Late Bloomer is a sapphic romance between a self proclaimed hot mess and a hard working flower farmer trying to hang on to her home. Mazy Eddings sets the stage for a charming, steamy queer romcom with mixed results.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Opal is having a tough time, between her terrible job and her awful friends, when she suddenly wins the lottery. Thinking it’s a sign that she’s ready for a fresh start, she impulsively buys a flower farm sight unseen and decides it’s the perfect spot for her art studio. Only when she gets there, she finds Pepper, the granddaughter of the late owner, who has no clue the farm’s been sold. Pepper loves the only home she’s ever known, and is working as hard as she can to keep the Thistle and Bloom financially sound. The two make a deal: Pepper will stay on and run the farm and try to earn the money she needs to buy back the property from Opal while Opal pursues her art. Naturally this involves the two strangers sharing a home, and fighting their attraction to each other as they grow closer. But what happens when they can’t ignore those pesky feelings?

Pepper is a likable grump, and her autism experience was presented well. Relationships aren’t easy for her, but clearly her late Grandma Lou and her closest friends are an incredible found family. She and Opal have tons of chemistry together, and their steamy moments heat up the second half of the book.

This kind of romance depends on the likability of the characters, though, and I had a tough time connecting with Opal. She’s supposed to be a charming hot mess, but I spent a lot of time feeling like an outraged parent thinking “you did what now?” I’m usually in favor of the most bananas romance reasons, but it’s tough for me to buy the justifications for some of Opal’s over the top actions.

I have mixed feelings about Late Bloomer. Parts of it were a lot of fun to read, while others were personally frustrating for me. I always enjoy a steamy queer romcom, though, and Mazey Eddings writes some of the most entertaining dialogue around.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Honestly I struggled with this one. I love Mazeys other books and so when I saw Late Bloomer was coming (a sapphic romance with so much great neurodiversity representation!!) I was so excited.!! I ended up finding the characters unlikeable and unrelatable… some of how they talked and behaved felt so so young, but the subject matter and relationships felt adult, so I just wasn’t really sure where Late Bloomer fits.

Overall, it had some cute moments and I love the premise, but it just wasn’t a hit for me personally.

Thank you St Martin’s Press for the arc to read - all thoughts are mine and not impacted by receiving an arc!

I absolutely fell head over heels for the romance between Pepper and Opal!! I could feel their chemistry and I was hooked on their story. I was rooting for them the whole time & although there was a third act conflict I thought it was done really well! I’m so glad I got the chance to read this sapphic romance as it was everything I was looking for and more.

It's a great, witty book that pulls at the heartstrings. I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes romcoms.

Cute and quirky. Each of the characters stood on their own with individual personalities and interests. This is low stakes, cozy vibes, and perfect for spring. I do wish their had been more done with the shoe art element, it seemed kind of forgetten by the end of the book.

Another fun and lovely book from Mazey Eddings! I loved Opal and Pearl's relationship and how it evolved throughout the course of the novel. Also, could not get over the setting!! I want every book to take place on a flower farm!

A true Grumpy/Sunshine love story, or maybe a Grumpy/Sunflower story?
Opal, a loud and clumsy artist, has put all of her money and prospects into a new venture. Pepper, a serious and slightly-jaded flower farmer, is trying her damndest to keep her late grandmother's business afloat. The two clash like only complete opposites do, leaving them exasperated with confused feelings and stepped-on toes. They want to stay out of each others way, but are both coming to realize that the only way out is with the other. Both determined to keep Thistle and Bloom a success, they have no choice but to lean on one another, and maybe find some common ground.
There's just something I love about a queer romance novel (or any romance novel, truly) that is lead by neurodivergent characters. Pepper's autism and Opal's A(u?)DHD are both written with such respect and accuracy that neither are caricatures. The pop culture references are fun and fresh, and the angst, while light, is real. Neither character is unmarred, both having their fair share of flaws and trauma, but this book leaves you feeling light as a feather. Or a petal?

