I am a huge fan of second chance romances. This one was so so cute. A sapphic/queer romance with Asian rep. This was an easy binge book for me. Celeste and Gemma dated for a year in college. Celeste completely ghosts Gemma 8 years ago. Gemma moves on with James. They even get engaged. Then one day he randomly dumps her. I am not going to lie I felt like James was kind of not really relevant. There wasn't as much conflict with him as I thought there would be. I mean he is a terrible person but I do think Gemma moves on relatively easy. I did absolutely love the reconnecting of Gemma and Celeste. I think the two had chemistry. It did kind of bother me that Celeste was so mad at Gemma for moving on so fast but like Celeste completely ghosted Gemma. Gemma even tries to contact her and gets nothing in response. Anyways after they move past this I enjoyed the two getting to know each other. Also the more spicy scenes were so so good. I loved the audiobook however I found myself enjoying Gemma's POV chapters more. For some reason Celeste's chapters felt a little more choppy. I'm not sure if this is due to the narrator or just the writing. Thank you netgalley for an arc of the audiobook.

This book was okay..

The mc’s irritated me, and some parts went on too long and the flow wasn’t.

However I did enjoy the plot mostly, heartbreaker girl reunites with her first wlw relationship

Love in Focus was a cute sapphic romance, but nothing majorly stood out to me. I didn't feel that strongly about either main character or their relationship.

I recently listened to "Love In Focus," and I can't recommend it enough! This heartwarming tale centers around a woman who navigates the complexities of falling in love with another girl during their college years. Their relationship takes a turn as circumstances pull them apart, but fate intervenes when a job opportunity brings them back together.

The story itself is beautifully crafted, intertwining themes of love, friendship, and the bittersweet nature of time and distance. What truly sets this audiobook apart is the talented narrator, who brings every character to life with emotion and depth. Her ability to convey the nuances of each moment kept me completely engrossed—I felt as if I were right there with the characters, experiencing their challenges and triumphs alongside them.

One of my favorite aspects of "Love In Focus" is the clever incorporation of nerdy references throughout the narrative. It’s evident that the author understands their audience, seamlessly weaving in pop culture elements and quirky nods that will resonate with many listeners. These touches not only add humor but also create a relatable and inviting atmosphere.

Overall, "Love In Focus" is a delightful romance that captures the essence of young love, the struggles of distance, and the joy of second chances. If you’re looking for a touching and engaging story, this audiobook is a must-listen. You’ll find yourself falling in love with it time and time again!

Love in Focus by Lyla Lee (Publication May 27, 2025)

This was a fun and flirty sapphic romance perfect for a wholesome (and spice-y) quick read. I appreciated Gemma‘s story line, an aspiring journalist, dumped and left to figure out herself and her long history of being in one relationship after another. She’s finally faced with her ex, Celeste, a world-famous photograph who may have been the love of her life. This is a messy, complicated, ex-lovers to friends to lovers romance to fall into this summer. I think it’s a perfect beach read for Summer 2025! The vibes were fluffy, but the characters made it feel emotional and relatable.

I enjoyed the pacing of this story and found the writing clear, but repetitive at times. I would love to see the characters developed a further and especially the close friends of Gemma and the chemistry between Celeste and Gemma. We have a lot of spice-y scenes, thoughtful moments integrating the characters’ relationship to Korean culture. I really appreciated this sapphic romance and its depiction of being in your twenties, figuring life out, and finding friends and love throughout all the heartache.

The audiobook was narrated well with the characters Gemma and Celeste feeling grounded and and tangible. I appreciated the talent and quality brought to Love in Focus by Hachette audio who did a wonderful job of producing this audiobook; the experience was seamless and engaging. I would recommend checking out the audiobook if you’re a fan of listening to books rather than the physical/digital copies.

I definitely recommend this queer romance novel for folks looking for a sweet and spicy time and for those seeking more Asian representation in the stories you read! Thank you to NetGalley and Hatchette Audio for a copy of this audiobook, it was a pleasure to listen to.

