Thank you so much, NetGalley, for an ALC of Love in Focus!

I’ve read several M/M romances, but this was actually my first sapphic romance, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The second-chance + forced proximity storyline was beautifully done, and I loved that both FMCs were in their late 20s— as someone in their mid-30s I love reading about people around my age.

The emotional growth of both characters felt authentic, and I really appreciated how the story incorporated LGBTQIAP+ representation through the characters’ careers and writing/photography - especially during their work project. Their loved seemed so sweet and pure and it was awesome to see them finally give their love a second shot.

While not every aspect reflected my own experience, I felt truly honored to read the first traditionally published Korean American sapphic romance in the U.S., which is also the first Asian American sapphic adult romance published by a major publisher. Stories like this are so important, and I sincerely hope we continue to see more like it in literature for years to come.

Thank you to to Lyla Lee, Hachette Audio and Netgalley for the ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion

3.0 stars for the story.
3 stars for the narration.

Gemma and Celeste were college roommates who fell in love when life happened and they split up. Fast forward 8 years they are forced to work together on a project after not seeing each other since their breakup.
This book had so much potential but it just fell flat to me.
The characters didn’t have much depth. The story line kind of jumped around. The conflict of their first breakup in college was really frustrating.

Now to the narration.
The narrator that voiced Gemma did an amazing job! She was phenomenal. She voiced other characters really well and brought the story to life.
The narrator that voiced Celeste, her voice would be better as an older person. If there was an epilogue 50 years in the future, she would have been perfect to narrate that. But to me, she did not sound like a 30 year old: And her narration sounded a little choppy, hard cut offs on words with pauses. It’s hard to explain, but it is something that I noticed while listening.

Such a cute story! I loved the queer asian (Korean, specifically) representation in this book.

There were a few parts where I felt like things were going too fast in relation to the storyline, but I still enjoyed this novel very much. The characters' relationships among themselves felt pretty deep and real to me. Real people, real situations, and real problems.

Celeste and Gemma felt right for each other since the beginning, I was already rooting for them from the start.

The audiobook was very well narrated, switching voices whenever the POVs changed. It was actually pretty addictive, since I listened to over half of it in one sitting!

A very cute second chance lovers story. I always love representation in books, so I enjoyed the Asian sapphic relationship in this! I really appreciated that Lyla Lee addressed the fact that there is a lack of representation in that demographic, AND mentioning that AIDS really impacted the queer community to the point that there are not a ton of "queer elders" to look to in greater society (def teared up on that one).

Great level of spice, but I will say that I wish we had more in Celeste's POV. I also wish we demonized Gemma's real POS ex James a bit more. Like hello? Complete Narcissist jerk-nugget. Let's call that out.

All in all, a fun little romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for access to this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This was...fine.

There's a lot of potential here, but it needed more development.

The romance in particular needed more work. I love a second chance romance, but a lot of the time these characters didn't feel like they had history. Although I appreciate them talking about their feelings like normal adults instead of the book relying too much on miscommunication.

I didn't care for Gemma all that much, and I liked Celeste, even though her chapters were really short and in third person for some reason. I think I would've liked the book more if she were the main POV.

I did like listening to the audiobook. Natalie Naudus was wonderful as usual.

*♡Thank you to to Lyla Lee, Hachette Audio and Netgalley for the ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion♡*

First off I want to say that Natalie Naudus and Catherine Ho did and amazing job narrating as the voices of Gemma and Celeste. They really brought the characters to life and helped make this book so enjoyable!
Love In Focus is a second chance, sapphic romance and I loved every minute of it! The situation that the FMCs find themselves in seems so genuine and believable, and the supporting characters bring so much fun to the story.
I would definitely recommend this, the writing is top notch and the story moves along at a good pace.
Those spicy scenes too.. oh my goodness they are perfection!!

I thought the voice actors did a really good job with this book. I love a sapphic romance and the start had me really intrigued. Up until she met Celeste and she started complaining even though she had ghosted her. It just didn't feel very fair and I started to get bored very soon after with the story and wasn't interested in the ending.

"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.