"Love in Focus" by Lyla Lee tries really hard to be wholesome, cute, and profound—but it just didn’t land for me. The plot felt predictable, and the emotional beats came off more cringey than heartfelt. The use of trauma to explain a failing relationship over eight years felt unrealistic and a bit trivial, especially since it mostly served to create repeated miscommunication rather than genuine depth. Overall, it had potential, but it didn’t quite work for me.

4.25⭐️ 2🌶️

This was such a cute sapphic 2nd chance romance!
Gemma is a bisexual relationship advice columnist at a magazine, who is suddenly broken up with by her male fiancé of 7 years. Celeste is a world renowned photographer who happens to be Gemma’s college ex. When Celeste gets chosen to work with Gemma on a project for the magazine called “Love in Focus” neither one of them is sure how things will pan out.

I absolutely loved the way the main characters grew from their original relationship in college, through meeting each other again by chance through work and eventually falling back in love, with many ups and downs along the way. The book has wonderful representation of all different relationships, genders and orientations are explored through the project the main characters take on for work which adds a cool layer to the story.
The side characters were fabulous and I loved their personalities too. I’ll definitely be reading more from Lyla Lee

ARC and ALC review
Publication date 27 May 2025

“Love in Focus” by Lyla Lee is a second chance contemporary romance.
I received an ARC from Forever and an ALC from Hachette Audio (via Netgalley).
Opinions from this review are completely my own.

What you can expect:
- second chance romance
- writer/photographer
- dual POV
- sapphic romance
- Asian representation
- forced proximity
- cute and a bit spicy

Gemma is a relationship advice columnist and she recently broke up with her fiancé.
Celeste is a photographer that will work with Gemma on a project about modern love. She is also he ex girlfriend and they did not see each other in the last 8 years.

The audiobook is narrated by Natalie Naudus and Catherine Ho (dual narration).
I like that the story is told in dual POV. But it is a bit strange to move from 1st person in Gemma’s POV to 3rd person in Celeste’s chapters.
Regarding the narration, I think that Natalie Naudus is great bringing Gemma to life and the voice and tone fits very well the character.
I did not like the same the voice of Celeste, as the narrator spoke a bit too slow and it didn’t bring out her personality.

From the beginning there is a lot of chemistry between Gemma and Celeste.
The fact that they need to work closely helped them develop a casual relationship first and they slowly manage to clarify what happened when they broke up.

The story is written well and I liked that it was not rushed.
There is a slow burn and a good balance between the plot and romance.
The couples interviewed for the project are diverse and their stories contribute in developing Gemma and Celeste’s story.

I enjoyed reading this book and I want to read more from this author.

While I loved the premise of this sapphic second-chance romance between two Korean-American women and appreciated the spotlight on Korean culture, foods, and queer identity, the story ultimately fell flat for me. I wanted more depth in both character development and romantic chemistry, especially given that Gemma and Celeste had previously dated for over a year. The slow burn was very slow, and by the time their relationship rekindled, it felt rushed and underdeveloped. Their emotional arc wavered in ways that were hard to follow, especially regarding their comfort with their queerness, which felt unresolved.
The audiobook performance was a mixed experience for me. I enjoyed the narration for Gemma, but the voice for Celeste didn’t fully align with her confident character, making it harder to connect emotionally. Still, I appreciated elements like the forced proximity trope, the inclusion of therapy, the adorable cat Burrito, and the themes of learning to communicate and heal.
Overall, I’m glad I had the chance to experience this via audio during my commute, but I wish the story had reached the emotional and romantic depth it hinted at.

I really enjoyed this one! I liked that it has cultural context of what it’s like being Korean and bi/lesbian. The characters were cute! I did wish it was longer. Mostly because I wanted more from both sides to show their growth, especially at the end. I found it mostly focused on one of the FMC’s pov and the other one seemed like it was added to bulk up the book. If both were given some attention and things were fleshed out more, it would be even better.

Overall though it was cute and is a good romcom to curl up with. The audiobook narrators were good! I think the main one was better though. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!!

