Gemma and Celeste were roommates in college and became more than friends. Celeste abruptly had to go back to Korea to help her sick mother and ended up ghosting Gemma. Eight years later, Gemma is a writer for a local magazine in San Francisco. Her work focuses mainly on love and advice. Celeste is a photographer based out of Los Angeles. She takes a job in San Francisco doing the photography for a Valentine’s Day piece, which will feature several diverse, loving couples. Gemma has no idea how to work with her ex. This is only made more complicated by Gemma’s recent ex, James, who works for the same magazine.

I really enjoyed the representation of the two Korean main characters in this book. However, I struggled with the way this book was written. It was written in the first person for Gemma’s chapters and the third person for Celeste’s chapters. I feel like this made it harder to get to know Celeste and like her as a character. I did enjoy the plot of the story, and the project Gemma and Celeste were working on. I just didn’t feel myself rooting for the relationship between the characters, and I feel like that was because I didn’t feel like Celeste was a fully developed character. I listened to the audiobook version and enjoyed the dual narration by Natalie Naudus and Catherine Ho. Overall, I give this one 3/5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio for granting me the Audiobook ARC/ ALC!!
So this book was cute and cozy but it wasn’t groundbreaking. I really enjoyed my time reading it.

The only critique that comes to my mind is that the ending felt a bit rushed for me. At some point I was confused about the timeline and I wish the Author would’ve drawn out the ending a bit more.

Nevertheless it was a good time and I would highly recommend reading this book!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a sweet and emotional second-chance romance with great potential. I really liked Gemma—her vulnerability and her struggle to open up again felt genuine, and the chemistry with Celeste had the right mix of tension and tenderness. The concept of reconnecting through a shared creative project was compelling, and there were some lovely, heartfelt moments. That said, I didn’t always fully feel the connection between them and wished the story had a bit more umph in the emotional payoff. Still, it was an enjoyable, thoughtful read about love, trust, and second chances.

I loved this story! Seeing a sapphic story take place in my home state felt like a hug! I also love reading about a bisexual main character, it's nice to be able to see someone like me in romance novels!

The dual narration absolutely made this story come to life! Both narrators breathed such life into the characters, I couldn't put the book down!

I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially ahead of pride I would recommend it to other bi women who want to see a Happily Ever After with another woman!

3.75

I enjoyed this one but also wasn’t blown away. It’s a second chance romance and nicely the drama about the original break up is addressed early and maturely.

I did like seeing the progression of the relationship. And appreciated that the breakup wasn’t due to miscommunication.

I think my favorite aspect was the interviews with the couples.

Overall good.

Thanks Hachette Audio for the early copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this before release.

The premise sounded extremely up my alley, but it didn’t do much for me unfortunately. I did not care about our two main characters and Gemma often felt a bit flat to me. The story was nice, I just wish there was less nagging. Also, the cheating trope could’ve been skipped (does not happen between the two ladies). Would like to try another romance book from this author though.

I did enjoy the book however I do feel the side carter's had more personality than the main characters, the story line was a little too predictable, saying that it was a beautiful romance but I just felt this book need more character, also there were things mentioned in the book that could have been explored more to help bring the story and book to life aswell as more back story about the breakup of the 7 year relationship and the celest story line

Love in Focus was an audio I was SO EXCITED for having loved I'll be the One by Lyla Lee. However; I found the point of view for Celeste to be lacking and could have done without it. I wanted more feom both storylines and ended up not finishing at 68% because of this. While I would not recommend the audio based on the above, I would give Lee another listen in the future.

This was great mix of comedy, messy, sweet, contemporary romance perfection.

So I like a good mess in romance. Messy people making silly mistakes all while still trying their best in life. This book gave me exactly that. As well as such a vivacious and heartwarming found family.

The journey that this romance took was very well done. I love it when they think they are going to try and date with no strings or deep feelings and then boom. You meet your soulmate.

I laughed and blushed with this book. I wish there was a tiny bit more swoon, but damn did I blush in those steamy moments. I like the balance of Korean culture as well!

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

I really wanted to like book but I had a hard time with some of the pacing and plot points. This book itself is really predictable. I guessed within the first chapter she was going to re-explore her relationship with Celeste and then plot wise it was spoonfed to me because of course of all bars of all bathrooms, they had to bump into each other. It felt too obvious and on the nose and it continued in a similar fashion that made it hard to stay engaged. I also didn't love the switched of POV because I don't think it added anything to the story just highlighted the terrible miscommunication trope they were stuck in. Celeste had moments I would've explore like her conversation with her best friend about older queer asian couples but it was just a footnote. It didn't really add much to the story, especially with Celeste being bitter her "straight" girlfriend left her for a man. That was never explored and was just brushed aside. I think instead this could've been a really good unpacking of biphobia, explore Gemma's story and communicate a bit more.

