emotions from their past create a compelling push-and-pull as they navigate their professional collaboration. Lee effectively conveys the undeniable chemistry that still exists between them, making the reader root for them to overcome their history. Gemma's internal conflict – her professional need for the project's success versus her personal desire to trust Celeste again – feels genuine and relatable.
However, while the central relationship is captivating, the narrative occasionally loses some momentum. The exploration of the "modern love" piece they are working on sometimes feels secondary to the central romance, and certain plot points could have been more fully developed. Additionally, while Gemma's internal struggles are well-articulated, Celeste's perspective could have been explored with greater depth to fully understand the reasons behind their initial breakup and her current feelings.
Overall, Love in Focus is a promising and ultimately enjoyable read. The rekindled romance between Gemma and Celeste is compelling, and the exploration of past hurts and the possibility of second chances is well-handled. While some areas could have benefited from further development, the book's engaging central relationship and emotional resonance make it a worthwhile read for those who enjoy a story with a touch of history and undeniable chemistry.

This was a really sweet, spicy, and swoony second chance romance. I enjoyed it very much.

I did a tandem ebook/audiobook read. The audio was well done. I appreciated that it was dual narration with different narrators for the two women. Both Natalie Naudus (Gemma chapters) and Catherine Ho’s (Celeste chapters) narration fit the character they were bringing to life. Natalie Naudus in particular embodied Gemma’s emotions and personality of the story for me, which made sense as the bulk of the book is from Gemma’s first person POV. (Celeste’s chapters were in third person POV.)

Onto the story. I thought the setup for reuniting Gemma and Celeste after eight years was a great one. Having them working together on interviews and digital media for couples from different generations worked well as a way to open the two of them up to conversations about their own love story, both its past and maybe potential hopes for their futures. It also gave an opportunity to highlight diverse love stories and viewpoints from all ages and walks of life. The couples they interviewed added a lot to the story.

I liked how Gemma and Celeste approached their past early on as they worked to establish profession boundaries at the beginning of their project. I think the use of third person POV for Celeste’s chapters somewhat prevented me from feeling like I really got to connect with where her head was at and the depth of her emotions at times, though I could appreciate the choice to differentiate between the women’s chapters in that way. I wanted a bit more of the in depth history between Gemma and Celeste, but I still felt the undeniable attraction and chemistry between them despite their many years of no contact. I believed in their second chance.

I also always have to shoutout any secondary characters who I feel really uplift a story, and Kiara and Val absolutely did that in this book. I loved their support of Gemma, and I loved that their relationship gave her a great, up close example of a healthy relationship.

Thank you to Forever for the eARC and Hachette Audio for the ALC, both via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

It was very nice to read about Asian MC’s for a change so that was a big plus for me. The story was overall very cute and interesting to get small insights to Korean culture and ways. It is always nice with second chance romances when they find their way back to the actual love of their life.

I struggled a bit with the fact that Celeste was so upset, still after 10 years apart, that Gemma did not wait longer for her before moving on. Four months is a long time for a college girl when your girlfriend just leaves and not communicate at all during that time and not tell why she left so not fair.

I listened to the audiobook and I loved the chapters narrated by Natalie Naudus, Gemma’s POV, but had some issues with the other narrator, Catherine Ho, that narrated the shorter chapters in Celeste’s POV. The switch between 1st person for Gemma’s chapters and 3rd person for Celeste’s chapters also something I did not love, and I would have liked to get more from Celeste’s POV than now given.

The narrator's are 10/10. Clear voices, engaging and varied tone throughout. Honestly made the listening experience great.

Now to the book itself, this was the bisexual representation I NEEDED and the WLW story that I wanted. There's something so real about the way things went for Gemma and Celeste. They were honest, messing up, and still learning alongside. They didn't know everything but they were honest, vulnerable. I honestly really love how much they learn and grow in the book. Another thing I loved about this book is the humour!!! That was fun!!

The spice: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ It was hot, sexy and a WHOLE TREAT. Yes yes yes.

I thought the premise of this book was great and it was definitely a cute read!

I really enjoyed the dual narration, I'm a lover of multiple POVs in books and it's even better when they're narrated by different people, I feel as though it helped me get much more into the book! The audiobook production sounded good and I really enjoyed that aspect of it.

Book-wise, I really enjoyed the main characters and appreciated that they're backgrounds were well developed. It was easy to understand their wants and motivations since we were able to learn about their pasts and previous experiences. I loved the diversity of all of the characters and really enjoyed reading about the main character's project to directly address what love means for the queer community. The side characters also felt fleshed out in their own way and were given lives of their own to live, as opposed to just being their for the main characters, which was really nice to read.

My main issue with Love in Focus is just that I didn't really connect with the main character's relationship. Despite their backgrounds being deep, their relationship felt very surface-level. We know that they have been together previously, for quite a long time, and that it didn't end well, but I feel like not enough was done to address that and feel that it was appropriate for them to be together again. I feel like if they had addressed their issues with how their past relationship had ended and what transpired after that more, it would have been easier to feel invested in them getting back together again.

A couple minor issues that I had that may be more personal were the POVs and the ending. For some reason it really bothered me that one POV was in first person and the other was in third. It made reading the story very choppy for me and took me out of the reading experience every time the chapters switched. I'm not normally someone who cares if a story is written in 1st or 3rd POV, but the switching just didn't work for me. The ending involved lots of time jumps and a much quicker progression of the MCs feelings towards each other. I didn't hate it, but it also didn't seem like the best ending to me.

All things considered, this was a sweet read (with some spice!) and I'm always happy to see more diverse romance novels.