Mazey has knocked it out of the park once again. I absolutely adored this sweet sapphic romance. I LOVED the flower farm setting. I've never really bought fresh flowers for myself (Pat does sometimes but it's rare!), but this book made me want to go right to a farmer's market and pick out some dahlias. And then I got this perfect Booksta picture at one!

Opal and Pepper were SO sweet together. Their personalities were the perfect fit. I love the angst of a forced-proximity roommance, and these two neurodivergent cuties did angst beautifully.

Some suspension of belief is definitely required, because I can't imagine a world where one woman buys a house and when she realizes someone else is still living there, just lets that woman stay. That was a long sentence. Opal has an unbelievably big heart!

I cracked up at the list of possible titles for this book. It was so Mazey and so funny--the perfect way to wrap up this gorgeous book.

Thank you to NetGalley and McMillan audio for allowing me the opportunity to listen to this novel.

This book is posed as an opposites attract trope, however, they are more alike than they are different. Both Pepper and Opal battle their insecurities via inner dialogue while desperately seeking happiness.

This cute sapphic novel is full of warm fuzzies and awkward situations. I identified with Opal’s character being a people pleaser and was excited for her new adventure. If you enjoy a soft romance with a little bit of spice, then Late Bloomer is just the one for you.

This was a cute sapphic neurodivergent romance. There wasn't a whole lot to the plot, and things were a bit convenient at times. Opal and Pepper were slow to trust, which given past trauma was understandable, if a bit frustrating. I wanted more from it, but I enjoyed what we did get. I liked that Opal was an artist and Pepper a flower farmer. The confrontations with the causes of their past trauma were cathartic. All the characters were very quirky and individual which made the whole thing more enjoyable especially considering the amount of plot. I did like their neurodivergence and how they weren't ashamed of it and were upfront about it. That was refreshing.

The audiobook performance was good. It didn't detract from the story and I always knew who was speaking. I found listening enjoyable and the characters felt real and distinct.

*Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martins Griffin, and Macmillan audio for providing an early copy for review.

Thank you Netgalley, MacMillan audio And Martins Press for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review. Not sure how but this is my favorite Mazey Eddings book. I loved the Easter eggs of her previous books. I loved the characters the story everything was perfectly written. The steam was some of the best yet. I have pre-ordered it and cannot wait to hug it and tab my favorites.

Highly recommend

3.5/5⭐️ Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings
Late Bloomer is a good, cozy, Sapphic romance. It makes an entertaining palette cleanser. The banter in this book had me in stitches. I really enjoyed so much of the dialogue when Mazey Eddings really let these two women out of their heads long enough to actually talk to eachother. Unfortunately, both women did spend the much more of the book worrying internally about their own neurodivergence and perceived unworthiness. I’m neurodivergent too, but I was begging them to stop harping on it constantly. it was hard to suspend disbelief at times, because this not how the transfer or inheritance of property works.

I read this in audiobook format. The narrator, Ellie Gossage, did an excellent job, and I enjoyed her performance. However, books written in first person, with dual points of view, really require dual narration. It’s very hard to follow along with just one narrator.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for sending this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own

Overall: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Plotline: 3.5/5
Audiobook: 4/5

Romance: 4/5
Spice Factor: 2.5
Themes: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Enjoyment Factor: 4/5
Review: A lighthearted sapphic romance, this book is that warm and fuzzy feeling you get all wrapped up in book form. Opal and Pepper are polar opposites, playing off each other very well in their banter scenes. There was no actual plotline; the competition took a backseat and was never the sole focus. I loved the character development between Opal and Pepper, as they were such complicated people, and that shone within their love story. The author does a phenomenal job of portraying neurodivergence. The audio narration was exceptionally well done. I was nervous about the story being two women and only one narrator, but she could find different voices for the main characters, making the experience more enjoyable. Now, the spice! PHENOMENAL!

I could not finish this book. I did listen to a little of it but I could not listen to the narrator. It might have been better if I actually read it instead of listening to it.

Story: 4.5 ⭐️
Steam: 4 🔥
Audio: 5 🎧

I loved this. Nothing like a sapphic spring romance.

I really enjoyed all the characters in this book. I found the flower farm to be a sweet and fun place to center a romance story. I loved that Pepper and Opal each had their flaws but were able to support one another. It was very cute. I’d love more sapphic work from Mazey!

Audiobook Performance:
I was a little worried when I saw that there was only one narrator doing this dual first person POV. Usually I would prefer two different people so we could get a feel for each character. However, Ellie Gossage did amazing! She made the two characters distinctly different and I could always tell who was leading each chapter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of Late Bloomer by Mazey Edding! This was one of my most anticipated reads this year and it did not disappoint. I absolutely adored Pepper and Opal. Individually, they are neurodiverse, delightful and emotionally growing characters - deeply authentic and incredibly endearing. I especially connected with Opal. As a couple their chemistry was amazing, bot emotionally and physically. 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I’m absolutely obsessed with the flower farm setting and the cast of queer characters. I’m dreaming of two more books featuring Opal’s sisters. Mazey Eddings is an auto-read author for me. Five stars!