#NetGalley #LoveInFocus #HatchetteAudio #LGBTQIAP+ #Romance

3.5 stars

Thank you Hachette Audio, Forever and NetGalley for the free advanced copies of this book.

This was a super cute, second chance sapphic romance! This was my first book by Lyla Lee, and I was captivated by the gorgeous cover and the book description.

When Gemma gets paired up to work with Celeste, her college roommate and first girlfriend, who she hasn't seen or spoken to in eight years, she is initially hesitant. Especially since they're supposed to be collaborating on a story all about love. They decide to ignore their past and move forward with the project. But as sparks fly and old feelings return, it has them questioning everything they thought they knew.

I enjoyed so many elements of this book! Gemma and Celeste's dynamic was cute, flirty, and downright steamy at times. You could tell there was still love and care between them, even after all the time apart. I loved Gemma's friends, I need a spin-off book focused solely on them and their adorable cat, Burrito. I loved the interviews with the various couples, that was a fascinating look into how love shows up in many various. The representation throughout the book was great too, and I appreciated the realistic hurdles and dilemmas the characters faced. Overall this is a cute, fun, and easy read perfect for summer.

🎧: I initially thought the audiobook narrator's voices sounded too old for the characters, but they grew on me and I eventually loved their narration. The dual narration worked well to distinguish the two very different characters, and their tones reflected their characters well.

Soooooo cute and fun! We love a good sapphic romcom! Lyla Lee writes characters who are so entrancing. I will definitely be reading more from her ASAP!

Love in Focus was a cute queer, second change romance with college exes get thrown together for a work project 8 years later.

Gemma is a columnist focusing on relationships whose fiancé just broke up with her, and she finds out has quickly moved on. Of course, she is assigned to work on a project about couples in love and the photographer hired for the project is none other than Celeste, her college girlfriend who ghosted her.
I loved the friend group background characters but really wish we got a bit more out of Celeste. Mild spice, very few scenes but well written.
I loved the bi representation and the way that the main characters Asian culture and heritage was woven throughout the story. What I didn't love was the way the ex, James, was largely ignored throughout the story but then made to be a huge sticking point in the last 20%, I'd say be done with him entirely.

I received an audio copy from NetGalley and this book publishes May 27, 2025. The audiobook narrator was well paced and easy to understand. I listened at 2.8x.

Love in Focus is a heartfelt, spicy, sapphic second chance romance that touches on healing and finding yourself while working through the hard times.

I enjoyed the forced work based proximity to not just one but two exes of Gemma’s which forces her to do self-reflection and growth in multiple ways, the found family, the focus on different types of love, and the flirtiness. While I did enjoy the romance I do really love the very human and very relatable aspect of pushing through grief and struggling to find that sense of security in yourself, your personal worth and your boundaries.

I did love the narration on this one and felt like it really suited the characters and story.

Love in Focus was my first book by author Lyla Lee. Thank you to Hachette Audio, Forever & NetGalley for the ALC.

Love in Focus is a second-chance romance between Gemma, a Korean-American bi woman, and her college girlfriend Celeste, a Korean lesbian woman. There is good attention paid to the identities of each woman, as well as a fleshed out cast of side characters. I appreciated that the miscommunication of their first breakup was cleared up rather early on, even if there was still emotional fall-out for both characters to recon with.

I have seen reviews that were thrown off by the POV changing from first person in Gemma's chapters to third person in Celeste's shorter chapters. I have read a couple other books like this, and I think it is an interesting choice that can put the ownership of the story more in the first person character. I also really like both narrators for this project. They have distinct voices from each other and did good voice work when speaking for other characters. The story flowed with no noticeable awkwardness or fumbles in pronunciation or sentence structure.

I enjoyed this book, but overall, it didn't leave a super-lasting impression for me.

