Gemma Cho is a serial monogomist. In college, she discovered she was bisexual when she fell (hard) for her college roommate. They were in love- then Celeste left her, returning abruptly to Korea. Gemma quickly fell into a relationship with a man. Now, seven years later- he dumps her. Shortly after, Celeste comes back into her life, making her look at her relationships.

The book is not without faults, but I did really enjoy it. Gemma's story is the main focus, so while a dual POV, you never get to know Celeste as well. It made the book feel a bit lopsided. That aside, I did enjoy it- just wished for more.

Natalie Naudus and Catherine Ho narrate the audiobook. I love Natalie Naudus's narrations- she is one of my favorites. Catherine Ho is not a narrator I am familiar with. I kind of felt that she sounded too old for Celeste. She also read at a much slower pace, which is one of my pet peeves with multiple narrators.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

The audiobook was good.

I mean these two. This second chance romance had it's cute moments. I liked a lot of little tiny details about this and the cover.

Je ne suis pas du tout familière avec les romances FF, c'est seulement la 2ème que je lis, mais là, je n'ai pas pu résister à l'appel de cette couv que je trouve vraiment superbe.
Et grâce à Netgalley, j'ai eu la chance d'avoir une copie de l'audiobook en avant première, et vous savez quoi ? Je me suis régalée !

Je ne suis généralement pas friande d'histoire de seconde chance, mais curieusement j'en ai lu plusieurs ces dernières semaines et j'ai beaucoup aimé celle-ci.
On est plutôt dans le registre de la romcom, les obstacles à franchir pour une fin heureuse sont plutôt légers et tout à fait compréhensibles.

Gemma & Celeste sont attachantes, la romance est mignonne (mais aussi très sexy, j'avoue que je ne m'attendais pas forcément à ça au vu de la couv 😅), et pleine de charme.
J'ai aimé aussi suivre en fil rouge les différentes interviews menées par Gemma dans le cadre du projet qui la rapproche de Celeste. On a en prime quelques petits éléments de culture coréenne, puisque les deux jeunes femmes sont originaires de là-bas. Globalement, c'est un roman qui offre une belle représentation queer, le tout à San Francisco, autant dire que la boucle est bouclée !

Enfin, puisque c'est un audio, je dois dire que j'ai beaucoup apprécié la prestation de la narratrice qui offre le pov de Gemma ; en revanche, j'ai été décontenancée par celle pour le pov de Céleste. Déjà on passe à la 3ème personne (je trouve ce genre de switch toujours chelou), et la voix de la narratrice est calme, froide, limite robotique et à mes yeux ne colle absolument pas avec le charisme dégagé par Céleste. C'est mon seul petit bémol, sinon j'ai passé un très bon moment avec ce livre, et je regrette presque d'avoir zappé l'Afterlight du mois de juin, du coup ... ^^'

I'm a fan of Lyla Lee's middle grade and YA novels, and was thrilled to receive an advanced listening copy of Love in Focus, her adult romance debut... unfortunately I may have stepped into this one with too high expectations.

✨The Good✨
- I loved the representation! and the conversation around being/feeling accepted
- the good parts of Gemma and Celeste's relationship were wonderful (and the spicey scenes oof~), and I loved the project they were working on!
- I loved the side character besties~
- Korean food descriptions lol

😬The Not-So-Good😬
- despite being in their late thirties, I found both Celeste and Gemma to be immature
- miscommunication/lack of communication (my least favourite trope)
- I didn't love the audiobook narrator for Celeste, which combined with the infrequent chapters from her POV (which were in 3rd POV, while Gemma's were in 1st) added to my 'meh'-ness. also I felt that Celeste's chapters were more of an info dump catch up, rather than personal perspective/progression?

tl;dr: not my fav sapphic adult romance ever but it was overall a good time, I'm glad I read it and I'm grateful for the arc opportunity~

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for providing me access to an audio arc copy in exchange for an honest review. All feelings and statements are my own.

Overall Rating: 3.5 ⭐rounded up to 4
Spice Rating: 2 🌶️

Thank you to Hachette Audio and Forever Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an ALC of this book!

I have mixed feelings about Love In Focus, and I struggled with what to rate it. First, let's get into the positives. I appreciated how this was a coming-of-age story as much as it was a rom-com and how it depicted the main characters overcoming their struggles in a way that felt relatable and authentic. When Gemma and Celeste meet again unexpectedly after many years apart, their second chance romance provides an opportunity to reflect not just on their past relationship but their past selves. The reunion becomes a beautiful catalyst for growth, not just a chance for them to realize they belong together.

Their happy ending is truly earned and feels so realistic! I walked away from the book with the feeling that they were soulmates because of everything they worked through to find their way back to each other. I also loved that they took the time to reconnect as friends before reigniting their relationship. Without spoiling too much, this is a book anyone looking for a romance with a nontraditional HEA will likely enjoy.

Another highlight of Love In Focus was the interview segments that Gemma and Celeste collaborate on for the magazine. I loved seeing couples at different stages give their perspectives on relationships. Even though they were fictional couples, their thoughts were fascinating and had a ring of truth to them. This part of the book was made all the more poignant by the inclusion of Asian queer elders, a group that is rarely represented.

