I really enjoyed the first third of this book but then it started to feel very repetitive. The romance also became very frustrating because our main characters kept falling back on having previously known each other years ago instead of communicating with each other in the present. The end was also very tell not show and felt rushed due to the third act breakup. Overall I had fun with this book but it isn't a new favorite

This was a cute read- and my fist from Lyla Lee. Mostly lower angst (surprisingly given the backstory) and with a sweet connection.

Love in Focus is a second chance sapphic romance. Celeste and Gemma had a fling in college...until Celeste up and ghosted her. Now almost a decade later they have reconnected in their late 20's. Gemma is a relationship columnist and her latest assignment pairs her with her ex Gemma- a photographer and the girl she dated in college until she disappeared. Now's the time to work through their past- but Gemma is fresh off an ended engagement, and Celeste is commitment.

Sapphic, big, and Korean main character rep, and I also loved a second chance with characters many years later. Though I felt like I wanted a bit more angst/drama- they kind of just move on from it pretty quickly. And if you are a fan of Lyla Lee's YA work (which I've not read but excited to check out)- this one definitely has some spice!

Overall, I liked this, though there were some narrative choices that kept me from connecting with both characters. I really liked Gemma- she was the most relatable and nuanced of our leads. She was also the character voice in first person and where we spend the bulk of our time, which definitely impacted my ability to connect with her. I found her charming and nuanced and a really beautiful character. Celeste on the other hand I never quite warmed up to- and the choice to limit her POVs and to have her in the 3rd person really kept her at a distance, and when we see her as the "wrong doer" that felt like a curious choice to me because I never felt like I quite "got" her. I also didn't love the end of book break and time pivot- just not my favorite narrative trope. But I did really love their romance and found it quite charming.

The audio paralleled my reading experience. I loved the narration for Gemma and found the performance to be quite endearing. And I also loved that we have two narrators to represent each woman. But the third person narration was even more noticeable on the audio performance, and while the narrator was great, she didn't quite capture the vibe I got from Celeste, but again that is perhaps my own limitation in connecting with her. But overall, super well performed.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE READS OF THE YEAR. HANDS DOWN.
To my sapphic romance girlies: you’re welcome.

Gemma and Celeste fall in love in college (THEY WERE ROOMATES), Celeste as to go back to South Korea (family backstory), Gemma doesn’t know why (Celeste doesn’t communicate and basically ghosts Gemma), Gemme starts dating someone else they get engaged (we don’t like him), Gemma doesn’t know Celestes finds out, and Celeste feels betrayed that Gemma moved on so quickly.

Gemma is a writer, Celeste is a photographer. Years later, they have to work together on a reflective project about love/relationships, and the magic restarts, BUT Celeste has vowed to never be in a relationship again.

It hit all the boxes that I love in romance books: angst, unresolved feelings, and workplace romance, poc representation, etc. It’s so hard to describe, but reading these felt incredibly immersive. I was so deeply invested in Gemma and Celeste’s story, beyond their romantic relationship.

My favorite romance book intertwines a personal arc with a relationship arc, and Lyla Lee did this PERFECTLY. Although they both CLEARLY wanted to be together, they had personal issues with love, loss, and “betrayal” that they had to work through to be good partners. I received this book as an ARC, but I will be purchasing my copy to reread.

There’s a miscommunication trope- and usually those irritate me so much (because we’re all grown, what’s going on), but it felt so valid here. I think the balance of topics (ended relationship with no closure, young love, cheating, (POC) generational trauma, LGBTQ, career mobility).

I didn’t realize this as I was reading, but it seems like they had opposite issues to figure out. Gemma needed to learn how to be alone, and Celeste needed to learn how to let people in.

I should’ve known I’d rave about this story when I saw that it was writer x photographer, but some things you have to experience for yourself, and I’m so glad I did.

I'm on the fence. Love in Focus was cute and a super quick read, but kind of forgettable and boring. However, I LOVED the Korean traditions/culture and foods included in the book.

Okay first of all I am not usually a fan of second chance romance but Lyla really set this one up for success! The fact that Gemma and Celeste were able to apologize for the miscommunication that happened when they were younger makes the trope seem more realistic to me. I also loved the chemistry between our two love interests (even tho I wished we got more chapters in Celeste’s POV). As a swiftie I loved the Invisible String of it all. Looking forward to more books by this author! Thank you NetGalley and Forever books.

