This was so cute!! Love in Focus is a sapphic second chance romance where college exes end up working together in their late 20's and rekindle something. It's got great bisexual rep and has Korean characters, talking about a lack of queer Asian elders because of sexuality often being kept quiet. It's also fairly spicy! I really loved this authors first YA book, so I was excited to see her writing an adult romance. It did not disappoint!

Gemma is a relationship columnist whose fiancee just broke up with her. In the wake of the breakup, she's assigned to work on an article about couples in love and the photographer turns out to be the college girlfriend who moved away and ghosted her. But Celeste remembers things differently, and after heartbreak, she only ever does casual...

This was great. I will say, Gemma is definitely the most fleshed out character of the two. We get a few chapters from Celeste's POV as well, but it felt a bit unbalanced and I kind of wish we had more. That said, I do think we still get a good sense of who the characters are and I enjoyed seeing their relationship come together! I really liked the narrator for Gemma's perspective, though the other one didn't quite have the vibe I was expecting from Celeste as the cool gay girl with tattoos. I received the audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own,

Loved the narration. The narrators were fantastic in emulating the fmc’s. Lovely romance with likeable fmc’s. I enjoyed the Korean culture references added since one fmc is from s Korea. The chem between the two is natural and exciting. Second romance chance trope. Very fast breezy read.

I really liked the idea of this book but I didn’t love the way everything played out and the main characters were a little confusing. I thought I was gonna love this one and although I did enjoy a lot of it I don’t think it was great. 🫠 and I didn’t like the ending I feel like these characters wasted so much time apart and they could have just had a conversation and moved forward. 📸

This is a second chance/miscommunication style book I can get behind. This is because the miscommunication occurred when the FMC’s were young adults and when they see each other 8 years later, it’s quickly communicated and they apologise (like grown adults). I loved every second of this book, everything was so mature, but spicy and also relatable. I also adored the queer representation with the FMCs and various side characters that we meet throughout.

If you want a loveable romance book, definitely check this one out.

Second chance romance at its best!!! I really loved Gemma and Celeste’s story because it felt real but also with the perfect tropes for a romance novel. The bi sexual rep is really well done also. I personally loved that sort of second journey for Gemma and her sexuality.

I love Gemma’s friends, Val and Kiera, sooo so much. Their relationship is so damn perfect. Their dynamic between each other, as friends, as lovers, and as people. I just LOVEEDDD!!!! Val opening up about how relationships can look perfect but require actual work had me crying. Also I found myself crying a lot at their scenes together but happy tears!!!

I think this audio book is done really well!!! Both readers are very clear and I would listen to another book read by them 100%. I could speed this up to 2x and understand everything perfectly.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this free arc!!!!

The cover of this one totally drew me in (it’s gorgeous) and the story made me stay. I loved Gemma and Celeste so much! I listened to the audiobook and it was phenomenal! The narrators were amazing and their voices suited the characters so much. This book had my emotions all over the place in the best way. There’s something about second chance romances that get me all choked up. Add on supportive friendships on top and I’m sold. I highly recommend this one!

📖 Bookish Thoughts:
This was a solid sapphic second-chance romance with lots of emotional tension. I had a harder time connecting with Celeste, though. She felt very wishy-washy, and I found myself mad on Gemma’s behalf more than once—between her awful ex-fiancé and the way Celeste treated her (especially disappearing when Gemma needed her most).
While I understood that Gemma had family trauma she needed to work through, it didn’t excuse the way she left things with Celeste.
That said, I really loved the ending. Seeing Gemma put herself first? Chef’s kiss. And I appreciated the diverse representation and the messy, complicated emotions woven into the story. 💕
Even with my struggles connecting to Celeste, I still enjoyed this second-chance sapphic romance overall. The emotional messiness felt real, and I appreciated how both characters had to work through their baggage (even if it made me want to shake them sometimes 😭). The diverse rep was awesome to see, and I was rooting for Gemma’s growth the whole way through.

📖 Read if you love:
🌈 Sapphic second-chance romances
💔 Messy, complicated emotions
🎞️ Forced proximity
🏳️‍🌈 Stories centering bisexual rep

📖 Final Score: 3.75⭐
🎧 Audio Score: 4⭐
🎙️ Narration Style: Dual narration

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed Celeste and Gem's story. I wasn't a huge fan of all of the back and forth but I do understand why it went the way it did. I was rooting for them the whole way through and it was devastating to the reader each time the relationship didn't work out for whatever reason. I did appreciate that each character took the time they needed to go to therapy and work on themselves separately to be better versions of themselves for the other. I also liked that Gem got closure with her ex as well instead of it just being left unfinished.
I truly do appreciate this sapphic read because I don't feel like there is enough representation out there.

2.5 stars
I loved the idea behind the plot, just not the direction it was taken. The cover is so cute and what drew me in. I appreciate the open communication and talking about the past early on in the story between characters. But I think this might have been better if Celeste was the main character and we had mostly her pov.

