Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this Audio ARC Copy!

I have been waiting so long for this book and I was not disappointed at all. It is an adorable Sapphic romance between two neuro-divergent girls with polar opposite personalities. It was so fun to watch the learn and grow tougher, and discover things about each other and themselves, all while running a flower farm.

This was a really sweet audiobook. I loved the story and the narration was a perfect fit.

Opposites Pepper and Opal's story ia a heartfelt one in which two very different neurodivergent women are forced together through the sale of Pepper's Grandma Lou's flower farm to Opal, a recent lottery winner who always sees the best in people, even as far as buying a flower farm off of facebook marketplace sight unseen.

Pepper, Opal, and all the supporting characters were written with care and humor and possess beauttiful and authentic emotions.

Pepper and Opal both struggle with .forever being identified through the patterns and behaviors that the world sees as flaws. Pepper comes across as rigid and closed off to the world and Opal is judged as impulsive and naive, and yet Mazey Eddings tells a story of two people coming together in their shared experience of trying to find their place in the world. This is going to be one of those audiobooks that I listen to again and again for its warm, comfortable vibes.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for providing me this free audiobook ALC..

🌹Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings definitely rose to the occasion!

🌿I have to say Mazey’s first foray into sapphic romance was absolutely succulent! Her leads, Opal and Pepper make for a delightful odd couple as they unexpectedly become housemates when Opal buys Pepper’s ancestral home.

🌸Wanting to take her life into her own hands and distance herself from her toxic relationships Opal moves to her newly acquired flower farm and is surprised to find that someone has already put down roots there!

🌻Pepper is just trying to keep her grandmother’s flower farm blooming when she finds out that it’s not hers anymore! Thankfully the cute new owner is agreeable and they decide to share the space while they sort out their circumstances.

🌼Somehow these two go from housemates to bedmates as these two beautiful and unique people start to unfurl their petals and they discover the budding romance right before their eyes!

🪻I loved both of these characters and their unique personalities. As usual Mazey portrays neurodiverse individuals in a real and honest manner that helps bring Pepper and Opal to life. Their love story was also very easy to root for as they proved to be the sun and soil the other truly needed!

🎧I listened to the audiobook narrated by Ellie Gossage it was extremely pleased at how she managed to create unique, voicing and characteristics for both Opal and Pepper. Her voice work really captured the character emotions and brought this story to life.

🌷Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings and narrated by Ellie Gossage is available now!

🌸Thanks to Macmillan Audio for my ALC. Opinions are my own.

#LateBloomer #MazeyEddings #EllieGossage

in this book, we get so many amazing things like a bisexual MC, neurodivergent MC, and sapphic romance! but unfortunately, this story just didn't hit home for me. there were a lot of moments that I found myself really enjoying the MCs and their stories but then we wouldn't get more to what it was that I had been enjoying. I kept waiting for something more to happen with the two MCs and it seems that most of the exciting aspects had been kept to the background. i also felt a disconnect between the MCs in their relationship, which could be my own disconnect from the story itself and its characters. I was al overall, this was a very fun and light sapphic romance to pick up and I'll be looking forward to what else Mazey Eddings releases in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this arc! I really love the concept of this story — people pleasing, stuck in a rut, Opal wins the lottery and decides to buy land in the country not knowing she bought land right from under our other protagonist Pepper, who is now scrambling for a place to stay. I think the characters were interesting and likable, however they fell flat and lacked dimension. Much of the dialogue was unrealistic and frankly a little cringey. I think this book had so much potential but just didn’t quite reach it. I would absolutely give Mazey Eddings another shot because the bones were good.

Late Bloomer was my first book by Mazey Eddings and I can see the appeal. This sapphic romcom was cute, fun and an enjoyable grumpy/sunshine read.

Opal is one of 3 sisters and all she wants is to be able to do is her art and to perhaps find love. But life has given her some hiccups and most of them have been in the form of some bad love interests. When she receives a scratch off ticket for a birthday gift, she ends up winning the lottery! Could her luck change? Is this her chance to make her dreams come true?

This story was fun from the get go. I liked Opal, even though she seemed quite naive and like a pushover. It made me a little frustrated with her, but it gave her room for growth. When she purchases a Flower Farm site unseen from Facebook Marketplace, I was aghast! Who even does that?! But when everything seems legit and Opal sets off to her start her dream of art and nature, I was excited for what was to come.

Enter Pepper. A grumpy young woman that is dealing with a death and the uncertainty of her future on the flower farm she assumes that was left to her. When Opal shows up at Bloom and Thistle, both of these women think they own the farm. But with Opal having a signed deed in hand, Pepper is even more grumpy than usual. Opal decides that they can live together in the cabin while they decide the next steps. Opal is always giving and she wants to make it so Pepper can buy back the farm she thinks she owns.

