Love in Focus by Lyla Lee is a second chance romance abour college exes Gemma and Celeste narrated by Natalie Naudus and Catherine Ho. The story is easy to immerse yourself in and the narrators do the characters justice. There is queer and Asian representation (if that wasn't obvious from the cover), and conversations about love and what that looks like for different people. Overall a cute time.

This book drew me in with a queer Asian main character. It’s a second chance romance!

They fell in love as college roommates. Then they were left with nothing but heartbreak and silence. Gemma moves on to a long term relationship and engagement with her coworker James. Celeste reappears soon after James unexpectedly breaks off their engagement.

I love a good second chance romance, but I do not like miscommunication tropes. Gemma is heartbroken after the end of her engagement but is now swooning over her college ex. Did you know they’re college exes? It is certainly mentioned enough. There is no real connection between the characters. Each one is unlikable in their own way. Also. What the heck? Their relationship ended suddenly and they went years without talking. But now they’re completely fine with no tension or long discussions. Just totally fine. I don’t understand that, and it was off putting.

It’s an easy read, but I do not recommend it.

The narration is just okay.

I listened to the audiobook for this one. A beautiful story well told. The narrators were clear and emotive. At first I was a bit thrown off by one character being in first person and the other being in third, but it works for their personalities and how guarded Celeste is. I really enjoyed the characters talking about their Korean culture and especially all the different food. Gemma’s best friends are lovely, and it really shows healthy, supportive female friendships well. It also lets the main characters work on themselves, identify that they have their own issues, and take accountability. Ideal Romance novel. Little bit of heartbreak, lots and lots of love.

This was such a wonderfully written romance that faced the struggles and imperfections of relationships, particularly when the characters face adversity culturally and within the stereotypes of sapphic relationships. I think it was done beautifully!!

My favourite romances are the ones that don’t shy away from the hard stuff and perhaps for some, that makes it a less than ideal romance. For me, it highlights that what we idealistically we want, is often very different from reality.

This story follows Celeste and Gemma as they have their second chance romance eight years later, and with a whole lot of new life experiences to navigate.

What to expect:
- second chance
- flawed (realistic) characters
- Korean culture
- the exploration of love through multiple lens’
- spice (HELLO STRAP)
- dual POV (celeste is in 3rd person and less frequent)
- homophobia in families
- discovering queerness
- commitment issues

Natalie Naudus delivers on an absolutely BRILLIANT performance. She remains a top tier narrator for me. One with range, diversity, depth and emotion. I love that she, herself is queer, because you can tell she cares for the role she’s playing.
Catherine Ho left a little more to be desired - I’m not sure if it was the direction on trying to portray Celeste as this very rigid, character, but i wished for a little more emotion because at times there felt like an emotional disconnect.

This book follows two women—one who thinks she has her entire life figured out, and one who’s… just kind of floating. They meet, there’s tension, some flirty banter, a few deeper moments—and then a lot of emotional spiraling.

I really wanted to like this, and there were some solid pieces: the pacing is quick, the themes of burnout and identity are there, and the premise has potential. But most of the time, it just didn’t land for me.

The emotional stakes felt flat. The characters were constantly miscommunicating, and not in a cute, slow-burn kind of way—more like, “How are you both this bad at talking?” I didn’t find myself rooting for the romance as much as I was hoping I would, and honestly, the side characters were more compelling than the main ones.

I finished it quickly, but mostly because I was waiting for it to click—and it just never really did. Messy can be good. Complicated can be interesting. But this felt more like emotional loops that didn’t go anywhere.

Appreciate the ARC from NetGalley, but this one wasn’t for me.

ALC Review
Love in Focus by Lyla Lee
Narrated by: Catherine Ho & Natalie Naudus
Rating: 3.5/5

Overall this was a cute story with elements of spicy scenes. Gemma is recently out of a relationship and is trying to protect her heart. Celeste has been trying to protect her heart since Gemma broke her heart eight years ago. They are thrown together on a work project and have to face their intense feelings.

While I enjoyed the overall story, it lacked something for me. It felt very surface emotionally.

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
* Sapphic romance
* Second chance romance
* First love
* Forced proximity
* Workplace romance

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed my experience. Naudus is a talented narrator. The plot line was enjoyable, but nothing extraordinary. Very sweet story overall with relatable characters

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.