I understand that if you're in a relationship with someone for 7 years you'll have a lot of memories with them, and that person was obviously a big part of your life, and serious enough to be engaged, but the second chance romance isn't with that ex, so why are we hearing about him so much and in the manner of how we're hearing about him.

Most of the book is in first-person narrative for Gemma's chapters, so the third-person narrative chapters for Celeste's POV took me out of the story a bit, it just didn't transition well and it disconnected me from Celeste. I just don't understand the reasoning for it.

In the audiobook Gemma's narration was done well, but Celeste's chapters are narrated without much emotion, but I think that may be mostly due to the writing and not necessarily the narrators fault.

Just a wonderfully executed romance novel! So far I haven't had any contemporary romance really hit it out of the park for me this year and this was exactly what I needed. If you love the self actualization element and sweet friendships of One Last Stop I think you'll have a lot of fun with this. I think that second chance romances can be hard for people because you have to justify the couple reuniting. The logic of the breakup is sound in this story and their reunion also feels warranted.

My only gripe with this book is the ratio of Celeste to Gemma chapters. The Celeste chapters were so few in number that I think this could have just been single POV and it would have worked just as well. I definitely enjoyed her chapters, but if I have to nitpick anything it would be that.

Per usual Natalie Naudus does impeccable sapphic audiobook work! Having listened to many audiobooks, there are a shocking number of narrators who don't differentiate between main characters by altering the pitch of their voice. Natalie gives each character a distinct voice and makes following the story a breeze. She's one of my all time favorite narrators and it's always a joy when I see another release with her attached to it. Now time for me to preorder a copy of this book so I can get all the fun art prints the author has!

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free audio-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story sounded really fun in premise, but it ended up feeling a little flat for me. Gemma is pitched as a relationship columnist who doesn't believe in love anymore, when that really isn't the vibe I got from her at all. She's a serial monogamist (and I mean that not in a bad way just a fact) who has had bad endings to her last 2 relationships. Celeste is the one who is jaded on love and relationships and proceeds to take it out on her and Gemma's unresolved feelings over the course of the story.

I really did not enjoy Celeste as a character and I think that's where a lot of it stems from. All the way through the end of the book she holds onto the argument of "you left me for a man" when she is the one who broke up with Gemma over text message with no explanation and moved out of their apartment?? It just felt like she was very judgemental of Gemma's actions following their break-up and during their current hooking-up where she didn't want to

I did really enjoy getting to read about two Korean characters though and seeing how cultural beliefs affected Gemma and Celeste's self exploration. Thank you Hachette Audio for an ALC of Love in Focus and Lyla for winning a physical ARC in an instagram giveaway.

Seeing sapphic asian love written by a queer asian woman makes me indescribably happy. I flew through the audiobook (which was brilliantly read!) and do not regret staying up until 2AM to do so.

This book is good, not great. The characters felt a little off and lacked depth, in my opinion- though I very much enjoyed their chemistry together (it felt like a realistic sapphic love situation with the immediate intensity of their feelings.

The spice was SPICY. The str** scene had me sweating.

Loved the side characters so much and the work assignment Gemma and Celeste were paired together for was lovely and added a lot to their tension.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio (Forever) for the ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I love a second chance romance! Love in Focus is a cute, bingeable romance that was perfect for my long drive home from the beach.
While mostly through Gemma's 1st person POV, we get a few chapters from Celeste's 3rd person POV and those felt really choppy and lacked personality compared to Gemma's. In the audiobook, the Gemma narrator is amazing but unfortunately, Celeste's narrator just emphasised the choppyness and robot-like tone and it did not flow very well between the two.
The storyline was sweet, if a little repetitive at times with the reminder that Celeste and Gemma dated shortly 8 years ago, where Gemma lived... The timeline felt hard to keep up with, the big work project needing to be done for the Valentines Day issue, but so much happened between New Years and the deadline that it felt like many weeks when maybe it was just one? Maybe that translates better in the physical book rather than audio. The last 10% was the redemption that this book needed. Closure from dumb ex-fiances, work growth, personal growth, and of course, a Happily Ever After!
Thank you, Hachette Audio and Forever Publishing, for this audiobook arc in exchange for a review!

this book was so insanely cute!! it was easily bingeable while on my long drives this weekend and i found it so easy to be captivated by gemma & celeste. i found them to be very relatable and sweet.

i had no clue this was a second chance romance and was very pleasantly surprised to find that out as i loveeee second chances, however i was a bit nervous when we found out that celeste completely ghosted gemma for 8 years, i figured surely thats not going to sit well with me but in all honesty it didnt make much of a difference as there was no general angst surrounding this factor. i would have loved to see a bit more dramatics surrounding the situation as it was a really shitty thing to do and gemma forgave it way too easily.

another factor i wish we would have had more angst with was james, he was an awful person and would have created a nice amount of conflict in this story but i feel like he was only relevant to the story when the author remembered he existed. there were so many things that would have added to the layers of the story but it seemed like they were just there to be there and felt almost like the author was too scared to bring them to the forefront?

i also like others didnt love the switching between 1st and 3rd person. i didnt love celeste’s POVs and im 99% sure this is the reason for it. celeste’s POVs felt choppy and weird flowing compared to gemma’s.