I really liked the two characters and the way they complimented one another. Eddings did a great job of having two very different women that needed similar things being thrown together for a fun forced proximity situation. There were some great side characters in Pepper's friends and I loved Opal's sisters. Since this was a grumpy/sunshine romance, we of course got some fun banter between the two women and also some great chemistry between the women once they allowed themselves to feel. I also enjoyed that giving the two something to work towards with a flower art competition gave them more reason to spend time together and therefore to grow closer.

I was lucky enough to get an early copy of the audiobook and loved the narration. The performance from Ellie Gossage was wonderful. She definitely captured the feel of the two different women and I never was confused whose chapter we were in with her different voices. Not only did she pull me in with Opal and Pepper's POVs, but also with the plethora of side characters she flawlessly performed.

If you're looking for a sapphic romcom that is sweet and full of charm, with great characters that are growing and figuring out who they are, with a peaceful setting on a farm, look no further. I'm glad I picked up this new to me author and had a good experience with the audio. An enjoyable listen all around.

"𝑭*𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒔𝒐 𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑨 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒚. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍”

Read this for:

🌷 a sapphic, cottagecore romance with amazing nuerodiverse representation
🌹 grumpy/sunshine, dual POV, forced proximity, found family, grief and healing
🌻 soft-hearted, sweet, extremely relatable, messy, and loveable characters who grow and develop

Opal wins the lottery! When everyone suddenly is REALLY interested in her (and her newly obtained cash), she decides to buy a flower farm in Asheville and follow her dreams! When she gets there, she finds Pepper, an angry (and gorgeous) woman who states that she is the rightful owner of the flower farm, has no idea about the sale, and isn’t going anywhere.

I had so much fun with this tender love story! It is blooming with heart, humor, and healing 🌼

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Pub Day to this gem of a book! I honestly loved this on audio so much! I can't wait to recommend it to my friends. Opal and Pepper were so cute together and this book was just very wholesome. Loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Summary:
This book is about a shoe-painting artist (why??) named Opal who impulsively spends the majority of her lottery winnings to buy a flower farm from Facebook Marketplace. She shows up and it turns out her irresponsible purchase from some rando turned out to be a scam (shocking!) and that someone lives there already who claims to be the rightful owner. They decide to live together while sorting out who is the rightful owner and of course, they fall in love.

My thoughts:
THIS BOOK BLOWS. Here’s why.

This started out cute and promising in the beginning chapters where everything is being set up. But then we get to the biggest chunk of the novel: Pepper and Opal’s boring interactions and their boring, boring repetitive sex. I was not convinced that these two had chemistry at all. They both felt very one-dimensional.

This book also utilizes dual POV for each chapter which didn’t feel necessary as it didn’t make me care about either characters more. Also in Opal’s own POV, she came across a certain way, but then from Pepper’s perspective, Opal was very different - so the character inconsistency did not make sense.

I need to mention this but the whole Opal is a shoe artist thing…? Like the kind of person who paints on shoes that you see sold on Etsy?? That alone did not make me take her seriously. She wanted to start a shoe-painting business (girl just go on etsy) which was barely mentioned and she didn’t seem to be making any real effort towards that. Also it doesn’t seem like she even got that dream fulfilled at the end…

Also if you’re gonna make her a shoe artist at least commit to the bit and bring up her shoe artistry more LMAO. I thought it was weird they emphasized that part of her character but never really dived that deep into it. They just used that as a point to be like “she’s artistic! she can help us win this flower competition thing!” like bro I’m not going to ask an etsy shoe artist who paints mediocre art on shoes to help me with anything creative. I’m an artist myself (not for shoes, thankfully) so this just really made me weirded out. It felt like someone trying to write about an artist who knows next to nothing about artists and just threw a dart at a board to choose what her speciality was.

I wanted to stop reading this book about halfway into it but I pushed on hoping that it would become more enjoyable at some point but spoilers: it doesn’t. I listened to this as an audiobook and fell asleep at one point while listening.

As for the sex scenes, if you can suspend your belief enough that a virgin is anywhere near good at oral sex and fingering, then you’ll enjoy it. Oh, and speaking of the sex scenes, there are a lot. I would say too many even. I couldn't care less about these characters and there was no build up or tension to the sex so every time they had sex I was just like, “here we go again. Come on, ladies, let’s wrap it up.” and I wanted to skip past it. Like, come on. Pepper has gone through a lot. She needs therapy, not constant sex from some situationship with a girl she barely knows who possibly holds power and ownership over the one thing in her life she cares about, the flower farm.

