I really enjoyed this. Gemma and Celeste were such interesting characters and it was so fun to experience an AAPI sapphic romance. Personally I’m not usually a fan of sapphic books so this was a bit outside of my comfort in terms of what I like (which is kind of funny since I love MM books) but overall this was just a good story. The second chance aspect and them being in forced proximity, having to work together, just amazing. And the chemistry after their almost 10 year break was crazy.

Audiobook Review: Love in Focus by Lyla Lee
Narrated by: Natalie Naudus; Catherine Ho

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC of Love in Focus by Lyla Lee

The Book gets 2.75-3 stars from me.

If you want to listen to a cute second chance sapphic romance with a bit of spice, this one is for you.

It was a good audiobook, nothing too extraordinary but loved the representation and it’s a nice easy listen. I enjoyed the Interview feature and Gemma’s friends.

Regarding the audiobook experience, I liked the narrator for Gemma’s part. I noticed, that between chapters, there was quite a long pause, which took me out of the story a bit. That might be the NetGalley player though.

I found the part with Celeste being angry with Gemma a bit weird and also the parts with Gemma’s ex fiancé where a bit to back and forth for me.

All in all, the author did a good job. The (audio-)book talks about some important topics but it doesn’t overpower the romance part, so it’s a really relaxed listen and a good (audio-)book to get to when you want something easy.

This was surprising for me! I’m usually a little iffy on second chance/friends to lovers style narratives but I really enjoyed the progression here. Lyla is doing GREAT work in the adult space, as she did in YA!

An adorable, fun and incredibly readable second chance f/f romance. This was such an enjoyable read and a wonderfully narrated audiobook.

I adored the fact that Gemma and Celeste were in their late 20’s, something I don’t see all too often in the romance genre, I also thought the discussions surrounding queer representation for Asian women (especially of the older generation) was really interesting!

From the yearning filled second chance romance, to the heartwarming interviews to the loyal and fun friendships, this was a delight of a rom-com.

Love in Focus is a cute sapphic romance with great spice. It’s a second chance romance, forced proximity, and workplace romance. Celeste and Gemma were college sweethearts who are forced to work together 7 years later. I loved that it was only a matter of time because they couldn’t resist each other.

it was a cute book but I thought it was a little cheesy and meh. I didn't fully love the audiobook girls thought it was one person.

I recieved a free ARC and in exchange, I will write my honest review. 4,5 stars.
I want to start with the fact that I thouroughly enjoyed this sappic romance. We follow mainly Gemma who works for a magazine. She is set on a new project and has to work together with her ex Celeste who is a photographer. This is a sapphic second chance romance. I rarely read second chance romance, but this one was well done!

I liked the introduction of the characters, it was easy to follow, without being boring. This book also contains smut and this was one of the better written smut I've read.

I think it would've been better if it was only Gemma's POV, but it's still an okay choice to do 2 POV's. Something positive troughout the book were the interviews. It was really interesting to see all these different people being in love with such diverse backgrounds.

The ending didn't quite feel right with me pace-wise. Other than that, this book is great!

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette audio for an ARC of this audiobook!

5/5⭐️ First of all, thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an audiobook arc of “Love in focus”. This is my first time reading a sapphic contemporary romance novel and I absolutely loved it! The romance between Gemma and Celeste is so cute, and I love how each of them they worked through their mental health in order to have a healthy relationship. Gemma’s friends were amazing too! This book was very sweet and cute, highly recommend! 🩷🩵

This was a wonderful sapphic love story. The characters were fleshed out and relatable and the pace was great. I listened to it in one go and wasn't bored even for a minute.

I loved that the story also told so many different stories of love and the beautiful representation of queer love.

3.75

this was a really cute book. i loved the writing and the characters (kiara and val were my favourites). i had a lot of fun listening to the audiobook and some parts genuinely made me giggle and crash out...in a good way...sometimes. the author managed to capture delicate and meaningful moments and the main love interests navigated going from exes to friends (?) to friends with benefits (barely) to dating again. i really rooted for them. the spice was really good but kind of random.

despite the good bits there were some not so good bits. celeste's narration was kind of dry and emotionless ? i kept hoping to get more from her, since her povs are in the minority, but every time she'd come on the dry narration took away from whatever good thing she would say.

though i'm happy they got together in the end and despite it being a second chance romance, i feel like it would've been better if they didn't end up together. it felt forced and unnatural.

if you're looking for a quick, adorable book to read for pride, this might be for you.

