Love in Focus is a cute and easy listen, but it didn’t quite land for me in a few key areas.
One of the biggest drawbacks was the narration—specifically for Celeste. Her chapters felt flat, and I struggled to connect with her character through the performance. Additionally, the alternating points of view between Gemma and Celeste felt more distracting than engaging. Since each chapter clearly announces the POV, I think the story would’ve been stronger with a consistent narrative style, either all in first person or third person, rather than switching between both. I am not a fan of third person POV but if the story flows better in third I still can enjoy.
While the story has charm, the characters themselves lacked the depth I was hoping for. With a bit more development, I think I could have been much more emotionally invested in their journeys. That said, this was still a fun read!

Love in Focus is a sweet, queer rom-com with a strong cultural core and a soft emotional heart. I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the experience—especially the vibrant narration from both narrators, who brought a lot of warmth and personality to the story.

The novel shines in its portrayal of Korean culture, food, and family dynamics, weaving these elements naturally into the characters' lives. There’s thoughtful representation and some real emotional beats around identity, queer visibility in Asian communities, and family acceptance. It added depth to what could’ve been a straightforward romance.

The central relationship — a second-chance romance between Gemma and Celeste — is compelling but does lose some momentum. Their emotional connection is clear early on, and they handle their past maturely, which was refreshing but also left little room for tension or surprises. Much of the middle of the story lingers on Gemma’s recent breakup and her internal reflections, which occasionally took focus away from the chemistry with Celeste. It felt like the “will they/won’t they” tension got replaced with a more introspective journey that stretched longer than necessary.

I loved the premise — a queer take on the magazine/journalist rom-com trope — and the way their professional lives created both stress and stakes. The workplace elements felt grounded and relatable. While I would’ve preferred the story told solely from Gemma’s point of view to maintain emotional consistency, the character work still landed well in the end, with satisfying growth and a well-earned happily ever after.
Also, props to the book for including steamy, queer sex scenes — it's great to see more traditional publishing embracing this kind of representation.

All in all, Love in Focus is a charming, light listen with great cultural richness, strong voice acting, and a romance that, while a bit drawn out in places, ultimately delivers. Not perfect, but heartfelt and memorable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the advanced copy.

Thank you NetGalley, forever & the author for the ALC!

This was cute, and the narrators did a great job!

I’ll start with things that I liked! I love a second chance romance. I like when they date while young and then something happens and then they try again when they’re older. I loved that at the end, they were both in therapy to better themselves. I loved that Gemma put herself first, and moved away for some change. I also love the cover, the cover really pulls you in!! I loved Gemma’s friends. I LOVED all of the representation in the book, too.

Things I wasn’t too fond of. I don’t like how Celeste ghosted Gemma for almost a decade. I understand *her reason* for leaving, but there was no reason that she couldn’t send a single message in all those years. I didn’t like how James was brought up at the Christmas party and seemed jealous, but then wasn’t mentioned again for what felt like forever, until the very end. I loved Gemma’s friends, but I didn’t like that I liked them more than once of the FMC’s.

I really enjoyed this book! I liked Gemma as a character and really felt for her when it came to romantic heartbreaks. Both breakups sound so painful. I also liked the forced proximity and Gemma and Celeste’s reconnection.

I listened to an Advanced Listening Copy and think the narrators did an excellent job bringing the characters to life.

There is a comment that Celeste makes in her head about being upset Gemma moved on (so quickly) after their breakup and with a man. She calls it a “lesbian’s worst nightmare.” In my experience, the only lesbians who fear their ex moving on with a man are biphobic. And I know the author themself is bi, so I’m not sure why this was included. The comment was never addressed or challenged. And I honestly think it should be removed from the final draft.

4.25 ⭐️ I devoured this one. I binged the audio in just 2 days and haven’t been able to stop thinking about Celeste and Gemma since! Catherine Ho and Natalie Naudus are the perfect voices to bring our main characters to life.

Second chance romances have a tendency to be hit or miss for me but Love in Focus has been a big win. Late 20s, forced proximity, workplace romance, check check check! The chemistry that Gemma and Celeste have from the get go makes it easy to root for them as a couple, especially after Gemma’s breakup and subsequent heartbreak from her ex-fiancé. While I didn’t love the ghosting from Celeste after their initial breakup in college, it’s easy to forgive and forget once she explains herself and reveals the struggles she was dealing with the and the sadness from the girl she loved moving on so quickly (and with a man). Both fmcs were likeable, multi-dimension, and someone I’d love to be friends with in real life.

