I tend to prefer queer romances over straight ones so I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunely, this fell really flat for me. One of my biggest bookish pet peeves is when a book is marketed as enemies to lovers but the characters just.... don't like each other when they meet. This book really suffered from this. The characters met each other thought "ugh, she's annoying" and then were immediately kissing and trying So Hard not to think about how much they liked each other. Enemies to lovers that have insta-love REALLY don't work for me and that really brought down my enjoyment of this by a lot. Otherwise, all the characters bugged me but I was still invested enough in the overall plot that I kept reading.

I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“Late Bloomer” is a perfect example of don’t judge a book by its cover. I loved the cover and was sure this was going to be a great read. Unfortunately, that’s not how it turned out.

For a romance without a lot of plot it’s pretty critical that the characters make up for it and make you want to read. That isn’t what happened here. Both Opal and Pepper got on my nerves and I found them more irritating than anything else.

It starts out pretty badly. I was yelling at my phone by 10%. I can handle a lot of things but stupidity is not one of those things. Opal wins the lottery and decides to buy property, sight unseen, off of Facebook Marketplace. She has no one look at the paperwork, just writes a check and goes on about her day. My suspension of disbelief couldn’t handle that.

Opal is not a character I really sympathize with anyway. She’s a doormat to her friends and ex-boyfriend, like ridiculously so. It was so painful to hear her justify their awful behavior to herself and others. She has ADHD but it felt very stereotypical.

Pepper, while not quite as bad as Opal, wasn’t a favorite character either. She’s also neurodivergent and while it was quite so stereotypical, it also wasn’t fleshed out very well. Both felt more like caricature of people than actual humans. There was no depth, tension, or chemistry. It all felt forced and rather boring.

Also, the author used “she giggled” so many times. I’m sorry but grown women giggling all the time just sounds immature. Although, I guess that does track since I felt both Opal and Pepper were immature for their ages.

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.

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC! One of my favourite romances of all time, and a new go-to recommendation for customers looking for something lighthearted and tender!

I got 64% into this book and got distracted, but was convinced I’d get back to it. It’s been many, many months, and I have not gotten back to it. This wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t as engaging as I’d hoped, and the fact that putting it aside didn’t make me desperate to pick it back up says something to me about how much I was actually even enjoying the book.

The author skillfully builds tension, using witty dialogue and charming interactions to highlight the chemistry between the protagonists. As they navigate their personal struggles—be it career aspirations, family expectations, or past heartbreaks—their journey feels authentic and relatable.

4.5 stars! This book was so enjoyable. I loved both of the main characters and I love how Mazey is able to have such great neurodivergent representation in her stories. I really enjoyed the premise of this book, and getting to go on this journey with Pepper and Opal was so special. The tropes that came up in this book were also some of my favorite, especially the found family aspect of it. I have loved Mazey’s books and this was another one well done.

I love everything that Mazey Eddings writes. This book has fantastic dirty talk, found family, and forced proximity. The concept of it being at a flower farm was so cute.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of Late Bloomers. Unfortunately I did not get to this before it was archived. I'm looking forward to checking it out at my local library!

Oh how I love this book! Mazey is one of my favorite authors and the cover drew me right in - it's absolutely stunning.

Like all of Mazey's books she has wonderful representation of neurodivergence - this one has both ADHD and autism rep. I find that it really resonated with me - it felt incredibly real and to me that includes perfectly imperfect characters. Mazey shows all facets of life with ADHD/autism - including the frustrating parts. And dang I was frustrated at times but I honestly think that's okay!

I loved Opal and Pepper - they were absolutely perfect for each other. The flower farm setting was romantic and fun and involved just a teeny bit of suspension of belief. That added to the swoony-ness of it! And the spice was spicing - seriously hot but also helped with growing the relationship.

Overall I adore this sapphic love story from Mazey!

3.5 Stars

Just like I didn’t get the family gardening gene, I did not get the butterflies of love for this book like so many did. It’s cute as all get out, I love the setting, and the neurodivergent rep is incredible. Unfortunately, there’s some really frustratingly naive choices made that really pulled me out of the story. There’s a point in life where you learn and change your behavior and make choices that reflect that, that doesn’t happen here. Opal and Pepper are adorable, the plot is fantastic, the sex scenes are actually so accurate (lesbian love scenes really aren’t always done well), but the communication is minimal and the work to go from casual to serious didn’t happen. You kind of just have to trust, but we aren’t given anything to go on. Yes, it’s cute and easy to read, but it just didn’t hit the mark for me.