I’ve been looking for a sapphic romance novel that I just love and unfortunately this wasn’t it. Celeste was kind of selfish and I felt like Gemma apologized far too much for something she had every right to be upset about. It rubbed me the wrong way.

The writing itself felt like a YA novel and I never felt like I felt the love between Gemma and Celeste. We were told about it but I just never felt it.

I do love reading both POV’s in romcoms, so it was nice to see Gemma and Celeste’s POV, but Celeste’s chapters were so short.

I wish I could have loved this more.

"The beauty of being bi, I learned, is that you can get rejected by both women and men."

This was equal parts cute & spicyyy.

The story touched on a lot of really important topics, such as being happy on your own and not depend on a partner and what it means to be queer in a conservative Asian society.

I especially loved the found family aspect of Gemma's friendship group and their unwavering support for each other and the personal growth she went through.

Second Chance romance is a very tricky trope to pull off and I'm not entirely sure I ever truly forgave Celeste (both times). As much as I appreciated their heart to heart, I feel like there is a big difference between moving on fast after a breakup and completely ghosting someone but still expecting them to wait for you for months. And for Celeste to pop up again after almost a year, assuming they just resume where they left off was quite audacious.

I was a little bit confused that the POV style shifted between the two MCs from first person to third person, it felt a little jarring and disrupted my flow of reading.

Overall, I think this was a really important read and will be so essential for others just trying to find out how to stay true to themselves while navigating relationships and careers.

Thank you to Forever for an advanced copy of this book.

genre: contemporary romance/sapphic romance
pages: 316
writing: dual POV
spice: explicit

Themes
-Asian rep (Korean)
-sapphic romance
-found family
-second chance
-finding yourself after a breakup
-queer love in Asian society
-spicyyyy

4.25/5. Releases 5/27/25.

—oh no I'm working with my ex

—too many feelings to do communication right (at first)

—the intersection of culture and sexuality

Heat Index: 7/10

The Basics:

Gemma is reeling after the sudden end of her engagement to a man with whom she was with for seven years. And oops, the mysterious photographer working on the new project she's working on about modern love... is the woman who made her realize she was bi in college. Celeste, her ex-girlfriend, who unceremoniously disappeared from Gemma's life after returning to South Korea. Working with Celeste isn't easy, especially since Gemma is still ridiculously attracted to her. Only physically! So, even though Celeste isn't about relationships, it wouldn't be too bad if they did some purely physical things. Right? Riiiiight?

The Review:

A book that's all about the second chance, Love in Focus is a great blend of angst and lighthearted, sexy romance. There are so many things in this novel that could be the point, and might've been in another book. Celeste has suspicions that she was just a phase for Gemma, especially since she's the only woman Gemma has seriously been within; that's not the case, but Gemma's comparative lack of experience with women isn't something the book just ignores. Both Gemma and Celeste are Korean and come from families that are at varying levels of acceptance of their respective sexualities (Gemma is bi, Celeste is a lesbian); that certainly matters, especially for Celeste, but it's not the main point.

The main point is Celeste and Gemma's love story, and the two of them getting to a point where they can be together with actual emotional honesty. Because, uh, the physical aspect of their relationship certainly isn't an issue for either one of them. All of these insecurities, this baggage, contributes to why the two of them, especially Celeste, aren't initially ready for love. But they're not all the book is about, and that made it feel so... real? Like, there aren't a lot of hugely dramatic or traumatic scenes in here, but you still feel the emotional scars.

Another thing that felt super real to me was the fact that their breakup in college is kind of silly, when you think about it. I said "silly". Not "unrealistic". It's exactly the kind of bullshit two people in college in deep love for the first time would break up over! Gemma and Celeste both feel like super real people, to an extent that I honestly especially don't see a lot of in traditionally published sapphic romances. Nobody is too sweet, nobody is too cute. Neither woman intends to hurt the other, but hurt happens anyway. You an feel with Celeste, especially, that there are points when she just wants to drop that baggage and jump into love. But that's not how people work.

The framing device of this modern love project (Gemma writing it, Celeste photographing it) allows Lyla Lee to get into the idea of queer elders, and how important that representation is. Gemma and Celeste haven't had a lot of sapphic elders to look up to, and certainly not a lot of Korean sapphic elders. So in a very real way, these two don't exactly know how to envision a future for themselves. And Gemma in particular can contrast that with the fact that she did very easily have a lot of role models to look up to when she was with a man.