While this isn’t a perfect 5 star romcom, I still really enjoyed it and would highly recommend to any reader who loves a good romance with some fun spice!

thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ALC of this book

I highly enjoyed this because of the topics talked about as well as the F&F main plot, but I also liked how the main character by the end of the book releases a lot about herself to go on a self-love & mental health discovery.

Finding love is not easy but when ur partner splits up with u after 7 years the main character is in a world of confusion, we see this as she tries to deal with her pain but also sees that the woman who is her collaborator of a work project is her ex-roommate and also ex-lesbian partner from over 8 years ago.

I think the way it was done in the book was engaging but also showed the inner minds of both of them after so long, but when old feelings get mixed with new pain it causes more confusion (but the way it's dealt with is well done).

This book gives tells the beautiful story of a second chance romance between Gemma and Celeste. 💕Gemma has recently been dumped by her fiancé. Heartbroken and unsure of her next steps she moves in with her friends temporarily and they take her out to get her mind off things…enter Celeste. An old flame 🔥 from the past
Gemma’s first girlfriend, who ghosted her in college and she hasn’t seen in the past 7 years. Now they have to work together on a piece about love for the magazine Gemma works for.
This book is sweet and spicy, while also telling a beautiful story about what it is to be lesbian/bi as a Korean woman. It is an honest depiction of how difficult that can be, while also showing how these characters fought to be true to themselves (especially Celeste).
I also adored the when Harry met Sally vibes that the book gives throughout.
The narration in this book was done so well- the acting by both narrators was wonderful and added to the story perfectly.
I felt this book was realistic in terms of relationships, particularly in the third act and that it felt real and honest- how I would see these things happen to real people. The chemistry between the main characters was undeniable and you will not want to put this book down
This was a wonderful sapphic second chance romance that I would highly recommend.
4/5 stars and 4/5 chili spices

A sweet, sapphic second-chance romance that had me smiling and swooning throughout. I absolutely adored this book. It was everything I hoped it would be and more.

My literal only issue was there was a line that I'm paraphrasing but was along the lines of "she moved on, and with a man, which is a lesbian's worst nightmare" and that just really didn't set well with me—it just felt biphobic and out of place, because aside from that there was no biphobia or shaming of sexualities. Again, I loved the rest of the book, but that line had me on edge, waiting for more biphobia, and it made it hard to enjoy the book for a while until I felt sure there weren't going to be more lines like it. Again, I loved the book and if it weren't for that line, I would have given it five stars, but that one line was a pretty big issue considering it went completely unaddressed, and I kept worrying whether Gemma would really be supported/validated/fully safe with Celeste. Since the biphobia otherwise wasn't an issue and it wasn't addressed as, like, a learning moment or anything I just really really struggled with that issue, and the more I sit with it the harder it feels.

I also really liked the narrators—they were both really great.

3.5

Gemma, a relationship columnist, has just been dumped by her fiancé, and has just found out that she'll be working with her college ex on a Valentine's Day feature: Love in Focus. Celeste has been a huge 'what if' in Gemma's life. The one who just disappeared on her without any closure. Can the two manage to work together?

Read if you like:
-Second Chance Romance
-Workplace Romance
-Forced Proximity
-Sapphic Romance

While I enjoyed Love in Focus, the difference in POVs was a bit of a struggle for me. Gemma's POV was told from first person POV and Celeste's from third. It was difficult switching between the POVs and I'm not sure why it was written that way. It also made it hard for me to connect with Celeste as a character. Her third person POV made her seems cold and distance compared with Gemma's first person POV.

Writing choices aside, I did enjoy the story. Gemma was very relatable and I was rooting for her throughout the book to find success, both professionally and romantically. The relationship interviews were so fun to read.

I'm a bit torn on this one - it's a cute romcom that hits all the Romance notes while missing something.

Really enjoyed that there's two Korean FMC's and lots of Korean culture, family dynamics, and food woven throughout this. It felt like there's a good hold on the work/office/job parts throughout this. I was getting stressed reading about their deadlines and interviews, lol.