THOSE THINGS BEING SAID overall i really enjoyed listening to this audio!!! i loved every second of it actually because i really liked them separately and together, i liked their friends, i liked the silly situations the girls kept getting themselves into and i really enjoyed watching them realize that they were still meant for one another even after all that time!! BUT the things i mentioned earlier are what keeps it from being a 5 star read for me as they would have added more dimension to the book.

This second chance romance was so sweet! I loved the diverse representation of love between people of all races, ages, and sexual orientations. It was so easy to root for Gemma and Celeste! Cozy and cute!

A second chance sapphic romance with bi rep that happens about eight years after their first go-round, when the MCs are in their late twenties. This is author Lyla Lee's debut adult romance and she absolutely hit the open door aspects out of the park. Gemma and Celeste have chemistry for days!

This was an easy listen. With most of the book being from Gemma's POV we heard a lot more by narrator Natalie Naudus and she was excellent! Celeste's narrator, Catherine Ho's style was very distinct from Naudus' and I appreciated that it was very clear which POV we were hearing. 

I loved how they reconnected via a job that involved interviewing couples in love. It was very rom-com-esque, and gave readers some good rep. What I didn't love was how they split the first time and Celeste's emotions around that. I won't spoil anything, but dang, Celeste had no right to any expectations from Gemma following that split. And I was left feeling that Celeste never really took responsibility for her actions, even if her feelings around Gemma needing some time on her own were completely valid.

Overall this was a great audiobook, and was such an easy listen I would recommend it to fans of contemporary, especially if you're looking for queer Asian rep! I look forward to more adult romance by author Lyla Lee!

This book is so funny and sexy. It’s the perfect romcom. I tought I was watching a movie from the 90s. Love it so much!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I did not want to like this book nearly as much as I did, its rumoured (let’s face it, confirmed) to be the June Afterlight book and I am *trying* to be conscious of my spendings. But this book is now a must and a favourite.
 
The story follows Gemma and Celeste as they navigate working together eight years after they broke up. The relationships were all very complex and the character growth was believable yet sweet.
 
I hate it when complex relationship development is crammed into a few short weeks and their individual issues are magically fixed just by being together. Lyla Lee took her time and spent it well weaving together a book that, in 300 pages, makes you grow attached to the characters and invests you in their stories.
 
It was easy to read and left me feeling warm and happy. For her first adult romance, I thought this book was perfect. As for the narration, Natalie and Catherine were the perfect choice and engaged me right from the beginning.
 
🩷College Exes
🩵Workplace Romance
🩷Photographer X Journalist
🩵LGBTQ+
 
Thank you to Hachette Audio for the opportunity to rea this book early. I received a ALC from NetGalley in return for my open and honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for providing free audiobook ARC of Love in Focus in advance.

Love in Focus is a second chance romance with forced proximity. Both main characters are Korean (or Korean-American) and it shows on the page in a postive way. The novel is well written and I enjoyed the audiobook experience. Natalie Naudus does not ever fail. It was relatively light read/listen with some minor angst. The pace is medium with unexpected last 10-15% which was a nice surprise, something out of the box. There's quite a lot of spice in the book as the characters start friends with benefits casual relationship. There's also some great tension and a bit of pining, too.

80-85% of the book is written from Gemma's point of view (1st person). The rest is from Celeste's POV and for some reason in 3rd person. Especially as an audiobook the balance between two narrators felt off. I generally like dual POV romances but in this case Celeste's POV felt unnecessary because there was so little of it. I was left wondering why the change of person for her chapters?

I've would have liked to see Gemma's family's reaction to the news of her being bisexual and in relationship with Celeste. The conservative Catholic Korean family was a topic that was mentioned several times throughout the book. What happened in the end?

All in all the romance was a bit generic. I still rate the book with 4 stars because it was a really nice read and well written. It would be a really good recommendation for a romance reader as their first sapphic romance. It's not intimidating or too graphic but it is really good romance with great tropes with well written sapphic spice. The characters are multidimensional and there's a great cast of diverse supporting characters. I've read hundreds of sapphic romances. Love in Focus is, in my opinion, on par with books like Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler, and Ashely Herring Blake and Melissa Brayden books.

Love In Focus was a a lighthearted romance that was a quick and easy read. Gemma and Celeste were roommates turned girlfriends. When their work forces them to rekindle a relationship, they explore what they ended many years prior. This book had a fast moving pace. The plot was quite predictable, but the characters were likable. The side characters were a wonderful addition to Gemma and Celeste’s relationship. I did feel that the dynamic between Gemma and Celeste could have been developed more. The ending also felt a little rushed. I would have loved to see a more developed resolution of Gemma and Celeste’s relationship and the future they would get to share. Despite a plot with a lack of development in some places, the book was enjoyable and had an adorable happily ever after. As far as the audiobook goes, the narrator was easily understood and enhanced the portrayal of this book.