Love in Focus features Gemma, journalist and Celeste, photographer. Gemma and Celeste dated in university, while being roommates. Celeste ghosted Gemma and now, eight years later, they meet again for a job and all their old feelings immediately start again.

I had the hardest time with this book. I think that there are some lines that shouldn’t be crossed in a romance and if they happen in a romance, I have the hardest time believing the happily ever after. This is exactly the case with this book. Celeste ghosting Gemma was such a terrible thing to do, and then she doubled down by being mad that Gemma moved on. Eight years later, she’s still mad that Gemma moved on. Like, lady! You LEFT! You GHOSTED her.

The romance in the present was fine, but I didn’t get their connection. They each felt completely betrayed and then were totally fine jumping into bed together. And then the third act breakup lasted a YEAR. No. Nope. You’re telling me these two people has this much time apart and I’m supposed to believe in their happily ever after? The reasons for being apart were also the worst and then it was a book end ghost. You completely love this person and tell them you can’t be together cause they’ve never been single and ghost them? AGAIN?

Anyway, I may or may not have had big feelings about the romance in this one. The writing was good, the audiobook was fine. There were two narrators but Gemma’s POV was 3/4 of the book, so it almost didn’t feel like it was necessary to have two narrators.

Overall, fine but also much anger.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio/Forever, and Lyla Lee for the advanced listening copy of Love in Focus in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Unfortunately, this one did not work for me. I thought the narration was fairly well done, but the characters themselves didn’t really grab me. At 20% in, I didn’t really care about the drama that the characters found themselves in. And even at that early stage, it felt like the miscommunication trope was going to be relied on heavily, and I was really not in the mood for that, so I DNF’d at that point. It may have gotten better as time went on, but it was too much starting out. It made me sad though, cause it sounded like a cute premise.

I would still love to check out Lee’s other works

I thought this was very cute and well narrated! The characters were complex and I loved the setting of their jobs, and the friend group. I wish the past was fleshed out a bit more and the stakes were a little bit higher, but overall, a new author I can't wait to read more from!

This was fine. I think that Gemma and Celeste definitely fell into the "we remembered sex and so we have to do that 25/8" hole which is despise so much. They definitely would have benefitted from having a conversation like halfway through the book and everything would have resolved much much quicker imo. The ending was good and very healthy adjusted adults of them, which was nice. It's not anything revolutionary imo, but also not a bad read.

I really liked the narrator for Gemma's POV (Natalie Naudus), since I thought her tone and "upbeat" voice really suited Gemma as a character. I wasn't the hugest fan of the narrator for Celeste (Catherine Ho), but that was more because she talked way too slow for me personally. I typically listen to books between 2x and 2.5x, and even with that there were still really long pauses that I feel like would be unbearable in 1x. I did think her voice fit Celeste as a character, though.

Thank you to Hachette Audio and Netgalley for the advanced audio copy!

I'm not usually a fan of second chance romances but when I saw the super cure cover and that it was sapphic I thought I'd give it a chance and I'm glad I did!

This was a quick, easy listen and the narrators did a fab job as keeping the reader engaged.

The plot was pretty predictable but it was still lots of fun, had lots of 'awwww' moments and made me laugh out loud a few times.

This reminded me of early 00s rom-coms in the absolute best way and I'm really glad I gave it a chance as it left me with a warm fuzzy feeling by the end!

4⭐️ 2🌶️ 4🎧
- FF
- Asian Rep
- Second Chance
- Forced Proximity

This was such a cute book! It was a fun and quick read with low angst and high tension. I loved the sapphic Asian representation (both FMCs are Korean) and I really liked how it drew attention to the lack of older sapphic representation.

Even though Gemma’s fiance dumped her unexpectedly and then she had to work closely with her ex who left her unexpectedly 8 years earlier. This book felt surprisingly low angst. Which for the mood I was is, is exactly what I needed.

Gemma was so adorable and I loved watching her find her confidence and her true sense of self throughout this book.

I didn’t feel as connected to Celeste as I did Gemma but I think this may have been by design. I believe Celeste has fewer POV chapters and hers were in 3rd person whereas Gemma’s were in 1st person.