There are so many things in this book that bothered me and all I can say is that if this wasn’t in audiobook form, I would’ve DNF’d it immediately. When we got to them making a flower statue of Sappho, respectfully, I was ready to bow out. This book is cheesy in the worst way and the characters fall flat. I had high hopes for this but I’m sad to say, I don’t recommend picking this up.

Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings simply has the cutest of all the cute covers!

This is a light and airy, opposites attract, sapphic romance, which gave off some new adult vibes (Opal is twenty-four and Pepper is twenty-six). There are steamy scenes (hello lavender!), amazing autistic and neurodivergent representation, plus a supportive cast of found family... but this story just lacked something for it to really stand out, elevating it just that little bit extra.

I loved the included information of how the title came to be and the meaning behind the many flowers mentioned throughout the novel. Both of these inclusions added some fun character and plot information, allowing a deeper connection with the story and the authors process!

Ellie Gossage did a phenomenal job narrating! With this being a dual perspective romance, it was amazing to have the unique voices throughout each and every chapter, no matter whose narrative it was! Gossage nailed two very distinct main voices, as well as a cast of other characters, always adding the right bit of emotion at just the right time! I have honestly checked multiple times just to confirm there was only one narrator - that's how good of a job Gossage did providing such different voices for Opal and Pepper!

I really think this is the perfect low conflict book to sit with in the shade of a weeping willow or to read amongst the blooms this summer!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

Oh my goodness, what a delightful story! Mazey Eddings delivered a beautiful little Sapphic romcom, with two perfectly flawed humans that show sometimes, even when adversity happens, love can still bloom.

Opal in her little neurodivergent brain, struggles to say no to others after winning the lottery, so she decides to escape and buys a flower farm from someone she meets online. However, there is more than meets the eye, as the farm is failing, and shouldn't have been sold from underneath Pepper, the current farm's tenant and occupant.

While these 2 become roommates, and eventually with benefits, we get to see how they grow together and learn how to support themselves, and one another. These two characters, along with all the side characters along the way, show just how much found family is. Pepper, and eventually Opal's, were phenomenal and funny and fiercely protective of each other.

Ellie Gossage as a narrator was absolutely phenomenal! Her differences between Opal and Pepper were distinct, and meshed so well with their personalities, that I could always tell who was speaking.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Mazey Eddings for an ALC in exchange for my honest review!

The publisher for the audio is listed as MacMillan, which is not under an active boycott and why I was comfortable requesting this title. However, when looking up the book online I noticed other reviewers thanking SMP and I now see the paperback and ebook are listed as under St. Martins Press/its imprints, which is under a review & promo boycott until SMP addresses the Islamophobia and racism publicly espoused by an employee who has a direct hand in managing ARCS/influencer outreach. I will not be providing a review or any promotion at this time in solidarity with the SMP boycott.

Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings is a cute, sapphic, romcom about Opal and Pepper. After buying a flower farm to get a fresh start, Opal is surprised to learn that the farm is Pepper’s home and she had no idea it had been sold. When Opal’s fresh start turns into a roommate situation, this slow burn romance will have you laughing at the absurdity of their situation.

found the audiobook to be super easy to fly through and hit a max speed of 2.5x easily. The voice tones were done well and Pepper, who is neurodivergent, was given both a flat and incredulous voice quality that I thought was really well done.

Alternating between both points of view, Eddings give you a window into the hearts and minds of Opal and Pepper. There is open door spice that last multiple chapters. Late Bloomers is a fun, easy read you could take to the beach!

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC.

As soon as I pressed play, I knew I was going to like it. Two neuro-divergent main characters and the point of view shifts between the two, big Hallmark vibes, but they're queer women which I LOVE.

This was a cute, mostly light story with relatable and realistic characters. Both the dialogue and inner monologues of the main characters were entertaining, and there was a good balance of drama and sweetness. I particularly liked the character growth throughout the story, and I thought that it moved at a realistic pace. The narrator of the audiobook did an excellent performance, with distinct voices for all of the characters and unique cadence for the dual points of view in the story.

As a millennial myself, this book strikes me as extremely “millennial,” with many pop culture and Internet references throughout. Overall I don’t mind this, but it did at times feel a bit like it was following a checklist of relatability, so to speak. Both the sexuality and neurodivergence of the two main characters was portrayed well, in my opinion, without it being infantalizing or falling into stereotypes. Fans of cute, opposites attract romances will definitely love this book. Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC. This is my honest review.