Overall, this was a good book, though possibly a little underwhelming. It features the quiet, almost-shy but not quite girl, making herself smaller to fit into a man's world. Which is a very common struggle for closeted queer women and/or bisexual women. Well, let's face it, women in general. So I like that representation and the fact that the character recognised that and worked on herself to move past those issues. It was very mundane at times, the day-to-day drudgery was a lot to endure. I felt like I could have been reading about one of my friends... Which was nice but I always wanted a little more excitement or tension.

The cultural aspects really drew me in. Representing queer women of color was a major wow factor for me because it just doesn't happen much. It was great to see that.

What I hated, though, was the use of the word "Sapphic" in the dialogue between the two leads. It was prolific. even so far as referring to people as "Sapphics". Which fine... it's not inaccurate, but as a queer woman with many queer friend this just isn't a descriptive term that comes up in casual conversations. I might refer to a book, or movie as Sapphic if I were recommending it. But I certainly wouldn't say I was going on a double date with my wife and our sapphic friends. Maybe the authors circle of queer friends does this? But it just felt like he was prodded in there at any opportunity.

It's a great afternoon read if you are looking for something the pass a day or two without the sure to throw your book in a fit of emotion or don't want something that will make you cry. It was emotionally neutral and predictable in a comforting way.

Overall: 3.75 stars.

Firstly, I really appreciated Natalie Naudu’s narration. She captured so much of Gemma’s emotions, and I was hooked right from the start. That said, I ended up feeling a bit confused about the overall direction of the book.

I’ve never read a book that shifts POV styles like this (except outside of fantasy maybe) and even then, the switch usually happens more consistently. Here, the change from Gemma’s first-person POV to Celeste’s third-person POV was jarring every time. I couldn’t quite figure out why, but I never adjusted fast enough before it shifted again. It was like suddenly going over a tiny bump during a smooth ride every time.

The biggest issue for me was that Celeste’s POV didn’t always feel necessary. Actually, I can almost ignore her POV chapters. Since the story was so focused on Gemma and her life events, Celeste’s chapters felt more like a filler. It made me feel conflicted—either make her a fully developed character, or don’t include her POV at all. They were gonna rehash everything to one another, anyway!

On top of that, I’m not sure if it was the source material or the delivery, but Catherine’s narration for Celeste came off very robotic. I thought maybe it was just the contrast between the POV styles, but the narration itself lacked tonal inflection, which made Celeste feel flat and surface-level. Some pauses were also oddly timed, like the sentence had ended, but then it would continue, which gave it a bit of a “corporate narrator reading a romance book” vibe.

Still, there were things I really enjoyed. The little love stories from the interviews Gemma and Celeste conducted were sweet, and I loved the parts with Gemma’s friends and her reflections on her heritage as a bi Korean woman from a traditional Christian family.

The romance itself was light and heartfelt in places. Even though they only properly reconnect romantically about halfway through the book, most of the deeper emotional development happens near the end. It makes sense for the story, and I appreciated the honest conversations once they finally addressed their past. That said, their nostalgic walk down memory lane sometimes felt like it overshadowed the present, which made the current timeline feel a bit lackluster.

It’s an easy read overall with low angst—definitely works as a palate cleanser. Grateful to have had the chance to review the ALC. Huge thanks to Hachette Audio for the copy via NetGalley!

4.5 rounded up
*Thank you to NetGalley and Hachett Audio for early copy for review *

This was so good! Love a good second chance romance were both parties haven't fully gotten over each other. I also loved them working together and the project they worked on. There was so much queer love in this novel and I loved the bi rep! I have read a ya novel by this author and I'm so glad to continue reading her adult work!
Commen

Love in Focus is the perfect beach read for this summer. It’s is everything I wanted for a summery escape sweet, swoony, and with just the right amount of depth. The story follows Gemma, an advice columnist, and Celeste, a photographer, who just so happen to be exes from college and now have to work together.

I adored Lyla Lee’s YA debut I’ll Be the One back in 2020, so I was seriously excited for this one and it totally delivered. It’s got that fun, flirty rom-com vibe but also doesn’t shy away from the heavier stuff, like what it’s like to navigate the world as someone who’s queer and Asian. It struck a great balance, and I flew through it.