There's a really gentle touch to the way Lee handles Celeste's nagging insecurities about Gemma maybe just ending up with a man anyway someday. It's done in a manner that acknowledges how unfair it is, without making it feel like Celeste is some horrible biphobe. She isn't! She's just a flawed, insecure person. And a talented, sexy, quietly kind and brave person as well. Nuance!

I found both Gemma and Celeste super likable (and hot... and again, especially Celeste) and real. Thats aid, the one thing I could've used more of is Celeste's POV. The book is dual POV, with Gemma's chapters in first person and Celeste's in third (a choice I personally like). You get a good amount from Celeste, but it's not quite equal. Not a deterrent at all, just something to note.

Another thing to note—I can't speak to how the Korean diasporic experience is portrayed here, but it was really lovely to read so many scenes in which Gemma and Celeste connected on that level... while not at all having this like, mirrored history you often see in books written by people who aren't coming from a similar background. It's connection without forgetting our heroines' unique backgrounds.

The Sex:

Celeste and Gemma's chemistry crackles whenever they're around each other. And it's that second chance chemistry I love, full of implications and intensity and "We've had sex before and it was really good" desire. On a technical level, I appreciated that there was more variety in terms of the kind of sex they have than I see in a lot of sapphic tradpub contemporaries? You'd be surprised by how few books I encounter with strap-on scenes. And.... this book has a really good one.

Conclusion:

An excellent mixture of personal drama and reconnection, Love in Focus is my first Lyla Lee read, but it won't be my last. This is what I want to see from sapphic contemporaries!

Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Received as a free ARC*
My first impression of this book was that it was significantly longer and slower than I prefer my pure romances. I still kind of think that. However, the later half of the book picked up and made me enjoy it more. Additionally, I don't love that Celeste expected Gemma to just be waiting for her after she ghosted her and left the country. Really??? But they worked through their issues (and are both in therapy), so I guess that's alright. You can't help how you feel. Definitely a good adult sapphic romance.

First, I want to thank Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me the opportunity to read Love in Focus by Lyla Lee. This review is solely my own opinion. I enjoyed reading this story. It had a decent plot, and I felt it flowed well. The story follows Gemma, who wants to fall in love and have the happily ever after, but feels like she is not destined for it. One day, Gemma had a living caring fiancé, the next day he broke up with her without rhyme or reason. Celeste is the one who got away for Gemma. She was her first female relationship, her first love, and the first person to just cut off the relationship with her without a reason. Celeste comes back into Gemma's life in order to complete an important work assignment. During their time working together, they realize that neither is over their prior relationship. I rated this book 3.5 and definitely recommend it to others to read. It was a quick read and held my attention.

*4.5

This was good but Gemma being in first person and Celeste being in 3rd was weird. The two of them have never lost their feelings for each other and I love that. They are figuring out how they work together as adults and I liked it.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Thank you to Netgalley, Forever and Grand Central Publishing for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.

This one was sweet! I was interested in it because of the recommend for fans of The Bold Type and I could definitely see similarities. I loved the romance and also the characters growth throughout the story, together and separately. And I appreciate that they took some time apart where they both worked on themselves before getting back together. I also loved the focus on friendship. Overall, I recommend if you’re looking for a sweet sapphic romance.

I want to preface my review by saying that this was a highly anticipated read. While I liked some of the storyline, this book unfortunately fell flat for me in a lot of areas. I had a hard time connecting to Celeste and Gemma’s relationship. There was a definite spark, but I still struggled to see their deeper connection. Their first relationship ended abruptly, and so much hurt followed due to poor communication. This book was so short to begin with. I really was hoping for a little bit more exploration into their characters as individuals and as a couple. The third act parting of ways and one year passage of time just threw me off even more. There was no depth to their relationship at all. It was super flirty, but I couldn’t understand the “why” that kept drawing them back to the other.

My biggest issue with this book was Celeste’s biphobic comment. This was something that wasn’t ever discussed further which made it even harder to move past.

For context, Celeste dumped Gemma due to her mom becoming ill. Yet Gemma had no context for why Celeste broke up with her in the first place. While it was extremely painful to Celeste to hear that Gemma moved on, Celeste cut off all forms of communication. She never explained anything to Gemma. So after healing from their relationship, Gemma understandably moved on. Celeste had no right or business to judge who Gemma dated after that.