This book was everything I wanted and more. The cover promised sapphic and flowers and it absolutely did not disappoint! The main characters are extremely relatable, the story has the sweet charm of a hallmark movie, and the spicey scenes are really well done.
Both characters are neuro-divergent; Pepper is diagnosed as Autistic and Opal has either ADHD or autism but no specific diagnosis. Opal has a wonderful and loving family but a tendency to let people walk all over her and take advantage of her good nature. Pepper came from a narcissistic mother who abandoned her when she was a kid, leaving her with a grandmother she had never previously met. Luckily Pepper and her Grandma got along beautifully and she was able to discover a passion for flower farming. Sadly the story picks up shortly after Pepper loses her Grandmother and is still mourning and trying to figure out how to build a life without her only stable parental figure. As Pepper and Opal get to know each other they unpack their respective trauma and start to learn how to become better versions of themselves. As a neurodivergent, gay, traumatized girl that loves flowers I heavily related to both main characters and found them deeply lovable.
The book does get pretty cheesy at times, but I think it balanced out the darker topics. It was a good way of reminding the reader that despite the trauma and all the hardship that can bog us down, there is opportunity for levity if you look for it.
Finally, the spice. If you like sapphic spice there’s the perfect amount of it in here and the sex scenes are very passionate and well done. I felt there were just enough sex scenes to keep me entertained but not too many that it took away from the development of the relationship.
I listened to the audiobook, read by Ellie Gossage, and I thought she did a wonderful job! She was able to keep the voices of Pepper and Opal distinct despite the fact that they don’t have dramatically different accents.

This was such an incredible book! I was so invested in the characters, and I loved the representation. I listened to the audiobook and loved every second! Can’t wait to pick up a physical copy - the cover of this book is gorgeous!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC copy of Late Bloomer! Here is my honest review.

Late Bloomer was such a fun and cozy low stakes romance! It's grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, there's queer and lesbian representation, as well as autism and nuerodivergent representation!

Words genuinely cannot explain how much I LOVED the neurodivergent representation in this book as a queer autistic person myself! I felt myself really relating to Pepper specifically and honestly she may be my favorite character in this entire book!

This book was a little cringey and cheesy at times, but regardless, I ate it up! I'm almost positive that this audio production made me love the book EVEN MORE! I love how truly southern some of the characters accents are, and the Narrator did a great job at bringing this novel to life!

I will say, this book made me realize how much I don't care about flower farms, or flower competitions, or flowers in general. So when anything of the sort came up I was a little bored, but not to the point where it was unbearable.

The romance between Pepper and Opal was so extremely cute! I did at times feel like there wasn't much chemistry between them, and I found their banter to be somewhat awkward, but by the end of the book I was absolutely in love with both of them and their dynamic!

If you're looking for a sapphic, cute and cheesy, cozy romance, Late Bloomer is definitely the book for you! The nuerodivergent rep was probably my favorite aspect of this book by far. Such a nice read!

review: late bloomer by mazey eddings ✨🩷🌷

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"i want our house. our home. next to you is my favorite place in the world, and that’s the only spot i care about holding on to.”" 💬✨🩷

✨ MY THOUGHTS ✨

⚠️ cw: abandonment, emotional abuse, grief, death of a loved one, alcoholism, toxic friendship, ableism, & gaslighting ⚠️

if you love changing your hair color at minor inconveniences, floral sculptures, daydreaming of winning the lottery, taylor swift references, found families, punny jokes, queer romance, neurodivergent representation, lots of laughs, cries, & spice this book might be for you...

alexa play mirrorball by taylor swift 🎶

🌟 RATING: ★★★★★/5
🥵 spice scale: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (some details but not too explicit)

📆✨ release date: april 16th, 2024

mazey eddings is literally one of my favorite authors!! i love love love all of her books!! so absolutely no one should be surprised i fell completely in love with pepper & opal!! this book was wonderful not criticism!! just phenomenal!! add it to your tbr!! i promise you won't regret it!

If you are looking for an opposite attraction trope that also is sapphic, look no further! Late Bloomer follows Opal and Pepper. One is s risk taker and the other is so brutally honest. The perfect grumpy sunshine trope.

This book is relatable in the aspect that there are people who are still discovering who they are, at any age; and this beautiful story really showcases that. The emotions, the second guessing and super unsure about what the norm is. And to add to the relatability of this story, both characters are neurodivergent, but in different ways.

Thank you to Netgalley, Mazey Eddings, and publisher for the ARC audible copy!

Book: “Late bloomers” by Mazey Eddings
Rating: 4/5 🌟
Spice: 1.5🌶️

Narration review: such a fantastic job! I love the flow of the book. She did specifically amazing with the fight seen when Pepper gets a visitor while staying at the hotel. The steamy parts were narrated perfectly, slowly and torturously (in a good way, because there’s a fine line between pain and pleasure lol)
I love the extra pause at the end of each chapter. It was unique, and it differentiated the separation between each chapter clearly.