Gemma’s friend group was such a highlight for me. I loved how the book emphasizes the importance of friendship, not just romance. it gave the story extra heart. And the pacing? Chef’s kiss. I couldn’t put it down.

I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed it overall. Natalie Naudus nailed Gemma’s voice and brought her to life so well. That said, I had a harder time with Celeste’s chapters. They’re written in third person (while Gemma’s are in first), and that switch kept throwing me off. Celeste also had fewer chapters, which made it tough to fully connect with her. Plus, the narration style for Celeste didn’t quite click for me, the cadence felt a bit off.

Still, if you're looking for a bingeable second-chance romance with some thoughtful layers and lots of charm, Love in Focus totally hits the mark.

Oof it's DNF time. I really wanted this one to work, but it just didn't. I think my biggest issue is that no work was done to give me a reason to care about our main characters. Everything has been really surface level and honestly I find myself wanting to know more about the friends which is sad. I also had an issue with the biphobic commentary made by Celeste in the beginning with no correction to those thoughts in the 30%+ of the book that has happened since. I'm 45% into the book and there's been only one serious conversation between the FMCs which is not only incredibly frustrating as reader, but it also means there's been so space to redeem Celeste's biphobic commentary. The initial instance happened in her head, but if that's actually how she feels, you figure it might come up in conversation. At 45% I should feel marked progress in their second chance romance. Even if they aren't together, I should feel like we're learning about the growth they've had since they were apart or a change in behavior that caused their separation in the first place and it's just not there. These two are meant to be almost 30 and I feel like I'm reading about college freshmen with the way they're acting.

3.5 stars

This is a cute, lighthearted sapphic romance set in San Francisco.

What I liked:
-Gemma and Celeste’s jobs (journalist and photographer, respectively) and how they brought them together. I also really liked the concept of the project they worked on together.
-Gemma has great, supportive friends
-The representation of the cultural difficulties of being queer and Asian, and how a lack of support and recognition from family can affect a person.
-The spice!

While I enjoyed this story for the most part, I had trouble connecting to the characters and getting fully invested in the romance. I thought there was way too much focus on the past; it felt like they spent half the book rehashing ‘what happened eight years ago’ (a phrase that came up countless times) instead of focusing on the present. I didn’t really feel like we got to know who they were NOW and didn’t feel like they got to know each other now either. A LOT can change in eight years, especially in your 20s. I also thought Celeste’s POV was unnecessary; it didn’t add anything to the story and was often more of a rehashing of things Gemma had already said. I also didn’t love that Gemma’s chapters were told in the first person present tense while Celeste’s chapters were told in third person. It was kind of jarring.

Notes on the audiobook narration: I enjoyed Gemma’s narration and how animated she was and how well she did the voices of the side characters. I enjoyed Celeste’s POV less; it could be that, again, I thought her POV was pointless, but the narration seemed flat, especially compared to Gemma’s livelier voice.

3.5 stars rounded up

Love in Focus is a really sweet second chance sapphic romance for Gemma and Celeste who dated for a year in college. Celeste breaks things off with Gemma and then ghosts her without any explanation.

After almost 10 years of no contact and Gemma coming out of her broken engagement, Gemma and Celeste reconnect on a work project. It’s clear that neither are 100% over each other and this book explores that connection.

While this was good and I enjoyed it, I wish Lyla Lee would have dug in a little more because at times, this book comes across as too superficial. I also didn’t love the choice for Gemma to be written in first person and Celeste on third person. I listened to the audiobook and while both narrators did a great job, I really enjoyed Natalie Naudus who narrated Gemma.

One last comment I had to make is that both MCs are in their late twenties and the multiple comments towards aging feel a little premature. I wouldn’t have batted an eyelash if they were late 30s but come on! My baby sister is 29 and I would never think to mention how aged someone looks cos she’s a baby. It’s even mentioned about the ex boyfriend like she hasn’t seen him in ages.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio | Forever for the opportunity to listen and provide a review.