Natalie Naudus did an excellent narration throughout this, while the other narrator was a bit cold and stilted with the narration, plus switching from Gem's 1st person POV to Celeste's 3rd person POV was jarring at times. This would have been a bit more mysterious or had more tension if it was solely in one POV.

This also was second chance with not enough tension to make it feel like big stakes. Both leads clearly are attracted to and love one another throughout this, they immediately have a mature discussion about what happened 8 years ago, everything is pretty cleared up by the first chunk of the story, and then we are taken on a 'I don't believe in love anymore' tour with friends with benefits included and random silence/ghosting. I also didn't love that a big chunk of the story focused around Gem's recent breakup with her fiance, and lots of on page time in her head thinking about him, their relationship, and her moving on and also jumping right into another romance with C.

There is a strap on scene in this that was very fun, and love seeing more tradpub include sexy and queer scenes in them!

I wanted to love this more, but this one ended up in the "book that I read" 3 star camp.

ARC from netgalley.

I truly enjoyed this audiobook! It had my two favourite S words, sapphic and second-chance romance.

The narrators were top notch and it was such an easy listen. I had been listening to another audiobook before and kept thinking “Is it me or am I just not vibing with audiobooks anymore?” And then as soon as I started this one, I was immediately hit with “Ahh this is what I needed.”

Found in this book:
•Lesbian and Bi representation
•Korean MCs
•Second-chance romance
•Found family
•Forced proximity
•A cat named Burrito
•Tatted MC with a camera
•A couch called Clementine


Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this ALC!

This story follows Gemma, who is a journalist and has to partner with a freelance photographer for her next assignment (Modern Love in Focus) where they interview different couples about love and relationships. Turns out the photographer she has to partner with is her college ex Celeste who had ghosted her and moved to Korea. As they work together and the relationship progresses, they get closer and understand each other and the second chance romance starts. They talk about what happened back then and why she did what she did. It was a sweet romance and I really liked Gemma's friends too. The assignment in which they interviewed different couples was cute to read about. Overall it was a great sapphic romance, and I would definitely recommend it. I'd really love it if more scenes from their college time were added to see how they met and got together back then.

⭐⭐ "Love in Focus" had a promising premise – second chance romance with a sapphic twist! The setup with Gemma and Celeste being forced to work together after a messy college breakup had potential for some great tension and emotional depth. However, I found myself wanting more from their reconnection. The chemistry felt a little lukewarm at times, and I didn't fully buy into the depth of their past relationship or the reasons for their initial split. While there were a few sweet moments, the overall execution felt a bit predictable, and I didn't get the swoon-worthy feeling I was hoping for. It was an okay read, but didn't quite capture my heart.

First, I need a moment for this cover design because I'M OBSESSED! The pink and purple tones, the back to back FMCs, and the drape of that adorable dress. I love it.

The premise of this book was so cute!
The magazine and photographer set-up felt like a queer 13 Going on 30 (without the time travel). Especially with the second-chance romance plot.

Korean representation and culture was included perfectly from the food to family and more. Homophobia in Asian families is addressed as well. There's even some good commentary on how most of us Asians don't get to see older, happy queer folks while growing up and how that can affect younger queer Asian folks.

I really liked Gemma's friends and their shenanigans! I actually think we get WAAAY more Gemma than Celeste and I feel like this book probably should have been a single POV with just Gemma's perspective. I don't think we got to know Celeste enough for her to have a POV - they were mostly inserted between Gemma chapters to just provide a little more context on her feelings regarding what was going on, but she never had a POV chapter where she was doing anything un-Gemma related.

One of my favorite things with second chance romance if finding a way for the characters to love both their past and current selves but unfortunately with Gemma and Celeste I think they focused too much on their past and I didn't feel like they loved (or even really knew) their current selves very much for a majority of the book. I am happy with the final growth and HEA though.

I did the audio of this book through an ALC.
Personally I preferred Gemma's narrator more than Celeste's but I did like that they were very different and made differentiating between the two women easy. That being said, as I mentioned earlier, I think this could've just been a Gemma POV only book.

Overall, this was a pretty cute book! I liked the article they were working on and all of the queer and Korean rep and commentary. I think for me this book could've used more stakes to hold my interest but it was still a nice, light read/listen and I think the characters showed some good growth too.