I will say if you like a cheesy predictable romance, this is solid. They have nice chemistry but I do find it a little hard to say much else. Thanks for sharing!

I was given the ALC by NetGalley, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Just finished the dual audiobook for Love in Focus and I loved it! The characters, the plot, and the pacing all flowed well.

Gemma and Celeste first fell in love in college, only for unforeseen circumstances to tear them apart. Not to talk again for another 8 years when their separate careers send them careening back into each other’s orbit.

Gemma is just coming out of a messy breakup and Celeste no longer does serious relationships, and yet the connection is there…the chemistry is palpable and the prospect of a new beginning is in their grasp. Can they? Should they? Is it just work? Is it just to be friends? Will it be anything?

Very sweet book, loved the main and side characters, and the fact that it was set in San Francisco. Give it a try, it’s well worth it.

I really wanted to love this. A sapphic second chance romance with Korean rep and it’s being compared to Delilah Green (a fave)? Yes please. But this just didn’t land for me. The two leads felt flat and interchangeable (shoutout to the side character’s cat for having more personality), and the second chance romance didn’t really build anything new — they just slipped back into old habits and I never really got why I was supposed to root for them. The POV shifts were distracting (first person for one lead, third for the other?).
The way breakups were handled made it hard to connect. Right before the book begins, the main character’s engagement is abruptly ended by the man she’s been with for seven years. And yet, aside from a couple awkward run-ins, there’s basically no emotional turmoil over her life being upended (and no, he’s not the second chance romance so why this recent breakup is necessary, idk). Then there’s the original breakup between the two leads… yikes. I would’ve preferred a tired miscommunication trope over what actually happened.
This one missed the mark for me, but I’d still be curious to see what this author does next. There’s definitely potential here but this particular story didn’t deliver what I hoped it would. I have read a lot of second chance romances this year though so I fear I have gotten pretty picky.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC — the narrators were fantastic!

✨“Hell is trying to control other people. Including yourself.”✨

3.5 stars. A super cute and sweet second chance romance, one that was equally focused on character growth and evolution as much as it was on the romance. Which can be a good or a band thing, depending on the type of reader you are. But I think the author struck a good balance, and if you're mostly here for the romance, I think that was one of the stronger aspects of this book. I liked it so much! I usually say that second chance romance isn't my favourite trope, and it isn't, but when packaged like this, in a relatively short romance that's primarily focused on one character, it shines.

Gemma is an advice columnist who just had a big bomb dropped on her: her boyfriend of seven years and recent fiancé just abruptly broke up with her. She's devastated, and all the more so because her only significant relationship before him, with her college girlfriend, also ended in heartbreak when Celeste went back to Korea without saying a word to her. Gemma moves in with her best friends and tries to start rebuilding her life, but a new project at work blindsides her: she has to work with a photographer for a piece about couples and love, and the photographer is none other than Celeste, her ex. 

I think a lot of second chance romances tend to focus on flashbacks to establish the relationship that the characters had in the past, to let us see how they built up chemistry and why they were good for each other. And I don't think it's a bad thing; even though I don't love flashbacks, they can be useful in this way. And so I find it all the more impressive that the author used no flashbacks in this book, and yet I still got a really clear idea of relationship they had, the attraction and all-consuming chemistry, without ever feeling like I was being info-dumped on, or being bogged down, or being dragged away from the action in the present. Maybe it was just the way it was written, but I always felt like the electricity between Gemma and Celeste, even when there were misunderstandings, even when there were hurt feelings on both sides. I liked the author's approach to clearing up the past between them, and to gradually building something new in the present.

POV is handled in an interesting way. Most of the book is told from Gemma's first person POV, but we also get a few shorter chapters, almost vignettes, from Celeste's third person POV. I ended up liking this a lot! I'm a big lover of single POV romance, so I wouldn't have minded if we had only been privy to Gemma's perspective. But I actually really liked getting little snippets that provided insight into Celeste's side of the story, even though this remained firmly about Gemma's journey. And it didn't feel unbalanced, because we saw a lot of Celeste's story from Gemma's chapters too. This felt really well-rounded, and I also especially liked the friendships. Val, the video-game playing butch, was a gem.