Speaking of Asian and queer representation, I appreciated how Love In Focus delved into the struggles faced by Korean immigrants and Korean members of the LGBTQ+ community. I learned something from this book, which is always a nice bonus when it comes to fiction. I also adored its depictions of queer found family and its descriptions of San Francisco. I've never been there but listening to this book felt like the next best thing!

Now, on to what I didn't like. Near the beginning of the book, there's a comment from Celeste's POV about it being a lesbian's worst nightmare for a woman you dated to move on with a man. This feels casually biphobic and out of place with the rest of the story, especially since it is never challenged or brought up again. I'm not sure what to think of this comment given that the author is bisexual. But it's something that I feel should have been edited out, especially since it could have been removed without affecting anything else in the book.

Speaking of Celeste, I felt that making her POV 3rd person while Gemma's was first person was an odd choice. It made Celeste feel somewhat distant as a character, as did the fact that her POVs were so much shorter than Gemma's. For me, the book would have worked better just being from Gemma's POV or with both their POVs but with Celeste's more fleshed out. Their romance also had too much miscommunication in it for my taste, but I know that's more of a personal preference than a flaw with the story itself.

While the production quality of the audiobook and Natalie Naudus' narration were both top-tier, I wasn't as impressed with the narration of Celeste. I don't feel that the narrator brought as much emotion to her performance as Natalie did to hers. I think this is another reason Celeste felt more distant to me as a character than Gemma did.

Still, this was a quick, fun listen and I'm open to checking out more books from the author!

Thanks a bunch, Lyla Lee and NetGalley, for letting me listen to an audiobook arc of this book! This Second-Chance romance follows two old college sweethearts. One is bitter and has given up on love, while the other runs straight into the arms of the next person. They end up working together on a Valentine’s Day project, and all the feelings they haven’t dealt with in the last 10 years come to the surface. There are tough conversations and little glimpses of jwo they used to be together which causes a lot of confusion for the two of them.
There’s a lot of Korean cultural aspects throughout this book, so I loved getting to see a glimpse into people’s lives and understand the differences in family dynamics and societal standards that I am less familiar with.
The book does switch between first person and third person POV throughout the book. I thought I kept forgetting what POV it was and then realized, nope. It actually just changed quite a bit. I still absolutely enjoyed the book and would recommend!

Gemma + Celeste

-sapphic romance
-second chance
-rommates to lovers to exes to work partners to…
-forced proximity

i loved this story & the set up of these characters honestly...butttt switching from first person pov to third person pov between the two mcs was...distracting for me. soooo i really really loved gemma's pov & the narrators tho! haha

Thanks you to the author and publisher for this ALC - the narrators in this book were amazing!!!

This book being released during pride month was *chefs kiss*

This is a sapphic romance written by a BIPOC author and it is sooooo good!!!

What you can expect:
- sapphic
- second chance
- Korean characters
- great side characters and a cute cat
- mental health rep

I loved these characters and their development soooooo much - the author really draws you in and makes you fall in love with them. I cannot wait to read more books by this author.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

I’m not normally a second chance romance girlie but this one 💔❤️ I am HERE for the sapphic boss babes and BIPOC representation!!

College girlfriends Gemma and Celeste are forced back into each other’s lives by work after 8 YEARS apart. Thankfully we don’t have to wait till the end of the book to figure out why. I love that their story isn’t about unnecessary mystery, but about figuring out what you want and if/how another person might fit into your life.

The book gives us both POV’s and they switch from first to third person depending on the narrator which helped keep their chapters distinct.

Audiobook quality review:
The narrator provided consistent tones for each character that added to the story. A pleasant listen.

Love in Focus follows Gemma, a relationship advice columnist, and Celeste, a successful photographer. They were former college sweethearts, who are unexpectedly brought back into each others lives for a collaborative project on modern love. I love second-chance romances, especially when there is a bit of forced proximity involved, so I was excited to see how their story would unfold.

I did care about the characters, but the story sometimes lacked the depth I craved. Some emotional moments felt slightly muted, and I missed some tension in certain parts. Also, the ending wrapped up fairly quickly, which made it harder to feel the full impact of their journey.

Overall, Love in Focus is a heartfelt and quiet romance with strong representation and a meaningful setup. It didn’t completely capture me, but I think readers looking for a soft, thoughtful love story will still find a lot to appreciate here.

Thank you Netgalley, Hachette Audio and Lyla Lee for the Arc

3.75 🌟

I want to start by thanking NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC of Love in Focus by Lyla Lee!!

This was such a sweet, sapphic love story!! I absolutely loved the main characters Celeste and Gemma. They were college roommates turned lovers. After Celeste ghosted Gemma and moved back to Seoul, Gemma, a few months later, started dating James. After a broken engagement and an unexpected crossing of paths Gemma and Celeste reconnect.

The audiobook was well done having two different people voicing each Celeste and Gemma and they were both well done. Both were done very well and easy to listen to.