Thank you to Hachette Audio and Forever for the ALC through NetGalley!

In Love in Focus, Gemma has just been broken up with by James, her partner of 7 years when she's put on a work project with her college girlfriend and photographer, Celeste. When I saw this compared to The Bold Type, I immediately requested the ALC and I'm so glad I did.

This was such a cute second chance romance. I don't think it's totally unique but still such a fun read. And the side plot of these characters working on their project and speaking with all different types of couples that are in love worked so well for me. Some of it made me a little teary which I love in any book.

As far as the audiobook goes, I always appreciate a duel narration. Unfortunately, the narrator for Celeste's parts came off as pretty dull and one-toned. The narrator for Gemma was great and most of the book was in her perspective. I don't think Celeste's narrator took away from the book too much though. Maybe if more of the book was in her perspective it would've bothered me more.

Overall, this is a really sweet story that I'd recommend to anyone who likes a sweet little romance with a little spice. The LGBTQ+ and Asian representation is also nice in a world saturated with books about white couples.

3.5

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for giving me an arc for an honest review.

Love in Focus was one of my anticipated releases of the year, and it didn’t disappoint. Everything about this story was great, and I enjoyed every second of it. Both characters were mostly fleshed out and three-dimensional, although I do wish the book was a tad bit longer so we were able to get a little bit more depth.

That is one of the issue I had with this book. I wanted it to be a little longer. I wanted more of Celeste and her background. We really only had snippets of it, and it made me feel disconnected from her at times.

Also the fact that Celeste made some biphobic commends that made me very uncomfortable.

And the ending felt a tad bit rushed for me. I need more from this book towards the end.

Both narrators did a great job. Natalie Naudus is the best and I think she’s one of the best. Catherine Ho is a new narrator for me and her performance in this is great, and I now want to check out her other works!

Overall, a great book and I’m excited to read what Lyla Lee writes next.

After getting out of a seven year relationship, Gemma's life is sent into a whirlwind when here college ex Celeste is the contracted photographer for her article on love. Having been ghosted by Celeste, at first Gemma tries to keep things purely professional even though the chemistry is still there.

This story was super cute and I had a fun time while reading it. I loved the bi representation. Gemma felt super relatable. I do think it would've been better as a single POV because I feel Celeste's chapters didn't feel as well developed. I did enjoy the friend characters as well as the couples they interviewed. Overall it was a good read

Tropes:
* Second Chance Romance
* Writer/Photographer
* Workplace Romance
* Sapphic Romance
* Right Person Wrong Time

3.5 stars

This was a really cute read. Love in Focus is a sapphic second chance romance between two Korean characters. Gemma is a relationship advice columnist who was recently dumped by her fiancé and Celeste is a world-renowned photographer; they are forced to work together after not seeing each other for 8 years – after Celeste seemingly ghosted Gemma in college. I appreciated the inclusion of Korean culture throughout the book. Gemma's character growth was the focus of the book and we only got snippets of insight into Celeste. For an adult romance, I was hoping for a little more depth to the story. Overall, though, I liked this book and recommend it for a lighthearted romance read.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️/2🌶️

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book!

This was actually my first ever sapphic story! I don’t know why it took me so long, since I myself am bisexual 😭 but I loved this so much. 2 college exes find themselves together again when they have to come together and work on a project that will make ir break their futures. This was a fun and easy story with good chemistry and lots of soft and funny moments 🥰❤️


-Sapphic (Lesbian x Bisexual)
-2nd chance
-Forced proximity
-Coworkers on a projected
-They go to therapy (separately)
-East Asian/POC reps (both Korean iirc)
-Cut cat named burrito 😽

So I’m a hetero woman and this is my first sapphic romance. I was really nervous going in but oh my goodness am I glad I jumped in! This story is so sweet and lovely! This book feels like fresh cotton candy and a warm hug! From the very beginning it has felt like I’ve had a hand squeezing around my heart in the best possible way!

I’m so invested in this story! The characters are so likable and relatable. The spicy scenes are raw and beautiful. I love the second chance at love theming! The two women narrating have the smoothest voices. Amazing work all around! Thank you so much for giving me the chance to enjoy it on here! <3