5/5 A dorky, sexy, sapphic romance with equal parts heart and spice.

Opal is a people pleasing, rambling, kind hearted person. After winning some money she buys a flower farm, sight unseen. This is where she meets Pepper, the current farmer of The Thistle and Bloom flower farm. Pepper cares for these flowers with all her heart and attention. She thought she’d own the farm after her Grandma Lou’s passing.

Opal and Pepper might get off on the wrong foot but quickly see the kindness in each other and become friends instead of enemies. Pepper has a very hard time trusting after a troubled childhood and relationship with her mother. But as they lean on each other more and more… more than a friendship blooms.

The audiobook for this is VERY good. I thought it was Duet Narration, but there is only one narrator listed. She rocked it because it was easy to tell who was speaking at all times. Macmillan audio did a great job producing and capturing Mazey’s characters personalities.

Late Bloomer by Mazey Eddings takes place in Ashville, NC where a young-mid-twenty-somethings Opal is feeling stuck and lost in life when thanks to winning the lottery she winds up purchasing a flower farm; at the same time upending the life of Pepper, the late-mid-twenty–something woman who was living on Thistle & Bloom, the flower farm her grandmother left behind when she passed, which her conning mother blindsidedly sold. The two try to cohabitate, but find themselves butting heads more than they are getting along.

The characters just felt so real, grappling with their own mental illnesses and personal battles that come with emerging adulthood. This book really struck a chord with me with so many relatable topics. I really appreciated how eventually the characters opened up to each other about past traumas. I loved the queerness. I loved the ND rep. I even loved Pepper’s grief due to her closeness with her grandmother. Her still having a hard time with the grief. Her rough relationship with her mother. Her figuring out so much later in life she’s queer. Was this character written about me??? Anyway, I always appreciate a good enemies-to-lovers trope. Every damn time it gets me. Even though this was probably more of an opposites-attract type beat.

Despite my love for all of the details, I feel like some pieces of the plot were a little rushed or was not really talked about much. In the beginning, I found myself rewinding parts thinking I had missed something, when I actually didn’t. I guess the beginning of the book I did not really find engaging, however after a third of the way in, I was hooked. I cringed soo hard whenever there was a miscommunication between Opal and Pepper but I had to keep reminding myself that Pepper’s autistic. The only things I didn’t enjoy about the book had to do with the character’s personalities/personal lives and nothing to do with the book themselves. Like why the fuck would you remain “best friends” with a woman who stole your boyfriend???

Elli Gossage’s narration of this story was noice. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. It really grew on me, lol. By the end I was so invested and will 100% be reading more of Mazey Edding’s work and a sequel if there is one. It was just nice to hear about queerness, neurodivergency, trauma, and grief all in one book. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Thank you to the publishers & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF after 10%.

I usually give books more of a chance, but I absolutely can’t stand ton of the main characters. The fact that she wins the lottery, and then buys a flower farm, sight unseen, off Facebook market place, and is then surprised that there are consequences and a catch… from what I’ve seen from other reviews, she doesn’t not get better.

This is an another amazing book by Mazey Eddings. Opal and Pepper were both such great characters. They struggled to fit in and feel accepted, and they found that acceptance and love with each other. I loved their dynamic, and their relationship was so much fun to read.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, Ellie Gossage, did a wonderful job of narrating both characters. Her work added so much joy to the story.

Rating: 3/5

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC, all opinions are my own.

Audiobook specific comments: I think the narration/listening is what kept me reading this story. I can say, have one narrator for two female characters did get confusing. I can see that Ellie really tried to differentiate the two characters but think two narrators would have been better.

Full Review:

Disappointing is an understatement for my experience with this book. With its setting on a flower farm in NC, it seemed tailor-made for me, and given my past enjoyment of Mazey's adult romances, my expectations were high. However, Late Bloomer fell short.

While the cover was undeniably flawless, the same cannot be said for the content within. The narrative felt disjointed, as if it had been written by two different authors. There was a glaring lack of plot development, and the interactions between the main characters, Pepper and Opal, were sparse and devoid of depth. It left me questioning whether they truly got to know each other or if their relationship was merely founded on miscommunication.

Moreover, the balance between steamy scenes and actual plot was skewed, bordering on fetishization. Pepper and Opal's personalities seemed better suited to a young adult novel rather than an adult romance, further adding to the disconnect. The sheer implausibility of certain events also tested my suspension of disbelief. For instance, the idea of purchasing a property worth $300k through Facebook Marketplace seemed ludicrous that this was just the beginning.

Overall, while the premise held promise and some good moments, the overall execution fell flat.