This took me forever to finish because I wasn't super interested in it and I didn't want to pick it up because of that, however I don't think it was bad it just wasn't personally my cup of tea,

3.5 stars.

This was a second-chance romance with two women who went to college together. They dated in college, broke up, and spent over 7 years not speaking. The forced proximity trope is also used, as the exes are forced together due to a random work project. I liked this! The cast of characters are very diverse. Lesbian femme & masc rep, bisexual rep, Korean American rep. It was maybe a little cringe at times; I felt like the dialogue wasn't how real people actually talk. The side characters felt like caricatures. But besides that, the romance was cute between the two FMCs, and their feelings for one another felt real & deep. I enjoyed the character development, as well.

Despite reading this on audio, I wouldn't recommend that route unless they clean it up a bit. The one narrator was way too monotone, and the other, I could hear breathing (that is one of my pet peeves). I really did not like these narrators. The voice for Gemma was good, but I couldn't get over the breathing. And the voice for Celeste was just not good. Would recommend as a physical read, though! Happy Pride!!!

Can’t even explain how much I enjoyed this book! Such a cute second chance story. I liked the dual narration and I think both narrators did a great job. The spice was spicy! I feel like everything wrapped up in a satisfying way too.

I absolutely LOVED this audiobook! The narrators had such distinct voices and tone for Gemma and Celeste, and I loved how each woman felt so personalized in their writing and narration. Beyond that, each side character that was featured was read with attention to detail and their own voice. Both narrators took great care in making sure that all characters voiced felt fresh and different to one another.

I loved this story and I'm so glad I got to experience it through audio because I feel like it amplified every tender and heartfelt moment between the women. Lyla Lee wrote such a healing story that centered queer Asian love and while still acknowledging the traumas that may come with it. I truly enjoyed this story and cannot thank Lyla enough for writing a warm and joyful love story like this.

Book Review: Love in Focus by Lyla Lee
Rating: ★★★★★ (5 stars)

I loved this book! Love in Focus is a heartfelt, emotional, and beautifully written second-chance romance that had me hooked from the very first page. Gemma and Celeste’s chemistry is undeniable, and their history adds so much depth to every interaction. Watching them navigate their past heartbreak while working on a project about modern love was both moving and satisfying.

This was such a quick read for me—I couldn’t put it down! I felt everything while reading: joy, frustration, heartbreak, hope. Lyla Lee does an amazing job capturing the messiness of love, especially when it’s tangled up in old wounds and new beginnings.

If you’re looking for a Pride Month read that’s emotional, romantic, and full of heart, definitely pick this one up. It’s a beautiful reminder that love—especially queer love—can be complicated, healing, and worth fighting for.

After a painful breakup ends her seven-year relationship, romance columnist Gemma is ready to give up on love entirely. Her dating history has been nothing but disappointment. So when she's assigned a project about modern love, the last thing she expects is to be partnered with Celeste her college ex and the one that shattered her heart.

Firstly I have to admit I was too hyped for this one since I love the others books I've read by the author. I enjoyed this book and really liked following Gemma and I was rooting for her most of the time, however, I don't really enjoy second chance romance that much. This one was alright and had a lot of cute moments but the main conflict felt to long for my liking.

I love force proximity, Sapphic and workplace romances so if you are into second chance too this might be a great option for you.

Thanks to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the ALC, the narration was great.

Ok, I went into this book as one of those 'judge a book by it's cover' type of situation... and I was so pleasantly surprised! I haven't read that many sapphic romances, but this one was really good! The two narrators for the audiobook were great and I think this was a perfect way to read this story with those two voices bringing the two main characters to life. The Asian rep was also a big plus for me because there's just not enough of it and especially in queer spaces. I have been recommending it as an excellent read for Pride Month and it's a delightful summer read as well.

this had me hooked at second chance and even more hooked at it being sapphic. this was light hearted at times while also dealing with heavier topics like toxic expectations from families. i love the growth both of these characters went through by the end of the book.

Love in Focus by Lyla Lee is a sweet, engaging romance that had me rooting for Gemma and Celeste from the start. Gemma’s voice—warm, witty, and honest—drew me in immediately as she navigated her seven-year breakup and the skepticism it left behind. Being paired with her ex, Celeste, for a high-stakes feature on modern love creates instant tension, and their chemistry still crackles even after years apart. Watching Gemma wrestle with old wounds and new feelings felt genuine and kept me invested in their story.

My one quibble is the switch in perspective: Gemma’s chapters are in first person, while Celeste’s are rendered in third person. That choice made Celeste feel just a bit more distant—especially since I was already so attuned to Gemma’s inner thoughts. I wish the entire novel had maintained a first-person POV to give both women equal intimacy. Still, Celeste’s talent and vulnerability shine through, and seeing them rediscover one another was fun and heartfelt.

Overall, Love in Focus is a quick, enjoyable read that balances humor with emotional depth. While the POV shift was a minor distraction for me, the genuine connection between Gemma and Celeste more than makes up for it. If you’re looking for a light contemporary romance with relatable characters and a solid happily-ever-after, this book is worth a spot on your reading list.