“You don’t have to be this flawless Goddess to date me. I’ve always just wanted YOU!”

LoveInFocus by LylaLee is a 3.8 ⭐️ read.

The Audiobook is Out On the 27th MAY 2025

When her boyfriend of seven years suddenly breaks up with her, relationship advice columnist Gemma Cho is convinced that real love doesn’t exist. As a bisexual woman who’s had zero luck with both men and women, she’s ready to give up on her own romantic prospects.

Celeste is extremely talented and sexy, and would be the perfect collaborator and rebound for Gemma if it weren’t for one major fact: she’s Gemma’s ex!!!!

—:—:—:—:—

Oh boy where to I even begin? Just finished this story any my eyes are full of tears and I have a little bit of a FOMO sensation settling in my stomach.

The story covered a myriad of differential equations from love, loss, marriage, to engagements and friendships. All of which came together in lessons we all have learnt or need too.

Enjoyed listening to this book a lot with such a high quality production put together by the team at HachetteAudio, and let’s take a moment to appreciate What an amazing casting has been chosen with Natalie Naudus and Catherine Ho bringing this world to life in such a perfect way. I couldn’t imagine anyone else as Gemma and Celeste!

Favourite Quote: “You can take as much time as you want with the pizza…. And I promise you. I’ll take as much time as I want with you later in bed!”

“Sometimes the hardest person to be honest with is yourself.”


Spicy Level - 🌶️🌶️

Note: Please read and review all trigger warnings before reading any recommended book. We love to read for our pleasure, so keep your mind, and emotions safe!

Audio Book Available
Publisher: HachetteAudio
Imprint: Forever
Narrator: NatalieNaudus & CatherineHo
Publication date: 27th MAY 2025

LGBTQIAP+, Multicultural Interest, Romance

So grateful to have received this as my first audio arc!
This book was so lovely. It follows Gemma, navigating a break up with her fiancé James. She goes to a bar with her friends and meets her high school ex Celeste in the toilet breaking up with her girlfriend as she doesn’t do relationships.
Gemma heads to work the next day and realises the new project she is working on is with the same ex she met at the bar the night before after being ghosted by her for years without a reason. Celeste is happy to work alongside an apprehensive Gemma but Gemma soon asks Celeste what happened and why she ghosted her back when they were together. Celeste admits her mother was sick and she was worried and blocked everyone out. She then wanted to reach out to Gemma but saw she was with James not long after and thought she’d moved on. Throughout the book, the pair work on a new project called Love in Focus, interviewing couples on what they believe love to be. They start a friends with benefits thing once they realise their physical chemistry is still there but this is shortly quashed when Gemma remembers Celeste doesn’t do relationships and Gemma starts to catch feelings. Further on in the story, they hook up again but Celeste has an epiphany and realises she doesn’t trust Gemma’s admission of liking her when she wasn’t long single after they broke up. So Gemma moves on and finds another job closer to home so that she can be single for a while. 8 months or so later Celeste sees a job for a photographer alongside Gemma and applies. This is when they both say how silly they’ve been and realise they want to be together and try things out. They move in together after a month of dating, giving themselves space and time.

Love a happily ever after!! such a cute love story and i loved the comedy with Gemma’s roommates Chiara and Val, and then their wedding later on in the epilogue.

Phew, that was extremely emotional and really touched me.
I come from similarly difficult family circumstances and could relate to a lot of it.
It was also cheeky and funny with lots of very loving characters.
The two MCs could have been shaken up at times, but then they were wonderful again.
The narration was excellent from Gemma's voice.
The second voice wasn't necessary in my opinion and wasn't my favorite.
Gemma's emotions came through really well.
That was a bit lacking in Celeste.
The pacing was generally good, but here too the second voice was a bit too choppy.
Otherwise this audiobook is really great and the story is highly recommended. Thanks so much for this ARC!
I‘ll gladly listen to everything from this Author and narration again.