- These POVs are WHACK
- 3 stars feels generous
- This reads like bisexual fan fiction….very odd
- I think this has great bones but not the best execution?
- Would make a better movie than book…
- Cover art pops off though
- Stellar narration too! Honestly, it’s the most redeemable thing about the book.

The biphobic comment towards the beginning really should have been my first red flag…not too sure about this one.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the EARC in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed Love in Focus, but it wasn't anything to get excited about. I think if the book had been written in only Gemmas POV it would have been a lot better book. Celeste’s bi-phobia around 15% gave me the ick. The writing was alright and the plot was good, the best part was probably the spice.

Natalie Naudus did a fantastic job putting emotion and voice into Gemma. Catherine Ho did a good job, but I feel like there wasn't much life to her narration for Celeste.

Thank you Netgalley, Lyla Lee and Hatchette audio for this ALC.

Love in Focus by Lyla Lee is an adorable, heartfelt read that blends the gentle ache of first love with the beauty of seeing the world and yourself more clearly. The story follows Mako, an aspiring photographer, as she leaves behind her comfort zone to pursue her passion, only to find herself tangled in a delicate love triangle and the bittersweet memories of her past.

Lee’s writing is warm and sincere, capturing the small, meaningful moments that make young love and friendship so relatable. The characters feel genuine, especially Mako, whose vulnerability and growth pulled me in from the start. The photography theme is woven beautifully throughout, adding a touch of artistic introspection.

While I adored the characters and the emotional beats, the pacing dragged a bit in the middle, and I wished for a deeper exploration of some side characters. Still, the overall charm, gentle humor, and heartfelt ending more than make up for it.

If you enjoy sweet romances with a slice-of-life vibe and a touch of self-discovery, Love in Focus is worth picking up. It left me smiling and a little nostalgic, exactly what I wanted.

3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC!
This was really cute! I loved Gemma as a character. It was refreshing to see someone in their late twenties that was still finding her footing. I enjoyed seeing her interact with her friend group. There were a lot of cute moments in this book that focused on Gemma’s friendships and personal growth and I love that in a romance novel!
The second chance romance was adorable. Gemma and Celeste have to work together for a project and the tension along the way was great. They dated in college but Celeste completely disappeared one day and they hadn’t been in contact since. This was first issue with. They talk about Celeste ghosting Gemma and it’s a super quick conversation that everyone moves on from almost immediately. I feel like there were some things to work out!
I listened to the audiobook and I really liked the narration for Gemma’s character. The narration for Celeste was very monotone and stilted. I had a hard time engaging with her chapters. Celeste’s chapters were also written in 3rd person while Gemma’s were in 1st. I’ve read several romance novels that do this lately and I don’t *hate* it but it feels unnatural to me.
Toward the end of the book there was a big focus on working on yourself before jumping into a relationship and that was a huge positive to me! I love seeing great personal growth in romance!

It’s the first time I’ve finished a book and didn’t want a happily ever after.

I had high expectations for this book, I’ve been seeing it everywhere for months. The cover is beautiful, and the blurb caught my attention, but honestly, it wasn’t what I was expecting.

The writing is good, the pacing is solid, and overall, it’s well done. What didn’t work for me was the behavior of the characters, the constant back and forth throughout the book made me question their true feelings more than once. That really threw me off. Even though I enjoyed the writing and other elements, the story just wasn’t for me.

The narration of the chapters was great. Both Celeste and Gemma's voice actresses did a wonderful job, and I really enjoyed that part. I loved how their tone of voice changed perfectly to match the scenes, and how I could actually feel the emotions in their speech.

This book didn’t work for me personally, but it is a good book, it just comes down to personal taste. If you’re looking for a second-chance romance, this might be a good pick for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute, easy palette cleanser book which contained some sweet moments; however, I did find it a little underwhelming but overall was a fun way to pass time

Gemma’s life is falling apart. Her 7 year relationship just ended. She’s crashing on her friends’ couch. She’s assigned a huge project at work about modern love, naturally. Her life can’t get any worse, can it?