This book made me want to buy a flower farm 🥹💐 I absolutely loved this book. This was my first book by Mazey Eddings but it won’t be my last! This story was incredibly sweet and full of amazing representation. As an autistic person I LOVED the neurodivergent rep in this book with both of the main characters. Also, as a queer person, this sapphic romance was so sweet and wholesome (with some spice of course ❤️‍🔥)

Opal and Pepper. Man oh man did I love these two. Pepper is autistic and I related to her so much. The lack of understanding of social interactions is so familiar to me, the whole book I was just like “yes omg this is so me”😂 Opal was such a sweet and funny character, she had me cracking up with her comebacks 😂 They were just so sweet together and I adored every minute 💞

OK, well Late Bloomer was freaking CUTE. Like, everything about it (with the exception of prickly Pepper... most of the time). I haven't read much sapphic romance, so this book was a perfect start to my "sapphic spring" TBR. And the neurodivergent rep was SO GOOD! If you love off the wall chaos, slapstick humor, snarky banter, and OMG FLOWERS, you need to pick this one up immediately.

When Opal wins the lottery, she decides on a whim to buy a flower farm sight unseen (it sounded like a good idea at the time). She shows up at the farm to discover that someone is already living there; Pepper's deadbeat mom stole the deed to the property and legally sold it without her knowledge. While they work through the issues with the farm's ownership, Opal proposes that she and Pepper live together as roommates at the farm while Pepper collects enough money to buy her out. Things are going (mostly) according to plan until Pepper and Opal can no longer deny that they are attracted to each other. Can they keep up their roommates with benefits (and no feelings) arrangement?

OMG y'all, this story is so fast-paced and so freaking FUNNY. Tons of great banter and silly jokes (that actually had me laughing out loud). Though Pepper and Opal are kind of intense (and the epitome of grumpy/sunshine), I loved that they were able to find a person who could truly understand them. And they really compliment each other well as a couple too!

Though I own her entire backlist, Late Bloomer was the first of Mazey's books that I've actually read. Why did I wait so long?! Will definitely be going back and reading the rest of her books, I love a good romcom.

[2.75]

Ugh! I was so excited for this one because the cover is cute, the blurb is cute, and I desperately needed another sapphic romance to obsess over. However, Late Bloomer fell flat almost from the beginning. Opal and Pepper don't have a ton of depth to their characters; we get some insight into their innerworkings, but this could have been explored more to help the reader connect with each character more. Although I connected with some areas of their personality/experience/background, it wasn't enough for me to actually connect with them on a deeper level. At points, things felt kind of rushed and underdeveloped - almost as if the reader was missing something important that had happened behind the scenes. The plot was super cute, but again, just did not go deep enough for me.

It was a quick read, but it left me wanting a lot more. I really wanted to love this but the execution just did not live up to my hype.

A cute sapphic romance between two unlikely 20-somethings. Both main characters struggle with mental health and finding a balance in their lives. What they didn’t expect was to figure things out while being forced together. Add the backdrop of a quaint flower farm then some quirky side characters, and you’ve got Late Bloomer. This was the perfect spring read full of laughs and heartwarming moments.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press, and author Mazey Eddings for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Late Bloomer is a fun and breezy sapphic romance following, Opal, an artist hellbent on following her dreams after winning the lottery and buying a flower farm, and Pepper, the farm's former owner who had no idea of its sale. When the two meet and learn of their predicament, both are forced to stick it out and live with each other regardless of their clashing personalities and habits. Despite being total opposites, as Pepper and Opal begin working together on the farm and opening up to each other, their unlikely friendship slowly blooms into more.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint! Pepper and Opal were so chaotic and whimsical together; the cottage core vibes were absolutely darling and fit so well with both of their characters and history. I loved the neurodivergent rep and how that played out in both of them, the two had such vastly different yet similar experiences and inner workings. I also have to mention the journey Pepper and Opal both went through, the character development was so gentle and unwaveringly strong for these two, together and separately. If you are in the mood for a cozy queer romcom full of charm, found family, steam, banter, and so many sweet and tender moments, this book is for you.

"Late Bloomers" just really didn't work for me. I didn't feel any chemistry between our main couple, and the relationship seemed to advance at light speed without much of any conflict other than misunderstandings and inner doubts that are rehashed again and again throughout the story. I also had to continuously remind myself what perspective I was reading from because the voices of all the characters also read so similarly. Disappointed that this one was a miss for me!