I think I'd have loved this more if it had been a little longer. I kinda wish we'd gotten to see more dates; both for the project, and between Gemma and Celeste alone. Both characters make very sensible decisions near the end, and do what's best for them, but I wish there had been something more, to make the romance a little more intense, a little more memorable.

Listened to the audiobook as read by Natalie Naudus and Catherine Ho, and I loved it! Naudus is one of my favourite narrators of all time, and she always brings so much heart and emotion to her performances. Ho has a lovely register that was perfect for Celeste. Both narrators have pretty different voices, and that can sometimes bug me, in dual narrated audiobooks. Like, Naudus' voice for Gemma didn't sound anything like Ho's voice for Gemma. But because Celeste's chapters (and therefore Ho's narration) were so short, I didn't really notice it and it didn't bother me at all. Great narration, overall!

This was such a cute romance, and I definitely recommend it. I've read from Lyla Lee before, one of the YA titles, and I liked it okay? But this was definitely more up my alley, and I'm glad to have enjoyed it so much.

☆ Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an audio review copy! I am voluntarily leaving a review.

✨“I like that. One romance novel moment at a time.”✨

I absolutely loved this second chance romance between a recently-dumped magazine writer and her ex-roommate girlfriend photographer who totally disappeared on her eight years ago. The tension between Gemma and Celeste was so good and I loved seeing them interact and talk through what happened all those years ago. Gemma’s besties are absolutely amazing in the face of Gemma’s recent break-up with longtime partner and fiance. And a new work project that brings Gemma and Celeste together built up so much opportunity for communication. I liked the structure of the story being mostly from Gemma’s POV, with bits of Celeste’s POV sprinkled in. Definitely spicy throughout, but with so much emotional work as well. Loved it. Narrated by one of my faves: Natalie Naudus.

This was overall pretty enjoyable, but I didn't feel super connected to the characters. Their original split felt unrealistic and their personalities seemed pretty flat. The plot was cute and felt somewhat unique. I think one of the narrators definitely made it harder to stay hooked, they sounded pretty monotonous so didn't find it easy to connect with the character because of this too!

i thought this was a really cute book! i loved seeing Gemma & Celeste rekindle what they once had while they navigated their new phases in life. i believe in fate and truthfully that’s what brought them back together! i do wish there was more of a background with Gemma and her ex fiance bc we met after the engagement ended & he was only talked about in a negative way making me wonder what Gemma ever saw in him for the 7 years they were together. i did like how this book touched on how being queer in the Asian community affects family dynamics and just an individual themself. the workplace setting added an extra layer of cuteness, especially with them collaborating on a piece about love in relationships.

as for the audiobook, the narrators were both fitting for the characters! it was a little jarring when we switched to Celeste’s POV, but that’s more so bc it switches to 3rd person writing.

Love in Focus was one of those books that make for a great palate cleanser after a long, dense read. I was immediately drawn to the fact that the main characters are Korean—it added a refreshing layer of cultural diversity. I also loved that the story was LGBTQ+ focused, which made it feel inclusive and heartfelt.

I think the overall story was okay. There wasn’t any super intense drama, but that doesn’t mean there was none at all. The romance was super sweet and had just enough conflict to keep things interesting. It’s one of those stories that many readers will find relatable—especially those navigating first love, identity, and the uncertainty that comes with both.

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook, and while it was enjoyable, I really wished both characters’ points of view had been told from a first-person perspective. Instead, only one character felt fully personal, while the other was narrated more externally. That made it a bit harder to connect emotionally with her. Dual first-person narration would’ve added more depth and allowed readers to fall deeper into both characters' journeys.

Still, Love in Focus is a sweet, thoughtful story with diverse representation and a gentle romance that many readers will fall in love with. If you're in the mood for something light yet meaningful, this might be a great pick.

*4.25 Stars*

I liked this. I really liked the main character and I felt for her and I enjoyed getting to know her throughout the book. I liked how this was a romance but it was also about friendship and the main character's job. I was fully invested into her life really and I wanted everything to work out. It was quite an enthralling read. it really pulled me in from the start. I still cannot believe the audacity of her ex. I was also quite invested in the interviews the mc and the li did together. It was a good romance and I hope to read more books by this author.

They had history. They had tension. They had… potential. I wanted to be wrecked, ruined, fully spiraling but instead it felt like watching a romcom on mute. Still cute, still cozy, just not the heart squeezing magic I was hoping for.