Review: Welcome to the beautiful Ashville NC, where the most beautiful flowers bloom🌸
Our main characters are Opal and Pepper.
IT WAS OPAL’S LUCKY DAY!!! Like any artist, Opal dreams of having her own space to get inspired and make beautiful art, and she finally had her dreams come true. But there’s one little issue….
Pepper is heart broken, and she has been through enough. After what her mom did to her life and her dreams, she was hoping to put the past behind and enjoy living and working on her beautiful flower farm, and then she finds out she might not be able to …

Pepper and Opal need to cohabitate for a short while. Will they murder each other?(trust me, it does come up!!!) Or try to make the best of it? You can find out on April 16, when this beautiful book comes out!

Tropes: forced proximity, grumpy sunshine, one bed, found family, miscommunication, first time
Representation: queer, neurodivergent, bi rep.

Late Bloomer is a vibrant sapphic romcom featuring a hand-me-down farm, too many boxes of hair dye, too little impulse control, more floral symbolism than my brain can comprehend, and two of the most loving, caring, and understanding neurodivergent girls you’ll ever meet. All that to say, it’s practically perfect. I devoured this audiobook so quickly, I didn’t want to stop. It’s soft, it’s bright, it’s genuine, and it’s laugh out loud funny. I already want a dozen more books of these two.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for providing a copy for advanced review.

Late Bloomers is a forced-proximity, opposites-attract fluffy romance. Opal finds herself buying a failing flower farm after winning the lottery. Pepper finds herself with a new (forced) roommate after the death of her grandmother and sale of the only true home she’s ever known.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book and really enjoyed the narrator's voice. Although I typically have to use 2x speed to find the pacing tolerable, I only had to listen to this one at 1.25x (that’s pretty good).

Things I liked

It’s gay.
Obviously, I’m gonna read it if its gay
Opposites Attract (kinda enemies to lovers but without the hatred?)
Sunny vs Grumpy trope
Neurodivergent representation (Autism and undiagnosed ADHD)
The flowers

Things I didn’t like
Pepper’s mom (she’s a dick)
I found the miscommunication between the main characters frustrating
I feel like the opposites attract tension could have had more tension
Could’ve had a stronger plot direction, but I went in knowing it was a fluffy romance and that’s what I got so I can’t complain.

It had ?two? spicy scenes but I usually skip those so don’t look to me for a review on that.

*I received this ARC from NetGally to read and review in exchange for an honest review.*

This book was fine...which I really hate to say because I loved the premise and that there were neurodivergent main characters. The whole time I just kept thinking that no one talks like this. Like every argument, friend encounter, romantic dialogue...it just didn't feel organic. I also thought it was a bit of a missed opportunity to talk about sensory things that might not work in the bedroom. There were plenty of spicy bits and they did have communication about likes and such, but once things got going then they both always liked everything happening. There was the chance to say not this time, or this type of touch is too much today, or just not have a bunch of orgasms every time. Pepper and Opal were both unfortunately just sort of cookie cutter characters and I sometimes would lose who was talking because they were both very similar points of view. They were supportive and understanding of each others neurodivergence which was nice, but I don't really think that ADHD equals disaster. The plot didn't really go anywhere for a while. Which I guess is fine is you want some really low stakes but there was nothing to really compel me to the ending. I just wanted more. I did think that Ellie Gossage was a great narrator. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars!

i listened to this one on audio. i thought it had a unique concept and loved how pepper & opals introduction took place. i thought the way they navigated the situation they were in was interesting. i do felt like certain topics/plotlines in this one felt a bit rushed.

that being said i loved the neurodivergent representation in this one and i loved how both characters could be their true selves around one another. they both felt calmness when the other was around and i think that’s important.

the character growth in this one was so fun. opal felt very young and naive in the beginning but i loved seeing her find her voice and stand up against her mean friends. pepper was untrusting in the beginning due to her past relationship with her mom but it was so refreshing to see her open up her heart to opal.

my favorite part of this big was the love confessions at the end. they were written so beautifully and you could truly understand how much pepper and opal cared about each other. the last chapter of this book will live rent free in my head because seriously such a GREAT love confession scene, it felt so wholesome & so them

Mazey Eddings is an auto-buy author for me. I love her books. Her characters are always very real and three-dimensional, with struggles and quirks and things that make them special and unique. From her debut, I've been a Mazey stan, and Late Bloomer is another wonderful romance delivered with her signature humor and heart.

At the beginning of the story, Opal wins the lottery, which starts a chain of events that culminates in her purchasing, sight-unseen, a flower farm from a stranger on Facebook Marketplace. However, when she shows up ready to move in, she meets Pepper--who has lived at the flower farm since her mom dropped her off with her great aunt as a teenager. They decide to be roommates while they figure out the ownership situation, and sparks fly.

The autism and neurodivergent rep is amazing. Both Opal and Pepper are neurodivergent, and I related to Opal so much, as someone who was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult.

The audiobook was phenomenal. Ellie Gossage delivers a fantastic performance, making the difference between the two women and their POVs clear and distinct.

Thank you SMP for my advance review copy.