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

I received the audiobook ARC by NetGalley and Hachette Audio in return for an honest review of the book. Thank you for the opportunity.

I really enjoyed this book! Easy listen but with some conflicts and character issues. Although its dual pov we spend a lot of the time in Gemma’s pov so in a way I wished Celeste’s was a bit more fleshed out. Overall it’s a very cute, relatable sapphic romance and I would definitely checking the authors other works!

t was a cute book. If you're looking for an adorable second change Sapphic romance this is the one for you. The plot idea was cute and the characters on paper were charming.

The representation was really nice to see as well.

I wasn't a fan of the pov switch they had going on and the book moving along a little slow for me. It was very, just there at points. I was listening to it on audiobook and found that now and then I was tuning it out.

All in all its a cute book and people are going to enjoy it if it's their thing. For me it was a good book but not one I was over the moon for.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute little sapphic romance. I liked the story and even though it was a second chance romance it wasn't that bad. I was a little nervous about the third act breakup but I think it's mostly me worrying before it happens that's the hard part because I didn't think it was that hard.

The voice actor did a great job. I thought Celeste's chapter had a little tinny sound though.

I received an audiobook ARC by NetGalley and Hachette Audio in return for an honest review of the book. Thank you for the opportunity.

It was a decent enough book. I really hoped to love it because it’s been incredibly hyped up within the sapphic community. I just think, it was a little underdeveloped. It really had potential. I just kept thinking when I was about half way through the book that the storyline just felt, rushed. I liked Gemma & Celeste well enough. Their trauma together and separately just seemed overdone. I know they needed to work on it together. Maybe if there had more plot maybe, it wouldn’t have felt so bogged down. I also felt we were in Gemma’s head more than Celeste’s. Not that we have to have an even back and forth between the two main characters. But when we would come back to Celeste talking, I almost forgot sometimes that this was dual POV.

It’s also a bummer that the side characters fell flat for me. I really wanted to love Gemma’s roommates. There’s some spice in this book. But that’s also a little rushed. Not that every spicy scene needs to be drawn out. I was happy that this was actually a sapphic book to have a strap in it. lol.

All in all, it’s a decent enough book. I just feel like the pacing wasn’t it for me. And I do struggle with pacing sometimes in books. But I do recommend them to people.

This book was a fun and sweet sapphic romance that brings two exes back together in a work assignment to find “modern love.” This book brought some spice, but also a really lovely plot. It was so well balanced and I loved the friendship support and occasionally family support too on Gemma’s side. I didn’t feel like I got an enough from Celeste’s side and wish I would’ve found out more about her present rather than just who she was during the 8-year gap. Even with some details supplied there, I loved who she seemed to be and wanted to know how that happened. I did love that she loves romance books and for both women, I appreciated the balance of having their cultural heritage also be a bit of a learning experience (potentially) for the reader. The ending I was ultimately happy with, but felt it wrapped up too quickly and too happily considering the rest of the book is about a month, while the whole ending is over a year. Additionally, I listened to the audiobook for this one and loved Gemma’s voice (narration). It perfectly encapsulated what I thought of her as a character and how it matched with her cover image. However, the narration for Celeste fell so flat. I didn’t get her sassiness or edge and it honestly felt like a middle aged woman reading it who put little inflection into the narration. I loved Gemma so much more just from listening. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and recommend it for anyone who wants a fun and sweet read. 4.25⭐️, 2🌶

I absolutely loved this book. The whole thing was a delight from start to finish! It was so adorable and such an accurate depiction of life as a queer Asian-American woman. The plot was a realistic, adorable, sexy, contemporary account of getting back with the one that got away. There are so few books out there with such wonderful accurate queer Asian representation. The reference to SASS had me gagged.

The part when they interview the lesbian elders had me sobbing along with Celeste!!! It’s painfully true that there are so few queer Asian elders. And so sad that Asian countries are not accepting of queerness.

Altogether this was one of the cutest queer books I’ve read this year. Would definitely recommend.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for the opportunity to have read an advanced copy this book for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.