I really enjoyed the audiobook. Gemma’s chapters were so fun and bright. But Celeste’s didn’t have the same vibrancy and I once again wonder if that was intentional since they were in 3rd person POV.

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio | Forever for the free alc. My opinions are being left voluntarily. I was immediately drawn to the cover and it sounded right up my alley. I really enjoyed the narration I thought it was done very well. I felt like there was too much alcohol consumption that made their relationship seem more like bad decisions, I feel that it took away from their connection and story.

Suggest giving it a try.

I always enjoy Lyla Lee's stories that have a unique blend of queer, Asian, and displaced identities, specifically with an emphasis on Korean identity and culture. In her previous YA stories, these elements were very well-represented, and especially grounded in settings that aren't generic to the genre. This one is my first adult romance novel by her. We love to see both protagonists have very specific and distinct relationships with their Korean identities. Also love to see one of them being bisexual and having to navigate unfair assumptions and attitudes both within and outside the queer community. It's a second chance romance, and I'm glad we get both POVs as well as a lot of honest communication around how to navigate a past relationship and a current work relationship. For someone who has been writing largely in the children's and YA worlds, the spice was surprisingly spicy, which is a rarity in sapphic romances. All of that said, I DO know how much better a work from this author could be and there were elements that I kept waiting for that never materialized. The story was heavily focused on Gemma and Celesete's POV was severely limited, even though she is the protagonist that has a more complex family background of being queer, growing up IN Korea, and having displacement trauma. This is a much more interesting character to center this narrative around, and one I would imagine is closer to the author's own experiences. Not that there's anything wrong with Gemma, but her POV is somewhat more akin to any California Asian, where their Asianness is more of an accessory than something central to every facet of their life, with conveniently understanding immigrant parents tucked away in the suburbs. Also, if you've seen any Kdrama (which the characters apparently do) or the movie Past Lives, you'll know that the theme of souls fated to intersect in every lifetime is a big spiritual trope in love stories, much like a lot of other Asian cultures. And yet, this was never once alluded to, and only the token woo-woo non-Asian queer mentions anything remotely close to that in all its white girl cringiness. Both of their social circles are severely limited to one set of queer friends, and Celesete's best friend barely even makes an appearance, which felt severely unbalanced and lacking that queer found family fullness. The work project that brings them back together seems cute but flimsy to have such career make or break weight behind it for both of them. Despite all the grumbles, I have to say, the story does stick the landing for me in a way most romance novels don't. Not in a happily ever after, but a "let's slowly learn to be unafraid together with no grand romantic illusions". Both narrators are two of my favorites whose works I've followed to many new authors. They both do a fantastic job of capturing both Gemma and Celesete's internal turbulence justice. They also capture the voice of each other's characters flawlessly. I finished listening to it in one sitting.

“Love in Focus” by Lyla Lee is a quick adult second chance sapphic romance.
It's the third book I've read by this author, and unfortunately, it's my least favourite so far.
It’s not particularly bad by any means; it was a pleasant read and overall it was pretty fast-paced, but it wasn’t particularly memorable either.
Also, I wasn’t a big fan of the switching between first-person and third-person pov, but that’s just my personal preference.
The audiobook narrators and the quality of the audiobook were generally excellent, though.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was the best sapphic romance book I read in a long while!

In Love in Focus, we follow Gemma, who recently got dumped by her ex-fiancé (who is also her coworker), is crashing on her friends' couch, and now has to work on a long work project with her ex-girlfriend from College, Celeste. The one that got away.

Opposite to what would usually happen in a romance book, drama does not ensue. Gemma and Celeste really try to communicate with eath other over the extended periods of time they spend with each other. Even the third-act breakup is very low-drama which I appreciated.

Lyla Lee did two things great that sometimes don't work well for me: the second-chance romance felt believable. Even though Gemma and Celeste have a lot of history, I could feel and believe their chemistry. And the spicy scenes were also done very respectful but hot.