Think again. Gemma gets paired up with a photographer that her company contracted out. That photographer is Celeste, her ex-girlfriend from college, who just so happens to be “the one that got away”. Can Gemma & Celeste keep it professional long enough to get through this project?

I absolutely loved this sapphic second chance romance. It is mainly told from Gemma’s perspective, narrated by the incredible Natalie Naudus. Celeste pops in from her point of view later on in the novel, giving some insight to why she left Gemma hanging with a broken heart back in college. Celeste’s story is narrated by Catherine Ho, whose serious and pensive tone is a stark contrast from Gemma’s bouncy, hopelessly romantic voice. Natalie & Catherine did a great job bringing the story to life in the way that reflected their character’s inner voice through their spoken words.

Thank you NetGalley, publishers and Lyla Lee for allowing me to review this AUDIO ARC in exchange for my honest review. First I enjoyed the narrator and felt it was well paced! I overall enjoyed this story line for Gemma and Celeste. If youre into second chance and work place romances, and sapphic love stories you'll enjoy this. Also as a person of asian decent, it was nice to see representation especially within the LGBTQ community! I really enjoyed Celeste as a character - she felt mature, well rounded and loving. Gemma to me felt more unhinged, but had character growth. I liked the aspect of how social media was incorporated. I gave this a 1/5 spice level. And gave this a 4/5 stars. I finished this book in 1 day! I liked this story so much I have a special edition coming from Afterlight (Ilumicrate)!

This is one of those books that left me conflicted on how to rate and review it. In summary, this novel had a lot of very good elements; the writing was well done, the characters were well developed and had motivations that were easy to follow, there was a nice cast of side characters to make you happy and angry (respectively) as they added to the story, etc.. On the flipside I found that there were a few weaknesses in this novel that significantly decreased my enjoyment: little things but with a significant impact.

I felt like this novel lacked conflict. It is a second-chance romance and sometimes those don’t land for me (other times it’s a favorite trope). Their issues in the past were underwhelming to say the least (in my humble opinion), and as a result the rest of the novel felt the same way. I spent most of the novel just waiting for things to happen without anything in the way of tension or a deeper investment in the story. This was one of those novels where you are just waiting for the characters to decide to “do the thing”, and then eventually they do. This isn’t uncommon in romance novels, but I know that it can be done so much better.

I don’t think there much that is “wrong” with this novel, it was just underwhelming in a few (unfortunately key) aspects.

That said, I want to circle back and repeat that there was a lot of good in this novel. The writing was well done, and as I listened to the audiobook I can say that the narration was also excellent. I think that if my small list of complaints were addressed, then this could be a top-notch novel. Reading a well written scene with the protagonist having an emotional response just doesn’t work for me if I disagree with their motivations….. but I can also still identify that it’s a well written scene.

I think a lot of people would enjoy this novel. Its relatively low-stakes like a Hallmark movie and was a perfectly enjoyable. Set your expectations that it wont be life-changing, but sometimes that isn’t what your looking for in a novel anyways.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ARC. This honest review was left voluntarily.

This book left me conflicted.

It had so much potential. The writing is strong, the spice was clearly there, and learning more about Korean culture was a nice touch. However, it also had some flaws that kept it from being great.

The MC's had undeniable chemistry and emotional honesty that I genuinely loved, but their constant back and forth (with no real external restraints) became very tiring rather than romantic.

The main conflict relied too much on the MC's own doubts. At times, it even felt like Celeste was way more into Gemma than vice versa, rather than them loving each other equally. By the end, I was so exhausted by their prolonged indecision that the happy ending didn’t feel very satisfying. For the first time ever, I’ll say that even a bittersweet ending might have worked better. There were also a lot of stereotypes that made me roll my eyes way too many times.

I also listened to the audiobook, which I really liked. Natalie Naudus was exceptional as Gemma. You could truly feel the emotions in her voice. While Catherine Ho's narration of Celeste was performed well, it didn't quite match my personal vision for her character. I actually think the novel might have worked perfectly only from Gemma's perspective.

Overall, this is definitely a hard book to judge. If you love steamy romance and lots of Korean cultural references, you’ll enjoy a big part of it. However, if you’re expecting something to make you swoon and giggle while kicking your feet, this might not be the best pick, because you’ll spend the entire book wanting to yell at the MC's to stop being scared and just act on their feelings.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review.