My issue with this whole situation is something that Celeste says in an inner monologue. Saying that Gemma moving on with a man was a “lesbian’s worse nightmare.” Celeste knew that Gemma was bi. It was extremely disappointing to hear her voice such a biphobic statement. If she didn’t want to date a woman that dates more than just women, don’t date her! But please don’t invalidate someone’s sexuality just because you have unresolved trauma or jealousy.

This was a very small part of the book, so I did decide to go ahead and finish it. It’s disappointing that it didn’t live up to the hype because I was so excited to read a good sapphic romance. There were some moments I enjoyed in this book, but it just wasn’t what I was hoping for.

I would give this book a 4.5 stars. This book was an absolute delight. Love a cute sapphic book that also highlights other cultures. I loved all the nods to Korean and San Fran culture in this story.

I also listened to the audiobook and I would absolutely recommend that as well since Natalie Naudus is one of my favorite narrators.

I love a good second chance romance so I knew I wanted to read this one! Super cute I loved the characters a lot

Read like a pg fanfiction...characters were not quite mature enough especially regarding her choices, weak voice maybe in reason the gap between ya and adult fiction, a bit dull overall

honestly, i had low expectations for this one. i didn't enjoy the author's previous works, and i saw some negative reviews from bookstagrammers i trust. however, i'm happy to report that i was pleasantly surprised.

while the writing was pretty juvenile, it's not so bad considering it's the author's adult debut. also, i thought the plot was really strong! this coming from a reader who usually prefers horror over romance. the ending went in a direction that i don't often see in romance books, but i thought it really suited this novel. i appreciate the author's emphasis on self-love and working on oneself in therapy.

i didn't exactly love this book, but i definitely didn't hate it. frequent romance readers may enjoy this one even more than i did.

3.5 stars rounded up

I have some mixed feelings about this one

I loved a lot in this book. I loved Gemma as a character and I enjoyed her journey of finding herself and learning to be happy with herself throughout the course of this book. I also loved her chemistry with Celeste. Their romance was wonderful and the spice was some of my favorite I've ever read.

Now this is a second chance romance which is one of my favorite tropes, but in this instance I didn't love it. I felt confused about why Gemma and Celeste didn't work out the first time around and why they broke up. It was basically a big miscommunication which I didn't love. I feel like Celeste was really bad at communication and by the end of the book she was frustrating me. I also don't mind a third act conflict, but again in true Celeste fashion it was basically just a big miscommunication.

The biggest negative was the way the dual POV was done. Gemma's chapters were written in first person POV and Celeste's chapters were written in third person POV. It made me very frustrated and I honestly don't understand why the author would make that choice. It was jarring to read and pulled me out of the story at each POV change. This one thing had me knock an entire star off this rating because it was not enjoyable for me at all.

I did like this book overall and I would recommend it, but just be prepared for miscommunication and the weird 1st/3rd person POV shifts

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy and the advanced listener copy! I love tandem reading and this was a great audiobook done in dual narration that I enjoyed.

This was short and sweet and such a quick read in the best way! I cannot resist a second chance, and I loved the project that brought Gemma and Celeste back together!! I loved all the queer rep throughout the book, and just all the different representations of love!

I loved Gemma and Celeste were able to find each other again! They got some closure from their last relationship, cleared the air, and still got to act on attraction and current feelings! They were fun and flirty and the tension was good! I also loved that they were working together, the project was so cute and fit them perfectly!!

I do feel like I felt a lot of their chemistry in the things unsaid?? Which still worked for the most part! It was very clear how much they cared for each other!! But whenever they talked it just felt…awkward? They talked about their feelings a lot and how they both messed up in the past, but I just felt like there could have been MORE??

Thanks so much to Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What drew me to this book was the concept of the book - two exes forced to work together on a project and rekindling an old flame. I think where that went wrong was there was EIGHT YEARS of hurt feelings between the two of them, and it was resolved in literally a chapter. Personally, I like my second-chance romances to come with a bit more conflict resolution than the span of an evening, but maybe that's just me. Now that I'm reflecting, this is true for any conflict/issue tackled in this book - everything was magically resolved very quickly or the author kind of rushed past it. Both Gemma and Celeste's conversations, language, and actions felt a little immature for their near 30 years of age which also threw me off.

All of that said, I think a lot of readers will enjoy seeing themselves in this book. I haven't read many sapphic romances with a lot of Asian representation, so that was refreshing. And I did really enjoy the concept of the project they were working on, interviewing couples of a lot of different ages, backgrounds, and experiences.

Love in Focus was definitely not my cup of tea, but I've seen others sing it's praises.