I also liked that both main characters are Asian American and that we learn how that may or may not influence your experience as a queer person. Celeste seeing an older Asian American lesbian couple for the first time and being deeply moved because her experiences with her sexuality in Korea have not been great, really moved me as well.

It was a very nice touch that the two narrators, Natalie Naudus and Catherine Ho, are also Asian American. That made it all the easier to immerse myself in the story. And I just like that the production studio, Hachette Audio, treated this audiobook with so much care that they considered the message of the book when casting the narrators.

⭐️⭐️⭐️½ – Love in Focus (Audiobook Review)
This was a fun and cute listen overall. The voice actors did a great job bringing the characters to life — their performances were definitely a highlight and made the story easy to enjoy.
I did find the switching between first and third person a little strange, especially in Celeste’s chapters. It made her perspective feel inconsistent, and I think those parts would’ve worked better in first person. I also wish there had been more time spent in her point of view overall — it felt like a missed opportunity to get to know her better.
Still, it was an enjoyable audiobook with a sweet vibe. Just missing that extra something to make it truly memorable. I would 100% recommend this to everyone it makes the perfect palate cleanse. A massive thank you to netgalley for ARC.
@HachetteAudio #LoveinFocus #NetGalley

I truly enjoyed this story. It was a 3.5 for me. I loved the characters chemistry throughout the story. To see more Asian representation is a blessing especially sapphic asap a representation you rarely see on the publishing industry. This book was so so cute and I will recommend to everyone I know.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

I listened to this an audiobook, I really enjoyed the narrators.

This story follows Gemma, who has found herself single at 29 after her fiancé broke her out of the blue, after 7 years together with no explanations.

Gemma's life is in a state of chaos; she has moved out of their home and is living on her friend's couch. At work, she has to face her ex daily as they work together, only to find he has already moved on with another girl at work. She feels untethered and a bit lost.

She soon receives an exciting new assignment at work , something that could further her career. What she doesn't expect is to be paired with her collage ex Celeste, now working as a successful photographer.

Celeste was Gemma first and only girlfriend, and first heartbreak. They were together for a year when Celeste just disappeared and ghosted Gemmas , breaking her heart and causing her to think she was easy to forget.

However, Celeste , has a different view on this time. Her mother became sick suddenly back home in Seoul , causing her to fly home suddenly. While dealing with her mother sickness, she did distant herself from Gemma but as they both make promises to be together forever , she thought when she returned 3 month later - she could fix everything. Only to find that Gemma had moved on with a guy. Breaking Celeste heart and warping her views on relationships.

Now , 8 years later, they are both working together and the chemistry and attraction hasn't faded. But they are both very different people now , can they keep things professional while working so closely together again.

This story had so many layers, I loved how both Gemma and Celeste got therapy to deal with their baggage and feelings before agreeing to be together. It was heartfelt and sexy and romantic. I related to these characters as I am the same age and can imagine the upheaval of a break up after being in a long term relationship.

I received this ARC in audiobook format in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

This was my first time reading anything by this author, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It also appears to be Lyla’s first venture into adult fiction and she’s handled it with a maturity and charm that really shine through.

I’m a big fan of sweet, romantic palate cleansers and this one absolutely delivered. The story thoughtfully explores themes of diversity, including race, age and sexuality in a way that feels both authentic and tender.

If you’re in the mood for a sapphic romance with a happy ending and just the right touch of spice, this is one to add to your list.

While I did receive the audiobook version, I found the narration for ‘Celeste’ a little flat and robotic at times. That said, increasing the speed to 1.25x helped improve the overall experience.

Love in Focus by Lyla Lee was one of my favorite second-chance romances! I loved how the issues that led to their initial breakup were addressed pretty early in their reconnected relationship. Now that they are more mature, they are able to handle the harder conversations with only minor issues.

Gemma and Celeste are a perfect couple that I was rooting for the whole time. The Korean influences on the Sapphic relationship was predominant features in the book. The story was well woven and made it a breath of fresh air! Second-chance can be really hit or miss for me, and I can say this was a hit! If you're looking for your next romance, look no further!

The audiobook was well done and I enjoyed the narrators.