LGBTQ and opposites attract
autism romance
very steamy!!
felt the character development could have been better

This book hit me right in the FEELS! The premise was great-a young woman wins the lottery, impulsively buys a flower farm, finds out the farm wasn't quite as unoccupied as she was led to believe, and then is forced to live with and team up with the woman who runs the farm. The characters were really well rounded and I was extremely invested in their lives and feelings. Mazey Eddings writes really fleshed out characters who I want to read about! The tropes in the book were great-enemies to lovers + forced proximity + friends with benefits= ooops we caught feelings! The chemistry between the two main characters, Pepper and Opal, was really believable, as was the way the romance progressed as the story went on. I loved the two of them together, and how they stood up for each other. There was also great neurodiversity rep in the book, and while I can't speak from experience, the way Eddings wrote about her neurodiversity characters was with real respect and care. Other things I loved in the book-there was a Lizzie Blake shoutout! And a caretaking scene, which are my absolute favorite. The side characters were also great, I really hope we get to revisit them and their stories in future books!

Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings is a funny and heart-warming sapphic romance that is perfect for spring reading!

Opal is a roller-coaster in human form. Her current fixation is a flower farm she bought, not knowing that the farm was actually not supposed to be sold off. Pepper, who's autistic and has recently lost her Grandma, is furious when she finds out her mom sold her grandma's flower farm to Opal. After a not-so-cute introduction, tensions are high. But Opal is a people pleaser, and she wants to do things right by Pepper.

Both Opal and Pepper are chaotic, which added a lot of charm to the story. Their falling in love was the cutest! I also loved the side characters that added so much to the story with all their different personalities.

I unfortunately just…didn’t love this. I wanted to love it, but I just didn’t connect with any of the characters, I honestly straight up just didn’t like Pepper. It felt like work to get myself to keep reading and I’m sad because I really did want to love this.

This was a cute story! I loved the neurodivergent rep and that it was about to women finding love. This was definitely more of a feel good romance and I really enjoyed it. Grumpy sunshine trope was done really well. I feel like the reason.

What would you do if you won the lottery? Would you impulsively buy a flower farm... only to find out that the rightful owner, a grumpy but gorgeous woman, doesn't plan on moving out or giving it to you... and you might be falling for her? Opal Devlin's life has not been going great, her boyfriend has broken up with her and her "best friend" has been using her, so when she suddenly wins the lottery she decides to go for a change in her life.... and that means finally pursuing her dreams and buying a flower farm. Little did Opal know, the flower farm is failing and that the actual rightful owner, Pepper Boden, wants her off the farm immediately. Pepper loves the flower farm her and her grandmother built and worked on, yet when her grandmother passes away suddenly and the will isn't found, Pepper's con woman mother sells the farm without her knowledge and goes on the run. Now Pepper and Opal are stuck together as Opal has the deed and until Pepper can either find the will or get the money to buy the land from Opal, they'll be living and working together. Opal and Pepper are complete opposites but they come to an agreement: they'll live together and Pepper will work with Opal until she can pay off the farm from Opal. Yet the more time they spend together the more sparks begin to fly and maybe romance may begin to bloom. This is Mazey's first sapphic romance and I was so looking forward to it, yet it kind of felt just okay to me. Opal was so hard to like and I just didn't really vibe with this relationship overall unfortunately. I adore sapphic books and this sounded right up my lane, it was on my high anticipated reads, but it just kind of fell flat with the messy plot and the lack of actual chemistry and romance between the two characters. While this didn't work for me, I definitely think if you enjoy sapphic romances, you should give this one a go!

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I feel like I should start this review off by saying that "Late Bloomer," was one of my most anticipated releases for 2024. I was scouring Goodreads for giveaways (and lost all of them lol) so when I got approved for the E-ARC through Netgalley (thank you NG and St. Martins-Griffin!!!) I almost died. This releases on April 16th and I encourage everyone to run and get it! This is a book that encompasses exactly what we need more of: cute, low stakes, sapphic rom-coms. I loved Pepper and Opal. Each character was so unique and fleshed out so well. ADHD and Autism representation was done really well, in my opinion. This was a great feel-good Spring read and it makes me want to visit a flower farm in Asheville ASAP. Only qualm is that some of the mis-communication stuff was a bit repetitive, but it didn't detract from the book. Really loved this and will be on the lookout for the author now! Tropes: grumpy X sunshine, opposites attract, one bed, picking out the *perfect* gift. TWs: grief, mentions of abuse, on page emotional manipulation/abuse (side character), parental neglect, complicated relationship with addiction (alcohol, sex, drugs).