This is one of my favorite sapphic romances this year! I hadn’t read Mazey Eddings since A Brush with Love two years ago and that’s a shame because I had forgotten how sweet, funny, and sexy her writing is!

I loved Opal and Pepper, both together and separately. They were both at crossroads and the last thing they needed was the complication of the other person in their life. But forced proximity was bound to work its magic! Their clashes sizzled off the page and there are a few scenes that have lived rent-free in my head for months. 😉🔥

If you haven’t had a chance to grab this romance since it pubbed in April, I encourage you to do it! Eddings’ bright, swoony story will bring all the feels.

Mazey Eddings is one of the most underrated romance authors around. I have loved every book she has written and although queer romances aren't always my jam, how could I NOT love this story? Opal and Pepper are absolute perfection and I ship them and I'd read another book about them, gah.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC!

This was such a cute romance and I really enjoyed the setting. I will for sure be reading everything this author writes in the future :)

This book was set up to be one of my faves. While I adored the sapphic opposites attract trope, the execution was a little lacking. The characters felt flat and I honestly had a hard time telling the two main characters apart, which is weird considering they were opposites. There also isn’t a lot of tension so if that’s your vibe this is a slower romcom.

Thank you Mazey Eddings & St. Martin’s Press for the eARC of Late Bloomer!

Late Bloomer is my first Mazey Eddings book and I LOVED it! Late Bloomer is a sapphic romance and just gives everything I love about romance. It’s sweet, funny, full of warm, fuzzy feelings, and I loved the representation!

That being said, loneliness is a significant theme in this book and the brutally honest depiction of loneliness in this book is raw and painfully relatable—like, do we all feel this way or is it just me? Eddings doesn’t shy away from diving deep into vulnerable moments, and it hits hard.

BUT—this book is also cozy, funny, and so, so swoony. Opal and Pepper are both incredibly sweet and totally unique. Opal’s unfailing kindness shines through, while Pepper makes sure that kindness is never taken for granted. They balance each other in such a beautiful way. 💛

Overall, loved it and can’t wait to read more Mazey Eddings!

LIKES:
🧠 Mental Health rep
❤️ Autism rep
🌼 Cottagecore vibes
🌈 Sapphic romance
🖤 Themes of loss/grief
🌱 Personal growth themes

I have a couple plot issues with this book, namely that the characters seemed fairly unrealistic. That said, I loved it! I really identified with one of the characters specifically and loved seeing myself in her. It was a fun summer read and the second book I read in a row with an "oops! i accidentally fell in love with my roommate" plot, weirdly enough.

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.

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.

This was very sweet but I just didn’t feel the chemistry between the two characters. I’m big on angst and tension and this didn’t really have any so I didn’t feel quite as pulled into the story. I loved the humor although at times it was a bit cheesy. As always, I appreciated her neurodiverse representation!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Review previously withheld in solidarity with the St. Martin’s Press reviewer boycott. All opinions are my own.

I was excited to hear that Mazey Eddings’ next book would be a sapphic romance, and given I already enjoyed her previous work, I had high hopes. As expected, this was a charming, sweet read, and a warm hug for neurodivergent people and those who’ve dealt with toxic friends and family. Plus, a great homage to the world of flowers.

Opal and Pepper are delightful leads. They’re perfect opposites, yet together, make perfect sense. Opal is chaotic, yet soft-hearted, and has ADHD. Pepper, meanwhile, is more guarded and closed-off, and has autism. I really liked the initial battle of wills between them as they tried to figure out how to navigate their difficult situation and how to get along, not to mention reckoning with the pesky attraction between them. But as their bond grew, I loved how they came to each other’s defense in the face of opposition, especially Pepper’s toxic mother and Opal’s grifter friends. The plot is rather low-stakes/low-angst, with even the will conundrum being conveniently resolved, but I can’t help but be happy for how things worked out, and how it all served as a vehicle to bring them together.

I also love how Eddings gave a little peek behind the scenes at the end into the process of coming up with a title. While Late Bloomer was on the final shortlist, I love some of the alternate punny floral and farming. Not only did I get a good laugh, but I loved seeing how much thought went into what otherwise seemed like an innocuous title, that, in fairness, did suit the characters.

This was an enjoyable, sweet read, and I’d recommend it to readers looking for a sweet, fairly lighthearted sapphic romance.